TEXT OF DELIUS. (THE LEOPOLD SHAKSPERE.)

Iach. The crickets sing, and mans o'er-labour'd sense

Repairs itself by rest. Our Tarquin thus

Did softly press the rushes, ere he waken'd

The chastity he wounded.-Cytherea,

How bravely thou becom'st thy bed! fresh lily,
And whiter than the sheets! That I might touch!
But kiss; one kiss!-Rubies unparagon'd,
How dearly they do't!-'Tis her breathing that
Perfumes the chamber thus: the flame o' the taper
Bows toward her, and would under peep her lids,
To see the enclosed lights, now canopied
Under these windows, white and azure, lac'd
With blue of heaven's own tinct. But my design!
To note the chamber, I will write all down :-

Such and such pictures ;-there the window ;-such
The adornment of her bed; the arras, figures,
Why, such, and such; and the contents o' the story.-
Ah! but some natural notes about her body,
Above ten thousand meaner moveables

Would testify, to enrich mine inventory.

O sleep, thou ape of death, lie dull upon her!
And be her sense but as a monument,
Thus in a chapel lying!-Come off, come off;-
As slippery, as the Gordian knot was hard!-
'Tis mine; and this will witness outwardly,
As strongly as the conscience does within
To the madding of her lord.--On her left breast
A mole cinque-spotted, like the crimson drops
I'the bottom of a cowslip. Here's a voucher,
Stronger than ever law could make; this secret
Will force him think I have pick'd the lock, and ta’en
The treasure of her honour. No more.-To what end?
Why should I write this down that's riveted,
Screw'd to my memory? She hath been reading late
The tale of Tereus; here the leaf's turn'd down,

Where Philomel gave up.--I have enough :
To the trunk again, and shut the spring of it.
Swift, swift, you dragons of the night, that dawning
May bare the raven's eye! I lodge in fear;
Though this a heavenly angel, hell is here.

[Taking of her bracelet.

FIRST FOLIO.

Enter Othello, and Desdemona in her bed.

Oth. It is the Cause, it is the Cause (my Soul)
Let me not name it to you, you chaste Stars,
It is the Cause. Yet I'll not shed her blood,
Nor scar that whiter skin of hers, than Snow,
And smooth as Monumental Alabaster :

Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men :
Put out the Light, and then put out the Light:
If I quench thee, thou flaming Minister,

I can again thy former light restore,

Should I repent me. But once put out thy Light
Thou cunning'st Pattern of excelling Nature,
I know not where is that Promethean heat

That can thy Light re-Lume.

When I have pluck'd thy Rose,

I cannot give it vital growth again,

It needs must wither. I'll smell thee on the Tree.
Oh Balmy breath, that dost almost persuade
Justice to break her Sword. One more, one more :
Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee,
And love thee after. One more, and that's the last.
So sweet, was ne'er so fatal. 1 must weep,
But they are cruel Tears : This sorrow's heavenly,
It strikes, where it doth love. She wakes.

Des. Who's there? Othello?

Othel. Ay Desdemona.

Des. Will you come to bed, my Lord?

Oth. Have you pray'd to night, Desdemon?
Des. Ay my Lord.

Oth. If you bethink yourself of any Crime
Unreconcil'd as yet to Heaven, and Grace,
Solicit for it straight.

Des. Alack, my Lord,

What may you mean by that?

Oth. Well, do it, and be brief, I will walk by:

I would not kill thy unprepared Spirit,

No, Heavens for-fend) I would not kill thy Soul.

TEXT OF THEOBALD (1733).

Scene, A Bed-chamber: Desdemona is discovered asleep in her bed.

Enter Othello, with a Light and a Sword.

Oth. It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul
Let me not name it to you, you chaste Stars!
It is the cause.-Yet I'll not shed her Blood,
Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow,
And smooth as monumental alabaster :

Yet she must die; else she'll betray more men.
Put out the light, and, then, put out the light;
If I quench thee, thou flaming minister,
I can again thy former light restore,
Should I repent: but once put out thy light,
Thou cunning'st pattern of excelling nature,
I know not where is that Promethean heat,
That can thy light re-lumine.

When I have pluck'd thy rose,

I cannot give it vital growth again;

It needs must wither.-I'll smell thee on the tree;
Oh balmy breath, that dost almost persuade
Justice to break her sword!-One more; one more ;
Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee,
And love thee after.-one more, that's the last;
So sweet, was ne'er so fatal! I must weep,
But they are cruel tears: this Sorrow's heav'nly;
It strikes, where it doth love.-she wakes-
Des. Who's there, Othello?

