Oтн. By heaven, I would most gladly have forgot it : Thou faid'ft,-O, it comes o'er my memory, IAGO. Ay, what of that? Отн. That's not fo good, now. IAGO. What, if I had faid, I had feen him do you wrong? Or heard him fay,-As knaves be such abroad, "As doth the raven on a fick-fallen breast,-." STEEVENS. -boding to all-] Thus all the old copies. The moderns. lefs grammatically, Boding to ill JOHNSON. The raven was thought to be a conftant attendant on a house, in which there was infection. So, in Marlowe's Jew of Malta, 1633: "Thus like the fad prefaging raven, that tolls "Does shake contagion from her fable wing." MALONE. 2 Convinced or fupplied them,] I cannot understand the vulgar reading. I read-convinc'd or fuppled. My emendation makes the fenfe of the paffage eafy and intelligible: that there are fome fuch long-tongued knaves in the world, who, if they through the force of importunity extort a favour from their miftrefs, or if through ber own fondness they make her pliant to their defires, cannot help boafting of their fuccefs. To convince, here, is not, as in the cornmon acceptation, to make fenfible of the truth of any thing by reafons and arguments; but to overcome, get the better of, &c. THEOBALD, So, in Macheth: 66 his two chamberlains "Will I, with wine and waffel fo convince." But they must blab Отн. Hath he said any thing? IAGO. He hath, my lord; but be you well affur'd, No more than he'll unfwear. Отн. What hath he faid? IAGO. 'Faith, that he did,-I know not what he did.3 OTH. What? what? IAGO. Lie Отн. With her? LAGO. With her, on her; what you will. 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. To confefs, and be hang'd for his labour. their malady convinces "The great affay of art.” Dr. Farmer is of opinion that fupplied has here the fame meaning as fupplicated. STEEVENS. Theobald's emendation evidently hurts, inftead of improving, the fenfe; for what is fuppled, but convinced, i. e. fubdued. Supplied relates to the words-" voluntary dotage," as convinced does to their own importunate fuit." Having by their importunacy conquered the refiftance of a mistress, or, in compliance with her own request, and in confequence of her unfolicited fondness, gratified her defires. MALONE. Supplied is certainly the true reading, and with a fense that may be collected from the following paffage in Meafure for Measure: “And did supply thee at the garden-houfe." STEEVENS. 3'Faith, that he did,-I know not what he did.] I believe that the line fhould be pointed thus: 4 'Faith, that he did I know not what ;-he did. M. MASON. الله To confefs, and be hang'd] This is a proverbial faying. It is ufed by Marlowe, in his Jew of Malta, 1633: "Blame us not, but the proverb-Confefs, and be hang'd.” It occurs again, in The Travels of the Three English Brothers, -Firft, to be hang'd, and then to confefs:-I tremble at it. Nature would not inveft herself in fuch fhadowing paffion,' without fome inftruction." 1607: And in one of the old collections of fmall poems there is an epigram on it. All that remains of this fpeech, including the words to confefs, is wanting in the firft quarto. STEEVENS. 5 -Shadowing paffion,] The modern editions have left out pain. JOHNSON. 6 without fome inftruction.] The ftarts and broken reflec tions in this fpeech have fomething very terrible, and fhew the mind of the speaker to be in inexpreñible agonies. Eut the words we are upon, when fet right, have a fublime in them that can never be enough admired. The ridiculous blunder of writing inftruction for induction (for so it should be read) has indeed funk it into arrant nonfenfe. Othello is juft going to fall into a fwoon; and as is common for people in that circumftance, feels an unusual mift and darknefs, accompanied with horror, coming upon him. This, with vaft fublimity of thought, is compared to the feafon of the fun's eclipfe, at which time the earth becomes fhadowed by the induction or bringing over of the moon between it and the fun. This being the allufion, the reasoning ftands thus: "My nature could never be thus overfhadowed, and falling, as it were, into diffolution, for no caufe. There must be an induction of fomething: there must be a real caufe. My jealousy cannot be merely imagi nary. Ideas, words only, could not fhake me thus, and raife all this diforder. My jealoufy therefore must be grounded on matter of fact." Shakspeare ufes this word in the fame sense, in King Richard III: "A dire induction am I witnefs to." Marfton 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 author. 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 difcovers no external caufe. This is afcribed to that general communication of one part of the universe 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 VOL. XV. PP It is not words, that shake me thus:-Pish!Nofes, ears, and lips :-Is it poffible?-Confefs!— Handkerchief!-O devil!- [Falls in a trance. IAGO. Work on, could not inveft herself in fuch fhadowing 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. JOHNSON. Nature could not inveft berfelf in fuch fhadoring paffion without fome inftruction.] However ingenious Dr. Warburton's note may be, it is certainly too forced and far-fetched. Othello alludes only to Caffio's dream, which had been invented and told him by lago. When many confused and very interefting ideas pour in upon mind all at once, and with fuch rapidity that it has not time to fhape or digeft them, if it does not relieve itfelf by tears (which we know it often does, whether for joy or grief) it produces ftupefac tion and fainting. the Othello, in broken fentences and fingle words, all of which have a reference to the caufe of his jealoufy, fhows, that all the proofs are prefent at once to his mind, which fo over-powers it, that he falls into a trance, the natural confequence. SIR J. REYNOLDS. If Othello by the words shadowing paffion alludes to his own feelings, and not to Caffio's dream, Dr. Warburton's interpretation, if we fubftitute inftruction for induction, (which was introduced merely to usher in the image of an eclipfe) is perhaps nearly correct. Induction, in Shakspeare's time, meant introduction, or prelude, (as in the inftance quoted from King Richard III.) and at no time fignified bringing over, as Dr. Warburton interprets it. MALONE. I believe, the text, as it ftands, is perfectly right, and that Othello's allufion is to his present and uncommon fenfations. STEEVENS. 7 Nofes, ears, and lips :] Othello is imagining to himfelf the familiarities which he fuppofes to have paffed between Caffio and his wife. So, in The Winter's Tale: "Cheek to cheek,-mecting nofes "Kiffing with infide lip," &c.- If this be not the meaning, we inuft fuppofe he is meditating a cruel punishment for Defdemona and her fufpected paramour: 66 raptis Auribus, et truncas inhonefto vulnere nares." STEEVENS. My medicine, work! Thus credulous fools are caught; And many worthy and chafte dames, even thus, All guiltlefs meet reproach.-What, ho! my lord! Enter CASSIO. My lord, I fay! Othello!-How now, Caffio? LAGO. My lord is fallen into an epilepfy; IAGO. No, forbear: The lethargy must have his quiet course: If not, he foams at mouth; and, by and by, Breaks out to favage madness. Look, he ftirs: Do you withdraw yourself a little while, He will recover ftraight; when he is gone, I would on great occafion speak with you.— head? [Exit CASSIO. How is it, general? have you not hurt your OTH. Doft thou mock me? IAGO. I mock you! no, by heaven: 'Would, you would bear your fortunes like a man. ОTH. A horned man's a monster, and a beast. IAGO. There's many a beast then in a populous city, And many a civil monster. ОTH. Did he confefs it? IAGO. Good fir, be a man; Think, every bearded fellow, that's but yok'd, May draw with you: there's millions now alive, |