Tago. Nay, but he prated, And fpoke fuch fcurvy and provoking terms. That, with the little godlinefs I have, I did full hard forbear him. But, I pray, fir, 5-the magnifico-]" The chief men of Venice are by a peculiar name called Magnifici, "i. e, magnificoes." Minthew's Dictionary. Sec too Volpone. TOLLET. 6 a voice potential As double as the duke's] It appears from Thomas's Hiftory of Italy, 4to. 1560, to have been a popular opinion, though a falfe one, that the duke of Venice had a double voice. "Whereas," fays he, "many have reported, the duke in ballotyng fhould have two voices; it is nothinge fo; for in giving his voice he hath but one ballot, as all others have." Shakspeare, therefore, might have gone on this received opinion, which he might have found in fome other book. Suppofing, however, that he had learned from this very paffage that the duke had not a double voice in the Council of Seven, yet as he has a vote in each of the various councils of the Venetian ftate, (a privilege which no other perfon enjoys,) our poet might have thought himself juftified in the epithet which he has here uled; and this circumftance, which he might have found in a book already quoted, Contareno's Commonwealth and Government of Venice, 4to, 1599, was, I believe, here in his thoughts. "The duke himself alio, if he will, may ufe the authority of an advocator or prefident, and make report to the councell of any offence, and of any amercement or punishment that is thereupon to be inflicted;-for fo great is the prince's authoritie, that he may, in whatsoever Court, ADJOINE Dimfelfe to the magiftrate therein, being prefident, as bis colleague and companion, and have EQUAL POWER WITH THE OTHER PRESIDENTS, that he might fo by this means be able to look into all things." p. 41. Again, ibidem, p. 42: "Befides this, this prince [i. e. the duke,] hath in every councell equal authoritie with any of them, for one fuffrage or lotte." Thus we fee, though he had not a double voice in any one affembly, yet as he had a vote in all the various affemblies, his voice, thus added to the voice of each of the prefidents of thofe affemblies, might with ftrict propriety be called double, and potential.-Potential, Dr. Johnfon thinks, means, operative, having the effect, (by weight and influence,) without the external actual property. It is ufed, he conceives, in the fenfe of fcience; a cauftick is called potential fire." I question whether ShakSpeare meant more by the word than operative, or powerful. MALONE. Gg 4 Or Or put upon you what reftraint and grievance Oth. Let him do his fpite: My fervices, which I have done the figniory, (Which, when I know that boasting is an honour, As I shall promulgate,)-] Thus the folio. The quarto, 1622, reads: That boafting is an honour. I fhall promulgate, I fetch, &c. Some words certainly were omitted at the prefs; and perhaps they have been fupplied in the wrong place. Shakspeare might have written: 'Tis yet to know That boafting is an honour; which when I know, I fhall promulgate, I fetch my life, &c. I am yet to learn that boafting is honourable, which when I have learned, I shall proclaim to the world that I fetch my life, &c. MALONE. 8 - men of royal fiege;] Men who have fat upon royal thrones. The quarto has-men of royal height. Siege is ufed for feat by other authors. So, in Stowe's Chronicle, p. 575: "— there was fet up a throne or fiege royall for the king." Again, in Spenfer's Faery Queen, b. 2. c. 7: "A ftately fiege of foveraigne majeftye." STEEVENS. So, in Grafton's Chronicle, p. 443: "Incontinent after that he was placed in the royal fiege," &c, MALONE. 9— - and my demerits-] Demerits has the fame meaning in our author, and many others of that age, as merits: "Opinion that fo fticks on Martius, may "Of his demerits rob Cominius." Coriolanus. Again, in Dugdale's Warwickspire, p. 850, edit. 1730: "6 Henry Conway, efq. for his fingular demerits received the dignity of knighthood." Mereo and demereo had the fame meaning in the Roman language. STEEVENS. 1 May speak unbonnetted,] Thus all the copies read this paffage. But, to peak unbonneted, is to speak with the cap off, which is di rectly As this that I have reach'd: For know, Iago, For the fea's worth 3. But, look! what lights come yonder? Enter CASSIO, at a distance, and certain officers, with torches. Iago. These are the raised father, and his friends: You were beft go in. Oth. Not I: I must be found; My rectly oppofite to the poet's meaning. Othello means to fay, that his birth and fervices fet him upon fuch a rank, that he may fpeak to a fenator of Venice with his hat on; i. e. without fhewing any marks of deference or inequality. I therefore am inclined to think Shakspeare wrote: May fpeak, and bonnetted, &c. THEOBALD. Bonneter (fays Cotgrave) is to put off one's cap. So, in Coriolanus: "-thofe, who having been fupple and courteous to the