He has much disgrac'd me in't; I am angry at him,

Apparently from Othello:

" Demand me nothing; what you know, you know;

" From this time forth I never will speak word."

Again the Cardinal, speaking to his mistress Julia, who had im

portuned him to disclose the cause of his melancholy, fays:

"That is not passion's flave, and I will wear him
"In my heart's core, ay, in my heart of heart."

The White Devil was not printed till 1612.- Hamlet had appeared in 1604. See also another imitation quoted in a note on Cymbeline, A& IV. fc. ii. ; and the laft scene of the fourth act of The Dutchess of Malfy, which seems to have been copied from our author's King John, A& IV. fc. ii.

The Dutchess of Malfy had certainly appeared before 1619, for Burbage, who died in that year, acted in it; I believe, before 1616, for I imagine it is the play alluded to in Ben Jonfon's Prologue to Every Man in his Humour, printed in that year:

"To make a child new-fwaddled to proceed
"Man," &c.

So that probably the lines above cited from Webster's play by Mr. Steevens, were copied from Timon before it was in print; for it first appeared in the folio, 1623. Hence we may conclude, that thrive was not an error of the press, but our author's original word, which Webster imitated, not from the printed book, but from the representation of the play, or the Mf. copy.

It is observable, that in this piece of Webster's, the dutchess, who, like Desdemona, is strangled, revives after long seeming dead, speaks a few words, and then dies. MALONE.

That might have known my place: I see no sense

for't,

But his occafions might have woo'd me first;
For, in my confcience, I was the first man

That e'er receiv'd gift from him :

And does he think so backwardly of me now,
That I'll requite it last? No: So it may prove
An argument of laughter to the rest,

And I amongst the lords be thought a fool.

I had rather than the worth of thrice the fum,

He had fent to me first, but for my mind's fake;

I had fuch a courage to do him good. But now

1

return,

And with their faint reply this answer join;

Who bates mine honour, shall not know my coin. [ Exit.

SERV. Excellent! Your lordship's a goodly villain. The devil knew not what he did, when he made man politick; he cross'd himself by't: and I cannot think, but, in the end, the villainies of man will fet him clear. How fairly this lord strives to ap

6 And I amongst the lords be thought a fool.] [Old copy - and 'mongst lords be thought a fool.] The personal pronoun was inserted by the editor of the second folio. MALONE.

I have changed the position of the personal pronoun, and added the for the sake of metre, which, in too many parts of this play, is incorrigible. STEEVENS.

7 I had fuch a courage) Such an ardour, such an eager defire. JOHNSON. * Excellent! &c.] I suppose the former part of this speech to have been originally written in verse, as well as the latter; though the players having printed it as prose (omitting several fyllables neceffary to the metre) it cannot now be restored without such additions as no editor is at liberty to infert in the text.

STEEVENS.

I suspect no omiffion whatsoever here. MALONE. 9 The devil knew not what he did, when he made man politick; he crofs'd himself by't: and I cannot think, but, in the end, the villainies of man will fet him clear.) I cannot but think that the negative

pear foul? takes virtuous copies to be wicked; like

not has intruded into this passage, and the reader will think so top, when he reads Dr. Warburton's explanation of the next words.

Johnson. will fet him clear.] Set him clear does not mean acquit him before heaven; for then the devil must be supposed to know what he did; but it signifies puzzle him, outdo him at his own weapons. WARBURTON.

How the devil, or any other being, should be set clear by being puzzled and outdone, the commentator has not explained. When in a crowd we would have an opening made, we fay, Stand clear, that is, out of the way of danger. With some affinity to this use, though not without great harshness, to fet clear, may be to fet aside. But I believe the original corruption is the infertion of the negative, which was obtruded by some transcriber, who supposed cross'd to mean thwarted, when it meant, exempted from evil. The use of croffing by way of protection or purification, was probably not worn out in Shakspeare's time. The sense of fet clear is now easy; he has no longer the guilt of tempting man. To cross himself may mean, in a very familiar sense, to clear his score, to get out of debt, to quit his reckoning. He knew not what he did, may mean, he knew not how much good he was doing himself. There is no need of emendation. JOHNSON.

:

Perhaps Dr. Warburton's explanation is the true one. Clear is an adverb, or so used; and Dr. Johnson's Dictionary observes that to fet means, in Addison, to embarrass, to distress, to perplex.If then the devil made men politick, he has thwarted his ownintereft, because the superior cunning of man will at last puzzle him, or be above the reach of his temptations. TOLLET.

Johnson's explanation of this passage is nearly right, but I don't fee how the infertion of the negative injures the sense, or why that should be confidered as a corruption. Servilius means to say, that the devil did not foresee the advantage that would arife to himself from thence, when he made men politick. He redeemed himself by it; for men will, in the end, become so much more villainous than he is, that they will fet him clear; he will appear innocent when compared to them. Johnson has rightly explained the words, "he croffed himself by it." - So, in Cymbeline, Posthumus fays of himself:

It is I

" That all the abhorred things o'the earth amend,
" By being worse than they." M. MASON.

The meaning, I think, is this: - The devil did not know what he

those that, under hot ardent zeal, would fet whole realms on fire.

2

Of fuch a nature is his politick love.

This was my lord's best hope; now all are fled,

was about, [how much his reputation for wickedness would be diminished] when he made man crafty and interested; he thwarted himself by it; by thus raising up rivals to contend with him in iniquity, and at length to furpass him; ] and I cannot but think that at last the enormities of mankind will rise to such a height, as to make even Satan himself, in comparison, appear (what he would leaft of all wish to be) Spotless and innocent.

Clear is in many other places used by our author and the contemporary writers, for innocent. So, in The Tempest:

The devil's folly in making man politick, is to appear in this, that he will, at the long run be too many for his old master, and

get free of his bonds. The villainies of man are to fet himself clear, not the devil, to whom he is supposed to be in thraldom.

RITSON.

Concerning this difficult passage, I claim no other merit than that of having left before the reader the notes of all the commentators. I myself am in the state of Dr. Warburton's devil,puzzled, instead of being fet clear by them.

2

- takes virtuous copies to be wicked; like those &c. ) This is a reflection on the puritans of that time. These people were then fet upon the project of new-modelling the ecclefiaftical and civil government according to scripture rules and examples; which makes him say, that under zeal for the word of God, they would fet whole realms on fire. So, Sempronius pretended to that warm affe&ion and generous jealousy of friendship, that is affronted, if any other be applied to before it. At beft the similitude is an aukward one: but it fitted the audience, though not the speaker.

WARBURTON.

Save the gods only: Now his friends are dead, .Doors, that were ne'er acquainted with their wards Many a bounteous year, must be employ'd

Now to guard sure their master.

And this is all a liberal course allows;

Who cannot keep his wealth, muft keep his house.

[Exit.

SCENE IV.

The fame. A Hall in Timon's House.

Enter two fervants of Varro, and the fervant of Lucius, meeting TITUS, HORTENSIUS, and other Servants to Timon's Creditors, waiting his coming

out.

VAR. SERV. Well met; good-morrow, Titus and
Hortenfius.

TIT. The like to you, kind Varro.

Lucius?

HOR.

What, do we meet together?

3 Save the gods only:] Old copy Save only the gods. The transposition is Sir Thomas Hanmer's. STEEVENS.

4- keep his house.] i. c. keep within doors for fear of duns. JOHNSON,

So, in Measure for Measure, A& III. fc. ii: "You will turn good husband now, Pompey; you will keep the house."

STEEVENS.