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See suitors following, and not look behind;a
She was a wight, if ever such wights were,—
DES. To do what?

IAGO. To suckle fools, and chronicle small beer.

DES. O, most lame and impotent conclusion!-Do not learn of him, Emilia, though he be thy husband.-How say you, Cassio? is he not a most profane and liberal counsellor? c

CAS. He speaks home, madam; you may relish him more in the soldier than in the scholar.

IAGO. [Aside.] He takes her by the palm: ay, well said,-whisper; with as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio. Ay, smile upon her, do; I will gyved thee in thine own courtship. You say true; 't is so, indeed: if such tricks as these strip you out of your lieutenantry, it had been better you had not kissed your three fingers so oft, which now again you are most apt to play the sire in. Very good! well kissed! an excellent courtesy ! 't is so, indeed. Yet again your fingers to your lips? would, they were clyster-pipes for your sake!-Trumpet without.] The Moor! I know his trumpet. CAS. "Tis truly so.

DES. Let's meet him, and receive him.

CAS. Lo, where he comes!

Enter OTHELLO, and Attendants.

Отн. O, my fair warrior!f

My dear Othello!

DES.
ОTH. It gives me wonder great as my content,
To see you here before me. O, my soul's joy!
If after every tempest come such calms,

May the winds blow till they have waken'd death!
And let the labouring bark climb hills of seas,
Olympus-high, and duck again as low

As hell's from heaven! If it were now to die,
'T were now to be most happy; for, I fear,
My soul hath her content so absolute,

That not another comfort like to this

Succeeds in unknown fate.

DES.

The heavens forbid

But that our loves and comforts should increase,

Even as our days do grow!

See suitors following, and not look behind;] This line is wanting in the earlier quarto.

b - liberal-] Licentious.

e counsellor? Theobald prints, 66

censurer."

d

gyve-] Shackle, fetter.

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the sir-] The courtier, or gallant.

10, my fair warrior!] "This phrase was introduced by our copiers of the French Sonnetteers. Ronsard frequently calls his mistresses guerrieres; and Southern, his imitator, is not less prodigal of the same appellation. Thus, in his fifth Sonnet,'And, my warrier, my light shines in thy fayre eyes.'

Again in his sixth Sonnet he uses it twice,

VOL. VL

I am not, my cruell warrier, the Thebain,' &c.
'I came not, my warrier, of the blood Lidain,' &c."

STEEVENS.

Отн.

Amen to that, sweet powers!

I cannot speak enough of this content;
It stops me here; it is too much of joy:
And this, and this, the greatest discords be
That e'er our hearts shall make!
IAGO. [Aside.]

a

[Kissing her.

Q, you are well tun'd now!

But I'll set down the pegs that make this music,
As honest as I am.

Отн.

Come, let us to the castle.

News, friends; our wars are done, the Turks are drown'd.
How does my old acquaintance of this isle?-

Honey, you shall be well desir'd in Cyprus;

I have found great love amongst them.

I prattle out of fashion, and I dote

O, my sweet,

In mine own comforts.-I pr'ythee, good Iago,

Go to the bay, and disembark my coffers:

Bring thou the master to the citadel;

He is a good one, and his worthiness

Does challenge much respect.-Come, Desdemona,

Once more well met at Cyprus. [Exeunt OTH. DES. and Attend. IAGO. Do thou meet me presently at the harbour. Come hither.* If thou be'st valiant,-as, they say, base men being in love have then a nobility in their natures more than is native to them,-list me. The lieutenant to-night watches on the court of guard:-first, I must tell thee this-Desdemona is directly in love with him.

ROD. With him! why, 't is not possible.

