Iago. I am one, fir, that comes to tell you, your daughter and the Moor are now making the beaft with two backs 2.

Bra. Thou art a villain.

Iago. You are-a fenator.

Bra. This thou shalt answer; I know thee, Roderigo. Rod. Sir, I will answer any thing. But I beseech you, If't be your pleasure 3, and most wise consent, (As partly, I find, it is,) that your fair daughter, At this odd-even and dull watch o' the night, Transported-with no worse nor better guard,

It is fo ufed by other writers of the fame age: "How far off dwells the house-furgeon?

You are a profane fellow, i'faith." Again, in Ben Jonfon's Tale of a Tub:

2

"By the fly justice, and his clerk profane." STEEVENS,

your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with twe backs.] This is an ancient proverbial expreffion in the French language, whence Shakspeare probably borrowed it; for in the Di&ionaire des Proverbes Françoifes, par G. D. B. Bruffelles, 1710, 12mo, I find the following article: "Faire la bête a deux dos," pour dire, faire l'amour.

PERCY.

In the Dictionaire Comique, par le Roux, 8vo. 1750, this phrafe is "Faire la bete a more particularly explained, under the article Bere. deux dos. Maniere de parler, qui fignifie etre couché avec une femme; faire le deduit. Et faifoient tous deux fouvent enfemble la bete a deux dos joyeusement.'-Rabelais. liv. I." There was a translation of Rabelais published in the time of Shakspeare. MALONE.

3 Ift be your pleasure, &c.] This and the fixteen following lines are not in the original quarto. They are found in the folio, 1623. MALONE.

4 At this odd-even and dull-watch o'the night,] "The even of night," Dr. Johnfon obferves, "is midnight, the time when night is divided into two even parts." This is certainly true; but our business is to explain the odd-even of night. By this fingular expreffion,-" this odd-even of night," our poet appears to have meant, that it was just approaching to, or juft paft, midnight; fo near, or so recently paft, that it was doubtful whether at that moment it ftood at the point of midnight, or at fome other lefs equal divifion of the twenty four hours; which a few minutes either before or after midnight would be. So, in Macbeth:

What is the night?

"Lady M. Almoft at odds with morning, which is which." Shakspeare was probably thinking of his boyish fchool-play, sdd or even. MALONE.

But

But with a knave of common hire, a gondalier,-
To the grofs clafps of a lafcivious Moor,-
If this be known to you, and your allowance,
We then have done you bold and faucy wrongs;
But, if you know not this, my manners tell me,
We have your wrong rebuke. Do not believe,
That, from the fenfe of all civility",

I thus would play and trifle with your reverence:
Your daughter, if you have not given her leave,-
1 fay again, hath made a grofs revolt;

Tying her duty, beauty, wit, and fortunes,
In an extravagant and wheeling ftranger,
Of here and every where: Straight fatisfy yourfelf:
If the be in her chamber, or your house,

Let loofe on me the juftice of the ftate
For thus deluding you.

Bra. Strike on the tinder, ho!

Give me a taper;-call up all my people :-
This accident is not unlike my dream,

Belief of it oppreffes me already :

5- and your allowance,] i. e. done with your approbation. See Vol. VIII. p. 203, n. 3, and p. 505, n. 5. MALONE.

6 That from the fenfe of all civility,] That is, in oppofition to, or departing from the fenfe of all civility. So, in Twelfth Night: "But this is from my commiffion."

Again, in The Mayor of Queenborough, by Middleton, 1661: "But this is from my bufineis." MALONE.

7 In an extravagant, &c.] Extravagant is here ufed in its Latin fignification, for wandering. Thus in Hamlet: "The extravagant and erring fpirit,-." STEEVENS.

8 Tying ber duty, beauty, wit, and fortunes,

In an extravagant and wheeling ftranger,] Thus the old copies, for which the modern editors, following Mr. Pope, have fubftitutedTo an extravagant, &c. In K. Lear we find-"And hold our lives in mercy; (not ar mercy ;) in The Winter's Tale," he was torn to pieces with a bear," not "by a bear;" and in Hamlet,

"To let this canker of our nature come

"In further evil."

So, in the next fcene, p. 468, we have "in your part," not "on your part." We might substitute modern for ancient phrafeology in all thefe paffages with as much propriety as in the prefent. We yet fay, "the is wrapp'd up in him." MALONE.

9 For thus deluding you.] The first quarto reads, For this delufion.

STEEVENS.

Light, I fay! light!

[Exit, from abaze. lago. Farewel; for I must leave you: It seems not meet, nor wholefome to my place, To be produc'd' (as, if I ftay, I fhall,)

Against the Moor: For, I do know, the state,—
However this may gall him with fome check 2,-
Cannot with fafety caft him3; for he's embark'd
With fuch loud reafon to the Cyprus' wars,
(Which even now stand in act) that, for their fouls,
Another of his fathom they have not,

To lead their bufinefs: in which regard,
Though I do hate him as I do hell pains,
Yet, for neceflity of prefent life,

I must fhew out a flag and fign of love,

Which is indeed but fign. That you fhall furely find him, Lead to the Sagittar+ the raised search;

And there will I be with him. So, farewel.

[Exit.

