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Within these three days let me hear thee say,
That Caffio's not alive.

Iago. My friend is dead;

'Tis done at your requeft. But, let her live.

Oth. Damn her, lewd minx! oh, damn her, damn her!

cavil; he does not fay that he has no principle of remorse, but that it shall not operate against Othello's commands. To obey fhall be in me, for I will obey you, is a mode of exprelion not worth the pains here taken to introduce it; and the word remorde has not in the quotation the meaning of withhold, or make reluctant, but of reprove, or cenfure; nor do I know that it is ufed by any of the contemporaries of Shakespeare.

I will offer an interpretation, which, if it be received, will make alteration unneceffary, but it is very harsh and violent. Iago devotes himfelf to wronged Othello, and fays, Let him command whatever bloody bufness, and in me it shall be an ac, not of cruelty, but of tenderness, to obey him; not of malice to others, but of tenderness for him. If this fense be thought too violent, I fee nothing better than to follow Pope's reading, as it is improved by Theobald. JOHNSON.

-Let him command,

And to obey, fhall be in me remorse,

What bloody bufinefs ever.] Mr. Upton, in his Critic. Obferv. p. 200, propofes to read,

And to obey fhall be in me no remorse.

This reading the author of The Revifal approves, and Mr. Edwards feems to acquiefce in that of Theobald.

The different emendations of different commentators are laid before the public for its determination on their merits; and I believe the prefent one, who is to throw in his conjecture with the reft, may fay at laft with Deiphobus,

-explebo numerum,`reddarq; tenebris.

Iago offers, in the moft folemn manner, to rifque himself for the fervice of Othello. Let him command, fays he, whatever bloody bufinejs, and the remorse that follows the perpetration of fuch a deed fhall be entirely my own. It fhall be remorfe in me, in me alone. I not only undertake to execute the bloody part of the bufinefs, but likewife take upon my felf the horrors of remorfe infeparable from the action. Tago makes ufe of this fpecious argument, the better to prevail on Othello to entrust the murder to his hands.

To obey fhall be in me remorse may however mean, my obedience to you fhall manifeft itfelf where my pity ought to appear. Obedience in me shall stand in the place of pity. STEEV.

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Come, go with me apart; I will withdraw

To furnifh me with fome fwift means of death

For the fair devil. Now art thou my lieutenant.Iago. I am your own for ever.

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Another apartment in the castle.

Enter Defdemona, Æmilia, and Clown.

[Exeunt.

Def. Do you know, firrah, where lieutenant Caffio lies?

Clown. I dare not fay, he lies any where.
Def. Why, man?

Clown. He's a foldier; and for me to fay, a foldier lies, is ftabbing.

Def. Go to; where lodges he?

Clown. [To tell you where he lodges, is to tell you where I lie.

Def. Can any thing be made of this?]

Clown. I know not where he lodges; and for me to devise a lodging, and fay, he lies here, or he lies there, were to lie in mine own throat.

Def. Can you enquire him out? and be edified by report?

4 Clown. I will catechize the world for him; that is, make queftions, and bid them answer.

Def. Seek him, bid him come hither: tell him, I have mov'd my lord on his behalf, and hope, all will be well.

Clown. To do this is within the compafs of man's wit; and therefore I will attempt the doing of it.

[Exit.

+ Clown. I will catechize the world for him; that is, make queftions, and by them anfwer.] This Cloavn is a fool to fome purpose. He was to go feek for one; he fays, he will ask for him, and by his own questions make answer. Without doubt we fhould read, and bid them answer; i. e. the world; those whom he questions, WARBURTON,

Def

Def. Where should I lose that handkerchief, Æmilia?

Emil. I know not, Madam.

Def. Believe me, I had rather have loft my purse Full of 5 cruzadoes. And but my noble Moor Is true of mind, and made of no fuch baseness As jealous creatures are, it were enough To put him to ill thinking.

Emil. Is he not jealous?

Def. Who, he? I think, the fun, where he was born,

Drew all fuch humours from him.

Emil. Look, where he comes.

Def. I will not leave him now, till Caffio be Call'd to him. How is it with you, my lord?

Enter Othello.

Oth. Well, my good lady. [Afide.] Oh, hardness to diffemble!

