[III, i, 432]. ’em—grammatical precision would require him, as is substituted in M., f. In Field’s rapid, loose style, however, a change of construction in mid-sentence is not improbable, and the Q. reading may very well reproduce accurately what he wrote.
[III, i, 441]. thou curious impertinent—the epithet is from The Curious Impertinent of Cervantes, a story imbedded in Don Quixote, Part I.
[III, i, 463]. I not accuse—cf. note on l. 354.
[III, i, 467]. Ere liue—Ere I should live is required in full by strict grammar, but Field’s verse is frequently elliptical. Gifford’s emendation to lived for the sake of grammatical regularity, which is followed by all later editors, is unwarranted.
[III, i, 467]. mens marginall fingers—the figure is an allusion to the ancient custom of placing an index hand in the margin of books, to direct the reader’s attention to a striking passage. So does Romont picture men’s fingers pointing to the story of Charalois as a noteworthy and lamentable thing. Cf. [IV, i, 56].
[III, i, 469–470]. An Emperour put away his wife for touching Another man.—The source of this allusion is not apparent. Can it be a perversion in the mind of Field of the story of Caesar’s divorce of his wife, to which Massinger has already referred above ([l. 148])?
[IV, i, 3]. a flaxe—the flax wick of a lamp or candle.
[IV, i, 3]. a red headed womans chamber—Since early times red-haired individuals have been supposed to emit an emanation having a powerful sexually exciting influence. In the Romance countries, France and Italy, this belief is universally diffused.—Iwan Block: The Sexual Life of our Time—transl. by Eden Paul—p. 622.
Cf. also Gabrielle D’Annunzio: Il Piacere, p. 90:
“‘Have you noticed the armpits of Madame Chrysoloras? Look!’”
“The Duke di Beffi indicated a dancer, who had upon her brow, white as a marble of Luni, a firebrand of red tresses, like a priestess of Alma Tadema. Her bodice was fastened on the shoulders by mere ribbons, and there were revealed beneath the armpits two luxuriant tufts of red hair.
“Bomminaco began to discourse upon the peculiar odour which red-haired women have.”