Des. Alack, my Lord,

What may you mean by That?

Oth. Well, do it, and be brief; I will walk by.

I would not kill thy unprepared spirit,

No, (heav'ns forfend!) I would not kill thy soul.

[Lays down the sword.

[Sets down the taper.

[Kissing her.

66

The striking position which the Emphasis-Capital holds in the word re-Lume" in the passage just quoted, suggests the remark, that there are few things more confirmatory of our position than the unfailing certainty with which the Emphasis-Capital adheres to the ruling meaning in such words. The following are a few instances, which will show the reader how magnet-like the meaning attracts the sign of emphasis ---un-Sunned snow, her Sun-expelling, felt-Absence, honeyheavy-Dew, un-Kinglike, self-Bounty, villain-Mountaineers, ill-Starred, demi-Devil, high-sighted-Tyranny, pre-Ordinance, Honey-less, looseWifed, Flower-soft, thrice-Nobler, water-Flies, Soul-less, Post-haste, the Spirit-stirring, un-King'd, his Sur-addition, the Ear-piercing, Roselipped, three-man-Beetle, dis-Candy, demi-Natured.

With regard to the six passages before given, it will be observed, that as they stand in the First Folio, they possess about two hundred Emphasis-Capitals, and that, of all these, only one survives in the same passages of the modern Editions adduced, this solitary survivor being in Theobald's Text, published nearly a century and a half ago. In the Extract from Othello, there are 27 Emphasis-Capitals, of which Theobald buried 26. This Editor belongs to that great multitude who regard the First Folio, and its three successors, as "faulty copies full of errors which had been propagated for near a century without the assistance of an intelligent editor," and who took it upon him "to reform an infinite number of passages in the Pointing, where the Sense was before quite lost." Confining ourselves to this Othello passage, the intelligent editing has led to the substitution of "Should I repent," for "Should I repent me," and to the change of "re-lume" to "relumine," ruining the music. It has also led to the omission of that ́ ́and," which gives such a great-sigh-like sound to the words, "One more, and that's the last ;" and also led to the changing to "Desdemona," of what was evidently a familar form of the name used by Othello when they were by themselves or whispering confidentially,—as in "Not now, (sweet Desdemon) some other time"-and which comes in here with such sad tenderness in the question, 66 Have you prayed to-night, Desdemon?" The reformation in pointing-and the pointing of the First Folio, except where there are errors in the printing, we hold to be Shakspere's own, arranged after much thought,-has led, among other things, to Desdemona's asking one question when she

wakes, and asking Othello that question, before she knew he was there : "Who's there, Othello?" while in the First Folio she asks two distinct questions, "Who's there?" a general one, in her first alarm, and then, "Othello?" that is, "Is it Othello?" or "Is it you, Othello?"

If, as we believe, one of Shakspere's principal objects in employing Emphasis-Capitals was to guide his brother-players in an intelligent delivery of his language, we must naturally conclude that this rule would be especially attended to by him in Hamlet's Instructions to the Actors, for "we ought to practise what we preach," and upon reference to this passage in the present Edition, the reader will find that such is undoubtedly the case.

Of Hamlet there were several Quarto Editions previous to the publication of the First Folio, and the text of the Tragedy as found in this and the subsequent Folio Editions, shews that it was based upon other grounds than those of the Quartos; and, as his friends the Editors assure us, upon "the True Original Copies."

We here present the Directions to the Players, as they are found :—

1st. In the Quarto of 1603, which has about 2,157 lines, and 181 Capitals apart for proper names and commencements of sentences, or 1 in every 12 lines;

2nd. In the Quarto of 1604, of about 3,722 lines, with 321 such Capitals, or 1 in every 12 lines; and

3rd. In the First Folio, 1623, of about 3,334 lines, with 1,720 Emphasis-Capitals, or about 1 in every second line;

And we believe a comparative view of these will go far, not only to confirm our opinion of the value of these Emphasis-Capitals, but to establish the decision of many eminent Shaksperian Editors and Reviewers, that the Quarto of 1603 was printed from hearsay notes, and that of 1604 from hurried copies of parts, which, after study, had probably to be restored to the Theatre Library of MSS.-that, in short, as Heminge and Condell say, they rest upon "diverse stolne, and surreptitious copies, maimed, and deformed by the frauds and stealthes of injurious impostors, that expos'd them.”