Probal to thinking', and (indeed) the courfe 2 In any honeft fuit; fhe's fram'd as fruitful To win the Moor,-were't to renounce his baptifm, His foul is fo enfetter'd to her love, That she may make, unmake, do what she lift, With his weak function. How am I then a villain, Probal to thinking,] Mr. Steevens obferves, that "the old editions concur in reading probal. There may be fuch a contraction of the word, [probable] but I have not met with it in any other book. Yet, abbreviations as violent occur in our ancient writers." He, however, reads probable. MALONE. 2 The inclining Desdemona-] Inclining here fignifies compliant. MALONE. 3 as fruitful as the free elements :] Liberal, bountiful, as the elements, out of which all things are produced. JoHNSON. 4- to this parallel courfe,] Parallel, for even, because parallel lines run even and equidiftant. WARBURTON. So, in our authour's 70th Sonnet: "Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth, "And delves the parallels in beauty's brow." MALONE. Parallel courfe; i. e. a course level, and even with his defign. JOHNSON. 5 When devils will their blackeft fins put on, They do fuggeft-] When devils mean to infligate men to commit the most atrocious crimes. So, in Hamlett "Of deaths put on by cunning and forc'd caufe." To put on, has already occurred twice in the prefent play, in this fenfe. To fuggeft in old language is to tempt. See Vol. 1. p. 139, n. 6. MALONE. • I'll pour this peftilence-] Pestilence, for poifon. WARBURTON. That 526 That the repeals him for her body's luft; And out of her own goodness make the net, 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 iffue will be-I fhall have fo much experience for my pains: and fo, with no money at all, and a little more wit, return to Venice. Iago. How poor are they, that have not patience !- Thou know'ft, we work by wit, and not by witchcraft Does't not go well? Caffio hath beaten thee, Content 7 That he repeals bim-] That is, recalls him. JOHNSON. That shall enmesh them all.-] A metaphor from taking birds in mehes. POPE. Why not from taking fifh, for which purpose nets are more frequently ufed. MASON. 9a little more wit,] Thus the folio. The first quarto reads And with that wit. STEEVENS. Though other things grow fair against the fun, Yet fruits, that bloffem first, will first be ripe:] Of many different things, all planned with the fame art, and promoted with the fame diligence, fome must fucceed fooner than others, by the order of nature. Every thing cannot be done at once; we must proceed by the necellary gradation. We are not to defpair of flow events any more than of tardy fruits, while the caufes are in regular progrefs, and the fruits grow fair against the fun. Hanmer has not, I think, rightly conceived the fentiment; for he reads, Thofe fruits which blossom first, are not first ripe. I have therefore drawn it out at length, for there are few to whom that will be eafy which was difficult to Hanmer. JOHNSON. The blooming, or fair appearance of things, to which Iago alludes, is, the removal of Caffio. As their plan had alieady blossomed, fo there was good ground for expecting that it would foon be ripe. Iago does not Yet fruits, that bloffom firft, will first be ripe': Content thyfelf a while.-By the mafs, '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. [Exit Rod.] Two things are to be done, My wife must move for Caffio to her mistress; I'll fet her on; Myfelf, the while, to draw the Moor apart, [Exit. ACT III. SCENE I. Before the Cafle. Enter CASSIO, and fome Muficians. Caf. Mafters, play here, I will content your pains, Something that's brief; and bid-good-morrow, general. [Mufick. Enter Clown. Clown. Why, mafters, have your inftruments been at Naples, that they speak i' the nose thus?? 1. Muf. How, fir, how! Clown. Are these, I pray you, call'd wind inftruments? not, I think, mean to compare their scheme to tardy fruits, as Dr. Johnfon feems to have fuppofed. MALONE. 2 By the mafs, 'tis morning;] Here we have one of the numerous arbitrary alterations made by the Master of the Revels in the playhouse copies, from which a great part of the folio was printed. It readsIn troth, 'tis morning. See The Hiftorical Account of the English Stage, Vol. I. Part II. MALONE. 3 Myfelf, the bile, to draw-] The old copies have arobile. Mr. Theobald made the correction. The modern editors read-Myfelf, the while, will draw. But the old copies are undoubtedly right. An imperfect fentence was intended. Jago is ruminating on his plan. MALONE. 4 Wby, masters, bave your inflruments been at Naples, that they speak the nofe thus ?] The venereal difeafe first appeared at the fiege of Naples. JOHNSON. Muf 528 1. Muf. Ay, marry, are they, fir. Clown. O, thereby hangs a tail. 1. Muf. Whereby hangs a tale, fir? Clown. Marry, fir, 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, of all loves, to make no more noise with it. 1. Muf. Well, fir, 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 general does not greatly care. 1. Muf. We have none fuch, fir. Glorun. Then put up your pipes in your bag, for I'll away: Go; vanish into air 7; away. Caf. Doft thou hear, my honest friend? [Exeunt Muf. Clown. No, I hear not your honest friend; I hear you. Caf. Pr'ythee, keep up thy quillets. There's a poor piece of gold for thee: if the gentlewoman that attends the general's wife, be ftirring, tell her, there's one Caffio entreats her a little favour of fpeech: Wilt thou do this? Clown. She is ftirring, fir; if fhe will ftir hither, I fhall feem to notify unto her. Enter IAGO. [Exit. Caf. Do, good my friend.-In happy time, Iago, Caf. Why, no; the day had broke Before we parted. I have made bold, Iago, To fend in to your wife: My fuit to her Iago. I'll fend her to you prefently; Caf. I humbly thank you for't. I never knew 5 [Exit, of all loves,] The folio reads for love's fake. STEEVENS. 6 for I'll away] Hanmer reads, and bie away. JOHNSON. vanish into air;] So the folio and one of the quartos. The eldest quarto reads-Vanish away. STEEVENS. 7 Ď tby quillets.] Sec p. 39o, n. 9. MALONE. A Flo A Florentine more kind and honeft. Enter EMILIA. Emil. Good morrow, good lieutenant: I am forry And great affinity; and that, in wholesome wifdom, And needs no other fuitor, but his likings, To take the fafeft occafion by the front", Caf. Yet, I beseech you, If you think fit, or that it may be done,- Emil. Pray you, come in; I will beftow you where you fhall have time To speak your bofom freely. Caf. I am much bound to you. -I never knew [Exeunt. A Florentine more kind and boneft.] In confequence of this line, a doubt has been entertained concerning the country of lago. Caffio was undoubtedly a Florentine, as appears by the firft fcene of the play, where he is exprefsly called one. That Jago was a Venetian, is proved by a fpeech in the third fcene of this act, and by what he fays in the fifth act, after having ftabbed Roderigo : Jago. Alas, my dear friend and countryman, Roderigo! Gra. What, of Venice ? lago. Yes. All that Caffio means to fay in the paffage before us is, I never experienced more honesty and kindness even in one of my own countrymen, than in this man. Mr. Steevens has made the fame obfervation in another place. folio. MALONE. To take the safeft occafion by the front,] This line is wanting in the STEEVENS. 2 I am much bound to you.] This fpeech is omitted in the first quarto. STEEVENS. VOL. IX. M m SCENE i |