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Cas. You advise me well.

Iago. I protest, in the sincerity of love, and honest kindness.

Cas. I think it freely; and, betimes in the morning, will I beseech the virtuous Desdemona to undertake for me: I am desperate of my fortunes, if they check me here.

Iago. You are in the right. Good night lieutenant; I must to the watch.

Cas. Good night, honest Iago.

[Exit CAS. Iago. And what 's he then, that says,-I play the

villain?

When this advice is free,3 I give, and honest,
Probal to thinking, and (indeed) the course
To win the Moor again? For 'tis most easy
The inclining Desdemona to subdue

In any honest suit; she 's fram'd as fruitful
As the free elements. And then for her

To win the Moor,-were 't to renounce his baptism,
All seals and symbols of redeemed sin,—
His soul is so enfetter'd to her love,

That she may make, unmake, do what she list,

Even as her appetite shall play the god

With his weak function. How am I then a villain,
To counsel Cassio to this parallel course,3

3 this advice is free,] This counsel has an appearance of honest openness, of frank good-will. Johnson.

Rather, gratis, not paid for, as his advice to Roderigo was.. Henley.

4 Probal] Thus the old editions. There may be such a contraction of the word probable, but I have not met with it in any other book. Yet abbreviations as violent occur in our ancient writers, and especially in the works of Churchyard.

Steevens. 5 The inclining Desdemona -] Inclining here signifies compliant. Malone.

6

- fruitful —] Corresponding to benignus, aQdovos. Henley. 7 --- as fruitful

As the free elements.] Liberal, bountiful, as the elements, out of which all things are produced. Johnson.

8 to this parallel course,] Parallel, for even; because parallel lines run even and equidistant. Warburton.

So, in our author's 70th Sonnet:

"Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth,

"And delves the parallels in beauty's brow." Malone.

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Directly to his good? Divinity of hell!
When devils will their blackest sins put on,
They do suggest? at first with heavenly shows,
As I do now: For, while this honest fool
Plies Desdemona to repair his fortunes,
And she for him pleads strongly to the Moor,
I'll pour this pestilence1 into his ear,-
That she repeals him2 for her body's lust;
And, by how much she strives to do him good,
She shall undo her credit with the Moor.
So will I turn her virtue into pitch;

And out of her own goodness make the net,
That shall enmesh them all.3-How now, Roderigo?
Enter RODERIGO.

Rod. I do follow here in the chace, not like a hound that hunts, but one that fills up the cry. My money is almost spent; I have been to-night exceedingly well cudgelled; and, I think, the issue will be-I shall have so much experience for my pains: and so, with no money at all, and a little more wit, return to Venice.

Iago. How poor are they, that have not patience!—
What wound did ever heal, but by degrees?

Thou know'st, we work by wit, and not by witchcraft;
And wit depends on dilatory time.

Does 't not go well? Cassio hath beaten thee,
And thou, by that small hurt, hast cashier'd Cassio:
Though other things grow fair against the sun,

Parallel course; i. e. course level, and even with his design.

Johnson.

9 When devils will their blackest sins put on, They do suggest-] When devils mean to instigate men to commit the most atrocious crimes. So, in Hamlet:

"Of deaths put on by cunning and forc'd cause." To put on, has already occured twice in the present play, in this sense. To suggest in old language is to tempt. See Vol. II, p. 182, n. 3. Malone.

1 I'll pour this pestilence-] Pestilence, for poison. Warburton. 2 That she repeals him-] That is, recalls him. Johnson.

3 That shall enmesh them all.] A metaphor for taking birds in meshes. Pope.

Why not from the taking fish, for which purpose nets are more frequently used? M. Mason.

4 a little more wit,] Thus the folio. The first quarto readsand with that wit. Steevens.

Yet fruits, that blossom first, will first be ripe :5 Content thyself a while.-By the mass, 'tis morning ;6 Pleasure, and action, make the hours seem short.Retire thee; go where thou art billeted:

Αν

way, I say; thou shalt know more hereafter:

Nay, get thee gone. [Exit ROD.] Two things are to be done,

My wife must move for Cassio to her mistress;
I'll set her on;

Myself, the while, to draw the Moor apart,
And bring him jump when he may Cassio find

5 Though other things grow fair against the sun,

Yet fruits, that blossom first, will first be ripe:] Of many dif ferent things, all planned with the same art, and promoted with the same diligence, some must succeed sooner than others, by the order of nature. Every thing cannot be done at once; we must proceed by the necessary gradation. We are not to despair of slow events any more than of tardy fruits, while the causes are in regular progress, and the fruits grow fair against the sun. Sir Thomas Hanmer has not, I think, rightly conceived the sentiment; for he reads:

Those fruits which blossom first, are not first ripe.

