Even fo my bloody thoughts with violent pace Shall ne'er look back, ne'er ebb to humble love, Till that a capable and wide revenge [He kneels. Swallow them up.---Now, by yon marble heaven, [lago kneels. Jago. Do not rise yet: To wronged Othello's fervice. (37) Let him com- What bloody business ever. Oth. I greet thy love, [mand, Not with vain thanks, but with acceptance boun And will upon the inftant put thee to't : [teous, Within these three days let me hear thee fay, That Caffio's not alive. Iago. My friend is dead; (38) 'Tis done at your requeft. But let her live. And to obey fall be in me remorse, What bloody bufinefs ever.] Thus all the old copies, to the manifeft depravation of the Poet's fenfe. Mr Pope has attempted an emendation, but with his old luck and dexterity: Not to obey fhall be in me remorse, &c. I read, with the change only of a fingle letter; Nor, to obey, fhall be in me remorfe, &c. i. e. Let your commands be ever fo bloody, remorfe and compation fhall not reftrain me from obeying them. to the fame tenour Lady Macbeth fays; stop up the accefs and paffage to remife, That no compunctious vifitings of Nature Much (38) Iago. My friend is dead] i. e. I am fo firmly refolved to obey your commands, that you may conclude Caffio Oth. Damn her, lewd minx! Oh, damn her! damn her! Come, go with me apart; I will withdraw To furnith me with fome fwift means of death For the fair devil. Now art thou my Lieutenant. lago. I am your own for ever. [Exeunt. SCENE, another Apartment in the Palace. Enter DESDEMONA, ÆMILIA, and Clown. Def. Do you know, firrah, where Lieutenant Caffio-lyes? Clown.. I dare not fay he lyes any where. Clown. He's a foldier; and for me to fay a foldier lyes, 'tis ftabbing. Def. Go to, where lodges he? Clown. To tell you where he lodges, is to tell you where I ly.. Def. Can any thing be made of this? Gloton. I know not where he lodges; and for me to devife a lodging, and fay he lyes here, or he lyes there, were to ly in mine own throat. Def. Can you enquire him out, and be edified by report? already dead. Ben Johnson, I remember, in a like circumftance, in his Catiline, has finely expreffed the impetuofity of Cethegus's character; the dialogue is about making away with Cieero: -He shall die; Shall was too flowly faid; he's dying; that -he's dead. But this, by the by, is a copy from Seneca the tragedian, in his Hercules Furens : dabit; Lycus Creonti debitas pœnas Clown. I will catechize the world for him; that is, make questions, and bid them anfwer. (39) Def. Seek him, bid him come hither: tell him, I have moved my Lord on his behalf, and hope all will be well. Clown. To do this is within the compass of man's wit, and therefore I will attempt the doing of it. [Exit Clown. Def. Where fhould I lofe that handkerchief, Æmilia? Emil. I know not, Madam. Def. Believe me, I had rather have loft my purse Full of cruzadoes. And but my noble Moor Is true of mind, and made of no fuch bafenefs. Emil. Is he not jealous? Def. Who, he? I think the fun where he was Drew all fuch humours from him. Emil. Look, where he comes. [born, Def. I will not leave him now, till Caffio be Called to him. How is it with you, my Lord ? Enter OTHELLO. Oth. Well, my good Lady.-----Oh, hardness to you, Desdemona? How do Def. Well, my Lord. [diffemble! Oth. Give me your hand; this hand is moist, my Lady. (39) Clown. I will catechize the world for him; That is, making questions, and by them anfwer.] This Clown is a fool to fome purpose. He was to go feek for one; he fays, he will afk for him, and by his own quef tions make anfwer. Without doubt, we should read; -and bid them answer. i. e. the world; thofe whom he questions. Mr Warburton Def. It yet hath felt no age nor known no forrow. Oth. This argues fruitfulness and liberal heart: Hot, hot, and moift---this hand of yours requires. A fequefter from liberty; fafting and prayer, Much caftigation, exercise devout; For here's a young and fweating devil here, Def. You may indeed fay fo; For 'twas that hand that gave away my heart. Oth. A liberal hand. The hearts of old gave hands; (40) But our new heraldry is hands, not hearts. Def. I cannot fpeak of this.----Come, now your promife. (40) -The hearts of old gave hands; But our new beralary is hands, not hearts.] The fenfe of the fentence here is very clear; but, notwithstanding, I have a fufpicion that a point of hiftory is obliquely alluded to. Soon after King James the First came to the crown, in order to raise a fum, he created the new dignity of baronets: each man was to pay fo much for his title. Amongst their other prerogatives of honour, they had this, viz. an addition to their paternal arms of a Hand, guies in an efcutcheon argent. And we are not to doubt, but this was the new heraldry hinted at by our Author : and the fatire is moft exquifite, plainly infinuating, that fome, then created, had hands indeed, but no hearts: that is, money to pay for the creation, but no virtue to purchase the honour. But the finest part of the Poet's addrefs in this allufion, is, the compliment he paid by it to his old mistress Elizabeth. For James's pretence for railing this fum, by the new creation, was the reduction of Ulfter and other provinces in Ireland; the memory of which he would perpetuate by this addition to the arms, which is the arms of Ulfter. Now the methods ufed by Elizabeth, in the conqueft of that kingdom, were fo different from this, (the dignities fhe conferred being on thofe who had employed their steel, not their gold in that fervice) that nothing could more add to her glory than being compared to her fucceffor in this point of view. Mr Warburton: Oth. What promife, chuck? Def. I've fent to bid Caffio come speak with you, Oth. I have a falt and forry rheum offends me; Lend me thy handkerchief. Def. Here, my Lord. Oth. That which I gave you. Def. I have it not about me. Def. No, indeed, my Lord. Oth. That's a fault. That handkerchief (41) (41)- -That handkerchief Did an Egyptian to my mother give;] Because this epifode of the handkerchief has been attacked by fuarlers and buffoon-critics, I am tempted to fubjoin an obfervation or two in juftification of our Author's conduct. The Poet feems to have been aware of the levity of fuch judges, as fhould account the giving away an handkerchief too flight a ground for jealoufy. He therefore obviates this, upon the very moment of the handkerchief being loft, by making lago fay; Trifles, light as air Are, to the jealous, confirmations strong Befides this, let us fee how finely the Poet has made this handkerchief of fignificancy and importance. Cynthio Giraldi, from whom he has borrowed the incident, only fays, that it was the Moor's gift, upon his wedding, to Defdemona; that it was most curiously wrought after the Moorish fashion, and very dear both to him and his wife; il quel Pannicello era lavorato alla Miorefca fottiliffimamente, et era ca riffimo alia Donna et parimente al Mora. But our Author, who wrote in a a fuperftitious age, (when philtres were in vogue for procuring love, and amulets for preferving it) makes his handkerchief derived from an inchantrefs; ma gic and mystery are in its materials and workmanship; its qualities and attributes are folemnly laid down; and the gift recommended to be cherished by its owners on the most inducing terms imaginable, viz. the making the party ami able to her husband, and the keeping his affections fteady. Such circumftances, if I know any thing of the matter, are |