Def. I thank you, valiant Caffio.

What tidings can you tell me of my Lord?
Caf. He is not yet arriv'd, nor know I aught
But that he's well, and will be shortly here.
Def. O, but I fear-How loft you company
Caf. The great contention of the fea and skies
Parted our fellowship. But, hark, a fail!

Within. A fail, a fail!

?

[Sound of Cannon. Gent. They give this greeting to the Citadel:

This likewife is a friend.

Caf. See for the news.

Good Ancient, you are welcome. Welcome, mistress.

[To Æmilia. Let it not gall your patience, good Iago,

That I extend my manners. 'Tis my breeding, That gives me this bold fhew of courtesy. [Kifles her. Iago. Sir, would she give you so much of her lips, As of her tongue fhe oft bestows on me,

You'd have enough.

Def. Alas! fhe has no fpeech.

Iago. In faith, too much;

I find it ftill, when I have lift to fleep.
Marry, before your ladyfhip, I grant,
She puts her tongue a little in her heart,
And chides with thinking.

Emil. You have little cause to say so.

Iago. Come on, come on; you're pictures out of doors,

Bells in your parlours, wild-cats in your kitchens, 3 Saints in your injuries, devils being offended, Players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds!

Def. O, fy upon thee, flanderer!

Iago. Nay, it is true, or else I am a Turk You rife to play, and go to bed to work.

3 When you have a mind to do injuries, you put on an air of fapetity.

A a 4

Emil.

Emil. You fhall not write my praise.

Iago. No, let me not.

Def. What wouldft thou write of me, if thou fhou'dft praise me?

Iago. Oh gentle lady, do not put me to❜t,

For I am nothing, if not critical.

Def. Come, one affay. harbour?

Iago. Ah, Madam.

There's one gone to the

Def. I am not merry; but I do beguile The thing I am, by feeming otherwife. -Come, how wouldst thou praise me?

Iago. I am about it; but, indeed, invention Comes from my pate, as birdlime does from freeze, It plucks out brains and all. But my mufe labours, And thus fhe is deliver'd,

If fhe be fair and wife, fairness and wit,
The one's for ufe, the other ufeth it.

Def. Well prais'd. How if fhe be black and witty?
Iago. If he be black, and thereto bave a wit,

She'll find a white that fall her blackness fit.

Def. Worfe and worse.

Emil. How, if fair and foolish?

5

Iago. She never yet was foolish, that was fair;
For ev'n her folly helpt her to an heir.

Def. These are old fond paradoxes, to make fools laugh i' th' alehoufe. What miferable praise haft thou for her that's foul and foolish?

4 critical.] That is, cen Jorious.

5 She never yet was feoli, &c] We may read,

She ne'er was yet fo foolish that

was fair,

But ev'n her fully help'd her to an heir.

Yet I believe the common reading to be right: The law makes the power of cohabitation a proof that a man is not a natural; therefore, fince the foolishelt woman, if pretty, may have a child, no pretty woman is ever foolish.

Lago. There's none fo foul and foolish thereunto,

But does foul pranks, which fair and wife ones

do.

Def. O heavy ignorance! thou praisest the worst beft. But what praise couldft thou bestow on a deferving woman indeed? 6 one, that in the authority of her merit, did juftly put on the vouch of very malice itself?

Iago. She that was ever fair, and never proud,

Had tongue at will, and yet was never loud;
Never lackt gold, and yet went never gay,
Fled from her wish, and yet faid, now I may;
She that when anger'd, her revenge being nigh,
Bade her wrong ftay, and her displeasure fly;
She that in wisdom never was fo frail
To change the cod's head for the falmon's tail;

