In my relpect, than all the hairs above thee, Clot. His garment? now, the devil————— Imo. To Dorothy, my woman, hie thee presently— Clot. His garment? Imo. I am fprighted with a fool; Frighted, and angred worse-Go, bid my woman Search for a jewel, that too cafually Hath left mine arm;-it was thy mafter's. 'Shrew me, If I would lofe it for a revenue Of any king in Europe. I do think I faw't this morning: confident I am, Imo. I hope fo. Go, and fearch. Clot. You have abus'd me.. His meaneft garment? Imo. Ay, I faid fo, Sir: If you will make't an action, call witness to't. Clot. I will inform your father. Imo. Your mother too : She's my good lady; and will conceive, I hope, But the worft of me. So I leave So I leave you, Sir, To the worst of difcontent. Clot. I will be reveng'd. His meanest garment?—well, 2 Sir T. Hanmer regulates this line thus: ali made fuch men. Clot. How now? Ime. Pifanio! JOHNSON. a jewel, that too cafually [Exit. [Exit. Hath left mine arm;-] i. e. Too many chances of lofing it have arisen from my carelefnefs, WARBURTON, SCENE Enter Pofibumus and Philario. Poft. Fear it not, Sir. I would I were fo fure Phil. What means do you make to him? Poft. Not any; but abide the change of time; Quake in the prefent winter's ftate, and wish That warmer days would come: in these fear'd hopes I barely gratify your love; they failing, I muft die much your debtor. Phil. Your very goodnefs, and your company, Or look upon our Romans, whofe remembrance Poft. I do believe, (Statift though I am none, nor like to be) Qr look] This the modern editors had changed into e'er look. Or is ufed for e'er. So Douglas, in his tranflation of Virgil, 66 fuffer it he also, "Or he is goddes brocht in Latio." STEEVENS. (Now (Now 2 wing-led with their courages) will make known 3 To their approvers, they are people fuch That mend upon the world. Enter Iachimo. Phil. See, Iachimo! Poft. Sure, the fwift harts have posted you by land, And winds of all the corners kifs'd your fails, To make your veffel nimble. Phil. Welcome, Sir. Poft. I hope the briefness of your answer made The speediness of your return. Iach. Your lady Is of the faireft that I have look'd upon. Poft. And therewithal the beft; or let her beauty Look through a cafement to allure false hearts, And be falfe with them. Iach. Here are letters for you. Poft. Their tenour good, I trust. Iach. 'Tis very like. Poft. Was Caius Lucius in the Britain court When you were there? Iach. He was expected then, But not approach'd. Poft. All is well yet. Sparkles this stone as it was wont? or is't not 2 mingled with their courages] The old folio has this odd reading: Their difcipline, (Now wing-led with their courages) will make known. JOHNSON. Their difcipline, Now wing-led with their courages] May mean their difcipline borrowing wings from their courage; i. e. their military knowledge being animated by their natural bravery. STEEV. 3 To their approvers,-] i. e. To thofe who try them. WARB. Iach. If I have loft it, I should have loft the worth of it in gold. Your lady being fo cafy. Poft. Make not, Sir, Your lofs your fport: I hope, you know, that we Iach. Good Sir, we must, If you keep covenant. Had I not brought Poft. If That you you can make it apparent have tafted her in bed, my hand And ring is yours: if not, the foul opinion You had of her pure honour, gains or lofes, Your fword or mine; or mafterlefs leaves both To who fhall find them. Iach. Sir, my circumstances Being fo near the truth, as I will make them, Poft. Proceed. Iach. Firft, her bed-chamber (Where, I confefs, I flept not, but profess, Had that was well worth watching) it was hang'd And 4 And Cydnus fwell'd above the banks, or for 4 And Cydnus fell'd above the banks, or for The prefs of boats, or pride.- -] This is an agreeable ridicule on poetical exaggeration, which gives human paffions to inanimate things: and particularly, upon what he himself writes in the foregoing play on this very subject: And made "The water, which they beat, to follow fafter, "As amorous of their ftrokes." But the fatire is not only agreeably turned, but very artfully employed; as it is a plain indication, that the speaker is fecretly mocking the credulity of his hearer, while he is endeavouring to perfuade him of his wife's falfhood. The very fame kind of fatire we have again, on much the fame occafion, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, where the falfe Proteus fays to his friend, of his friend's mistress, and fhe hath offer'd to the doom, "Which unrevers'd ftands in effectual force, "A fea of melting pearl, which fome call tears.' A certain gaiety of heart, which the fpeaker ftrives to conceal, breaking out under a fatire, by which he would infinuate to his friend the trifling worth of woman's tears. WARBURTON. It is eafy to fit down and give our author meanings which he never had. Shakespeare has no great right to cenfure poetical exaggeration, of which no poet is more frequently guilty. That he intended to ridicule his own lines is very uncertain, when there are no means of knowing which of the two plays was written firft. The commentator has contented himself to fuppofe, that the foregoing play in his book was the play of earlier compofition. Nor is the reafoning better than the afiertion. If the language of Iachimo be fuch as fhews him to be mocking the credibility of his hearer, his language is very improper, when his bufinefs was to deceive. But the truth is, that his language is fuch as a fkilful villain would naturally ufe, a mixture of airy triumph and ferious depofition. His gaiety fhews his ferioufnefs to be without anxiety, and his ferioufnefs proves his gaiety to be without art. JoHNSON. Poft. |