[262] This incident is borrowed from the Italian, and it is employed by many of their novelists. It also forms the eighth story of "Les Comptes du Monde adventureux," printed at [Paris in 1555, and a translation from the Italian.] Casti founded his tale of "La Celia" upon it, with the variation of making the old woman a negress; but in this change he was not original. Richard Brome employed it in his "Novella," acted at the Blackfriars Theatre thirty years before Killigrew's play was published.—Collier.
[263] [A hit at some of the frivolous poetry of an earlier period. See Hazlitt's "Handbook" v. Lenton.]
[264] The sickness was the common name for the plague. See Gifford's Ben Jonson, iii. 353, iv. 9, &c.—Collier.
[265] This alludes to one of the regulations made to prevent the spreading of the plague. When a house became infected, the officers empowered for that purpose immediately placed a guard before it, which continued there night and day, to prevent any person going from thence until the expiration of forty days. At the same time, red crosses, of a foot long were painted on the doors and windows, with the words LORD HAVE MERCY UPON US, in great letters, wrote over them, to caution all passengers to avoid infected places.
In a collection of epigrams, entitled, "More Fools Yet," written by R. S. (Roger Sharpe), 1610, 4o, is the following—
"Rusticus, an honest country swayne,
Whose education simple was, and plaine,
Having survey'd the citie round about,
Emptyed his purse, and so went trudging out.
But by the way he saw, and much respected,
A doore belonging to a house infected;
Whereon was plac't (as 'tis the custome still)
Lord have mercy upon us! This sad bill
The sot perusde; and having read, he swore,
All London was, ungodly, but that doore.
Here dwells some vertue yet, sayes he; for this
A most devout religious saying is:
And thus he wisht (with putting off his hatte)
That every doore had such a bill as that."
[266] Robert Gomersall, in 1628, published a poem, in three cantos, called "The Levite's Revenge." It arrived at a second edition in 1633, and seems to have been popular.—Collier.
[267] This is probably meant to ridicule John Ball, a celebrated puritan divine, born in 1585, and died in 1640, after publishing many religious controversial works.—Collier.
[268] It seems doubtful whether the preceding part of this speech does not belong to Wanton.—Collier.
[269] [Mistress.]