Edg. Pillicock sat on pillicock's hill.
In the metrical romance of Sir Gawain and Sir Galaron, there is this line,
"His polemous with pelicocus were poudred to pay."
Pinkerton's Scotish poems, vol. iii. 214.
In the comedy of Ignoramus by Ruggles, Act III. Scene 6, Cupes talks of "quimbiblos, indenturas, pilicoccos, calimancas;" where it is perhaps a new-fangled term for any kind of stuff or cloth. There is an attempt to explain the word in Warner's Letter to Garrick, p. 30; but whoever would be certain of finding the exact meaning, may consult, besides the article in Minsheu, 9299, the following books: Durfey's Pills to purge melancholy, iv. 311.—The Nightingale, (a collection of songs) 1738, p. 380.—Lyndsay's Works, as edited by Mr. Chalmers, ii. 145, and the excellent glossary.—Florio's Italian dictionary, 1611, under the articles piviolo, and rozzone.
Scene 4. Page 162.
Edg. Keep thy pen from lenders books.
When spendthrifts and distressed persons resorted to usurers or tradesmen for the purpose of raising money by means of shop-goods or brown paper commodities, they usually entered their promissory notes or other similar obligations in books kept for that purpose. It is to this practice that Edgar alludes.
In Lodge's Looking-glasse for London and Englande, 1598, 4to, a usurer says to a gentleman, "I have thy hand set to my book that thou received'st fortie pounds of me in money." To which the other answers, "It was your device, to colour the statute, but your conscience knowes what I had." Parke, in his Curtaine-drawer of the world, speaking of a country gentleman, alludes to the extravagance of his back, which had got him into the mercer's book.
Scene 4. Page 163.
Edg. ... ha, no nonny.