CAS. Madam, my former fuit: I do befeech you, That, by your virtuous means, I may again Exift, and be a member of his love, Whom I, with all the duty of my heart,? Entirely honour; I would not be delay'd: If my offence be of fuch mortal kind, That neither fervice paft, nor prefent forrows, Nor purpos'd merit in futurity, Can ranfom me into his love again, But to know fo must be my benefit;* the duty of my heart,] The elder the duty of my heart,— quarto reads, The author ufed the more proper word, and then changed it I fuppofe, for fashionable diction; ["the office of my heart," the reading of the folio;] but, as fashion is a very weak protectress, the old word is now ready to refume its place. JOHNSON. A careful comparifon of the quartos and folio inclines me to believe that many of the variations which are found in the later copy, did not come from the pen of Shakspeare. See p. 314, n. 4. That duty was the word intended here, is highly probable from other paffages in his works. So, in his 26th Sonnet: Lord of my love, to whom in vaflalage Thy merit has my duty strongly knit.' Again, in his Dedication of Lucrece, to Lord Southampton: "Were my worth greater, my duty would fhew greater; mean time, as it is, it is bound to your lordship." MALONE. Office may be the true reading. So, in Antony and Cleopatra: his goodly eyes-now turn "The office and devotion of their view," &c. STEEVENS. 2 But to know fo must be my benefit;] "Si nequeo placidas affari Cæfaris aures, "Saltem aliquis veniat, qui mihi dicat, abi." JOHNSON. 3 And fhut myself up in fome other course, To fortune's alms.] Shoot is the reading of one of the early quartos. The folio, and all the modern editions, have— And thut myself up. JOHNSON. I cannot help thinking this reading to be the true one. The DES. Alas! thrice-gentle Caffio, idea seems taken from the confinement of a monaftick life. The words, forc'd content, help to confirm the fuppofition. The meaning will therefore be, "I will put on a contrained appearance of being contented, and shut myself up in a different course of life, no longer to depend on my own efforts, but to wait for relief from the accidental hand of charity." Shakspeare uses the fame expreffion in Macbeth: and shut up "In meafureless content." Again, in All's well that ends well: "Whose baseft ftars do fhut us up in wishes." STEEVENS. The quarto, 1622, reads—And shoot myself &c. I think, with Mr. Steevens, that it was a corruption, and that the reading of the folio is the true one. Hanmer reads: And shoot myfelf upon fome other course, To fortune's alms. To fortune's alms means, waiting patiently for whatever bounty fortune or chance may bestow upon me. We have the fame uncommon phrafe in King Lear: Let your study "Be to content your lord, who hath receiv'd you I cannot agree with Steevens in approving of the prefent reading, nor of course, in his explanation of this paffage, but think the quarto right, which reads boot inftead of but.-To fay that a man will fhut himself up in a course of life, is language fuch as Shakfpeare would never make ufe of, even in his moft whimsical or licentious moments. One of the meanings of the verb to boot, is to push fuddenly, or to push forward; and in that fenfe it is ufed in this place. Caffio means to fay, that if he finds he has no chance of regaining the favour of the general, he will puth forward into fome other line of life, and feek his fortune; but I think it probable we ought to Yead: And fhoot myfelf upon fome other courfe, instead of up in fome other course. M. MASON. Mr. M. Mafon's explanation is a very forced one.—It appears from the information of Iago, that Caffio had not long been a foldier. Before Othello promoted him, for his good offices in refpect to Defdemona, he was "a great arithmetician, a countercafter;" and now, being discarded from the military line, he pur My advocation is not now in tune; My lord is not my lord; nor fhould I know him, As I have spoken for you all my beft; Than for myself I dare: let that fuffice you. IAGO. IS my lord angry? EMIL. He went hence but now, And, certainly, in strange unquietness. IAGO. Can he be angry? I have seen the cannon, When it hath blown his ranks into the air;" And, like the devil, from his very arm Puff'd his own brother;-And can he be angry? Something of moment, then: I will go meet him; There's matter in't indeed, if he be angry. DES. I pr'ythee, do fo.-Something, fure, of ftate,[Exit IAGO. Either from Venice; or fome unhatch'd practice, Made démonftrable here in Cyprus to him, pofes to confine or shut himself up, as he formerly had, within the limits of a new profeffion. HENLEY. in favour,] In look, in countenance. JOHNSON. See p. 446, n. 5. STEEVENS. 5 - within the blank of his displeasure,] Within the foot of his anger. JOHNSON. See p. 245, n. 3. STEEVENS. 6 I have feen the cannon, When it hath blown &c.] In Iago's fpeech fomething is fuppreffed. He means to fay, I have feen his ranks blown into the air, and his own brother puff'd from his fide,—and mean while have Jeen him quite cool and unruffled. And can he now be angry? MALONE. 7 - fome unhatch'd practice,] Some treason that has not taken effect. JOHNSON. Hath puddled his clear spirit: and, in fuch cases, Men's natures wrangle with inferior things, Though great ones are their object. 'Tis even fo; For let our finger ach, and it indues Our other healthful members ev'n to that fenfe 8 Of pain: Nay, we must think, men are not gods; As fit the bridal.'-Befhrew me much, Emilia, EMIL. Pray heaven, it be ftate matters, as you think; 3 For let our finger ach, and it indues Our other healthful members ev'n to that fenfe Of pain:] I believe it fhould be rather, Subdues our other bealthful members to a fenfe of pain. JOHNSON. Dr. Johnfon's conjecture may be supported by a passage in one of Defdemona's speeches to the Senate: 66 my heart's fubdued "Even to the very quality of my lord.” Again in p. 562: 66 and fubdue my father Entirely to her love." STEEVENS. To indue appears to have fignified in Shakspeare's time, to tincture, or embrue, and is fo ufed here. See p. 296, n. 7. The words 'Tis even fo, relate to what Defdemona has just conjectured. This is certainly the cafe; some state affair has disturbed him." MALONE. How a member is to be tinctured or embrewed to any particular fenfation, I am glad it is not my office to explain. STEEVENS. the bridal.] i. e. the nuptial feaft; a Saxon word. So, in Gamelyn, or the Coke's Tale: 9 2 "At every bridale he would fing and hop." STEEVENS. (unhandfome warrior as I am,)] Unhandsome warrior, is evidently unfair affailant. JOHNSON. See note on the fame expreffion, A&t II. fc. i. STEEVENS, And on conception, nor no jealous toy, Concerning you. DES. Alas, the day! I never gave him caufe. EMIL. But jealous fouls will not be answer'd fo; They are not ever jealous for the cause, But jealous for they are jealous: 'tis a monster, DES. Heaven keep that monster from Othello's mind! EMIL. Lady, amen. DES. I will go feek him.-Caffio walk hereabout: If I do find him fit, I'll move your fuit, [Exeunt DESDEMONA and EMILIA. CAS. What make you from home? How is it with you, my moft fair Bianca? I'faith, fweet love, I was coming to your house. BIAN. And I was going to your lodging, Caffio. What! keep a week away? feven days and nights? Eight fcore eight hours? and lovers' abfent hours, More tedious than the dial eight score times? O weary reckoning! CAS. Pardon me, Bianca; I have this while with leaden thoughts been prefs'd; But I fhall, in a more continuate time,3 3 - in a more continuate time,] Thus the folio. The quarto, 1622, has a more convenient time. MALONE. A more continuate time is time lefs interrupted, time which I can |