Description
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1897 edition. Excerpt: …vessel, generally a merchant-ship, more rarely a ship of war. The word has been supposed to be a corruption of Ragosie, ‘a ship of Ragusa, ‘ but more probably it is derived through Low Lat. argis from the classical Argo. The word occurs again, v. 1. 262. 10. burghers on the flood. So Midsummer Night’s Dream, ii. 1. 127: Marking the embarked traders on the flood.’ Capell conjectured, and Steevens read, burghers of the flood, quoting As You Like It, ii. 1. 23: ‘Being native burghers of this desert city.’ For ‘flood, ‘ see note on iv. 1. 71. 11. pageants. The word pageant was first used for a lofty scaffold or stage for public shows, afterwards for the show itself. Florio (It. Diet. 1611) gives ‘Pegma, a frame or pageant, to rise, mooue, or goe it selfe with vices.’ Shakespeare probably had in his mind the gay barges used in the pageants on the Thames, when he calls the ships ‘ the pageants of the sea.’ The derivation is unknown. The very late Lat. pagina, as used in this sense, is probably derived from ‘pageant, ‘ not vice versa. ‘In calling argosies the pageants of the sea, Shakespeare alludes to those enormous machines, in the shapes of castles, dragons, ships, giants, &c., that were drawn about the streets in the ancient shows or pageants, and which often constituted the most important part of them.’ (Douce.) 15. venture, what is risked in a merchant’s enterprise. The word occurs several times in the same sense in this play. 17. still, constantly. See 1. 136. 19. for piers. The first quarto reads and Pieres. Ib. roads, anchorages: ‘Rade: f. A road, an open harbor for shipping.’ (Cotgrave, Fr. Diet.) Sec v. I. 278: ‘My ships Are safely come to road.’ ‘Yarmouth Roads’ is the name given to the open sea off Yarmouth, where ships ride at
