'excellent constitution' of Sir Andrew's leg, 'it
was formed under the star of a galliard.' Sir Andrew complacently
replies, 'Ay, 'tis strong,' upon which Sir Toby proposes to the
foolish knight to give an example of his powers; 'Let me see thee
_caper_. Ha! _higher_.' This capering or 'sault majeur' was also a
feature of the 'high lavolt' [La Volta] mentioned in _Troilus_ IV, iv,
84, concerning which Sir John Davies says--

'An anapaest is all their music's song,
Whose first two feet are short, and third is long.'

Also he calls the lavolte 'a lofty jumping.' Morley (1597) speaks of
the Volte, and says it is characterised by 'rising and leaping,' and
is of the same 'measure' as a coranto. These statements do not all
agree with the 'Orchesographie.'

4. Jigg [later Gigue, and Jig]. The name comes from Giga (Geige), a
sort of fiddle in use during the 12th and 13th centuries. The oldest
jigs are Scottish, and were 'round dances' for a large number of
people. As for the time of the Jig tunes, those of the 18th century
were certainly written in a triple rhythm, like 3/8, 6/4 or 12/8. The
Jegge of 1678, mentioned above, is in quick 6/4 time. But 'The
Cobbler's Jig' [Appendix], 1622, and a Jigg by Matthew Locke, dated
1672, in his 'Compositions for Broken and Whole Consorts of 2, 3, 4,
5, and 6 parts,' are very decidedly in quick 4/4 time, and have no
such characteristics as a 'dotted note' anywhere about them. Moreover,
Bull's 'The King's Hunting Jigg,' is also in quick 4/4 time, with a
similar absence of dotted notes. This last example is probably earlier
than 1600. At any rate it was a lively dance, as we can learn from
Hamlet.

_Hamlet_ II, ii, 504. The _1st Player_ recites a speech.

_Polonius._ This is _too long_.

_Hamlet._ It shall to the barber's, with your
beard.--Pr'ythee (to the _1st Player_), say on: _he's for a
jig, ... or he sleeps_.

5. Measure. Beatrice, in the quoted passage from _Much Ado About
Nothing_, gives a capital idea of the relative speed of the Scotch jig
and the Measure. The jig, she says, is like the lover's wooing, hot,
hasty, and fantastical; the measure, however, is like the Wedding,
mannerly modest, full of state and ancientry.

The term Measure certainly seems to have been used to signify a
particularly staid and formal dance. Selden (see above), at least,
puts 'grave Measures' at the sober beginning of his list, and so goes
on, by easy descent, throu