Oth. O villain !
Cas.

Most heathenish and most gross Lod. Now here's another discontented paper, Found in his pocket too; and this, it seems, Roderigo meant to have sent this damned villain; But that, belike, Iago in the interim

Came in and satisfied him.

Oth.

O the pernicious caitiff!

How came you, Cassio, by that handkerchief

That was my wife's?

Cas.

I found it in my chamber:

And he himself confess'd but even now
That there he dropp'd it for a special purpose
Which wrought to his desire.

Oth.
O fool fool! fool!
Cas. There is besides in Roderigo's letter,
How he upbraids Iago, that he made him.
Brave me upon the watch; whereon it came
That I was cast and even but now he spake
After long seeming dead, Iago hurt him,

Iago set him on.

!

Lod. You must forsake this room, and go with us: Your power and your command is taken off,

And Cassio rules in Cyprus. For this slave,
If there be any cunning cruelty

320

325

330

335

323 wife's] Rowe. wifes Qq. wiues Ff. 324 but] Capell. it Q. it but FfQ2Q3. 328 upbraids] obraides Q2Q3.

Iago] Iagos Q3.

330 but] om. Rowe (ed. 2).

spake] speake Q

Rann.

335 For] Fore Q3.

said quoted by

That can torment him much and hold him long,
It shall be his. You shall close prisoner rest,
Till that the nature of your fault be known
To the Venetian state. Come, bring away.

Oth. Soft you; a word or two before you go.
I have done the state some service, and they know 't.
No more of that. I pray you, in your letters,
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate,

Nor set down aught in malice: then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely but too well;

Of one not easily jealous, but, being wrought,
Perplex'd in the extreme; of one whose hand,
Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away

Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes,
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their medicinal gum. Set you down this;
And say besides, that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turban'd Turk

340

345

350

355

Iudean F1.

Judean Han

mer. Egyptian Upton conj. See note (XVII).

351 subdued] om. Pope.

353 Drop] Drops QF1. Dropt Jennens. 354 medicinal] medicinall Qq. Medicinable Ff. med cinable Capell. gum] gums Johnson.

356 Where] When Collier MS.

turban'd Turk] Turband Turke Qq. Turbond-Turke FF2

Turk F3F4.

Turbond

turban'd] Turband (in italics) Q1 Turband (in roman) QQ Tur

bond (in roman) Ff.

Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,

I took by the throat the circumcised dog
And smote him, thus.

Lod. O bloody
O bloody period!

[Stabs himself.

Gra.
All that's spoke is marr'd. 360
Oth. I kiss'd thee ere I kill'd thee: no way but this,
Killing myself, to die upon a kiss. [Falls on the bed, and dies.
Cas. This did I fear, but thought he had no weapon;
For he was great of heart.

Lod.
[To Iago] O Spartan dog,
More fell than anguish, hunger, or the sea!
Look on the tragic loading of this bed;
This is thy work: the object poisons sight;
Let it be hid. Gratiano, keep the house,
And seize upon the fortunes of the Moor,

For they succeed on you. Το you, lord governor,
Remains the censure of this hellish villain,
The time, the place, the torture: O, enforce it!
Myself will straight aboard, and to the state.
This heavy act with heavy heart relate.

357 traduced] reduc'd Johnson (a mis

print).

358 by the throat] Theobald. by th'
throat Ff. b th throat Qq. by
throat Capell.

circumcised] uncircumcis'd Brady
conj.

359 [Stabs himself.] He stabs himselfe.
Qq. om. Ff. Pulls out a conceal'd
Dagger, and stabs himself. Capell.
Wrenches a sword from a by-
stander, and stabs himself. Anon.
conj.

360 that's] Qq. that is Ff.

361 [To Desdem. Theobald. Falling upon Desdem. Johnson. Throwing

365

370

[Exeunt.

NOTES.

NOTE 1.

1. 1. 16. The punctuation in the text was first given by Steevens (1773). Most editors, following Capell, including Steevens in his later editions, have supposed for, certes' to be part of Othello's speech. Mr Collier, omitting the comma, gives 'For certes' as the commencement of Othello's words. There is no comma in either Quartos or Folios, and the printing leaves it uncertain where the quotation is meant to begin.

NOTE II.

I. 1. 20, 21. Theobald marks 'Certes...officer,' and 'the Florentine's... wife' with inverted commas, to indicate that they are Iago's report of Othello's speeches, and supposes Iago to be the 'fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife.' 'The Poet means,' he adds, 'Iago had so beautiful a Wife, that she was his Heaven on Earth; that he idoliz'd her; and forgot to think of Happiness in an After-state, as placing all his Views of Bliss in the single Enjoyment of her. In this sense, Beauty, when it can so seduce and ingross a Man's Thoughts, may be said almost to damn him.' Warburton's explanation agrees substantially with that of Theobald.

NOTE III.

1. 3. 373–377. The reading in the text is that of the second and third Quartos. The first Quarto has:

'Iag. Go to, farewell:-doe you heare Roderigo?

Rod. what say you?

Iag. No more of drowning, doe you heare?

Rod. I am chang'd.

Exit Roderigo.

Iag. Goe to, farewell, put money enough in your purse:
Thus doe I euer make my foole my purse:'

The first Folio, followed substantially by the rest, reads:

'Iago. Go too, farewell. Do you heare Rodorigo?
Rod. Ile sell all my Land.

Iago. Thus do I euer make my Foole, my purse :'

Rowe and Pope follow the Folios.

Theobald has :

Exit.

6

Iago. Go to, farewel.

Do you hear, Rodorigo?

Rod. What say you?

Iago. No more of drowning, do you hear.

Rod. I am chang'd; I'll go sell all my land.

Manet Iago.

[Exit.

Iago. Go to, farewel, put mony enough in your purse-
Thus, &c.'

Hanmer :

Iago. Go to, farewel. Do you hear, Rodorigo?

No more of drowning.

Rod. I'll sell all my land.

[Exit.

SCENE XI.
Manet Iago.

Iago. Thus,' &c.

Warburton follows Theobald, and so does Johnson, except that he transfers Exit Rodorigo' to follow the first line of Iago's speech, and makes Scene XI. begin with the next. Capell reduces the whole to the following:

'Iag. Go to, farewel.

Rod. I'll sell all my land.

Iag. Thus,' &c.

[Exit.

S. Walker arranges :

Rod. I am changed.

Iago. Go to, farewell: put money enough in your purse.

Rod. I'll sell my land.

Iago. Thus do I, &c.'

[Exit.]