Emil. Pray heaven, it be State-matter, as you think; and no conception, Def. Alas-the-day, I never gave him cause. Emil. But jealous fouls will not be answer'd fo; They are not ever jealous for a caufe ; But jealous, for they're jealous. It's a monster Def. Heaven keep that monster from Othello's mind! Emil. Lady, amen. Def. I will go feek him. Caffio, walk hereabout, If I do find him fit, I'll move your fuit, And seek t' effect it to my uttermost. Caf. I humbly thank your Ladyfhip. [Exeunt Defdemona and Æmilia at one door; Caffio, at the other. Re-enter Caffio, meeeting Bianca. Bian. SAVE you, friend Caffio. Caf. What makes you from home? How is it with you, my most fair Bianca ? Caf. Pardon me, Bianca: I have this while with leaden thoughts been preft; E e 2 But But I fhall in a more convenient time Strike off this fcore of abfence. Sweet Bianca, [Giving her Desdemona's Handkerchief. Take me this work out. Bian. Oh Caffio, whence came this? This is fome token from a newer friend: Of thy felt abfence now I feel a cause. Is't come to this? well, well. Caf. Go to, woman, Throw your vile gueffes in the Devil's teeth, now, That this is from some mistress, some remembrance? No, in good truth, Bianca. Bian. Why, whose is it? ber; I found it in my cham I like the work well; ere it be demanded, Caf. I do attend here on the General, Bian. Why, I pray you? Caf. Not that I love you not. Bian. But that you do not love me. Caf. 'Tis but a little way that I can bring you, Bian. 'Tis very good; 3 I must be circumstanc'd. ILL you think fo? Oth. Think fo, Iago? lago. What, to kifs in private? Oth. An unauthoriz'd kifs. Iago. Or to be naked with her friend in bed, An hour or more, not meaning any harm? Oth. Naked in bed, Iago, and not mean harm? It is hypocrify against the Devil: They 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. 6 Oth. She is protectress of her honour too ; May she give that? 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 laft 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 themfelves, and fo tempt heav'n by their prefumption. This is a just character of the extravagance here condemn Iago, ed, and diftinguishes it from other inferior indifcretions. WARB. 6 She is protectress of her bonour too;] This is plainly intended an anfwer to lago's principle, That what a man is propertied in be may give to whom he pleafes, by fhewing the falfhood of it, in the inftance of a woman's bonour, which he fays fhe is protectrefs of. But this is ftrange logic that infers from the acknowledged right of my alienating my property, that I may alienate my truft, for that proteatrefs only fignifies. 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 instance in a proper ty that could not be alienated; which reduces him to this cavil, that the property instanced in was of fo fantastic a nature, that one might and might not have it at the fame time, Her honour is an essence that's it not. 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 moft gladly have forgot it; Thou faidft,-oh, it comes o'er my memory, As doth the Raven o'er th' infected houfe, ? Boding to all-he had my handkerchief. Iago. Ay, what of that? Oth. That's not fo good now. Iago. What if I faid, I'ad feen him do you wrong? Or heard him fay, (as knaves be such abroad, Who having by their own importunate fuit, Or voluntary dotage of fome mistress, Convinc'd or fuppled them, they cannot chufe Oth. Hath he faid any thing? From all this I conclude that you well affur'd, 8 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 he give that? And then Othello's answer will be logical, and Iago's reply pertinent. Shakespear ufes the fame word again in Timon, -fubdues and PROPER TIES to his love. WARB. Shakespeare confounds words more different than proprietor and protector, therefore this emendation is not neceflary, 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, Beding to ill fuppled. My emendation makes the fenfe of the paffage cafy and intelligible: that there are some fuch long tongu'd knaves in the world, who, if they thro' the force of importunity extort a favour from their mittrefs, 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] Convined, for conquer'd, fubdued. Ee 4 WARB. 1 boob |