Pyrrhus at Priam drives, in rage flrikes wide,
But with the whif and wind of his fell fword
Th' unnerved Father falls.

And again,

Out, out, thou ftrumpet Fortune! All you Gods,
In general Synod, take away her power ;

Break all the Spokes and fellies from her wheel,

And bowl the round nave down the hill of Heaven,
As low as to the Fiends.

Now whether these be bombaft or not, is not the queftion; but whether Shakespeare esteemed them fo. That he did not so esteem them appears from his having ufed the very fame thoughts in the fame expreffion, in his best plays, and given them to his principal characters, where he aims at the fublime. As in the following paffages.

Troilus, in Troilus and Creffida, far outftrains the execution of Pyrrhus's fword, in the character he gives of Hector's,

When many times the captive Grecians fall

Ev'n in the fan and wind of your fair fword,

You bid them rife and live.

Cleopatra, in Antony and Cleopatra, rails at Fortune in the fame manner.

No, let me speak, and let me rail so high,

That the false hufwife Fortune break her wheel,
Provok'd at my offence.

But another ufe may be made of thefe quotations; a difcovery of the Author of this recited Play; which, letting us into a circumstance of our Author's life (as a writer) hitherto unknown, was the reafon I have been fo large upon this queftion. I think then it appears, from what has been faid, that the Play in difpute was Shakespeare's own: and that this was the occafion of writing it. He was defirous, as foon as he had found his ftrength, of restoring the chaftness and regularity of the ancient Stage; and therefore compofed this Tragedy on the model of the Greek Drama, as may be feen by throwing fo much action into relation. But his attempt proved fruitlefs; and the raw, unnatural tafte then prevalent, forced him back again into his old Gothic manner. For which he took this revenge upon his Audience.

WARBURTON. OTHELLO,

OTHELLO,

THE

MOOR of VENICE.

VOL. X.

N

DUKE of Venice.

Brabantio, a noble Venetian.

Gratiano, Brother to Brabantio.

Lodovico, Kinfman to Brabantio and Gratiano.
Othello, the Moor.

Caffio.

Iago, Standard-bearer to Othello.

Rodorigo, a Gentleman

Montano, the Moor's Predeceffor in the Government of Cyprus.

Clown, Servant to the Moor.

Herald.

Defdemona, Wife to Othello.

Emilia, Wife to Iago.

Bianca, Miftrefs to Caffio.

Officers, Gentlemen, Meffengers, Muficians, Sailors, and Attendants.

SCENE, for the First Act, in Venice; during the reft of the Play, in Cyprus.

2.

3.

Of this Play the Editions are,

Quarto, Preface by Thomas Walkely.
1622. N. O. for Thomas Walkely.

4.

5. Folio,

1630. A. M. for Richard Hawkins.
1650. for William Lenk.

1623.

I have the Folio, and the third Quarto collated with the fecond, and the fourth.

OTHELLO,

The Moor of VENICE.

ACT I. SCENE I.

A Street in VENICE,

Enter Rodorigo and Iago.

RODORIG 0.

EVER tell me. I take it much unkindly, That thou, lago, who haft had my purse, As if the ftrings were thine, fhouldft know of this. lage. But you'll not hear me.

If ever I did dream of fuch a matter, abhor me. Rod. Thou toldst me, thou didst hold him in thy hate.

lago. Defpife me,

If I do not. Three Great ones of the city,
In perfonal fuit to make me his lieutenant,
Off-capp'd to him; and, by the faith of man,
I know my price, I'm worth no worfe a Place.
But he, as loving his own pride and purpofe;
Evades them with a bombaft circumftance,
Horribly stuft with epithets of war,
And, in conclufion,

Non-fuits my mediators.

"Certes, fays he,

"I have already chofe my officer."

And what was he?

(1) Othello, the Moor of Venice.] The story is taken from Cyn

thio's Novels.

N 2

POPE. For footh,