Greek phrafe; nor does it follow, that, because a word has two fenfes in one language, the word which is in another anfwers to one fenfe. Manus, in Latin, fignifies both a band and troop of foldiers, but we cannot fay, that the captain marched at the head of bis hand; or, that be laid his troop upon bis fword. It is not always in books that the meaning is to be fought of this writer, who was much more acquainted with naked reafon and with living manners.

Double has here its natural fenfe.. The prefident of every deliberative affembly has a double voice. In our courts, the chief justice and one of the inferior judges prevail over the other two, because the chief justice has a double voice.

Brabantio had, in his effect, tho' not by law yet by weight and influence, a voice not actual, but potential and operative, as double, that is, a voice that when a queftion was fufpended, would turn the balance as effectually as the Duke's. Potential is ufed in the sense of science; a cauftick is called potential fire. JOHNS. L. 23. -men of royal fiege ;-] Men who have fat upon royal thrones. The quarto has,

JOHNS.

-men of royal height. L.24. fpeak, unbonnetted,-] Thus all the copies read. It should be unbonnetting, i. e. without putting off the bonnet.

POPE.

Ibid.] Thus all the copies read this paffage. But, to speak unbonnetted, is to speak with the cap off, which is directly oppofite to the poet's meaning. Othello means to fay, that his birth and fervices fet him upon fuch a rank, that he may fpeak to a fenator of Venice with his hat on; i. e. without fhewing any marks of difference, or inequality. I, therefore, am inclined to think, Shakespeare wrote,

May fpeak, and bonnetted, &c.

THEOB.

Ibid. I do not fee the propriety of Mr. Pope's emendation, though adobted by Dr. Warburton. Unbonnetting may as well be, not putting on, as not putting off, the bonnet. Hanmer reads e'en bonnetted. JOHNS. L. 27. —unkoufed-] Free from domeftic cares. A thought natural to an adventurer.

JOHNS. L. 29. For the fea's worth.] I would not marry her, tho' fhe

2

were as rich as the Adriatick, which the Doge annually

marries.

JOHNS.

P. 621. 1. 5. By Janus, I think, no.] There is great propriety in making the double Iago fwear by Janus, who has two faces. The addrefs of it likewife is as remarkable, for as the people coming up appeared at different diftances to have different fhapes, he might swear by Janus, without fufpicion of any other emblematic meaning. WARB.

Ibid.] There are a great many of this fort of notes, too many to transcribe; which, with a fhew of refinement, may throw a duft in the reader's eyes; but, when one comes to reflect on them, contain nothing at all; or, what is worse than nothing, nonfenfe. All this dream of an emblematic meaning has no more foundation, than his conceit of people's having different shapes at different diftances; different appearing magnitudes they may have, but not different shapes; nor, if they had, would that help him; unless at fome diftance or other they had two faces. CANONS.

L. 17. And many of the Confuls rais'd and met,

Are at the Duke's alread.] Thus all the editions concur in reading; but there is no fuch character as a Conful appears in any part of the play. I change it to Counsellors; i. e. the Grandees that conftitute the great THEOB.*

Council at Venice.

Ibid.] Hanmer reads, Council.

L. 20. The Senate kath fent out-] The early quartos, and all the modern editors, have,

The Senate fent above three feveral quefts.

The folio,

The Senate bath fent about, &c.

that is, about the city.

L. 26. -a land-carrack;

JOHNS.

A carrack is a fhip of great

Bulk, and commonly of great value; perhaps what we now call, a galleon.

JOHNS.

P. 622. 1. 3. -be advis'd;] That is, be cool; be cautious; be difcreet.

JOHNS.

L. 20. The wealthy curled darlings of our nation.] I read culled, i. e. felect, chofen. Shakefpear ufes this word very frequently,

Thefe cull'd and choice drawn Cavaliers from France.

Henry V. Curled was an improper mark of difference between a Venetian and Moor, which latter people are remarkably curl'd by WARB.

nature.

Ibid.] Curled is elegantly and oftentatiously dreffed. He had not the hair particularly in his thought.

JOHNS. L. 24. Judge me the world, &c.] The five following lines are not in the first edition.

POPE."

L. 26. Abus'd her delicate youth with drugs, or minerals,

That weaken Motion.] Brabantion is here accufing Othello of having us'd fome foul play, and intoxicated Desdemona by drugs and potions to win her over to his love. But why, drugs to weaken motion? How then could fhe have run away with him voluntarily from her father's houfe? Had fhe been averfe to chufing Othello, tho' he had given her medicines that took away the ufe of her limbs, might she not ftill have retain'd her fenfes, and oppos'd the marriage? Her father, 'tis evident, from feveral of his fpeeches, is pofitive, that he must have been abused in her rational faculties; or fhe could not have made fo prepofterous a choice, as to wed with a Moor, a Black, and refufe the fineft young gentlemen in Venice. What then have we to do with her motion being weaken'd? If I understand any thing of the poet's meaning here, I cannot but think, he must have wrote;

Abus'd her delicate youth with drugs, or minerals,

That weaken Notion.

i. e. her apprehenfion, right conception and idea of things, understanding, judgment, &c.