IAGO. Lay thy finger thus, and let thy soul be instructed. Mark me with what violence she first loved the Moor, but for bragging, and telling her fantastical lies: and will she love him still for prating?† let not thy discreet heart think it. Her eye must be fed; and what delight shall she have to look on the devil? When the blood is made dull with the act of sport, there should be,-again‡ to inflame it, and to give satiety a fresh appetite,-loveliness in favour, sympathy in years, manners, and beauties; all which the Moor is defective in: now, for want of these required conveniences, her delicate tenderness will find itself abused, begin to heave the gorge, disrelish and abhor the Moor; very nature will instruct her in it, and compel her to some second choice. Now, sir, this granted,—as it is a most pregnant and unforced position,-who stands so eminent in the degree of this fortune as Cassio does?-a knave very voluble; no further conscionable than in putting on the mere form of civil and humane seeming, for the better compassing § of his salt and most hidden-loose affection? why, none; why, none: a slipper and subtle knave; a finder of occasions; that has an eye can stamp and counterfeit advantages, though true advantage never present itself: a devilish knave! Besides, the knave is handsome, young, and hath all those

b

(*) First folio, thither.

First folio, a game.

(t) First folio, To love him still, &c.
() First folio, compass.

-set down the pegs-] Pope causelessly changed this to "let down the pegs," &c. voluble;] Not fluent in speech, as the word now imports, but fickle, inconstant.

requisites in him that folly and green minds look after: a pestilentcomplete knave; and the woman hath found him already.

ROD. I cannot believe that in her; she is full of most blessed condition.a

IAGO. Blessed fig's end! the wine she drinks is made of grapes: if she had been blessed, she would never have loved the Moor: blessed pudding! Didst thou not see her paddle with the palm of his hand? didst not mark that?

ROD. Yes, that I did; but that was but courtesy.

IAGO. Lechery, by this hand! an index and obscure prologue to the history of lust and foul thoughts. They met so near with their lips, that their breaths embraced together. Villanous thoughts, Roderigo! When these mutualities* so marshal the way, hard at hand comes the master and main exercise, the incorporate conclusion. Pish!-But, sir, be you ruled by me: I have brought you from Venice. Watch you to-night; for the command, I'll lay 't upon you: -Cassio knows you not:-I'll not be far from you: do you find some occasion to anger Cassio, either by speaking too loud, or tainting his discipline, or from what other course you please, which the time shall more favourably minister.

ROD. Well.

c

IAGO. Sir, he is rash, and very sudden in choler, and haply 4 may strike at you: provoke him, that he may; for even out of that will I cause these of Cyprus to mutiny; whose qualification shall come into no true taste again, but by the displanting of Cassio. So shall you have a shorter journey to your desires, by the means I shall then have to prefer them; and the impediment most profitably removed, without the which there were no expectation of our prosperity.

ROD. I will do this, if It can bring it to any opportunity. IAGO. I warrant thee. Meet me by and by at the citadel: I must fetch his necessaries ashore. Farewell.

ROD. Adieu.

IAGO. That Cassio loves her, I do well believe it;
That she loves him, 't is apt, and of great credit:
The Moor-howbeit that I endure him not,-
Is of a constant-loving, noble nature;
And I dare think he'll prove to Desdemona
A most dear husband. Now, I do love her too;
Not out of absolute lust,-though peradventure
I stand accountant for as great a sin,-
But partly led to diet my revenge,

For that I do suspect the lusty Moor

Hath leap'd into my seat: the thought whereof

b

(*) First folio, mutabilities.

(†) First folio, if you.

condition.] That is, disposition, qualities of mind.
obscure prologue-] Query, "obscene prologue-"?

[Exit.

what other course-] Mr. Collier credits his annotator with the alteration of "course" to cause; but "cause" is the reading of the 1622 quarto.

[ocr errors]

- and haply may strike at you: &c.] The quartos read,-"- and haply with his truncheon may strike at you," &c.

whose qualification-] Whose temperament, crasis.

Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards;
And nothing can or shall content my soul,
Till I am even'd with him, wife for wife;
Or, failing so, yet that I put the Moor
At least into a jealousy so strong

That judgment cannot cure. Which thing to do,-
If this poor trasha of Venice, whom I trashb
For his quick hunting, stand the putting on,
I'll have our Michael Cassio on the hip;
Abuse him to the Moor in the rank* garb,-
For I fear Cassio with my night-cap too;—

Make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward me,
For making him egregiously an ass,

And practising upon his peace and quiet

Even to madness. 'Tis here, but yet confus'd:
Knavery's plain face is never seen till us'd.

