CHAN. Thus far, My most dread sovereign, may it like your grace To let my tongue excuse all. What was purpos'd Concerning his imprisonment, was rather (If there be faith in men,) meant for his trial, And fair purgation to the world, than malice; I am sure, in me. K. HEN. Well, well, my lords, respect him; Am, for his love and service, so to him. I have a suit which you must not deny me; That is, &c.] My suit is, that you would be a godfather to a fair young maid, who is not yet christened. Mr. Rowe reads -There is, &c. and all the subsequent editors have adopted this unnecessary alteration. The final word her, we should now consider as superfluous; but we have many instances of a similar phraseology in these plays :-or, the construction may be-A fair young maid, &c. you must be godfather [to], and answer for her. So before in this play: 66 whoever the king-favours, "The cardinal instantly will find employment [for], "And far enough from court too." Again, in The Merchant of Venice: "How true a gentleman you send relief [to]." Again, in Julius Cæsar: "Thy honourable metal may be wrought "From what it is dispos'd [to]." See also Vol. X. p. 433, n. 8, and a note on Cymbeline, sc. ult. Vol. XVIII. MALONE. The superfluous pronoun in the text (if it be superfluous) may be justified by the following passage in Romeo and Juliet: this reverend holy friar, 66 "All our whole city is much bound to him." STEEVENS. You must be godfather,5 and answer for her. CRAN. The greatest monarch now alive may glory In such an honour; How may I deserve it, That am a poor and humble subject to you? K. HEN. Come, come, my lord, you'd spare your spoons; you shall have 5 You must be godfather,] Our prelates formerly were often employed on the like occasions. Cranmer was godfather to Edward VI. See Hall, fo. 232. Archbishop Warham to Henry's eldest son by Queen Katharine; and the Bishop of Winchester to Henry himself. See Sandford, 479, 495. REED. -you'd spare your spoons;] It was the custom, long before the time of Shakspeare, for the sponsors at christenings to offer gilt spoons as a present to the child. These spoons were called apostle spoons, because the figures of the apostles were carved on the tops of the handles. Such as were at once opulent and generous, gave the whole twelve; those who were either more moderately rich or liberal, escaped at the expence of the four evangelists; or even sometimes contented themselves with presenting one spoon only, which exhibited the figure of any saint, in honour of whom the child received its name. In the year 1560 we find entered on the books of the Sta tioners' company, 66 a spoyne, of the gyfte of master Reginold Wolfe, all gylte with the pycture of St. John." Ben Jonson also, in his Bartholomew, Fair, mentions spoons of this kind: "and all this for the hope of a couple of apostle spoons, and a cup to eat caudle in.” So, in Middleton's comedy of A chaste Maid of Cheapside, 1620: 2 Gos. What has he given her?-what is it, gossip? 3 Gos. A faire high standing cup, and two great 'postle spoons, one of them gilt. 1 Pur. Sure that was Judas then with the red beard." Again: "E'en the same gossip 'twas that gave the spoons." Again, in Sir Wm. D'Avenant's comedy of The Wits, 1639: 66 my pendants, carcanets, and rings, "My christ'ning caudle-cup, and spoons, Again, in The Maid of the Mill, by Beaumont and Fletcher: "Didst ask her name?. "Yes, and who gave it her; Two noble partners with you; the old duchess of Norfolk, "And what they promis'd more, besides a spoon, Again, in The Noble Gentleman, by the same authors: "I have an odd apostle spoon." Mr. Pegge, in his preface to A Forme of Cury, a Roll of ancient English Cookery, compiled about A. D. 1390, &c. observes, that "the general mode of eating must either have been with the spoon or the fingers; and this, perhaps, may have been the reason that spoons became the usual present from gossips to their god-children at christenings." STEEVENS. As the following story, which is found in a collection of anecdotes, entitled Merry Passages and Jeasts, MSS. Harl. 6395, contains an allusion to this custom, and has not, I believe, been published, it may not be an improper supplement to this account of apostle spoons. It shows that our author and Ben Jonson were once on terms of familiarity and friendship, however cold and jealous the latter might have been at a subsequent period; "Shakspeare was godfather to one of Ben Jonson's children, and after the christening, being in deepe study, Jonson came to cheer him up, and ask'd him why he was so melancholy: No 'faith, Ben, says he, not I; but I have been considering a great while what