Ibid.] Hanmer reads with equal probability.

That weaken motion.

THEOB.*

P. 623. 1. 27. For if fuch actions may have paffage free, Bondflaves and pagans fhall our fatefmen be.] I have long had a fufpicion of pagans here. Would Brabantio infer, if his private injury were not redrefs'd, the fenate fhould no longer pretend to call themselves Chriftians ? But pagans are as ftrict and moral, we find, all the world over, as the most regular Chriftians, in the prefervation of private property. The difference of faith is not at all concern'a, VOL. VI, PART II.

B

but mere human policy, in afcertaining the right of meum and I have ventur'd to imagine, that our Author wrote, Bondflaves and pageants fhall our ftatesmen be.

tuum.

i. e. if we'll let fuch injurious actions go unpunish'd, our ftatefmen must be flaves, cyphers in office, and have no power of redreffing; be things of meer fhow, and gaudy appearance only. THEOB. *

L. 28. Bond-flaves, and Pagans-] Mr. Theobald alters Pagans to Pageants for this reafon. That Pagans are as ftrict and moral all the world over, as the most regular Christians in the preservation of private property. But what then?

The fpeaker had not this high opinion of pagan morality, as is plain from hence, that this important difcovery, fo much to the honour of paganism, was first made by our editor. WARB. L. 30. There is no compofition.-] Compofition, for confiftency, concordancy. WARB.

P. 624. 1. 7. As in thefe cafes, where they aim reports,] Thefe Venetians feem to have had a very odd fort of perfons in employment, who did all by hazard, as to what and borv, they should report; for this is the fense of man's aiming reports. The true reading, without question, is,

-where the aim reports.

i. c. where there is no better ground for information than conjecture: Which not only improves the fenfe, but, by changing the verb into a noun, and the noun into a verb, mends the expreffion. WARB.

Ibid.] The folio has,

-the aim reports.

But, they aim reports, has a fenfe fufficiently eafy and commodious. Where men report not by certain knowledge, but by aim and conjecture.

JOHNS. L. 20. By no affay of reafon.] Bring it to the teft, examine it by reafon as we ex mine metals by the affay, it will be found counterfeit by all trials.

L. 25.

JOHNS.

-facile queftion] Queftion is for the act of

feeking. With more eafy endeavour.

L. 26. For that it ftands not, &c.] The seven lines are added fince the first edition.

1bid.] warlike brace,] State of defence.

was called to brace on the armour.

JOHNS. following POPE.* To arm JOHNS.

13

P. 625. 15. And prays you to believe him.-] The late learned and ingenious Mr. Thomas Clark of Lincoln's Inn, read the paffage thus,

And prays you to relieve him.

But the prefent reading may ftand. He intreats you not to doubt the truth of this intelligence.

L. 11.

JOHNS. P. 626. 1. 1. —general care.] The word care, which encumbers the verfe, was probably added by the players. Shakespeare uses the general as a fubftantive, though, I think, not in this fenfe. JOHNS. By Spells and medicines, bought of mountebanks ;] Rymer has ridiculed this circumftance as unbecoming (both for its weakness and superstition) the gravity of the accufer, and the dignity of the Tribunal: But his criticism only exposes his own ignorance. The circumstance was not only exactly in character, but urged with the greateft address, as the thing chiefly to be infifted on. For, by the Venetian law, the giving Love-potions was very criminal, as Shakespear without question well understood. Thus the Law, De i maleficii & berbarie, cap. 17. of the Code intled, "Della pro"miffion del maleficio. Statuimo etiamdio, che-fe alcun "homo, o femina harra fatto maleficii, iquali fe dimandano "vulgarmente amatorie, o veramente alcuni altri maleficii, "che alcun homo o femina se havesson in odio, fia frufta & "bollado, & che hara confegliado patisca fimile pena.” therefore in the preceding Scene, Brabantio calls them, -Arts inhibited, and out of warrant.

And

WARE.

L. 20. Stood in your action.] Were the man exposed to your charge or accufation.

JOHNS.

P. 627.1. 2. The very head and front of my offending] The main, the whole, unextenuated.

JOHNS.

L. 4. And little blefs'd with the foft phrafe of peace;] This apology, if addreffed to his miftrefs, had been well expreffed. But what he wanted in fpeaking before a Venetian Senate, was not the foft blandifhments of speech, but the art and method of masculine eloquence. The old Quarto reads it, therefore, as I am perfuaded Shakespear wrote,

-the fet phrafe of peace;

Ibid.] Soft is the reading of the folio.

WARB.

JOHNS.