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Evade them with a bombast circumstance,
Horribly ftuft with epithets of war,
And, in conclufion

Non-fuits my mediators. "Certes, fays he,
I have already chofe my Officer."
And what was he?

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Forfooth, a great arithmetician,

One Michael Caffio;-(" the Florentine's (3) "A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife;")

(3) Forfootb, a great arithmetician,

One Michael Caffio, a Florentine,

That

A fellow almoft damn'd in a fair wife.] Thus has this paffage ignorantly been corrupted, (as Mr. Warburton likewife faw with me ;) by false pointing, and an inadvertence to matter of fact, thro". the whole courfe of the editions. By the bye, this play was not publifh'd even fingly, that I can find, till fix years after the Author's death and by that interval became more liable to errors. join the correction, and then the reasons for it.

And, in conclufion,

Nonfuits my mediators Certes, fays b?,
"I have already chofe my officer;'

And what was be?

Forforth, a great arithmetician,

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One Michael Caffio;-("the Florentine's
A fellow almoft damn'd in a fair wife ;")
That never, &c.

I'll fub

This pointing fets circumftances right, as I fhall immediately ex plain; and it gives a variety, in Iago reporting the behaviour of Othello, to ftart into thefe breaks; now, to make Othello fpeak ;then, to interrupt what Orbello fays, with his own private reflexions

then, again, to proceed with Othello's fpeeches: for this not only marks the inquietude of Iago's mind upon the subject in hand but likewife fhews the actor in the variation of tone and gefture,, whilft he (in a breath, as 'twere) perfonates alternately Othello and himfelf. Befides, to come to the neceffity of the change made;* Lago, not Caffio, was the Florentine; Iago, not Caffio, was the married man; Iago's wife attends Desdemona to Cyprus; Caffio has a miftrefs there, a common ftrumpet; and Iago tells him in the fourth act, She gives it out, that you shall marry her, Which would be very abfurd, if Caffio had been already married at Venice. Befides, our Poet follows the authority of his novel in giving the villainous enfign a fair wife; "Havea fimilmente menata questo Malvagio la fua Moglie in Cipri, la quale era bella & honefta gioAnd it is very good reafon for rejecting lago, because he was amarried man, and might be thought too much govern'd by his wife:

as wane.

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L 6

That never fet a fquadron in the field,
Nor the divifion of a battle knows

More than a spinfter; but the bookish theorick,
Wherein the toged counfelors can propofe (4)
As masterly as he; mere prattle, without practice,

Is

to be capable of this charge. And this was a natural objection in an unmarried general, as Orbello was when he chofe his officers. lago therefore was the fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife: which is an expreffion obfcure enough to deferve a fhort explanation. The Poet means, Iago had fo beautiful a wife, that fhe was his beaven on earth; that he idoliz'd her; and forgot to think of happiness in an afterftate, as placing all his views of blifs in the fingle enjoyment of her. In this fenfe, beauty, when it can fo feduce and ingrofs a man's thoughts, may be faid almost to damn him. Jeffica, fpeaking of BasJanie's happiness in a wife, fays fomething almoft equal to this. For having fuch a bleffing in his lady,

He finds the joys of heaven here on earth;

And if on earth he do not merit it,

In reafon he should never come to heaven. Merch. of Venice. Beaumont and Fletcher likewife, in their King and no King, make Tigranes Speak of fuch a degree of beauty fufficient to damn fouls. -had the fo tempting fair,

That he could with it off for damning fouls.

i. e. either, for that it did damn fouls; or, for fear it should.

(4) Wherein the tongued confuls.] So the generality of the impreffions read; but the oideft quarto has it, toged; (which gave the hint for my emendation;) the fenators, that affifted the duke in council, in their proper gowns -Iago, a little lower, fays to Brabantio.

Zounds, Sir, you're robb'd: for fhame put on your gown. Now, I think, 'tis pretty certain, that Iago does not mean, “Slip on your night gown, but your gown of office, your fenatorial gown; # put on your authority, and purfue the thief who has ftole your "daughter." Befides, there is not that contraft of terms betwixt tongued, as there is betwixt toged, and foldiership. This reading is peculiarly proper here; and the fame oppofition is almoft for ever made by the Roman writers. For instance;

Cicero in Offic.

Cedant Arma Togæ,

Idem in Pifonem.

-Sed quod Pacis eft Infigne & Otii, Toga: contrà autèm Arma, Tumultus atque Belli.

Vell. Paterculus de Scipione Æmiliano.

faternifque Lucii Pauli Virtutibus fimillimus, omnibus Belli ac Toge dotibus, &c.

Caffius Ciceroni.

Etenim tua Toga omnium Armis felicior.

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Is all his foldierfhip-he had th' election ;
And I, of whom his eyes had feen the proof
At Rhodes and Cyprus, and on other grounds
Christian and heathen must be belee d and calm'd (5)
By Debitor and Creditor, this Counter Cafter;
He, in good time, muft his lieutenant be,
And I, (God bless the mark !) his moor-1
r-fhip's ancient.
Rod. By Heav'n, I rather would have been his hangman.
Jago. But there's no remedy, 'tis the curfe of fervice;
Preferment goes by letter and affection,

And not by old gradation, where each fecond

Ovid. Metamor. lib. xv.

