193. "If, where thou art, two villains shall not

be,

"Come not near him.-If thou wouldst
not reside

"But where one villain is, then him
abandon."

The commentators have sufficiently explained the double villany, but none of them has attempted to reconcile that explanation with the sequel of Timon's speech: as the Painter and Poet are each two villains, Timon's argument is defective: it should be, after having shewn that each man was a double villain.

"If where thou art, four villains shall not be,
"Come not near him: if thou would'st not reside
"But where two villains are, then him abandon."

SCENE II.

200. "Their pangs of love."

Thus in Hamlet:

"The pangs of despis'd love."

"In life's uncertain voyage."

The metre again falls into disorder:

"In life's uncertain voyage, I will do

"Some kindness to them; I will teach them how They may prevent wild Alcibiades' wrath."

202. "His discontents are unremoveably

"Coupled to nature.”

His vexations have laid such hold on him, as to be now incorporated with his nature and constitution.

,,(、,?,

In this play, especially the scenes of the misanthrope, the genius of Shakspeare is conspicuous, and is his happiest and noblest vein; yet I believe, that here, as in some other instances already noted, he was working on materials supplied originally by some other hand. The first scene has, I think, except in a few passages, but little of our author's manner either in thought or expression.

OTHELLO,

ACT I. SCENE I.

221. Tush, never tell me.”.

If the reading of the quarto, 1622, is to be regarded, in preference to the folio, which omits tush," we should read,

66

"Tush! ne'er tell me," &c.

"Sblood, but you will not hear me.” The metre has suffered here. We might read, "Nay, but you will not hear me; if ever I "Did dream of such a matter, then abhor me."

Despise me, if I do not. Three great ones of the city.

This excessive redundance might be removed thus:

Despise me else; three great ones of the city.” Epithets of war."

222.

What follows is sadly deranged; some words probably are lost. We might, perhaps, read, Horribly stuff'd with epithets of war, "Clean from the point; and, in conclusion, "Nonsuits my mediators; for, cértes, says hě."

"I have already chose my officer.
"And what was he?"

This hemistic might, by the omission of an unnecessary word, be accommodated in the foregoing line:

"I have chos'n my officer. And what was he?"

223. A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife."

All the labours of the ingenious commentators appear to be ineffectual, in reconciling this expression to any thing like truth of sentiment or character. Admitting that Bianca were alluded to, (a supposition widely improbable) Iago would never have called her "a fair wife:" As to "a fair face," or "phyz," as Sir T. Hanmer had proposed, a fair face might do very well as a motive for Desdemona's imputed attachment to its owner, but it could never be urged as a recommendation to preferment with Othello, unless, indeed, we were prepared to join most cordially in the concomitant part of the remark, and consider Cassio, not, indeed, "almost," but completely, damn'd in "a fair face." It may be less extravagant to conjecture that Desdemona is the "fair wife," whom Cassio was " almost damn'd" in, being almost married to; and this is quite consistent with the profligate policy of the speaker: he had undertaken to promote Roderigo's design of obtaining Desdemona in marriage; and that purpose being now defeated, the cunning agent would depreciate wedlock, at least with "a fair wife," and represent it as a state of damnation, clearly inferring, that, beauty being always assailable, Roderigo has still an opportunity of not only enjoying the object of his desire, but inflicting torment on his rival. This argument I do not advance with much confidence; and I consider Mr. Tyrwhitt's emendation so ingenious, that I only wish it were just.

226. "More than a spinster; unless the bookish

théorick."

This line may pass muster in drama-prosodial review, though I fully agree with Mr. Steevens in regarding most of the metrical redundancies occurring throughout these plays as interpolations. Such, in addition to those exhibited already, is the useless word "sir," in the following

line.

"Is all his soldiership. But, he, (sir,) had the election."

227.

The toged consuls.".

Surely, by "toged," nothing more is meant than "wearing gowns," instead of the military garb, which lago would affect to extol: yet "tongued," the reading of some of the copies, may be right-the talking, the loquacious consuls.

To the quantity in the following line there is little objection.

"Christian and heathen,-must be belee'd and calm'd."

Heathen," from the easy coalition of the vowels, notwithstanding the intervention of the consonants th, admitting of a compression into the time of a monosyllable, the word "heaven," standing in the same place, would never have appeared exuberant. Milton has numerous instances of this seeming excess, and they have always appeared to me to give grace as well as energy to his numbers.