GRA. The woman falls; fure, he has kill'd his wife. EMIL. Ay, ay; O, lay me by my mistress' fide! GRA. He's gone, but his wife's kill'd. MON. 'Tis a notorious villain. Take you this weapon, Which I have here recover'd from the Moor: Come, guard the door without; let him not pass, But kill him rather; I'll after that fame villain, For 'tis a damned flave. [Exeunt MONTANO and GRATIANO. its thunder, as too noble an inftrument for the punishment of crimes like his? The fame thought occurs in The Revenger's Tragedy, 1609: "Is there no thunder left? or is't kept up "In stock, for heavier vengeance?" Shakspeare, might however mean, does heaven referve its thunder only to make a noife? has it no implements of mifchief to punish as well as terrify? quum fulmina torques, Necquicquam horremus? cæcique in nubibus ignes "Terrificant animos, et inania murmura mifcent? STEEVENS. Steevens's laft explanation of this paffage appears to be juft, his first was unnatural. We cannot suppose that Othello in the paroxyfm of refentment, agitation, and defpair, fhould think any crimes more heinous than that of lago. It is difficult indeed to conceive a crime that demanded a heavier vengeance. M. MASON. The meaning, I think, is,-Has not Heaven one fupernumerary bolt, to hurl directly at the head of this atrocious villain? Muft all the ftores of its arfenal be referved for common and ordinary thunder, which, though fometimes deftructive, is in the ufual courfe of nature not fpecifically pointed at a particular object? -Magne regnator deûm, 66 "Tam lentus audis fcelera? tam lentus vides? “Si nunc ferenum eft?— "Cur dextra, divûm rector atque hominum, vacat "Tua, nec trifulcâ mundus ardefcit face? "In kunc tones, hunc figas?" MALONE. ΟΤΗ. I am not valiant neither, But every puny whipfter gets my sword :— But why fhould honour outlive honesty? go all. Let it What did thy fong bode, lady? Hark, can't thou hear me? I will play the fwan, And die in mufick; -Willow, willow, willow.Moor, fhe was chafte; fhe lov'd thee, cruel Moor: So come my foul to blifs, as I fpeak true; So fpeaking as I think, I die,—I die. [Dies. OTH. I have another weapon in this chamber, It is a fword of Spain, the ice-brook's temper; 8 -I will play the fwan, And die in mufick; &c.] This, and the two former lines of the fpeech, are wanting in the first quarto. The fame thought has already occurred in The Merchant of Venice: this pale faint fwan, "Who chants a woful hymn to his own death." STEEVENS 9 the ice-brook's temper;] In the first edition it is—Ifebrooke's temper. Thence corrupted to Ice-brook's. Ebra's temper: the waters of that river of Spain are particularly famous for tempering of fteel. The fineft arms in the world, the Catalonian fufees. POPE. I believe the old reading changed to ice-brook is right. Steel is hardened by being put red-hot into very cold water. JOHNSON. The particular name of the ice-brock may be determined by the following paffages in Martial. It was undoubtedly the brock or rivulet called Salo (now Xalon), near Bilbilit in Celtiberia. In this the Spaniards plunged all their swords and other weapons while hot from the forge; and to the icy quality of the waters, they were indebted for their stubborn temper: "Sævo Bilbilin optimam metallo O, here it is :-Uncle, I must come forth. GRA. [Within.] If thou attempt it, it will coft thee dear; Thou haft no weapon, and perforce must suffer. OTH. Look in upon me then, and fpeak with me, Or, naked as I am, I will affault thee. Again, Quibus remiffum corpus aftringes brevi, "Salone qui ferrum gelat." 66 Pugio, quem curvis fignat brevis orbita venis, Stridentem gelidis hunc Sale tinxit aquis." Again, in Juftin, 1. 44: Præcipua his quidem ferri materia fed aqua ipfa ferro violentior; quippe temperamento ejus ferrum acrius redditur; nec ullum apud eos telum probatur quod non aut in Bilbili fluvio aut Chalybe tingatur. Unde etiam Chalybes fluvii hujus finitimi appellati, ferroque cæteris præftare dicuntur." Thefe parts of Spain have been at all times famous for the temper of their arms. STEEVENS. I incline to read: It is a faword of Spain, 'tis ebroes temper. If we fuppofe that the words ['tis ebroes] were huddled together either in transcribing or compofing, thus, [tisebroes] the compofitor in running it over with his eye, might (to make it sense as he thought) add a couple of letters and divide the words thus [th'ifebrokes] which is nearly as it ftands in the old quarto. I doubt whether ice-brooks are usual in the climate of Spain. BLACKSTONE. -the ice-brook's temper;] The quarto, 1622, has-Ife brookes, which is only the old fpelling of Ice-brooke's, the reading of the folio. Sir William Blackftone doubts whether ice-brooks are usual in the climate of Spain. How that fact may be, I know not; and I am confident Shak speare did not inquire. MALONE. Upon a foldier's thigh: I have feen the day, And he retires ;-Where fhould Othello go?— A better never did itfelf fuftain Upon a foldier's thigh:] So, in The Two Noble Kinsmen, by Beaumont and Fletcher, 1634: On his thigh a fword Hung by a curious baldricke, when he frowns, 3 I have made my way through more impediments 66 "Of more ftrong link afunder, than can ever Appear in your impediment." STEEVENS. - though you do fee me weapon'd;] This uncommon participle is ufed by Sidney in his Arcadia. MALONE. 5 —— O ill-ftarr'd wench!] This and the fix preceding lines, are omitted in the first quarto. Wench originally fignified only a young woman. Caffandra, in Whetstone's Promos and Caffandra, 1578, fays of herfelf: Again, "Oh wretched wench, where may I firft complayne?" "Therefore, fweet wenche, helpe me to rue my woe." The word is ufed without any difhonourable meaning in the Bible: "Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by En-rogel; (for they might not be feen to come into the city:) and a wench went and told them; and they went and told king David." 2 Sam. xvii. 17. And again, by Gawin Douglas, in his verfion of the Eneid: audetque viris concurrere virgo.” "This wensche toutlye rencounter durft with men.” STEEVENS. Pale as thy fmock! when we fhall meet at compt, O curfed, curfed flave!-Whip me, ye devils, Dead? O! O! O! Enter LODOVICO, MONTANO, CASSIO, carried in a chair, and Officers, with IAGO, prisoner. LOD. Where is this rafh and moft unfortunate man? OTн. That's he, that was Othello; here I am. LOD. Where is that viper? bring the villain. forth. OTH. I look down towards his feet; but that's a fable: If that thou be'ft a devil, I cannot kill thee. [OTHELLO wounds IAGO. LOD. Wrench his fword from him. IAGO. I bleed, fir; but not kill'd. ОTH. I am not forry neither; I'd have thee live; For, in my fenfe, 'tis happiness to die." 6 -towards his feet;] To fee if, according to the common opinion, his feet be cloven. JOHNSON. 1 For, in my fenfe, 'tis happiness to die.] The fame thought has already occurred in Antony and Cleopatra: " 'Tis well thou'rt gone, "If it be well to live." STEEVENS. |