"To Simois' reedy banks the red blood ran, Whose waves to imitate the battle sought With swelling ridges; and their ranks began To break upon the galled shore, and than Retire again," etc. Here, it will be seen, the word rhymes with _ran_ and _began_. On the other hand, _than_ in the early eds. of Shakespeare and other writers of the time is generally _then_. =Page 65.=--_Utterly detest._ That is, _detested_. The omission of -_ed_ in the participles of verbs ending in _d_ and _t_ (or _te_) was formerly not uncommon in prose as well as poetry. Cf. Bacon, _Essay 16_: "Their means are less exhaust"; and _Essay 38_: "They have degenerate." See also _Richard III._, iii. 7. 179: "For first was he contract to Lady Lucy," etc. =Page 66.=--_To enter children._ To begin their training. The word is now obsolete in this sense of introducing to, or initiating into, anything. Cf. Ben Jonson, _Epicœne_, iii. 1: "I am bold to enter these gentlemen in your acquaintance"; Walton, _Complete Angler_: "to enter you into the art of fishing," etc. _Thorow._ _Thorough_ and _through_ were originally the same word, and we find them and their derivatives used interchangeably in Shakespeare and other old writers. Cf. _A Midsummer-Night's Dream_, ii. 1. 3:-- "Over hill, over dale, Thorough bush, thorough brier, Over park, over pale, Thorough flood, thorough fire." So we find _thoroughly_ and _throughly_ (_Hamlet_, iv. 5. 36, etc.), _thoroughfares_ and _throughfares_ (_Merchant of Venice_, ii. 7. 42, etc.). =Page 67.=--_The Ship of Fools._ A translation (with original modifications) of the _Narrenschiff_ of Sebastian Brandt (or Brant), a German satire (1494) upon the follies of different classes of men. It was made in 1508 by Alexander Barclay, who died at an advanced age in 1552. He was educated at Oxford, became a priest, and was vicar of several parishes in England before he was promoted to that of All Saints, Lombard Street, London, a few weeks previous to his death. _The Ship of Fools_ was the first English book in which any mention is made of the New World. _Strutt._ Joseph Strutt (1742-1802) was an eminent English antiquarian, who wrote several valuable works in that line of literature and others. The first edition of his _Sports and Pastimes of the People of England_ appeared in 1801. =Page 69.=--_Taylor the Water Poet._ John Taylor (1580-1654), a waterman who afterwards became a collector of wine duties in London. He wrote much in prose and verse, and was very popular in his day. =Page 70.=--_Dr. John Jones._ A physician, who practised at Bath and Buxton, England, and wrote a number of medical works between 1556 and 1579. =Page 71.=--_No other clear allusion to the game, etc._ Some critics have thought there may be a punning allusion to the _stale-mate_ of chess in _The Taming of the Shrew_, i. 1. 58: "To make a stale of me among these mates"; but this is doubtful.