To make trim. The Italians say, temperare la lira, to
tune the lyre: temperare una penna, to mend a pen; temperáre
l'oriuôlo, to wind up the clock. In Latin, temperare calamum is “to mend a pen.” Metal well tempered is metal made trim or meet for
its use, and if not so it is called ill-tempered. When Otway
says,
“Woman, nature made thee to temper man,” he means to make him trim,
to soften his nature, to mend him.
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