They that mean virtuously, and yet do fo, The Devil their virtue tempts, and they tempt heaven. lago. If they do nothing, 'tis a venial flip. But if I give my wife a handkerchief Oth. What then? lago. Why then, 'tis hers, my Lord; and, being hers, She may, I think, bestow't on any man. means Hypocrify to cheat the Devil. As common hypocrites cheat men, by feeming good, and yet live wickedly, thefe men would cheat the Devil, by giving him flattering hopes, and at lalt avoiding the crime which he thinks them ready to commit. 5 The Devil their virtue tempts, AND they tempt heav'n.] It is plain, from the whole tenour of the words, that the fpeaker would diftinguish this ftrange fantaftical prefumption from other leffer kinds of indifcretion, where prudence is off its guard. But this reading does not diftinguish it from any other, it being true of all who run into temptation, that the Devil their virtue tempts, and they tempt heav'n. The true reading, therefore, without queftion, is this, & The Devil their virtue tempts NOT they tempt heav'n. they do not give the Devil the trouble of throwing temptations in their way: they feek them out themselves, and fo tempt heav'n by their prefumption. This is a juft character of the extravagance here condemn Iago, ed, and diftinguishes it from other inferior indifcretions. WARB. 6 She is protectress of her honour too;] This is plainly intended an answer to Iago's principle, That what a man is propertied in he may give to whom he pleases, by fhewing the falfhood of it, in the inftance of a woman's bonour, which he fays fhe is protectress of. But this is ftrange logic that infers from the acknowledged right of my alienating my property, that I may alienate my truf, for that protectrefs only fignifiés. Had lago catched him arguing thus, we may be fure he would have expofed his fophiftry. On the contrary he replies, on a fuppofition that Othello argued right from his principles, and endeavour'd to inftance in a proper ty that could not be alienated; which reduces him to this cavil, that the property inftanced in was of fo fantastic a nature, that one might and might not have it at the fame time, Her honour is an effence that's From Iago. Her honour is an effence that's not feen, They have it very oft, that have it not. But for the handkerchief. Oth. By heaven, I would most gladly have forgot it; Thou faidft,-oh, it comes o'er my memory, As doth the Raven o'er th' infected house, ? Boding to all-he had my handkerchief. Iago. Ay, what of that? Oth. That's not fo good now. Iago. What if I faid, l'ad feen him do you wrong Or heard him fay, (as knaves be fuch abroad, Who having by their own importunate fuit, Or voluntary dotage of fome mistress, Convinc'd or fuppled them, they cannot chuse But they must blab.) Oth. Hath he said any thing? ? Jago. He hath, my Lord; but be you well affur'd, From all this I conclude that Shakespear wrote, * Convinc'd or fupplied them,] I cannot understand the vulgar She is PROPERTIED of her bo- reading. I read, convinc'd or nour too: May fhe give that? And then Othello's anfwer will be logical, and lago's reply pertinent. Shakespear ufes the fame word again in Timon, -fubdues and PROPERTIES to his love. WARB. Shakespeare confounds words more different than proprietor and protector, therefore this emendation is not neceffary, and if not neceffary, fhould not be received, for it is very unharmonious. 7 Boding to all-] Thus all the old copies. The moderns, lefs grammatically, Boding to ill fuppled. My emendation makes the fenfe of the paffage eafy and intelligible: that there are fome fuch long tongu'd knaves in the world, who, if they thro' the force of importunity extort a favour from their miftrefs, or if thro' her own fondness they make her pliant to their defires, cannot help boafting of their fuccefs. To convince, here, is not, as in the common acceptation, to make fenfible of the truth of any thing by reafons and arguments; but to overcome, get the better of, &c. THEOBALD. Convinc'd] Convinc'd, for conquer'd, fubdued, WARB. No more than he'll unfwear. Oth. What hath he faid? Iago. Why, that he did,I know not what he did 10 %:0W Legol Oth. What? what? yawn I 'show_onisibɔm yM Iago. Liel Oth. With herÞovali srams LLas vinow