107 Mother Bunch a famous tavern hostess, commemorated in jest books for her fine ale. Firk’s remark is somewhat obscure. He is possibly suggesting either that the conduit water is the brown colour of beer or that Mother Bunch’s ale is watered down.

110-11 a swearing-church a church whose name can be invoked in an oath (such as ‘by my faith’)

114 incony ‘a cant word, prevalent about 1600, of unascertained origin . . . Rare, fine, delicate, pretty, “nice”’ (O.E.D.). The term may here suggest ‘incognito’ or the French ‘inconnu’ (Steane); but there is also possibly a bawdy pun on ‘in cunny’ (Parr), with the suggestion of being in a state of sexual pleasure.

124 Refrain restrain

126 what else whatever you ask

127 betimes very early

127-8 hey-pass-and-repass a conjuring term, a little like ‘abracadabra’, referring here to either the magical trick of Rose and Lacy’s marriage or the spell-like formula of the wedding vow

128 pindy-pandy the children’s game of handy-dandy, which evokes the image of giving one’s hand in marriage (and hence Firk’s next remark, which-hand-will-you-have)

134 traffic trade

135 ban . . . banns a common pun: ban = curse, banns = the public announcement of a wedding

s.d. Exit (Q3; exeunt Q1)

138 s.d. Exit (Q3; omitted Q1)

141 cony-catched caught by trickery; with a possible bawdy quibble on cony, cf. incony at line 114

144 chop up settle

145 the Savoy a pauper’s hospital, the chapel of which was frequently employed for clandestine marriages

149 mess a group of people (especially one assembled to eat together)

149-50 the Woolsack in Ivy Lane a popular tavern

150 cozen (plan how to) trick

152 hold out tack be on guard

153 smocks . . . jumbling ‘maidenheads, as a result of this hanky-panky’ (Parr); jumbling meant ‘disorder’, but also had sexual connotations.

1 stay, my bully hold on, my chum (Eyre has to restrain Lacy’s eagerness to rush to church). Smallwood and Wells emend stay to say.

9 Dainty, come thou to me a popular ballad tune, now lost

10 stand serve as (with an unintentional sexual double entendre)

12 vah! (contemptuous exclamation)

13 cast in my teeth brought against me as an accusation

14 Saracen’s head ferocious Muslim’s head displayed on the sign of an inn bearing this name; one of Eyre’s many affectionate insults

14-15 French flap . . . farthingale See notes to 10.30 and 10.31.

16-17 red petticoat Lord Mayor’s scarlet gown (cf. 16.70)

18 portagues See note to 1.90.

21-22 piecrust eaters . . . buff-jerkin varlets Eyre’s terms for his officers

24 brown perhaps a reference to the colour of Margery’s wig; or ‘lusty’, perhaps derived from the practice of heating steel, where it was used as a synonym for ‘burnished’ (O.E.D. a., 4) Queen of Periwigs i.e. Margery, now bewigged and sporting all the accessories of a fashionable lady

27 Hamborow Hamburg (with a reference, perhaps, to Hans; Holland and North Germany were often confused for each other)