"There hath beene great sale and utterance of wine,
Besides beere and ale, and ipocras fine,
In every country, region, and nation;
Chefely at Billingsgate, at the Salutation,
And Bores Head, neere London Stone,
The Swan at Dowgate, a taverne well knowne,
The Miter in Cheape, and then the Bull Head,
And many like places that make noses red;
The Bores Head in Old Fish Street, three Cranes in the Vintree,
And now of late, St Martin's in the Sentree:
The Windmill in Lothbury, the Ship at the Exchange,
King's Head in New Fish Streete, where roysters do range;
The Mermaid in Cornhill; Red Lion in the Strand,
Three Tuns in Newgate Market, Old Fish Street, at the Swan."
[235] [An allusion which has been often explained.]
[236] About the year 1631, Archbishop Laud, under the patronage of Charles I., undertook the repairing and rebuilding of St Paul's. On this occasion the king went to the cathedral, and, after divine service was performed, solemnly promised to exert his best endeavours to repair the ruins which time, or the casualties of weather, had made therein. In consequence of this scheme, many applications were made to noblemen and gentlemen for their assistance, and, on their refusal to contribute, some were very severely censured, and even fined.
[237] Most of our ancient maps will sufficiently illustrate this image. The vacant spaces, occasioned by tracts of sea, are usually ornamented with these monsters spouting water.—Steevens.
[238] Among the illegal modes of raising money adopted by Charles I., after he determined to govern without a parliament; the borrowing of money by writs of privy-seal was one not the least burdensome and oppressive. The manner was to direct these writs to particular persons by name, requiring the loan of money, or plate to the amount of the money, to be paid or delivered to a particular person, for the king's use. The form of the writs may be seen in "The Parliamentary History," xiii., 84, where one of them is printed. [But in this passage this speaker also intends a play on the double meaning of seal.]
[239] Alluding to a method of catching pikes.—Pegge.
[240] [Probably, nimble, sprightly, Fr. leger; unless it should be in the sense indicated by Nares in his "Glossary" under Liedger, i.e., resident; but Bannswright is not described as a pander.]
[241] A corruption, probably, of wizand, or weazon.—Steevens.
[242] Perhaps he means to say Vin de Dieu; i.e., Lacrymæ Christi.—Steevens.
[243] [The old copy here, and again just below, has improperly Plotwell, for Bannswright must be supposed to maintain his disguise at present.]