[E33] "In this quatrain all the later editions of our author read uniformly misers for michers (thieves or pilferers). What kind of misers 'unthriftiness' would make never seems to have been considered. 'Careless and rash' is a gallicism for carelessness and rashness."—M. "Mychare, capax, cleps, furunculus."—Prompt. Parv.
"Mychers, hedge crepers, fylloks and lushes,
That all the somer kepe dyches and bushes."
—The Hyeway to the Spytell House, ed. Atterson, ii. 11.
See also Townley Mysteries, pp. 216, 308. "Caqueraffe, a base micher, scurvie hagler, lowsie dodger, etc. Caqueduc, a niggard, micher, etc."—Cotgrave.
[E34] "Make hunger thy sauce." This is the proverb "hunger is the best sauce," which is reckoned amongst the aphorisms of Socrates: "Optimum cibi condimentum fames, sitis potus."—Cicero, De Finibus, Bk. II.
[E35] "Mastive, Bandog, Molossus."—Baret's Alvearie, 1580. "The tie-dog or band-dog, so called bicause manie of them are tied up in chaines and strong bonds, in the daie time, for dooing hurt abroad, which is an huge dog, stubborne, ouglie, eager, burthenous of bodie (and therefore but of little swiftnesse), terrible and fearfull to behold, and oftentimes more fierce and fell than anie Archadian or Corsican cur.... They take also their name of the word 'mase' and 'theefe' (or 'master theefe' if you will), bicause they often stound and put such persons to their shifts in townes and villages, and are the principall causes of their apprehension and taking."—Harrison, Descrip. of England, part ii. pp. 44-5. "We han great Bandogs will teare their skins."—Spenser, Shep. Cal. September.
[E36] "The credite of maister," etc. If servants are allowed the credit or trust, which should only be allowed to their master and mistress, much trouble will be the result.
[E37] "Be to count ye wote what," that is, nothing to signify, of little importance.
[E38] "So, twentie lode bushes," etc. So, without proper management, twenty loads of bushes may be so wasted as only to serve for the stopping of a single gap.
"A" = one, a single: a very common use in Early English; cf. William of Nassington's "Myrrour of Lyfe," lines 2, 3;