Jago. I am glad of this; for now I fhall have reason In Venice' they do let heaven fee the pranks Oth. Doft thou say so? Iago. She did deceive her father, marrying you; And, when the feem'd to shake and fear your looks, She lov'd them most. 6 Out of felf-bounty, be abus'd;] Self-bounty for inherent generofity. WARBURTON. 7 our country disposition— In Venice] Here Iago feems to be a Venetian. JOHNSON. Various other paffages, as well as the prefent, prove him to have been a Venetian, nor is there any ground for doubting the poet's intention on this head. See p. 529, n. 9. MALONE. 8 Is not to leave undone, but keep unknown.] The folio perhaps more clearly reads: Is not to leav't undone, but keep't undone. STEEVENS. The folio, by an evident errour of the prefs, reads kept unknown. MALONE. 9 And, when she feem'd, &c.] This and the following argument of Iago ought to be deeply imprefied on every reader. Deceit and falsehood, whatever conveniencies they may for a time promife or produce, are, in the fum of life, obftacles to happiness. Thofe, who profit by the cheat, diftruft the deceiver, and the act, by which kindness was fought, puts an end to confidence. The fame objection may be made with a lower degree of ftrength against the imprudent generofity of difproportionate marriages. When the first heat of paffion is over, it is eafily fucceeded by fufpicion, that the fame violence of inclination, which caufed one irregularity, may ftimulate to another; and those who have fhewn, that their paffions too powerful for their prudence, will with very flight appearances against them, be cenfured, as not very likely to restrain them by their virtue. JOHNSON. are VOL. IX. N n Oth. Oth. And fo fhe did. lago. Why, go to, then ; She that, fo young, could give out fuch a feeming, He thought, 'twas witchcraft :-But I am much to blame; I humbly do beseech you of your pardon, For too much loving you. Oth. I am bound to thee for ever. Iago. I fee, this hath a little dash'd your fpirits. Iago Truft me, I fear it has. I hope, you will confider, what is fpoke Comes from my love;-But, I do fee you are mov'd:I am to pray you, not to ftrain my speech To groffer iffues, nor to larger reach, Than to fufpicion. Oth. I will not. Iago. Should you do fo, my lord, My speech fhould fall into fuch vile fuccefs 3 As To feel ber father's eyes up, close as oak,-] The oak is, I believe, the moft close-grained wood of general ufe in England. Close as oak, means, clofe as the grain of the oak. To feel is an expreffion from falconry. STEEVENS. To feel a hawk is to few up his eyes-lids. See Vol. VII. p.589, n. 9. In the Winter's Tale, Paulina fays, "The root of his opinion, which is rotten "As ever oak, or ftone, was found." MALONE. 2 To groffer iffues,] Iues, for conclufions. WARBURTON, 3 My fpeech fhould fall into fuch vile fuccefs,] If fuccefs be the right word, it seems to mean confequence or event, as fuccesso is used in Italian. JOHNSON I think fuccefs may, in this inftance, bear its common interpretation. What Iago means, feems to be this: "Should you do fo, my lord, my words would be attended by such an infamous degree of fuccefs, as my thoughts do not even aim at." Iago, who counterfeits the feelings of virtue, might have faid fall into fuccefs, and wile fuccefs, because he would appear to Othello, to with that the enquiry into Desdemona's guilt might prove fruitless and unfuccessful. STEEVENS. As my thoughts aim not at. Caffio's my worthy friendMy lord, I fee you are mov'd. Oth. No, not much mov'd : I do not think, but Defdemona's honeft. lage. Long live the fo! and long live you to think fo! Oth. And yet, how nature erring from itself,Iago. Ay, there's the point: As,-to be bold with you, Not to affect many propofed matches, Of her own clime, complexion, and degree; Oth. Farewel, Farewel: If more thou doft perceive, let me know more ; [going. Oth. Why did I marry? This honeft creature, doubtless, Sees and knows more, much more, than he unfolds. The following paffages will perhaps be confidered as proofs of Dr. Johnfon's explanation: "Then the poore defolate women, fearing left their cafe would forte to fome pitifull fucceffe," Palace of Pleasure, bl. let. "God forbid all his hope fhould turné to fuch fucceffe." Promos and Caffandra, 1578. HENDERSON. 