The line was that celebrated one in Othello--
PUT OUT THE LIGHT, AND THEN PUT OUT THE LIGHT. according to
Betterton. Mr. Booth contended to have it thus:--
Put out the light, and then put out THE light. I could not help
offering my conjecture on this occasion, and suggested it might
perhaps be--
Put out the light, and then put out THY light. Another hinted a
reading very sophisticated in my opinion--
Put out the light, and then put out THEE, light, making
light to be the vocative case. Another would have altered the
last word, and read--
PUT OUT THY LIGHT, AND THEN PUT OUT THY SIGHT. But
Betterton said, if the text was to be disturbed, he saw no reason
why a word might not be changed as well as a letter, and, instead
of "put out thy light," you may read "put out thy eyes." At last
it was agreed on all sides to refer the matter to the decision of
Shakespeare himself, who delivered his sentiments as follows:
"Faith, gentlemen, it is so long since I wrote the line, I have
forgot my meaning. This I know, could I have dreamed so much
nonsense would have been talked and writ about it, I would have
blotted it out of my works; for I am sure, if any of these be my
meaning, it doth me very little honor."

He was then interrogated concerning some other ambiguous passages
in his works; but he declined any satisfactory answer; saying, if
Mr. Theobald had not writ about it sufficiently, there were three
or four more new editions of his plays coming out, which he hoped
would satisfy every one: concluding, "I marvel nothing so much
as that men will gird themselves at discovering obscure beauties
in an author. Certes the greatest and most pregnant beauties are