Hydra, fuch an answer would: ftop them all. To be now a fenfible man, by and by a fool, and prefently.a beaft! Every inordinate cup is unbfefs'd, and.

the ingredient is a devil.

Iago. Come, come, good wine is a good familiar.crea ture, if it be well us'd: exclaim no more against it.. And, good lieutenant, I think, you think, I love you. Caf. I have well approv'd it, Sir. I drunk!

Lago. You, or any man living, may be drunk at fome time, man. I tell you what you should do: our General's wife is now the General. I may fay fo, in this respect, for that he hath devoted and given up himself to the contemplation, mark and denotement of her parts and graces (29). Confess yourself freely to her: importune her help, to put you in your place again. She is of fo free, fo kind, fo apt, fo bleffed a difpofition, fhe holds it a vice in her goodness not to do more than fhe is requested. This broken joint between you and her husband, intreat her to fplinter. And, my fortunes against any lay worth naming, this crack of your love fhall grow ftronger than it was before.

Caf. You advise me well.

Iago. I proteft in the fincerity of love, and honest kindness.

Caf. I think it freely; and by times in the morning I will befeech the virtuous Desdemona to undertake for

(29) For that be bath devoted, and given up himself to the contemplation, mark, and devotement of her parts and graces.] I remember, it is faid of Antony, in the beginning of bis tragedy, that he, who used to fix his eyes altogether on the dreadful ranges of war,

now bends, now turns,

The office and devotion of their view
Upon a ftrumpet's front.

This is finely exprefs'd; but I cannot perfuade myself that our Poct would ever have faid, any one devoted himself to the devotement of any thing. All the copies agree; but the mistake certainly arose from a fingle letter being turn'd upfide-down at prefs;. I read ;

—to the contemplation, mark, and denotement of ber parts and graces.

The three words are, indeed, in fome degree tautological; but the practise is allow'd to add an energy to the thing it would express.

6

me:

me: I am defperate of my fortunes, if they check me here.

Jago. You are in the right: good-night, lieutenant, I must to the watch.

Caf. Good-night, honeft Iago.

Manet lago.

[Exit Caffio.

Iago. And what's he then, that fays, I play the villain?
When this advice is free I give, and honeft,
Likely to thinking, and, indeed, the course
To win the Moor again. For 'tis most easy
Th' inclining Desdemona to subdue

In any honeft fuit; fhe's fram'd as fruitful
As the free elements. And then for her
To win the Moor, were't to renounce his baptism,
All feals and fymbols of redeemed fin.

His foul is fo enfetter'd to her love

That the may make, unmake, do what she list,
Even as her appetite fhall play the god
With his weak function. Am I then a villain,
To counfel Cafio to this parallel course,
Directly to his good? Divinity of hell!
When Devils will their blackest fins put on,
They do fuggeft at firft with heav'nly fhews,
As I do now, For while this honeft fool
Plies Defdemona to repair his fortune,
And the for him pleads ftrongly to the Moor;
I'll pour this peftilence into his ear,
'That the repeals him for her body's luft:
And by how much she ftrives to do him good,
She shall undo her credit with the Moor.
So will I turn her virtue into pitch;

And out of her own goodness make the net,
That fhall unmefh them all. How now, Roderige!
Enter Rodorigo.

Rod. I do follow here in the chace, not like a hound that hunts, but one that fills up the cry. My money is almoft fpent: I have been to-night exceedingly well cudgell'd; and I think, the issue will be, I fhall have

fo

fo much experience for my pains; and fo with no money at all, and a little more wit, return again to Venice.

Iago. How poor are they, that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees?

Thou know'ft, we work by wit, and not by witchcrafts
And wit depends on dilatory time:

Does't not go well? Caffio hath beaten thee,
And thou by that small hurt haft cashier'd Caffio.
Tho' other things grow fair against the fun,
Yet fruits that bloffom first, will first be ripe:
Content thyfelf a while. In troth 'tis morning:
Pleasure and action make the hours feem fhort.
Retire thee; go where thou art billeted:
Away, I fay; thou shalt know more hereafter:
Nay, get thee gone.