4- a will most rank,] Will, is for wilfulness. It is fo ufed by Afcham. A rank will, is felf-will, overgrown and exuberant. JOHNSON. You shall by that perceive him and his means: [Exit. Oth. This fellow's of exceeding honesty, I'd 5 You fall by that perceive him, and bis means :] You shall discover whether he thinks his best means, his moft powerful intereft, is by the folicitation of your lady. JOHNSON, - ftrain bis entertainment-] Prefs hard his re-admiffion to his pay and office. Entertainment was the military term for admiffion of foldiers. JOHNSON. 7 Fear not my government.] Do not diftruft my ability to contain my paffion. JOHNSON. with a learned fpirit,] Learned, for experienced. WARBURTON. The conftruction is, He knows with a learned fpirit all qualities of human dealings. JOHNSON. 9-If I do prove her haggard,] A baggard hawk is a wild hawk, a bark unreclaimed, or irreclaimable. JOHNSON. A baggard is a particular fpecies of hawk. It is difficult to be reclaimed, but not irreclaimable. From a paffage in Vittoria Corembona, it appears that baggard was a term of reproach fometimes applied to a wanton: "Is this your perch, you baggard? fly to the stews." Turbervile fays, that "the baggart falcons are the most excellent birds of all other falcons." Latham gives to, the baggart only the fecond place in the valued file. In Holland's Leaguer, a comedy, by Shakerly Marmyon, 1633, is the following illuftrative paffage : "Before thefe courtiers lick their lips at her, "I'll trust a wanton baggard in the wind." Haggard, however, had a popular fenfe, and was used for wild by thofe who thought not on the language of falconers. STEEVENS. Though that ber jesses were my dear beart-firings,] Jesses are thort ftraps of leather tied about the foot of a hawk, by which he is held on the fift. HANMER. I'd whistle her off, and let her down the wind, For others' ufes. Yet, 'tis the plague of great ones; Prerogativ'd are they lefs than the bafe+: 'Tis In Heywood's comedy, called A Woman killed with Kindness, 1617, a number of these terms relative to hawking occur together: Now the hath feiz'd the fowl, and 'gins to plume her; "Rebeck her not; rather stand still and check her. "So: feize her gets, her jesses, and her bells." STEEVENS. I'd avbifile her eff, and let ber down the wind, To prey at fortune.] The falconers always let fly the hawk against the wind; if the flies with the wind behind her, the seldom If therefore a hawk was for any reafon to be dismissed, he was let down the wind, and from that time fhifted for herself, and preyed at fortune. This was told me by the late Mr. Clark. returns. JOHNSON. I'd whiftle ber off, &c.] This paffage may poffibly receive illuftration from a fimilar one in Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy, p. 2. fect. 1. mem. 3. "As a long-winged hawke, when he is first zubified off the fift, mounts aloft, and for his pleasure fetcheth many a circuit in the ayre, ftill foaring higher and higher, till he come to his full pitch, and in the end, when the game is fprung, comes down amaine, and floupes upon a fudden." Again, in Beaumont and Fletcher's Bonduca ; he that bafely PERCY: "Whiffled his honour off to the wind," &c. STEEVENS. 3 - chamberers-] i. e. men of intrigue. So, in the Countess of Pembroke's Antonius, 1590: "Fal'n from a fouldier to a chamberer." STEEVENS. Chambering and wantonness are mentioned together in the facred wri. ings. MALONE. 4 Prerogativ'd are they less than the bafe :] In afferting that the NA 3 bafe |