How do you, Desdemona ?

Def. Well, my lord.

Oth. Give me your hand. This hand is moist, my lady.

Def. It yet hath felt no age, nor known no for

row.

Oth. This argues fruitfulness, and liberal heart:
Hot, hot, and moist. 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,
That commonly rebels. 'Tis a good hand,
A frank one.

Def. You may, indeed, fay fo;

For 'twas that hand that gave away my heart.

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-cruzadoes.] A Portugueze coin, in value three fhillings fterling. Dr. GREY.

So called from the crofs ftamped upon it. JOHNSON.

Oth.

Oth. A liberal hand.

hands;

6 The hearts, of old, gave

But our new heraldry is hands, not hearts. Def. I cannot fpeak of this. Come now, your promise.

6

The hearts, of old, gave hands ;

But our new heraldry is hands, not hearts.] It is evident that the first line should be read thus,

The bands of old gave hearts:

Otherwise it would be no reply to the preceding words,

For 'tavas that hand that gave away my heart: Not fo, fays her husband: The hands of old indeed gave hearts; but the custom now is to give hands without hearts. The expreffion of new heraldry was a fatirical allufion to the times. Soon after James the First came to the crown, he created the new dignity of baronets for money. Amongst their other preroga tives of honour, they had an addition to their paternal arms, of a HAND gules in an efcutcheon argent. And we are not to doubt but that this was the new heraldry alluded to by our author: by which he infinuates, that fome then created had hands indeed, but not 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 pays to his old mitrefs Elizabeth. For James's pretence for raifing money by this creation, was the reduction of Ulfter, and other parts of Ireland; the memory of which he would perpetuate by that addition to their arms, it being the arms of Ulter. Now the method ufed by Elizabeth in the reduction of that kingdom was fo different from this, the dignities the conferred being on thofe who employed their feel, and not their gold in this fervice, that nothing could add more to her glory, than the being compared to her fucceffor in this point of view: nor was it uncommon for the dramatic poets of that time to fatirize the ignominy of James's reign. So Fletcher, in The Fair Maid of the Inn. One fays, I will fend thee to Amboyna in the Eaft Indies for pepper. The other replies, To Amboyna? fo I might be pepper'd. "Again, in the fame play, a failor fays, Defpife not this pitch'd canvas, the time was we have known them lined with Spanish ducats. WARBURTON.

The historical obfervation is very judicious and acute, but of the emendation there is no need. She fays, that her hand gave away her heart. He goes on with his fufpicion, and the hand which he had before called frank, he now terms liberal; then proceeds to remark, that the band was formerly given by the heart; but now it neither gives it, nor is given by it.

JOHNSON.
Oth.

Oth. What promise, chuck?

Def. I've fent to bid Caffio come fpeak with you. Oth. I have a 7 falt and fullen rheum offends me; Lend me thy handkerchief.

Def. Here, my lord.

Oth. That which I gave you.
Def. I have it not about me.
Oth. Not?

Def. No, indeed, my lord.

Oth. That is a fault. That handkerchief Did an Ægyptian to my mother give:

She was a charmer, and could almoft read

The thoughts of people. She told her, while she kept it,

'Twould make her amiable, and fubdue my father
Intirely to her love; but, if the lost it,
Or made a gift of it, my father's eye

Should hold her loath'd, and his fpirits fhould hunt
After new fancies: fhe, dying, gave it me;
And bid me, when my fate would have me wive,
To give it her. I did fo; and take heed on't,
Make it a darling, like your precious eye;
To lofe't, or give't away, were fuch perdition,
As nothing else could match.

Def. Is it poffible?

Oth. 'Tis true; there's magic in the web of it:
A Sybil, that had 8 numbred in the world
The fun to course two hundred compaffes,
In her prophetic fury few'd the work:

7falt and forry rheum-] The old quarto has, -falt and fullen rheum

That is, a rheum obftinately troublefome. I think this better. JOHNSON,

8

-numbred

The fun to course] i. e. number'd the fan's courses: badly expreffed. WARBURTON.

The expreffion is not very infrequent; we fay, I count :d the clock to ftrike four ; fo fhe number'd the fun to courfe, to run two hundred compaffes, two hundred annual circuits. JOHNSON.

The

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