[658] A common contraction for master.
[659] 'Broche' and 'spit' are synonymous.
[660] set of people, company; cf. Heywood, Play of the Wether, l. 94.
[661] I am. The rustic dialect in the piece is conventional, but its general peculiarities are those of the southwestern counties; iche = I, reduced to ch in cham, chould, or chwold (I would), chwere, etc. The southwestern v for f is not generally used, but occurs below in vylthy, in vast (I. iv. 8), and in vathers (II. i. 52); glaye for clay is probably not genuine dialect.
[662] Misprinted what.
[663] H. prints 'halse aker,' with the following absurd note: "I believe we should read halse anchor, or anker, as it was anciently spelt; a naval phrase."
[664] Ed. 1575 till.
[665] Printed sayth.
[666] I hold, i.e. 'I wager.'
[667] owed.