Editorial note — Scene IV. My Lady Youthly’s; Discovers her, and Lettice dressing her.

Note to p. 330: Southampton Square.

Town Fop text:

meet me to morrow Morning about five, with your Sword in your Hand, behind Southampton House

Town Fop note:

Southampton House. Southampton House, Bloomsbury, occupied the whole of the north side of the present Bloomsbury Square. It had ‘a curious garden behind, which lieth open to the fields,’—Strype. A great rendezvous for duellists, cf. Epilogue to Mountfort’s Greenwich Park (Drury Lane, 1691) spoken by Mrs. Mountfort:—

Note to p. 333: Wills’ Coffee-house.

Lucky Chance text:

a Wit of the Town, a Friend of mine at Wills Coffee House

Lucky Chance note:

Wills Coffee House. This famous coffee-house was No. 1 Bow Street, Covent Garden, on the west side corner of Russell Street. It derived its name from Will Unwin who kept it. The wits’ room was upstairs on the first floor. Some of its reputation was due to the fact that it was a favourite resort of Dryden.

Note to p. 334: his Third Day.

Lucky Chance text:

I will be kinder to my Brothers of the Pen, than they have been to a defenceless Woman; for I am not content to write for a Third day only.

Lucky Chance note:

write for a Third day only. The whole profits of the third day’s performance went to the author of the play; and upon these occasions his friends and patrons would naturally rally to support him. There are numberless allusions to this custom, especially in Prefaces, Prologues and Epilogues.

Note to p. 334: old Adam.

Rover II text:

For your parts, who are the poor dependent, brown Bread and old Adam’s Ale is only current amongst ye

Rover II note:

old Adam’s Ale. A very ancient colloquialism for water. In Scotland ‘Adam’s wine’ and frequently merely ‘Adam’. Prynne in his Sovereign Power of Parliament (1648), speaks of prisoners ‘allowed only a poor pittance of Adam’s ale.’ cf. Peter Pindar (John Wolcot), The Lousiad, Canto ii, ll. 453-4:—

Note to p. 394: this Tour.

False Count text:

you must be a Lady, and have your Petticoats lac’d four Stories high; wear your false Towers, and cool your self with your Spanish Fan

False Count note:

Towers. The tower at this time was a curled frontlet of false hair. cf. Crowne’s The Country Wit (1675), Act ii, II, where Lady Faddle cries to her maid, ‘run to my milliner’s for my gloves and essences ... run for my new towre.’ Shadwell, The Virtuoso (1676), Act iii, mentions ‘Tires for the head, locks, tours, frouzes, and so forth’. The Debauchee (1677), Act ii, I: Mrs. Saleware speaks of buying ‘fine clothes, and tours, and Points and knots.’ The Younger Brother (1696), Act v, the last scene, old Lady Youthly anxiously asks her maid, ‘is not this Tour too brown?’ During the reign of Mary II and particularly in the time of Anne a Tower meant almost exclusively the high starched head-dress in vogue at that period.

In the printed book, all notes were grouped at the end of the volume as “Notes on the Plays” and “Notes: Critical and Explanatory”. For this e-text, Notes have been placed after their respective plays.

The Notes as printed give only page and line numbers. References to Acts and Scenes were added by the transcriber. All links lead directly to the cited text. Annotated passages are identified in the body text with two kinds of link: dotted underlining for text notes; solid underlining for critical notes. Passages that have both kinds of note are linked to the “Critical and Explanatory” note.

The critical notes include a few cross-references to other volumes of the Complete Works. Where appropriate, these texts are quoted after each play’s Notes. The “N.E.D.” of the Notes is now generally known as the OED.

In the Notes, the variation between .’ and ’. (close quote before or after final period) is as printed and has not been regularized. The abbreviation “cf.” is always lower-case. Brackets are in the original.