SCENE II.-A Street.

[Exit.

Enter a Herald, with a proclamation; People following. HER. It is Othello's pleasure, our noble and valiant general, that, upon certain tidings now arrived, importing the mere perdition of the Turkish fleet, every man put himself into triumph; some to dance, some to make bonfires, each man to what sport and revels his addiction leads him; for, besides these beneficial news, it is the celebration of his nuptial:-so much was his pleasure should be proclaimed. All offices are open; and there is full liberty of feasting from this present hour of five till the bell have told eleven. Heaven‡ bless the isle of Cyprus, and our noble general, Othello! [Exeunt.

SCENE III.-A Hall in the Castle.

Enter OTHELLO, DESDEMONA, CASSIO, and Attendants.

OTн. Good Michael, look you to the guard to-night:

(*) First folio, right.

(†) First folio, addition.

(+) First folio omits, Heaven.

If this poor trash of Venice,-] The 1622 quarto reads,―
"If this poore trash of Venice, whom I crush," &c.

The folio 1623 and the quarto 1630 have,

"If this poore Trash of Venice, whome I trace," &c. Warburton prints, "brach of Venice" for trash of Venice, an emendation to which we cannot subscribe, although persuaded that "trash of Venice" is a vitiation of what the poot wrote.

whom I trash-] The folio has "- trace;" but "trash," signifying to clog or impede, is surely the genuine word. See note (b), p. 454, Vol. IV.

All offices are open ;] The apartments in a great establishment, where the refreshments were prepared or distributed, were anciently known as offices: thus, as quoted by Malone, in Tímon of Athens," Act II. Sc. 2,

"When all our offices have been oppress'd

With riotous feeders."

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[Aside to DESDEMONA.

Michael, good night: to-morrow with your earliest
Let me have speech with you.-Come, my dear love,-
The purchase made, the fruits are to ensue;
That profit's yet to come 'tween me and you.-
Good night.

[Exeunt OTH., DES., and Attend.

Enter LAGO.

CAS. Welcome, Iago; we must to the watch.

LAGO. Not this hour, lieutenant; 't is not yet ten o' the clock. Our general casta us thus early for the love of his Desdemona; who let us not therefore blame: he hath not yet made wanton the night with her; and she is sport for Jove.

CAS. She's a most exquisite lady.

IAGO. And, I'll warrant her, full of game.

CAS. Indeed, she's a most fresh and delicate creature.

IAGO. What an eye she has! methinks it sounds a parley of* provocation.

CAS. An inviting eye; and yet methinks right modest.
IAGO. And when she speaks, is it not an alarum to love?

CAS. She is, indeed, perfection.

IAGO. Well, happiness to their sheets! Come, lieutenant, I have a stoop of wine; and here without are a brace of Cyprus gallants that would fain have a measure to the health of black Othello.

CAS. Not to-night, good Iago; I have very poor and unhappy brains for drinking: I could well wish courtesy would invent some other custom of entertainment.

IAGO. O, they are our friends; but one cup: I'll drink for you.

CAS. I have drunk but one cup to-night, and that was craftily qualified too, and, behold, what innovation it makes here. I am unfortunate in the infirmity, and dare not task my weakness with any more.

IAGO. What, man! 't is a night of revels: the gallants desire it. CAS. Where are they?

LAGO. Here at the door; I pray you, call them in.

CAS. I'll do 't; but it dislikes me.

IAGO. If I can fasten but one cup upon him,

With that which he hath drunk to-night already,

He'll be as full of quarrel and offence

As my young mistress' dog. Now, my sick fool Roderigo,
Whom love has turn'd almost the wrong side out,

To Desdemona hath to-night carous'd

Potations pottle deep; and he's to watch:

(*) First folio, to.

cast us-] Dismissed us.

[Exit.

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