Two things are to be done; (30)

[Exit Rodorigo

My wife must move for Caffio to her mistress:
I II fet her on :-

Myfelf, the while, to draw the Moor apart,
And bring him jump, when he may Caffio find
Solliciting his Wife,ay, that's the way:
Dull not, device, by coldness and delay.

(30) Two things are to be done;

My wife must move for Caffio to ber mistress:

[Exit

I'll fet her on to draw the Moor apart.] Mr. Pope has falfified the text, because it wanted a little help: fo that, in the first place, we don't see what were the two things to be done : and then, it was lago, not his wife, that was to draw the Moor apart. The old books read; -Two things are to be done ;

My wife must move for Caffio to her mistress:

I'll fet ber on myself, awhile, to draw the Moor apart.

This unreasonable long alexandrine was certainly a blunder of the editors: a flight transposition and change will regulate it, as the Poet intended,

My wife must move for Cassio to ber mistress :

Til fet ber on

Myfelf, the while, to draw the Moor apart,
And bring him jump, &c.

M

A C T III.

SCENE, before Othello's Palaces:
Enter Caffio, with Muficians.

CASSIO.

Something that's brief; and bid good-morrow,
General::

[Mufick plays, and enter Clown from the Houser Cloren. Why, masters, have your inftruments been in Naples, that they fpeak i'th' nofe thus ?

Muf. How, Sir, how?

Clown. Are thefe, I pray you, wind-inftruments ? Muf. Ay, marry are they, Sir.

Clown Oh, thereby hangs a tail.

Muf. Whereby hangs a tale, Sir?

Clown. Marry, Sir, by many a wind-inftrument that: I know. But, Mafters, here's money for you: and the General fo likes your mufick, that he defires you for: love's fake to make no more noife with it..

Mus. Well, Sir, we will not.

Clown. If you have any mufick that may not be heard, to't again; But, as they fay, to hear mufick, the Gene ral does not greatly care.

Muf. We have none such, Sir.

Clawn. Then put up your pipes in your bag, for I'll

away. Go, vanish into air, away.

[Exeunt Muf. Caf. Doft thou hear, mine honeft friend? (31) Clown. No, I hear not your honeft friend; I hear you.

(31) Caf. Doft thou bear me, mine boneft friend?

Clown. No, I bear not your boneft friend; I bear you.] Tho' the clown has his defign of playing at crois purposes here, he has no defign to make fuch an abfurd anfwer. But, for this, the inattention of our editors is only accountable: 'tis plain, to make the low joak intelligible, we muft expunge [me] out of Caffio's speech; as both Mr. Warburton and Dr. Thomas Bentley obferv'd to me: and their obfervation happens to have the fanction of the elder quarto..

Caf

Caf. Pry'thee, keep up thy quillets, there's a poor piece of gold for thee: if the gentlewoman that attends. the General's wife, be stirring, tell her there's one Caffio entreats of her a little favour of fpeech. Wilt thou do this?

Clown. She is stirring, Sir; if she will ftir hither, I hall feem to notify unto her. [Exit Clown. Caf. Do, my good friend.

To him, enter Iago.

In happy time, Iago.

Iago You have not been a bed then?

Caf. Why, no; the day had broke before we parted. I have made bold to fend in to your wife;

My fuit is, that the will to Desdemona

Procure me fome access.

Iago. I'll fend her presently;

And I'll devise a mean to draw the Moor

Out of the way, that your converse and business
May be more free.

[Exit.

Caf. I humbly thank you for't. I never knew A Florentine more kind and honest.

Ta him, enter Emilia,

Emil. Good-morrow, good lieutenant, I am forry For your displeasure; but all will, fure, be well. The General and his wife are talking of it

And the fpeaks for you ftoutly. The Moor replies, That he, you hurt, is of great fame in Cyprus,

And great affinity; and that in wisdom

[you;

He might not but refufe you. But he protests, he loves And needs no other fuitor, but his likings,

To bring you in again.

Caf. Yet I beseech you,

If you think fit, or that it may be done,

Give me advantage of fome brief discourse

With Desdemona alone.

Emil. Pray you, come in;

I will bestow you where you shall have time:

To speak your bofom freely.

Caf. I'm much, bound to you.