19 FRANCISCA a common name for prostitutes (especially in the form ‘Frank’ or ‘Frankie’ because of its suggestion of giving sexual favours frankly); also a name suggestive of Frances Carr (see Introduction, p. xvi)

22 HECATE two syllables, as the MS spelling is ‘Heccat’. In Greek mythology Hecate is goddess of the moon and witchcraft. This Hecate, however, is not a goddess as she is expecting to die when she is 120 years old (see I.ii.68).

23–4 STADLIN, HOPPO See Scot 12.5: ‘It is constantly affirmed in M.MAL. that STAFUS used always to hide himself in a mousehole, and had a disciple called HOPPO, who made STADLIN a master witch’.

25–6 HELLWAIN and PUCKLE See Scot 7.15, where the list of spirits includes ‘the hell wain … the puckle’. Puckle is not entirely mute in this edition as I have attributed III.iii.45–8 to her.

27 MALKIN diminutive of Matilda or Maud, although I.ii.95–6 suggests the ‘great cat’ is male

Thomas Holmes, Esquire

2 Thomas Holmes, Esquire Wayne Phelps, ‘Thomas Holmes, Esquire: The Dedicatee of Middleton’s The Witch’, NQ 27 (1980), 152–4, argues that the title ‘Esquire’ indicates that the dedicatee could not be a clergyman, and this eliminates all known possible dedicatees except for a Thomas Holmes of Gray’s Inn. Phelps dismisses the previous favourite, Thomas Holmes the composer (lay-vicar of Winchester 1631, gentleman of the Chapel Royal 1633, died 1638), on the ‘Esquire’ test and because he flourished too late for contact with Middleton; however, Grove dates Holmes’s birth date as around 1580, which would make him the same age as Middleton. What we know of Holmes of Winchester – e.g. that he sang bass in a masque by Shirley in 1633 – also suggests that he would be interested in The Witch. If Holmes’s interest in The Witch was expressed around 1624, he may not have been ordained then, and so even Phelps’s ‘Esquire’ test is unconvincing.

6–7 ignorantly ill-fated not necessarily a stage flop (see Introduction, pp. xiv, xxiv)

9 imprisoned obscurity The play text probably had to be retrieved from the King’s Men, who would own the text once they had bought it from Middleton.

10 conjured herself abroad i.e. gone abroad in the form of the manuscript

Act I, Scene i

0 MS uses Latin act and scene terminology throughout the text and marks the end of each act in Latin.

3 She Isabella

3–4 They had a verbal marriage contract but had not consummated it; therefore it was not legally recognised. Fernando witnessed the verbal contract (see IV.ii.4–5), and Sebastian’s belief in its legality determines his behaviour in the play.

6 possession Once the marriage is consummated it will have legal standing.

8 fastening i.e. marriage

12 There … sheep-skin! The bridegroom (Antonio) is a devil (wolf) in sheep’s clothing.

13 Clapped it up settled it

14 over-loves loves him especially strongly

15 credit reputation

16 Performance of to fulfil her duty as

19 hardly my own secrecy even my own secret thoughts

21 employments preoccupations

23 that’s the least at the very least

24 can that can

27 sensible sensitive, feeling

28 unbelieved unbelievable