Oth. I greet thy love, Not with vain thanks, but with acceptance bounteous; Within these three days let me hear thee fay, lago. My friend is dead; Tis done at your request. But, let her live. Oth. Damn her, lewd Minx! oh, damn her, damn Come, go with me apart; I will withdraw For the fair Devil. Now art thou my Lieutenant.- [Exeunt. As fometimes he must vices RE- quotation the meaning of with MORDE. And again, Squire, Knight, and Lord, Of these two emendations, bold, or make reluctant, but of reprove, or cenfure; nor do I know that it is used 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 harth and violent. Iago devotes himself to wrong'd Othello, and fays, Let him command whatever bloody business, and in me it fhall be an act, not of cruelty, but of tenderness, to obey him; not of malice to others, but of tenderness for him. If this fenfe be thought too violent, I fee nothing better than to fol low Pope's reading, as it is improved by Theobald. SCENE Another Apartment in the Palace. Enter Desdemona, Emilia, and Clown. O you know, firrah, where Lieutenant Caffio lies? pes. Do Clown. I dare not fay, he lies any where. Clown. He's a foldier; and for me to say a foldier lies, 'tis 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 devife 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? +Clown. I will catechize the world for him; that is, make queftions, and bid them anfwer. Def. Seek him, bid him come hither; tell him, I have moy'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. Def. Where fhould I lofe that handkerchief, Æmilia? Clown. I will catechize the world for him; that is, make queftions, and by them anfwer.] This Clown is a Fool to fome purpose. He was to go feek for one; he fays, he will ask for Emil. I know not, Madam. Def. Believe me, I had rather have loft my purse Full of 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 Sun, 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 't with you, my Lord? Oth. Well, my good lady. [Afide.] Oh, hardnefs 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 forrow. For here's a young and fweating devil here, Def. You may, indeed, fay fo; For 'twas that hand, that gave away my heart. 5-Cruzadoes.-] A Portugueze coin, in value three fhillings Sterling. Dr. GREY. So called from the Crofs ftamped upon it. Oth. A liberal hand. hands: The hearts, of old, gave But our new heraldry is hands, Def. I cannot speak of this. mife. 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 Firit came to the Crown, he created the new dignity of Baronets for money. Amongst their other prerogatives 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, mony to pay for the creation, but no virtue to purchase the honour. But the fineft part of the poet's address in this allufion, is the compliment he pays to his old miftress Elizabeth. For James's pretence for raising mony by this creation, was the reduction of Ufer, and other parts not hearts. Come, now your pro of Ireland; the memory of which he would perpetuate by that addition to their arms, it being the arms of Ulfter. Now the method ufed by Elizabeth in the reduction of that kingdom was fo different from this, the dignities fhe conferred being on those who employed their steel and not their gold in this fervice, that nothing could add more to her glory, than the being compar'd to her fucceffor in this point of view; Nor was it uncommon for the dramatick 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 ?' th' Eaft Indies for pepper. The other replies, To Amboyna? So 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. WARB. The hiftorical 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 hand was formerly given by the heart; but now it neither gives it, nor is given by it, Oth. Oth. What promife, chuck? Def. I've sent to bid Caffio come fpeak with you. Oth. I have a 7 falt and forry Rheum offends me Lend me thy handkerchief. Def. Here, my Lord. Oth. That, which I gave you. Def. No, indeed, my Lord. Oth. That's a fault. That handkerchief Did an Ægyptian to my mother give; She was a Charmer, and could almost read The thoughts of people. She told her, while fhe kept it, 'Twould make her amiable, fubdue my father Should hold her loathed, and his fpirits hunt Def. Is't poffible? Oth. 'Tis true; there's magic in the web of it; |
