are crossed through.

[198] The words "to a Monarchie" are corrected in the MS. "to another
forme."

[199] Not marked in MS.

[200] Not marked in MS.

[201] T[homas] Holc[ombe] took the part.

[202] "Mr. Rob." took the part.

[203] In the right-hand margin we find the actor's name, "Mr. Bir.,"
i.e. Bir[ch].

[204] "The quantity of ten of any commodity; as a _dicker_ of hides was
ten hides, a _dicker_ of iron ten bars. See 'Fragment. Antiq.,' p. 192.
Probably from _decas_, Lat."--Nares.

[205] Sc. pumpkin (Fr.).

[206] "Dewse-ace. _Deux et az_." Cotgrave. (Cf. _Love's Labour's Lost_,
I. 2.) The lowest cast of the dice, two aces, was called "ames ace."

[207] Among the Romans the highest cast was called _Venus_ and the
lowest _canis_. (Cf. a well-known couplet of Propertius, lib. iv. el.
viii. l. 45--

"Me quoque per talos Venerem quaerente secundos
Semper damnosi subsiluere canes.")

[208] Sc. quatre et trois.

[209] Embroidered, figured.

[210] The actors' names, "Mr. Rob." and "Mr. Rice," are written in the
right-hand margin.

[211] A term of contempt, like "poor John."

[212] To set up one's rest, meant, as has been abundantly shown by
Shakespearean commentators, to stand upon one's cards at _primero_; but
the word "pull" in this connexion is not at all easy to explain. The
general sense of the present passage is plain: "Is my life held in such
paltry esteem that slaves are allowed to gamble for it as for a stake at
cards?" We have nowhere a plain account of _primero_. When the "Compleat
Gamester" was published (in 1674) the game had been discontinued. The
variety of quotations given by Nares, under _Primero_ and _Rest_, is
simply distracting. There are two passages (apud Nares) of Fletcher's
bearing on the present difficulty:--

"My _rest is up_, wench, and I _pull_ for that
Will make me ever famous." _Woman's Prize_, I. 2.

"Faith, sir, my _rest is up_,
And what I now _pull_ shall no more afflict me
Than if I play'd at span-counter." _Monsieur Thomas_, IV. 9.

Dyce accepts Nares' suggestion that _pull_ means to _draw a card_; but
if a player is standing on his cards, why should he want to draw a card?
There is an old expression, to "pull down a side," i.e. to ruin one's
partner (by bad play); and I am inclined to think that to "pull at a
rest" in _primero_ meant to try to pull down (beat, go beyond) the
player who was standing on his cards. The first playe