6 One, that in the authority of her derftanding the phrafe, To put on merit, did justly put on the vouch the vouch of malice, has alter'd it of very malice itself?] Tho' all to put down, and wrote a deal of the printed copies agree in this unintelligible ftuff to justify his reading, I cannot help fufpecting blunder. To put on the vouch of it. If the text fhould be genu- any one, fignifies, to call upon ine, I confefs, it is above my un- any one to vouch for another. derftanding. In what fenfe can So that the fenfe of the place is merit be faid to put on the vouch this, One that was fo confcious of malice? I fhould rather think, of her own merit, and of the aumerit was so safe in itself, as to thority her character had with repel and put off all that malice every one, that fhe durft venture and envy could advance and af- to call upon malice itself to vouch firm to its prejudice. I have ven- for her. This was fome comtur'd to reform the text to this mendation. And the character conftruction, by writing put only of the clearest virtue; which down, a very flight change that could force malice, even against makes it intelligible. THEOB. its nature, to do juftice. WARD. One, that in the authority of To put on the vouch of malice, her merit, did justly put on the is to affume a character vouched vouch of very malice itfelf?] The by the teftimony of malice iteditor, Mr. Theobald, not un- felf.

She

She that could think, and ne'er disclose her mind,
See fuitors following, and ne'er look behind;
She was a wight, if ever fuch wight were-

Def. To do what?

Iago. To fuckle fools, and chronicle fmall beer.

Def. Oh most lame and impotent conclufion! Do not learn of him, Æmilia, tho' he be thy husband. How fay you, Caffio, is he not a moft profane & and 9 liberal counsellor?

Caf. He speaks home, Madam; you may relish him more in the foldier, than in the scholar.

Iago. [Afide.] He takes her by the palm; ay, well faid. Whisper. With as little a web as this, will I enfnare as great a fly as Caffio. Ay, smile upon her, do. I will gyve thee in thine own courtship. You say true, 'tis fo, indeed, If fuch tricks as these strip

7 To fuckle fools, and chronicle Small beer.] In this line there feems to be more humour defigned, than I can easily discover or explain. Why fhould the fuckle fools? Perhaps, that thefe to whom nature had denied wit, might derive it from a lady to whom it was given in so much fuperfluity. She would be a wight to chronicle Small beer, in allufion, I fuppofe, to the Roman practice, of marking the jars with the name of the Conful. The appearance of fuch a woman would make an æra; but as the merit of the best woman is but fmall, that æra might be properly applied to the diftinction of the different ages of fmall beer.

8 profane] Grofs of language,

of expreffion broad and brutal, So Brabantio, in the first act, calls Iago, profane wretch.

9 liberal counselor?] Liberal, for licentious. WARB. How fay you, Caffio? Is be not a most profane and liberal counfellor?] But in what refpect was lago a counfellor? He caps fentences, indeed; but they are not by way of advice, but defcription: what he fays, is, Reflexions on character and conduc in life. For this reason, I am very apt to think, our author wrote cenfurer. THEOB.

Counsellor feems to mean, not fo much a man that gives counsel, as one that difcourfes fearlefly and volubly. A talker.

'I will gyve thee] i. e. catch, fhackle.

POPE.

you

you out of your lieutenancy, it had been better you
had not kiss'd your three fingers fo oft, which now
again you are most apt to play the Sir in. Very good,
"well kifs'd, and excellent courtefy; 'tis fo, indeed.
Yet again, your fingers to your lips? 'would, they
were clifter pipes for your fake.
[Trumpet.

The Moor. I know his trumpet.
Caf. 'Tis truly fo.

Def. Let's meet him, and receive him,
Caf. Lo, where he comes!

SCENE

VI.

Enter Othello and Attendants.

Oth. Oh my fair warrior!

Def. My dear Othello!

Oth. It gives me wonder, great as my content,

To fee you here before me.

Oh my foul's joy!

If after every tempeft come fuch calms,

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

As hell's from heav'n! If I were now to die,
'Twere now to be moft happy; for, I fear,
My foul hath her content fo absolute,

That not another comfort like to this
Succeeds in unknown fate.

Def. The heaven's forbid,

But that our loves and comforts should encrease,
Even as our days do grow!

2 well kid, and excellent cour - This I think should be printed, well kiffed! an excellent

courtefy Spoken when Caffie kiffes his hand, and Defdemana courtefies.

Oth.