Grocott & Ward, comps. Grocott’s Familiar Quotations, 6th ed. 189-?.
Constable
Quoth Hudibras, “Friend Ralph, thou hast
Outrun the constable at last.”
Butler.—Hudibras, Part I. Canto III. Line 1367.
Who thinks you the most desartless man to be a constable?
Shakespeare.—Much Ado About Nothing, Act III. Scene 3. (Dogberry to 1st Watch.)
You are thought here to be the most senseless and fit man for the constable of the watch; therefore bear you the lantern.
Shakespeare.—Much Ado About Nothing, Act III. Scene 3. (Dogberry to 2nd Watch.)
What does this fellow of a constable mean by interrupting our play?
Fielding.—The Author’s Farce, Act III. Scene 1.