Plucking the; By holding up the grass, or any light body that will bend by a gentle blast, the direction of the wind is found.
—my wealthy Andrew; The name of the ship.
Vailing her high-top; To vail is "to lower," or "let fall."
Let me play the fool; Alluding to the common comparison of human life to a stage-play. So that he desires his may be the fool's or buffoon's part, which was a constant character in the old farces; from whence came the phrase, to play the fool.—WARBURTON.