Chetwood the Prompter, as well as the addition to the title of the piece-"Therfites his Humours and Conceits;" for no fuch words are found in the catalogue published in 1671, by Kirkman, who appears to have feen it. MALONE.

P. 436. How the devil luxury, with his fat rump, and potatoe finger, tickles thefe together.] Luxuria was the appropriate term ufed by the fchool divines, to exprefs the fin of incontinence, which accordingly is called luxury in all our old English writers. In the Summe Theologie Compendium of Thomas Aquinas, P. 2. II. Quæft. CLIV. is de Luxuriæ Partibus, which the author distributes under the heads of Simplex Fornicatio, Adulterium, Inceftus, Stuprum, Raptus, &c. and Chaucer, in his Parfon's Tale, defcanting on the feven deadly fins, treats of this under the title De Luxuria. Hence, in King Lear, our author ufes the word in this particular sense:

To't, Luxury, pell-mell, for I want foldiers." And Middleton, in his Game of Chefs:

""

- in a room fill'd all with Aretine's pictures,
"(More than the twelve labours of Luxury,)

"Thou shalt not so much as the chafte pumniel fee
"Of Lucrece' dagger."

But why is luxury, or lafcivioufnefs, faid to have a potatoe finger?--This root, which was, in our author's time, but newly imported from America, was confidered as a rare exotick, and efteemed a very ftrong provocative. As the plant is fo common now, it may entertain the reader to fee how it is described by Gerard, in his Herbal, 1597, p. 780:

"This plant, which is called of fome Skyrrits of Peru, is generally of us called Potatus, or Potatoes.-There is not any that hath written of this plant ;-therefore, I refer the defcription thereof unto those that shall hereafter have further knowledge of the fame. Yet I have had in my garden divers roots (that I bought at the Exchange in London) where they flourifhed until winter, at which time they perifhed and rotted. They are used to be eaten roafted in the ashes. Some, when they be fo roafted, infuse them and fop them in wine; and others, to give them the greater grace in eating, do boil them with prunes. Howfoever they be dreffed, they comfort, nourish, and ftrengthen the bodie, procure bodily luft, and that with great greediness."

Drayton, in the 20th Song of his Polyolbion, introduces the fame idea concerning the skirret:

"The skirret, which, fome say, in fallets Stirs the blood." Shakspeare alludes to this quality of potatoes in The Merry Wives of Windfor: "Let the fky rain potatoes, hail kiffing comfits, and fnow eringoes; let a tempeft of provocation

Ben Jonfon mentions potatoe pies in Every Man out of his Humour, among other good unctuous meats. So, T. Heywood, in The English Traveller, 1633 :

66

Čaviare, fturgeon, anchovies, pickled oyfters; yes "And a potatoe pie: befides all these, "What thinkest rare and costly."

66

Again, in The Dumb Knight, 1633: truly I think a marrow-bone pye, candied eringoes, preferved dates, or marmalade of cantharides, were much better harbingers; cockSparrows ftew'd, dove's brains, or fwans' pizzles, are very provocative; ROASTED POTATOES, or boiled fkirrets, are your only lofty dishes."

Again, in Decker's Honeft Whore, 1635: "If the be a woman, marrow-bones and potatoe-pies keep me," &c. Again, in A Chafte Maid of Cheapfide, by Middleton, 1620: "You might have fpar'd this banquet of eringoes,

"They were fitter kept for your own wedding dinner." Again, in Chapman's May-Day, 1611: -a banquet of oyfter-pies, fkirret-roots, potatoes, eringoes, and divers other whet-ftones of venery."

Again, in Decker's If this be not a good Play the Devil is in it, 1612:

"Potatoes eke, if you shall lack

"To corroborate the back."

Again, in Jack Drum's Entertainment, 1601: "by Gor, an me had known dis, me woode have eat fom potatos, or ringoe." Again, in Sir W. D'Avenant's Love and Honour, 1649: "You fhall find me a kind of fparrow, widow;

"A barley-corn goes as far as a potatoe."

Again, in The Ghoft, 1640:

"Then, the fine broths I daily had sent to me,
"Potatoe pafties, lufty marrow-pies," &c.

Again, in Hiftriomaftix, or the Player whipt, 1610:

"Give your play-gull a stool, and your lady her fool,
"And her uther potatoes and marrow."

Nay, fo notorious were the virtues of this root, that W. W. the old tranflator of the Menæchmi of Plautus, 1595, has introduced them into that comedy. When Menaechmus goes to

the house of his mistress Erotium to bespeak a dinner, he adds, "Harke ye, fome oyfters, a mary-bone pie or two, fome artichockes, and potato-roots; let our other dishes be as you please."