should be the fittest gift for me to bestow upon my godchild, and I have resolv'd at last. I pr'ythee, what? says he. I'faith, Ben, I'll give him a douzen good latten [Latin] spoons, and thou shalt translate them." The collector of these anecdotes appears to have been nephew to Sir Roger L'Estrange. He names Donne as the relater of this story. The practice of sponsors giving spoons at christenings continued to the latter end of the last century, as appears from a pamphlet written against Dryden, entitled The Reason of Mr. Bayes's Conversion, &c. p. 14. At one period it was the mode to present gifts of a different kind. "At this time," [the first year of Queen Elizabeth] says the continuator of Stowe's Chronicle, "and for many yeeres before, it was not the use and custome, as now it is, [1631,] for godfathers and godmothers generally to give plate at the baptism of children, (as spoones, cups, and such like,) but only to give christening shirts, with little hands and cuffs wrought either with silk or blue thread; the best of them for chief persons weare edged with a small lace of blacke silke and And lady marquiss Dorset; Will these please you? Once more, my lord of Winchester, I charge you, Embrace, and love this man. GAR. And brother-love, I do it. CRAN. With a true heart, And let heaven Witness, how dear I hold this confirmation. K. HEN. Good man, those joyful tears show thy true heart." The common voice, I see, is verified Of thee, which says thus, Do my lord of Canter bury A shrewd turn, and he is your friend for ever.- [Exeunt. golde; the highest price of which for great men's children were seldom above a noble, and the common sort, two, three, or four and five shillings a piece." Whether our author, when he speaks of apostle-spoons, has, as usual, attributed the practice of his own time to the reign of Henry VIII. I have not been able to ascertain. Probably, however, he is here accurate; for we know that certain pieces of plate were, on some occasions, then bestowed; Hall, who has written a minute account of the christening of Elizabeth, informing us, that the gifts presented by her sponsors were a standing cup of gold, and six gilt bowls, with covers. Chron, Hen. VIII. fol. 218. 7thy true heart.] Old copy-hearts. editor of the second folio. MALONE, MALONE. Corrected by the Two noble partners with you; the old duchess of Norfolk, "And what they promis'd more, besides a spoon, Again, in The Noble Gentleman, by the same authors: "I have an odd apostle spoon." Mr. Pegge, in his preface to A Forme of Cury, a Roll of ancient English Cookery, compiled about A. D. 1390, &c. observes, that "the general mode of eating must either have been with the spoon or the fingers; and this, perhaps, may have been the reason that spoons became the usual present from gossips to their god-children at christenings." STEEVENS. As the following story, which is found in a collection of anecdotes, entitled Merry Passages and Jeasts, MSS. Harl. 6395, contains an allusion to this custom, and has not, I believe, been published, it may not be an improper supplement to this account of apostle spoons. It shows that our author and Ben Jonson were once on terms of familiarity and friendship, however cold and jealous the latter might have been at a subsequent period: "Shakspeare was godfather to one of Ben Jonson's children, and after the christening, being in deepe study, Jonson came to cheer him up, and ask'd him why he was so melancholy: No 'faith, Ben, says he, not I; but I have been considering a great while what should be the fittest gift for me to bestow upon my godchild, and I have resolv'd at last. I pr'ythee, what? says he. -I'faith, Ben, I'll give him a douzen good latten [Latin] spoons, and thou shalt translate them.' "" The collector of these anecdotes appears to have been nephew to Sir Roger L'Estrange. He names Donne as the relater of this story. The practice of sponsors giving spoons at christenings continued to the latter end of the last century, as appears from a pamphlet written against Dryden, entitled The Reason of Mr. Bayes's Conversion, &c. p. 14. At one period it was the mode to present gifts of a different kind. "At this time," [the first year of Queen Elizabeth] says the continuator of Stowe's Chronicle, "and for many yeeres before, it was not the use and custome, as now it is, [1631,] for godfathers and godmothers generally to give plate at the baptism of children, (as spoones, cups, and such like,) but only to give christening shirts, with little hands and cuffs wrought either with silk or blue thread; the best of them for chief persons weare edged with a small lace of blacke silke and |