yaɛma brA 17397 252m ástling IIA bпA Iago. With her; on her what you willyM Oth. Lie with her! lie on her! We fay, lie on her, when they belie her. Lie with her! that's fulfome. Handkerchief-confeffions-handkerchief--handkerchief-[ to confefs, and be hang'd for his labour—First, to be bang'd, and then-to confefs-] I tremble at it— Nature would not invest herself in fuch fhadowing paffion without fome inftruction. It is not words that 9to confefs, &c.] The words between the hooks feem to be the player's trash. WARB. I have as little value for thefe words as any other commentator; but whether they are the authour's or player's I cannot determine. *Shadowing paffion] The mcdern editions have left out paf fion. without fome inftruction.] The ftarts and broken reflexions in this fpeech have fomething very terrible, and fhew the mind of the fpeaker to be in inexpreffible agonies. But the words we are upon, when fet right, have a fublime in them that can never be enough admired. The ridiculous blunder of writing INSTRUCTION for INDUCTION (for fo it should be read) has indeed funk it into arrant non fenfe. Othello is juft going to * Shake fall into a fwoon; and, as is common for people in that circumftance, feels an unusual mist and darkness, accompanied with horror, coming upon him. This, with vaft fublimity of thought, is compared to the feafon of the Sun's eclipfe, at which time the earth becomes fhadowed by the induction or bringing over of the Moon between it and the Sun. This being the allufion the reafoning ftands thus, My nature could never be thus overshadowed, and falling, as it were, into disso lution for no caufe. There must be INDUCTION of fomething. there must be a real caufe. My jealousy cannot be merely imag nary. Ideas, WORDS only, could not fake me thus, and raife all this aiforder. My jealousy therefore must be grounded on matter of fact. Shakespear ufes this word in the fame fenfe, Richard III. hake me thus-pifb-nofes, ears, and lips-is't possible! -confefs !-bandkerchief !—ob devil lago. Work on, [Falls in a trance. My medicine, work! Thus credulous fools are caught; And many worthy and chafte Dames ev'n thus, All guiltless, meet reproach. What hoa! my Lord! My Lord, I fay, Othello, How now, Caffio? Enter Caffio. Caf. What's the matter? Jago. My Lord is fal'n into an Epilepfy. A dire INDUCTION am I wit nefs to. Marfion feems to have read it thus in fome copy, and to allude to it in these words of his Fame, Plots ha you laid? INDUCTIONS dangerous! WARBURTON. This is a noble conjecture, and whether right or wrong does honour to its authour. Yet I am in doubt whether there is any neceffity of emendation. There has always prevailed in the world an opinion, that when any great calamity happens at a distance, notice is given of it to the fufferer by fome dejection or perturbation of mind, of which he difco vers no external caufe. This is afcribed to that general communication of one part of the univerfe with another, which is called fympathy and antipathy; or to the fecret monition, inftruction, and influence of a fuperior Being, which fuperintends the order of Nature and of life. Othello fays, Nature could not invest herself in such shadowing paffion, without inftruction. It is not words that shake me thus. This paffion which spreads its clouds. over me is the effect of fome agency more than the operation of words; it is one of thofe notices which men have of unfeen calamities. The The lethargy must have his quiet course: If not, he foams at mouth, and by and by bi I would on great occasion speak with you! [Exit Caffio. How is it, General? have you not hurt your head ? ̈ ́ Oth. Doft thou mock me? Iago. I mock you not, by heaven; Would you would bear your fortunes like a man. Oth. A horned man's a monster, and a beast. Jago. There's many a beaft, then, in a populous city, And many a civil monster. Oth. Did he confefs it? Iago. Good Sir, be a man; Think, every bearded fellow that's but yok'd, And to fuppofe her chafte. No, let me know, your grief, Bad him anon return, and here speak with me; The which he promis'd. Do but encave yourself, WARB. 2 in those unproper beds ] Unproper, for common. 3] For attention; act of listening. 4 encave yourself,] Hide yourself in a private place. |