Cas. He speaks home, madam; you may relish him more in the soldier, than in the scholar. Iago. [aside] He takes her by the palm: Ay, well said, whisper: with as little a web as this, will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio. Ay, smile upon her, do; I will gyve thee in thine own courtship. You say true; 'tis so, indeed: if such tricks as these strip you out of your lieutenantry, it had been better you had not kissed your three fingers so oft, which now again you are most apt to play the sir in.2 Very good; well kissed! an excellent courtesy ! 'tis so, indeed. Yet again your fingers to your lips? would, they were clyster-pipes for your sake! -[trumpet] The Moor, I know his trumpet. Cas. 'Tis truly so. Des. Let's meet him, and receive him. Cas. Lo, where he comes! his Humour, styles Carlo Buffone, a publick, scurrilous, and profane jester. Steevens. 9— - liberal counsellor ?] Liberal for licentious. Warburton. So, in The Fair Maid of Bristow, 1605, bl. 1: "But Vallenger, most like a liberal villain, "Did give her scandalous, ignoble terms." Steevens. See Vol. II, p. 200, n. 3. Malone. Counsellor seems to mean, not so much a man that gives counsel, as one that discourses fearlessly and volubly. A talker Johnson. Counsellor is here used in the common acceptation. Desdemona refers to the answers she had received from Iago, and particularly her last. Henley. 1 I will gyve thee] i. e. catch, shackle. Pope. The first quarto reads-I will catch you in your own courtesies; the second quarto-I will catch you in your own courtship. The folio as it is in the text. Steevens. 2 to play the sir in.] That is, to show your good breeding and gallantry. Henley. 3 well kissed! an excellent courtesy !] Spoken when Cassio kisses his hand, and Desdemona courtesies. Johnson. This reading was recovered from the quarto, 1622, by Dr. Johnson. The folio has-and excellent courtesy. I do not believe that any part of these words relates to Desde. mona. In the original copy, we have just seen, the poet wrote→→ 66 ay, smile upon her, do; I will catch you in your own courtesies." Here therefore he probably meant only to speak of Cassio, while kissing his hand. "Well kissed! an excellent courtesy!" i. e. an excellent salute. Courtesy, in the sense of obeisance or salute, was in Shakspeare's time applied to men as well as women. See Vol. VIII, p. 271, n. 8. Malone. Enter OTHELLO, and Attendants. Oth. O my fair warrior! Des. My dear Othello! May the winds blow till they have waken'd death! As hell 's from heaven! If it were now to die, That not another comfort like to this Des. The heavens forbid, 40 my fair warrior!] Again, in Act III, Desdemona says: unhandsome warrior as I am." This phrase was introduced by our copiers of the French Sonnetteers. Ronsard frequently calls his mistresses guerrieres; and Southern, his imitator, is not less prodigal of the same appellation Thus, in his fifth Sonnet: "And, my warrier, my light shines in thy fayre eyes.” Again, in his sixth Sonnet: "I am not, my cruell warrier, the Thebain," &c. Again, ibid: "I came not, my warrier, of the blood Lidain." Had I not met with the word thus fantastically applied, I should have concluded that Othello called his wife a warrior, because she had embarked with him on a warlike expedition, and not in consequence of Ovid's observation 5 "Militat omnis amans, et habet sua castra Cupido.” Steevens. come such calms,] Thus the folio. The quarto, 1622, reads-calmness. Steevens. 6 And let the labouring bark climb hills of seas, Olympus-high; and duck again as low As hell's from heaven!] So, in Sidney's Arcadia, B. I: "The sea, making mountaines of itself, over which the tossed and tottering ship should climbe, to be straight carried downe againe to a pit of hellish darknesse." Steevens. 7 If it were now to die, 'Twere now to be most happy;] So, Cherea, in The Eunuch of Terence, Act III, sc. v: Proh Jupiter! "Nunc tempus profecto est, cum perpeti me possum inter feci, "Ne vita aliquâ hoc gaudium contaminet ægritudine.” Malone. But that our loves and comforts should increase, Amen to that, sweet powers! Oth. It stops me here; it is too much of joy: [Kissing her. That e'er our hearts shall make! [Aside. 8 Even as our days do grow!] Here is one of those evident interpolations which abound in our author's dramas Who does not perceive that the words-Even as our days, refer to the verb-increase in the foregoing line? Omit therefore the prosaick-do grow, (which is perfectly useless) and the metre will be restored to its original regularity. Fenton has adopted this thought in his Mariamne : "And mutual passion with our years increase!" Steevens. 9 And this, and this, &c. Kissing her] So, in Marlowe's Lust's Dominion: "I pri'thee, chide, if I have done amiss, "But let my punishment be this and this." [Kissing the Moor. Malone. Marlowe's play was written before that of Shakspeare, who might possibly have acted in it. Steevens. 1 — I'll set down -] Thus the old copies, for which the modern editors, following Mr Pope, have substituted-let down. But who can prove that to set down was not the language of Shakspeare's time, when a viol was spoken of?