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for searching only. SHAKSPERE'S LATIN SPEAKING 723
then, that Shakspere knew the definition of unguis as given in Cooper, and so was perfectly capable of furnishing Costard his translation without other aid.
Another of Shakspere's scraps of Latin dialogue has been obscured almost, if not quite, beyond recovery. Armado has sent out Moth to bring in Costard. Costard has been in too great a hurry to get out of confinement, and stumbling over the threshold has broken a shin. So Moth announces, "A wonder Maister, Heers a Costard broken in a shin."8 Since "a Costard" is an apple, Moth is propounding a conundrum, and Armado consequently calls for the solution, "Some enigma, some riddle: come, thy Lenuoy begin." Costard thinks Armado is suggesting remedies for his broken shin, and since after all it is his shin, he insists on his own remedies. "No egma, no riddle, no lenuoy, no salue, in thee male sir. 0 sir, Plantan, a pline Plantan: no lenuoy, no lenuoy, no Salue sir, but a Plantan." It will be noticed that "egma" is "enigma," and the riddle, and lenuoy come through; but where did Costard get what he understands as "salue, in thee male," upon which the further jesting turns? Clearly, Armado saluted the two at entrance with some Latin greeting, of which the initial word was "Salve," understood by Costard as "salve" for his sore. Hence the further punning when Armado asks, "doth the in-considerate take salue for lenuoy, and the word lenuoy for a salue?", and Moth queries, "Do the wise thinke them other, is not lenuoy a salue?" Moth knows that the Latin word salve may be used at parting, and hence is a kind of "lenuoy." It is thus clear that Armado's greeting has dropped out, and that it was a Latin salutation beginning with "Salve," which Costard understands as "salue, in thee male." Since Costard misunderstands the sounds, and the printer may have further misunderstood the symbols by which Costard's sounds were represented, we have a pretty little "egma" of our own. The best solution of which I can think is "salve, atque vale." For a farewell, Plautus has at least three times given the re-verse of this phrase, "vale atque salve." Armado may in his search for an elegant salutation have reversed this farewell from Plautus. The result is, of course, the solemn farewell to the dead, as Servius stood ready to explain to every boy who sought his aid on the eleventh book of the fleneid. But since salve was a salutation, Armado may have overlooked the connections of his phrase. One would have expected, however, that at least, "Salve, in" would come through
Lori's Lear'f Loft, III, z, 71 M.
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