Walsingham Whistle (M[20],c), probably an allusion to the "Wishing Wells" at Walsingham (Norfolk). Persons drinking of them were said to obtain the fulfilment of any wish made while drinking. Nought, appealed to, said he could "pipe on a Walsingham whistle," i.e. wish for what he wanted, and perhaps get it. Apparently he does, for he wished for the entry of Titivullus, who appears.
Walter, "I love ill to walter" (JE[364],a), tumble, roll about. "To turne or walter in mire" (Baret, 1580).
Wart, "che wa'r't, a false harlot you art" (R[210],c), war[ran]t.
Wat, "some great wat" (N[69],b)—"Brother wat" (WH[297],a), a wight, a man.
Way, "do way, do way" (M[6],c), away, away!
Wealth and Health is one of the recently recovered "lost" plays (see Preface), and is of unknown authorship. The text is given on pp. 273-309, from a photograph copy of the original now in the British Museum, together with a reduced facsimile of the title-page. The B.M. entry is—
Wealth. An enterlude of Welth and Helth, very mery and full of pastyme, newly att his [i.e. att this] tyme imprinted. B. L. [London, 1565?] 4o. [C.34,i.25.
The collation is sixteen leaves, Ai (title with back blank) to Div. in 4s. The play is wretchedly printed on very thin paper, and simply bristles with printer's errors. I have taken no heed of most of these in the present text which I have collated twice with the old copy. I think I have succeeded in producing a substantially correct version of the original, any specially doubtful point being noted infra. This, however, must be taken with one reservation—so far as the state of the typography would allow I have given the Dutch and Spanish jargon exactly as it appears in the old text. It was simply impossible to make sense out of it. Many of the words have no resemblance to anything in Dutch. It was submitted to Dutch and German scholars to no effect. The sense occasionally can be gleaned—for example, that Hance was a drunken Hollander who wanted to get an engagement as gunner by the English. But the whole is evidently a caricature of Dutch, with which the author obviously had no acquaintance beyond a few scattered words, and the "patter" was put in simply to tickle the ears of the groundlings. As regards date, the British Museum Catalogue suggests "? 1565" for this recovered copy; but Hazlitt states that the play was licensed in 1557-8, and printed by John Waley in 1558. There is little internal evidence to help to a decision. Hance ([300],c) says he has been in England "this darteen (thirteen) year," and if we deduct this from 1557-8 we get 1544-5, which is close enough to the times of Anne of Cleves (1540), the "Flander's mare" of Henry VIII., to suggest that the play may have been written and played a year or two earlier than the date of its entry at Stationers' Hall. There are two references to the Sovereign ([301],b and 308,d), Queen Elizabeth, who succeeded 17th Nov. 1558, but these allusions do not, of course, reveal anything. Corrigenda, Amended Readings, etc.: Title-page (274), a reduced facsimile being given (273), direct comparison may be made: though very indistinct, there are traces of the lines of a written inscription on the lower half of the page—Names of Players (275 et seq.), these are given in margin; in places dropped a little out of line, but nowhere so that the commencement of the speech is not easily identified—"praise yourself too much ye may" ([276],a), original so—"Yet no displeasure" ([276],b), original Yeth—"to you no dispraise" ([276],b), in original dyspayre—"am I a tagetive" ([277],c), original tagetyve, but the first "stamp" may be anything: see Tagetive—"I, Wealth, have all treasure" ([278],a), original hatg: the close alphabetical juxtaposition of v and t on the one hand and e and g of the misprint (for so I take it) is curious: see supra—"their pain is such" ([280],c), original there—"Ill-W. Why, I came," etc. ([284],a), throughout the original Ill-Will, who is given his full name in the stage direction marking his entrance, is "tagged" in the margin Will—"H[eal]th. Whose," etc. ([284],a), the letters in square brackets are rubbed away, but the speech seems to be to Health rather than Wealth. See Health's speech, 283,b.—"and kindred too" ([284],d), original kinred—"lest that I mar" ([285],d), so I think in original: the letters are blurred, but the portions visible indicate the rubbed-out strokes: if so, note the three rhymes, were, near, mar: Dr. Murray gives mer(e) as a form current from the 13th to the 16th centuries—"I came my way" ([286],c), original can—"Ill-W. I would come in" ([286],c), in original this speech is given to Wit, but clearly that is a mistake—"Hance Beerpot, a scon router" ([287],a), so in original, which there seemed no need to modernise to Hans: see ante—"his name is War" ([287],c), in view of recent discussion in N. and Q. note the rhyme with mar—"with your gound? stand near" ([287],c), this may possibly read "with your gound-stand near?"—"I am very glad" ([289],d), the next line is very indistinct, and even the paper at this place is opaquer than elsewhere, so debarring restoration in that wise: it looks like "Some crafty wile for him [I would] ye had," but I would is very doubtful, unless we reckon on a glaring misprint—"they shall not flit" ([290],c), original flye—"[Health]. Sirs! now go your way" ([291],c), the name is not in original, but the lines are apparently as now attributed—"w'out blane" ([294],b), wout in original—"If a man be never so...." ([295],a), the line appears to have got loose, and in printing this has caused extra blurring: so may not be correct; what follows looks like "so ... good and b ... be but thrifty": but it is uncertain to a degree—"Speak! be not afraid" ([295],d), in original afryde—"What sayest thou in his face" ([296],a), obviously misprinted in the original: the word meant may be seest—"for these years twenty" ([296],b), this in original—"as good know" ([296],d), in original no—"And your subtilty known" ([297],a), in original Aud our subtillitte knowen—"Ill-W. Peace! no mo words" ([297],b), in original this is given to Wit—"with kindness my heart do kill" ([299],b), herye in original—"magt not do thereto" ([300],a), aot in original—"I understand thee well" ([300],d), Ic in original: the author has forgotten himself in this instance—"Wit. I will go to fetch them" ([304],d), in original I Iyf go to fetch tham—"should lean to man's life" ([305],a), in original leaue—
Where, "where he go" (JE[354],d), whether.
Whister, "whister him in the ear" (N[77],d), whisper.