-To set formerly sig nified to tune, though it is no longer used in that sense. "It was then," says Anthony Wood in his Diary, "that I set and tuned in strings and fourths," &c. So, in Skialetheia, a Collection of Satires, &c. 1598: to a nimbler key "Set thy wind instrument." Malone. To "set down" has this meaning in no other part of our author's works. However, virtus post nummos: we have secured the phrase, and the exemplification of it may follow when it will. Steevens. 2 News, friends;] The modern editors read (after Mr. Rowe) Now friends. I would observe once for all, that (in numberless instances in this play, as well as in others,) where my predecessors had silently and without reason made alterations, I have as silently restored the old readings. Steevens. How do our old acquaintance of this isle?— I have found great love amongst them. O my sweet, In mine own comforts.-I pr'ythee, good Iago, Go to the bay, and disembark my coffers: Bring thou the master' to the citadel; He is a good one, and his worthiness Does challenge much respect.-Come, Desdemona, [Exeunt OTH. DES. and Attendants. Iago. Do thou meet me presently at the harbour. Come hither. If thou be'st valiant as (they say) base men, being in love, have then a nobility in their natures more than is native to them,-list me. The lieutenant to-night watches on the court of guard :-First, I must tell thee thisDesdemona is directly in love with him. 3 well desir'd in Cyprus,] i. e. much solicited by invita tion. So, in The Letters of the Paston Family, Vol. I, p. 299 : “-at the whych weddyng I was with myn hostes, and also desyrd by ye jentylman hymselfe." Steevens. I prattle out of fashion,] Out of method, without any settled order of discourse. Johnson 5 the master -] Dr. Johnson supposed, that by the master was meant the pilot of a ship, and indeed had high authority for this supposition; for our poet himself seems to have confounded them. See Act III, sc. ii, 1. 1. But the master is a distinct person, and has the principal command, and care of the navigation of the ship, under the captain, where there is a captain; and in chief, where there is none. The pilot is employed only in navigating the ship into or out of port. Malone. "The master (says Smith in his Sea-Grammar, 1627,) and his mates, are to direct the course, command all the sailors, for steering, trimming, and sailing the ship," &c. Steevens. 6 base men, being in love, have then a nobility in their natures] So, in Hamlet: Dryden has imparted Iago's present sentiment to Dorax: Why love does all that's noble here below." Steevens. 7 66 the court of guard:] i. e. the place where the guard musters. So, in The Family of Love, 1608: "Thus have I pass'd the round and court of guard." Again, in The Beggar's Bush, by Beaumont and Fletcher : "Visit your courts of guard, view your munition." Steevens. Rod. With him! why, 'tis not possible. Iago. Lay thy finger-thus, and let thy soul be insructed. Mark me with what violence she first loved the Moor, but for bragging, and telling her fantastical lies: And will she love him still for prating? let not thy discreet heart think it. Her ey must be fed; and what delight shall she have to look on the devil? When the blood is made dull with the act of sport, there should be,-again to inflame it, and to give satiety a fresh appetite,-loveliness in favour; sympathy in years, manners, and beauties; all which the Moor is defective in: Now, for want of these required conveniences, her delicate tenderness will find itself abused, begin to heave the gorge, disrelish and abhor the Moor; very nature will instruct her in it, and compel her to some second choice. Now, sir, this granted, (as it is a most pregnant and unforced position) who stands so eminently in the degree of this fortune, as Cassio does? a knave very voluble; no further conscionable, than in putting on the mere form of civil and humane seeming,2 for the better compassing of his salt and most hidden loose affection? why, none; why, none: A slippery and subtle knave; a finder out of occasions; that has an eye can stamp and counterfeit advantages, though true advantage never present itself: A devilish knave! besides, the knave is handsome, young; and hath all those requisites in him, that folly and green minds' look after: A pestilent complete knave; and the woman hath found him already. Rod. I cannot believe that in her; she is full of most blessed condition.4 Iago. Blessed fig's end! the wine she drinks is made 8 Lay thy finger-thus,] On thy mouth, to stop it while thou art listening to a wiser man. Johnson. And will she love him still for prating ?] The folio read-To love him still for prating! Steevens. 1 again to inflame it,] Thus the quarto, 1622. The folio reads-a game. Steevens. 2 and humane seeming,] Thus the folio. The quarto, 1622, reads—and hand-seeming. Malone. 3 green minds-] Minds unripe, minds not yet fully formed. Johnson. 4 condition.] Qualities, disposition of mind. Johnson. See Vol. IX, p. 374, n. 9. Malone. |