Enter, below, BRABANTIO, and Servants with torches
Bra. It is too true an evil: gone fhe is;
And what's to come of my defpifed times,
Is nought but bitterness.-Now, Roderigo,
Where didst thou fee her?-O unhappy girl!-

With the Moor, fay'ft thou ?-Who would be a father?-
How didft thou know 'twas fhe ?-O, thou deceiv't me
Paft thought!-What faid the to you?-Get more tapers;

Raife

1 To be produc'd-] The folio reads, produced. STEEVENS.
-fome check,] Some rebuke. JOHNSON.

2

3 - caft bim-] That is, difmifs him; reje& him. We ftill fay, a caft coat, and a caft ferving-man. JOHNSON.

4the Sagittar-] Thus the quarto, 1622. Folio :-the Sagittary. MALONE.

5 And what's to come of my defpifed time,] Defpifed time, is time of no value; time in which

There's nothing ferious in morality;

"The wine of life is drawn, and the mere dregs

"Are left this vault to brag of." Macbeth. JOHNSON. Again, in Romeo and Juliet:

expire the term

"Of a defpifed life, clos'd in my breaft." STEEVENS.

6-0, thou deceiv'ft me

Paft thought - Thus the quarte 1622. The folio 1623, and

the quartos 1630 and 1655 read,

Raife all my kindred.-Are they marry'd, think you? Rod. Truly, I think, they are.

Bra. O heaven!-How got the out?-O treafon of the blood!

8

Fathers, from hence truft not your daughters' minds
By what you see them act.-Is there not charms 7,
By which the property of youth and maidhood
May be abus'd? Have you not read, Roderigo,
Of fome fuch thing?

Rod. Yes, fir; I have, indeed.

Bra. Call up my brother.-O, that you had had her!Some one way, fome another.-Do you know

Where we may apprehend her and the Moor?

Rod. I think, I can discover him; if you please To get good guard, and go along with me.

Bra. Pray you, lead on. At every houfe I'll call ; I may command at moft:- Get weapons, ho! And raise fome fpecial officers of night 2.On, good Roderigo; I'll deferve your pains.

O fhe deceives me

Paft thought.

[Exeunt. SCENE

I have chofen the apoftrophe to his abfent daughter, as the most fpirited of the two readings. STEEVENS.

7 —Is there not charms,] Is there not fuch a thing as charms, &c. The modern editors, following an alteration made by the editor of the fecond folio, read-Are there not charms, &c. MALONE.

8 By which the property of youth and maidhood

May be abus'd?] By which the faculties of a young virgin may be infatuated, and made fubject to illufions and false imagination: "-wicked dreams abufe

"The curtain'd fleep." Macbeth. JOHNSON.

9 and maidhood-] The quartos read-and manhood—. STEEV. Pray you, lead on.] The first quarto reads, Pray lead me on.

STEEVENS.

2 And raife fame special officers of night.—] Thus the original quarto, 1622; for which the editor of the folio fubftituted-officers of might; a reading which all the modern editors have adopted. I have more than once had occafion to remark that the quarto readings were fometimes changed by the editor of the folio, from ignorance of our poet's phrafeology or meaning.

I have no doubt that Shakspeare, before he wrote this play, read The Commonwealth and Government of Venice, tranflated from the Italian

The fame. Another fireet.

Enter OTHELLO, IAGO, and Attendants.

Iago. Though in the trade of war I have flain men,
Yet do I hold it very ftuff o' the confcience 3
To do no contriv'd murder; I lack iniquity
Sometimes, to do me fervice: Nine or ten times

I had thought to have yerk'd him here under the ribs.
Oth. 'Tis better as it is.

by Lewes Lewkenor, and printed in 4to, 1599: a book prefixed to which we find a copy of verfes by Spenfer. This treatise furnished our poet with the knowledge of thofe officers of night, whom Brabantio here defires to be called to his affiftance.

"For the greater expedition thereof, of thefe kinds of judgments, the heades or chieftaines of the officers by night do obtaine the authority of which the advocators are deprived. Thefe officers of the night are fix, and fix likewife are thofe meane officers, that have only power to correct bafe vagabonds and trifling offences.

"Thofe that do execute this office are called heades of the tribes of the city, because out of every tribe, (for the city is divided into fix tribes,) there is elected an officer of the night, and a head of the tribe.

The duty of eyther of thefe officers is, to keepe a watch every other night by turn, within their tribes; and, now the one and then the other, to make rounds about his quarter, till the dawning of the day, being always guarded and attended on with weaponed officers and ferjeants, and to fee that there be not any diforder done in the darkness of the night, which alwaies emboldeneth men to naughtineffe; and that there be not any houses broken up, nor theeves nor rogues lurking in corners with intent to do violence." Commonwealth of Venice, PP. 97, 99. MALONE.

3ftuff o' the confcience-] This expreffion to common readers appears harth. Stuff of the conscience is, fubftance, or effence of the confcience. Stuff is a word of great force in the Teutonick languages. The elements are called in Dutch, Hoefd foffen, or bead-fluffs. JOHNSON,

Again, in King Henry VIII:

"You're full of heavenly ftuff," &c.

Frifch's German Dictionary gives this explanation of the word ftoff:materies ex qua aliquid fieri poterit. STEEVENS.

4 I had thought to have yerk'd him-] Iago is probably here speaking of Roderigo. MALONE.