Daniel J. O'Quinn

'Erskine': Lord Thomas Erskine, lawyer famed for his legal oratory. A prominent divorce lawyer in criminal conversation cases throughout the latter thirty years of the eighteenth-century, Erskine went on to defend the London Corresponding Society members and successfully acquitted Thomas Hardy, Horne Tooke and john Thelwall. For discussion of his remarkable rhetorical skills see Lawrence Stone, Road to Divorce (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990), 264-5, 2745. (back to preface)

'Elliot': most likely referring to Sir Gilbert Elliot (1722-1777) or his son Sir Gilbert Elliot (1751-1814). Both father and son were prominent Whig politicians. The younger Elliot was very much in the news at the time of the play for his role as one of the managers of the Hastings impeachment.

'Rodney': Sir George Bridges Rodney, Admiral and Parliamentarian (1718-1792), was noted for his gallantry during his naval career.

'Fox': Charles James Fox, Whig leader.

'Johnstone': most likely referring to the naval officer and Parliamentarian George Johnstone (1730-1787). Johnstone was the governor of West Florida and a famous duellist. His duel with Lord George Germaine in December of 1770 was much discussed.

'indecency': many of the reviews either directly or indirectly argued that Lady Wallace was guilty of 'vulgarity of diction and grossness of allusion.' Her response here is less than convincing. The remark at the close of this paragraph which states that 'the nicest people have always the filthiest ideas' is adapted from Swift. This reference to Swift arises from an extremely revealing article on The Ton entitled 'Lady Wallace and her Comedy' that was published on 10 April 1788 in the English Chronicle; or, the Universal Evening Post. For a discussion of this passage see the Introduction. The complete article is included in the 'Appendix of Selected Reviews'.

'Ton': the Ton refers to the amalgam of traits and behaviours which make up fashionable life. The most famous theatrical usage is in David Garrick's The Bon Ton which provides a model for Lady Wallace's play.

'faro': faro is the card game which dominated fashionable life in the period. Indulged in by both men and women, large fortunes were lost at faro.

'petit soupé': French and Italian expressions such as 'petit soupé' are frequently deployed to signal affectation, immorality or worse.

'lean kine': Pink is punning on Macpharo's name. The joke turns on the Biblical story of Joseph and the Pharoah. Joseph, renowned for his knowledge of dreams, is summoned to interpret a dream for the Pharoah. The Pharoah's dream features seven fat and seven lean cattle or kine. Joseph indicates that the fat kine represent seven years of plenty and that the lean kine represent seven years of famine. In the context of the speech, the phrase 'He is none of Pharoah's lean kine' insinuates that Macpharo is both bulky and of large fortune. For the servants this means that he will be a source of plenty.

'Cit': cit is short for citizen. The usage is somewhat out of fashion, buts helps to underscore that the play owes more to Colley Cibber than to David Garrick for its principle devices.

'sago broth': sago broth is a hearty vegetable broth made primarily of barley.

'cicisbeo': probably the most helpful synonym for the Italian term 'cicisbeo' is escort. A cicisbeo is a form of gigolo who does not necessarily provide sexual favours as part of his services.

'man-milliner': the figure of the man-milliner appears in a range of cultural materials at this time. He is the site of intense anxiety regarding both gender identity and sexual practice.

'Newmarket': Newmarket is London society's pre-eminent site for horse-racing, cards and other games of chance.

'éclat': style.

'St Paul's': the distinction between St. Paul's and St. James here is that between City and Town, or between merchant class and aristocracy.

'Gothic': Gothic here has the connotation of 'barbaric.'

'horns': horns are the conventional sign of the cuckold.

'dove': in gambling circles, to be a dove or a pigeon means that one has been 'plucked' or has lost all one's money.

'Majesty': Levy admires the face of his Majesty on the coin. Levy, true to anti-Semitic stereotypes, only has eyes for money.

'clear-starcher': washer-woman.

'bones': Dice.

'caro sposo': dear heart.

'rouleau': a unit of gambling chips.

'pony': a unit of money.

'Duchess of Dash': Duchess of ____ has the connotation of any Duchess.

'Tunbridge': Tunbridge Wells was a fashionable spa outside London.

'crim. con.': short for criminal conversation. According to the law surrounding divorce and adultery in the eighteenth-century a criminal conversation suit is a civil suit brought by the husband against the lover for trespass. In short, the husband is suing the lover for monetary damages. It was a contentious but necessary step for attaining full divorce. After appealing to the Court of Arches for an ecclesiastical hearing in the case of adultery, a husband would bring a crim. con. suit against the lover. If successful, then he could petition to Parliament for a full divorce. See Lawrence Stone, Road to Divorce (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990), 231-300.

'ISABELLA': Mrs. Wells's imitation of Sarah Siddons in the role of Isabella was widely reported upon. See the Appendix of Selected Reviews for the difference of opinion regarding the propriety of such imitation.