Cas." I humbly thank you for't."

[Exit Iago.

"I ne'er knew Florentine more kind and

honest."

359. "And great affinity, and that in wholesome wisdom."

The conjunction "that" should be omitted, by an ellipsis common enough, and warrantable. "He might not but refuse you: but, he protests, he loves you."

This excessive redundance might thus be reduced:

"He must refuse; but he protests he loves you."

"To speak your bosom freely.”

Thus, in Macbeth:

360. "

SCENE II.

Well, my good lord, I'll do't."

The word "well" has no business here:

Oth. "Repair there to me."

Iag.

My good lord, I'll do't."

"We'll wait upon your lordship."

This hemistic, perhaps, was preceded by words like these:

"So please you, we will wait," &c.

SCENE III.

"As if the case were his."

Perhaps,

"As much, indeed, as if the case were his.

"

361. "To the last article: my lord shall never rest."

We might, without violence, obtain smoothness by reading,

"To the last article: he shall never rest."

362. "Than give thy cause away.

Madam, here comes

Emil. "

My lord."

Cas.

66

Madam, I'll take my leave."

These two madams are intruders into the text, and should both take their leave.

Desd. "Than give thy cause away."

Emil,"

Cas. "I'll take

Here comes my lord."

my leave."

Why, stay and hear me speak."

Ha! I like not that."

I would regulate:

Oth. "What dost thou say?"

Iag.

Nothing, my lord; or-if

"I know not what'

The abruption, here, is natural.

Cassio, my lord? No, sure, I cannot think it, "That he would steal away," &c.

Of what use is "it," here, except to load the line, and injure the construction.

363. "How now, my lord?"

If the frequent hemistics in this play are often the result of incorrigible depravation, they will sometimes, I believe, be found to proceed from mere carelessness or unskilfulness of the transcriber, and ought to have been composed by the editor; such seems to have been the case with those that follow:

"How now, my lord; I have been talking

with

"A suitor here, a man that languishes
"In your displeasure."

Oth. "

Who is it

you mean?"

Ay, sooth; so humbled,
That he has left," &c.

We might restore the measure thus:

Ay, sooth, he did; so humbled that he hǎs left

"Part of his griefs with me; I suffer with

him ;

"Love, call him back."

Oth.

Not now, sweet Desdemona,

"Some other time."

Desd. "

Oth. "The sooner, sweet, for you."

Desd. "

"

But shall't be shortly, then ?"

To-night, at supper?"

Oth. "No, not to-night."

Desd. "

To-morrow, dinner, then ?"

Oth. "I shall not dine at home; I am to meet "The captain, in the citadel, to-morrow."

Hardly is a fault-almost is not a fault :-the phrase, however it came here, is a Scotticism.

365, "

Trust me, I could do much."

It is not easy to guess what Desdemona was about to say she could do, or for what purpose. "I will deny thee nothing."

This, with the hemistic from Desdemona, is too much for the verse; and, as the very same words are uttered by Othello, a little further on, I suspect corruption, and would read,

"I'll not deny thee."

Desd. "

Why, this is not a boon."

"Or feed on nourishing dishes, or keep you

warm."

We might, perhaps, with advantage, read "meats" instead of "dishes."

"And fearful to be granted."

Oth. "

I will deny thee nothing."

Here, again, some words seem to have been lost; perhaps to this effect:

Desd. "It shall be full of poize and consequence, "Of difficulty, and fearful to be granted." Oth. "Well, well, be't so; I will deny thee nothing."

"Farewell, my Desdemona, I will come to thee straight."

66

Farewell" seems to have crept in here improperly, Desdemona had said, "farewell," and Othello, as if to soften the idea of separation, says he will presently follow her. When the sense and spirit of the scene thus coincides with the metre, I would, without any hesitation, propose, Desd. " Farewell, my lord." Oth. My Desdemona, I'll come to thee straight."

66

367. "Know of your love," &c.

The frequent attempts that are made to repair the metre, are seldom offered with a confidence that they are right, but only with a full persuasion that something is wanting, in justice to the poet, as in the following speeches, which I would regulate in this manner:

Iag. "Did Michael Cassio, when you woo'd my lady,

"Know of your love?"

Oth. "

He did, from first to last.
66. Why dost thou ask that question ?"
Only for

Iag. "

"A satisfaction of my thought, my lord; "No further harm."

Oth. "

368.

Why of thy thought, Iago ?"

Indeed?"

Oth. "Indeed! ay, indeed! discern'st thou ought in that ?"

"Ay, indeed!" appears to be an interpolation encumbering the verse, and injuring the delicacy of the scene and climax of the passion:-the time and occasion of Othello's impatience is approaching, and should not be here anticipated. Iag. "Indeed!”

Oth, "

Indeed-Discern'st thou ought

in that?

For what follows, I would propose this regula

tion:

"Is he not honest?-ha ?"

Iag. "

Iag.

Honest, my lord?”

Oth. "Honest! ay-honest."

My lord, for aught I know."

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