people, bonnetted without any further deed to have them at all into their estimation." Unbonnetted may therefore fignify, without taking the cap off. We might, I think, venture to read imbonnetted. It is common with Shakspeare to make or use words compounded in the fame manner. Such are imparun, impaint, impale, and immafk. Of all the readings hitherto propofed, that of Theobald is, I think, the best. STEEVENS. The objection to Mr. Steevens's explanation of unbonnetted, i. e. without taking the cap off, is, that Shakspeare has himself ufed the word in K. Lear, Act III. fc. i. with the very contrary fignification, namely, for one whofe cap is off: 66 -Unbonnetted he runs, "And bids what will take all." He might, however, have employed the word here in a different fenfe. MALONE. Unbonnetted, is uncovered, revealed, `made known. In the fecond act and third scene of this play we meet with an expression fimilar to this: " -you unlace your reputation ;" and another in As you like it, A& IV. fc. i." Now unmuzzle your wifdom." A. C. 2 - unboufed] Free from domeftick cares. A thought natural to an adventurer. JOHNSON. Othello talking as a foldier, unboufed may fignify the having no fettled houfe or habitation. WHALLEY. 3 For the fea's worth.] I would not marry her, though the were as rich as the Adriatick, which the Doge annually marries, JOHNSON. I believe My parts, my title, and my perfect foul, Oth. The fervants of the duke, and my lieutenant, Caf. The duke does greet you, general; And he requires your hafte, poft-hafte appearance, Oth. What is the matter, think you? Caf. Something from Cyprus, as I may divine; Are at the duke's already: You have been hotly call'd for; I believe the common and obvious meaning is the true one. The fame words occur in Sir W. D'Avenant's Cruel Brother, 1630 he would not loofe that privilege, 66 "For the fea's worth.” Perhaps the phrafe is proverbial. Pliny the naturalift has a chapter on the riches of the fea. Again, in the Winter's Tale: for all the fun fees, or "The clofe earth wombs, or the profound fea bides "In unknown fathoms," &c. Again, in King Henry V. A&I: As rich with praife, "As is the ouze, and bottom of the fea, "With funken wreck, and fumlefs treafuries." STEEVENS. - fequent meffengers-] The first quarto reads-frequent meflengers. STEEVENS. 4 5 confuls,] Hanmer reads, council. Theobald would have us read counsellors. Venice was originally governed by confuls and confuls feems to have been commonly used for counsellors, as before in this play. In Albion's Triumph, a mafque, 1631, the emperor Albanac is faid to be attended by fourteen confuls.-Again: "The babits of the confuls were after the fame manner." Geoffery of Monmouth, and Matthew Paris after him, call both dukes and earls, confuls. STEEVENS. See p. 442, n. 8. MALONE. The The fenate hath fent about three feveral quefts, To fearch you out. Oth. 'Tis well I am found by you. I will but spend a word here in the house, And go with you. Caf. Ancient, what makes he here? [Exit. Iago. 'Faith, he to-night hath boarded a land carack'; If it prove lawful prize, he's made for ever. Caf. I do not understand. Iago. He's married. Caf. To who? Re-enter 6 The fenate bath fent about-] The early quartos, and all the modern editors, have, The fenate fent above three feveral quefts. The folio, The fenate hath fent about, &c. that is, about the city. I have adopted the reading of the folio. JOHNSON. Quefs are, on this occafion, searches. So, in Heywood's Brazen Age, 1613: "Now, if in all his quests, he be witheld,-." STEEVENS, 7- a land carack;] A carack is a fhip of great bulk, and commonly of great value; perhaps what we now call a galleon. JOHNSON. So, in Beaumont and Fletcher's Coxcomb: "They'll be freighted; "They're made like caracks, all for ftrength and stowage." Mr. Mafon obferves, that STEEVENS. the first flip that came richly laden from the West Indies to Europe were thofe from the Caraccas;" and feems to think that the veffel called a carack derived its name from thence. But a carack, or carick, (for fo it was more frequently written in Shakspeare's time,) is of higher origin, and was denominated from the Spanish word, caraca, which fignifies a veffel of great bulk, conftructed to carry a heavy burthen. The Spanish caraca, Minfheu thinks, may have been formed from the Italian carico, a lading, or freight. MALONE. & To who] It is fomewhat fingular that Caffio should ask this question. In the third scene of the third A&t, lago fays: Did Michael Caffio, when you woo'd my lady, Know of your love? Otb. From firft to last. He who was acquainted with the object courted by his friend, could have little reafon for doubting to whom he would be married. STEEV. Caffio's feeming ignorance of Othello's courtship or marriage might only be affected; in order to keep his friend's fecret, till it became publickly known. BLACKSTONE. |