Cæfar in urbe fuá Deus eft; quem Marte Togâque,
Præcipuum, &c.

Idem in Epift. ex Ponto, li. 2. Ep. 1.

-Jàm nunc bac à me, juvenum, bellôque togâque
Maxime.

-nocitura Togâ, nocitura petuntur

Militia.

Juvenal, Sat. 10.

And in a great number of paffages more, that might be quoted. But now let me proceed to explain, why I have ventured to fubftitute Gour fellors in the room of confuls: and then, I hope, the alteration will not appear arbitrary. The Venetian nobility, 'tis well known, conftitute the great council of the fenate, and are a part of the adminiftration; and fummon'd to afhift and counfel the Doge, who is prince of the fenate, and, in that regard, has only precedency before the other magiftrates. So that, in this refpect, they may very properly be call'd counsellors. Again, when the officer comes from the duke to Brabantio, in a fubfequent fcene of this act, he says,

The Duke's in council, and your noble self,

I'm fure, is fent for.

And when Brabantio comes into the fenate, the duke fays to him; We lack'd your counsel, and your help to night,

Now Brabantio was a fenator, but no conful. Eefides, tho' the government of Venice was democratic at first, under confuls and tribunes; that form of power has been totally abrogated, fince Doges have been elected and whatever confuls of other states may be refident there, yet they have no more a voice, or place, in the public councils, or in what concerns peace or war, than foreign ambassadors can have in our parliament.

(5) Must be led and calm'd.] There is no confonance of metaphor in these two terms. I have chofe to read with the first folio, and feveral other of the old editions. Belee'd is a fea-term as well as calm'd; and a fhip is faid to be belee'd, when she lies close under the wind, on the lee-fhore; makes no fail.

9

Stood

Stood heir to th' firft. Now, Sir, be judge yourself, If I in any just term am affign'd

To love the Moor.

Rod. I would not follow him then.

Iago. Oh Sir, content you;

I follow him to ferve my turn upon him.
We cannot all be masters, nor all masters
Cannot be truly follow'd. You shall mark
Many a duteous and knee-crooking knave,
That, doating on his own obfequious bondage,
Wears out his time, much like his master's afs,
For nought but provender; and when he's old, cashier'd;
Whip me fuch honest knaves- -others there are,
Who, trimm'd in forms and visages of duty,

Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves;
And, throwing but fhows of fervice on their lords,
Well thrive by them; and when they've lin'd their coats,
Do themselves homage, Thefe folks have fome foul,
And fuch a one do I profefs myself.

It is as fure as you are Rodorigo,

Were I the Moor, I would not be lago:

In following him, I follow but myself,

Heav'n is my judge, not I, for love and duty,
But, feeming fo, for my peculiar end:
For when my outward action doth demonstrate
The native act and figure of my heart
In compliment extern, 'tis not long after
But I will wear my heart upon my fleeve,
For daws to peck at; I'm not what I feem.

Rod. What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe, If he can carry her thus ?

Iago. Call up her father,

Roufe him, make after him, poifon his delight;
Proclaim him in the ftreets, incenfe her kinsmen :
And tho he in a fertile climate dwell,

Plague him with flies; tho' that his joy be joy,
Yet throw fuch changes of vexation on't,
As it may lofe fome colour.

Rod. Here is her father's house, I'll call aloud.

Iago. Do, with like timorous accent, and dire yell, As when, by night and negligence, the fire

Is fpied in populous cities.

Rod. What, ho! Brabantio! Signior Brabantio! ho. Iago. Awake! what, ho! Brabantio! ho! thieves! thieves!

Look to your house, your daughter, and your bags: Thieves thieves !

Brabantio appears above at a Window.

Bra. What is the reason of this terrible fummons? What is the matter there?

Rod. Signior, is all your family within ?
Iago. Are all doors lock'd?

Bra. Why? wherefore ask you this? [your gown,
Iago. Zounds! Sir, you're robb'd, for fhame, put on
Your heart is burft, you have lost half your foul:
Ev'n now, ev'n very now, an old black ram
Is tupping your white ewe. Arife, arife,
Awake the fnorting citizens with the bell,
Or elfe the Devil will make a grandfire of you.
Arife, I fay.

Bra. What, have you loft your wits?

Rod. Moft reverend fignior, do you know my voice Bra. Not I; what are you?

Kod. My name is Rodorigo.

Bra. The worfe welcome;

I've charg'd thee not to haunt about my doors:
In honeft plainnefs thou haft heard me fay,

My daughter's not for thee. And now in madness,
Being full of fupper and diftemp'ring draughts,
Upon malicious bravery dost thou come

To start my quiet.

Rod. Sir, Sir, Sir

Bra. But thou must needs be sure,

My fpirit and my place have in their power

To make this bitter to thee.

Rod. Patience, good Sir.

Bra. What tell'st thou me of robbing? this is Venice: My houfe is not a grange.

Rud

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