Again, in Greene's Difputation between a Hee Coneycatcher and a Shee Coneycatcher, 1592: "I pray you, how many badde proffittes againe growes from whoores. Bridewell woulde have verie fewe tenants, the hospitall would wante patientes, and the furgians much woorke: the apothecaries would have furphaling water and potato-roots lye deade on their handes."

Again, in Cynthia's Revels, by Ben Jonfon: "-'tis your only difh, above all your potatoes or oyfter-pies in the world." Again, in The Elder Brother, by Beaumont and Fletcher: "A banquet-well, potatoes and eringoes,

"And as I take it, cantharides Excellent!" Again, in The Loyal Subject, by the fame authors:

"Will your lordship please to taste a fine potato?
"Twill advance your wither'd ftate,

"Fill your honour full of noble itches," &c.

Again, in The Martial Maid, by Beaumont and Fletcher: "Will your ladyship have a potatoe-pie ? 'tis a good stirring dish for an old lady after a long lent."

Again, in The Sea Voyage, by the fame authors:

Again :

66

Oh, for fome eringoes,

"Potatoes, or cantharides!"

"See provoking dishes, candied eringoes
"And potatoes."

Again, in The Picture, by Maffinger :

66

he hath got a pye

"Of marrow-bones, potatoes and eringoes." Again, in Maffinger's New Way to pay old Debts : 'tis the quinteffence

"Of five cocks of the game, ten dozen of sparrows, "Knuckles of veal, potatoe-roots and marrow,

"Coral and ambergris," &c.

Again, in The Guardian, by the fame author:

66

-Potargo,

"Potatoes, marrow, caviare-."

Again, in The City Madam, by the fame:

66

66

prefcribes my diet, and foretells

My dreams when I eat potatoes."

Taylor the Water-poet likewife, in his character of a Bawd,

afcribes the fame qualities to this genial root.

Potato-pies

Again, Decker, in his Gul's Hornbook, 1609: " and cuftards flood like the finful fuburbs of cookery," &c.

Again, in Marfton's Satires, 1599:

-camphire and lettice chafte,

"Are now cashier'd-now Sophi 'ringoes eate,
"Candi'd potatoes are Athenians' meate."

Again, in Holinfhed's Chronicle, Defcription of England, p. 167: "Of the potato and such venerous roots, &c. I speake not."

Laftly, in Sir John Harrington's Metamorphofs of Ajax, 1596: "Perhaps you have been used to your dainties of potatoes, of caveare, eringus, plums of Genowa, all which may well encrease your appetite to feverall evacuations."

In The good Hufwives Jewell, a book of cookery published in 1596, I find the following receipt to make a tarte that is a courage to a man or woman: "Take two quinces, and twoo or three burre rootes, and a POTATON; and pare your POTATON and scrape your roots, and put them into a quarte of wine, and let them boyle till they bee tender, and put in an ounce of dates, and when they be boiled tender, drawe them through a ftrainer, wine and all, and then put in the yolkes of eight eggs, and the braynes of three or four cocke-Sparrowes, and straine them into the other, and a little rofe-water, and feeth them all with fugar, cinnamon, and ginger, and cloves, and mace; and put in a little fweet butter, and fet it upon a chafing-dish of coles between two platters, to let it boyle till it be something bigge."

Gerard elsewhere obferves, in his Herbal, that "potatoes may serve as a ground or foundation whereon the cunning confectioner or fugar-baker may worke and frame many comfortable conferves and restorative sweetmeats."

The fame venerable botanist likewise adds, that the stalk of clotburre, being eaten rawe with falt and pepper, or boiled in the broth of fat meat, is pleasant to be eaten, and stirreth up venereal motions. It likewife ftrengtheneth the back," &c.

Speaking of dates, he fays, that "thereof be made divers excellent cordial comfortable and nourishing medicines, and that procure luft of the body very mightily.” He alfo mentions quinces as having the fame virtues.

We may likewife add, that Shakspeare's own authority for the efficacy of quinces and dates is not wanting. He has certainly introduced them both as proper to be employed in the wedding dinner of Paris and Juliet :

They call for dates and quinces in the pastry."

It appears from Dr. Campbell's Political Survey of Great Britain, that potatoes were brought into Ireland about the year 1610, and that they came first from Ireland into Lancashire. It was, however, forty years before they were much cultivated

about London. At this time they were distinguished from the Spanish by the name of Virginia potatoes, or battatas, which is the Indian denomination of the Spanish fort. The Indians in Virginia called them openank. Sir Walter Raleigh was the first who planted them in Ireland. Authors differ as to the nature of this vegetable, as well as in refpect of the country from whence it originally came. Switzer calls it Sifarum Peruvianum, i. e. the skirret of Peru. Dr. Hill fays it is a folanum ; and another very refpectable naturalift conceives it to be a native of Mexico.

The accumulation of inftances in this note is to be regarded as a proof how often dark allusions might be cleared up, if commentators were diligent in their researches. COLLINS.

END OF VOL. XV.

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