p. 413 Flute Doux. Should be flute-douce. ‘The highest pitched variety of the old flute with a mouthpiece.’—Murray, N.E.D. cf. Etheredge, The Man of Mode (1676), ii, II: ‘Nothing but flute doux and French hoyboys.’
p. 420 a Curtain or Hangings. When several scenes had to be set one behind another the device of using a curtain or tapestries was common. cf. Dryden and Lee’s The Duke of Guise (1682), Act v, where after four or five sets ‘the scene draws, behind it a traverse’. We then have the Duke’s assassination—he shrieks out some four lines and dies, whereon ’.he traverse is drawn’. The traverse was merely a pair of curtains on a rod. All the grooves were in use for the scenes already set.
p. 422 Harpsicals. A common corruption of harpsicords on the analogy of virginals. The two 4tos, 1687 and 1688, and the 1711 edition all read ’.arpsicals’. 1724 gives ‘Harpsicords’.
p. 435 Ebula. The Ebelus was a jewel of great price bestowed upon Gonzales by Irdonozur. He tells us that: ‘to say nothing of the colour (the Lunar whereof I made mention before, which notwithstanding is so incredibly beautiful, as a man should travel 1000 Leagues to behold it), the shape is somewhat flat of the breadth of a Pistolett, and twice the thickness. The one side of this, which is somewhat more Orient of Colour than the other, being clapt to the bare skin of a man, in any part of his body, it taketh away from it all weight or ponderousness; whereas turning the other side it addeth force unto the attractive beams of the Earth, either in this world or that, and maketh the body to weigh half so much again as it did before.’
p. 446 Guzman of Salamanca. A Guzman was a common term of abuse. The first English translation (by James Mabbe) of Aleman’s famous romance is, indeed, entitled The Rogue, and it had as running title The Spanish Rogue. There is a novel by George Fidge entitled The English Gusman; or, The History of that Unparalleled Thief James Hind (1652, 4to). Salamanca had an unsavoury reputation owing to the fictions of Titus Gates. cf. The Rover (II), Act v: ‘Guzman Medicines.’
p. 446 Signum Mallis. This curious phrase, which is both distorted cant and canine, would appear to mean ‘your rogue’s phiz’.
p. 446 Friskin. ‘A gay lively person.’—Halliwell.
p. 446 Jack of Lent. A puppet set up to be thrown at; in modern parlance, ‘Aunt Sally’. Hence a butt for all.
p. 451 Spitchcock’d. To spitchcock is to split lengthwise, as an eel, and then broil.
p. 458 Stentraphon. A megaphone.