I have therefore drawn it out at length, for there are few to whom that will be easy which was difficult to Sir T. Hanmer. Johnson.

The blossoming, or fair appearance of things, to which Iago alludes, is, the removal of Cassio. As their plan had already blossomed, so there was good ground for expecting that it would soon be ripe. Iago does not, I think, mean to compare their scheme to tardy fruits, as Dr. Johnson seems to have supposed. Malone.

6 By the mass, 'tis morning;] Here we have one of the numerous arbitrary alterations made by the Master of the Revels in the playhouse copies, from which a great part of the folio was printed. It reads-In troth, 'tis morning. Malone.

7 to draw --] Thus the old copies; and this reading is consistent with the tenor of the present interrupted speech. Iago is still debating with himself concerning the means to per plex Othello. Steevens.

Myself, the while, to draw -] The old copies have awhile. Mr. Theobald made the correction.

The modern editors read-Myself, the while, will draw. But the old copies are undoubtedly right. An imperfect sentence was intended. Iago is ruminating on his plan. Malone.

8 bring him jump when -] Unexpectedly::-an expression taken from the bound, or start, with which we are shocked, VOL. XVI.

Dd

Soliciting his wife:-Ay, that 's the way;
Dull not device by coldness and delay.

[Exit.

ACT III.....SCENE I.

Before the Castle.

Enter CASSIO, and some Musicians.

Cas. Masters, play here, I will content your pains, Something that's brief; and bid-good-morrow, gene[Musick.

ral.9

Enter Clown.

Clo. Why, masters, have your instruments been at Naples, that they speak i' the nose thus?1

1 Mus. How, sir, how!

Clo. Are these, I pray you, called wind instruments? 1 Mus. Ay, marry, are they, sir.

Clo. O, thereby hangs a tail.

1 Mus. Whereby hangs a tale, sir?

Clo. Marry, sir, by many a wind instrument that I know. But, masters, here 's money for you: and the general so likes your musick, that he desires you, of all loves, to make no more noise with it.

at the sudden and unlooked-for appearance of any offensive object. Henley.

Jump when, I believe, signifies no more than just at the time when. So, in Hamlet:

"Thus twice before, and jump at this dead hour." See Hamlet, Act I, sc. i, Vol. XV. Steevens.

9

and bid-good-morrow, general.] It is the usual practice of the waits, or nocturnal minstrels, in several towns in the North of England, after playing a tune or two, to cry," "Goodmorrow, maister such a one, good-morrow, dame," adding the hour, and state of the weather. It should seem to have prevailed at Stratford-upon-Avon. They formerly used hautboys, which are the wind-instruments here meant. Ritson.

1

Why, masters, have your instruments been at Naples, that they speak i' the nose thus 2] So, in The Merchant of Venice: "And others, when the bagpipe sings i the nose, Rabelais somewhere speaks of "a blow over the nose with a Naples cowl-staff." Steevens.

The venereal disease first appeared at the siege of Naples.

Johnson.
The

2 of all loves,] The folio reads-for love's sake.

1 Mus. Well, sir, we will not.

Clo. If you have any musick that may not be heard, to 't again: but, as they say, to hear musick, the general does not greatly care.

1 Mus. We have none such, sir.

Clo. Then put up your pipes in your bag, for I 'll away: Go; vanish into air;4 away. [Exeunt Musicians. Cas. Dost thou hear, my honest friend?

Clo. No, I hear not your honest friend; I hear you. Cas. Pr'ythee, keep up thy quillets. There's a poor piece of gold for thee: if the gentlewoman that attends the general's wife, be stirring, tell her, there's one Cassio entreats her a little favour of speech: Wilt thou do this?

Clo. She is stirring, sir; if she will stir hither, I shall seem to notify unto her. [Exit.

Enter IAGO.

Cas. Do, good my friend.—In happy time, Iago.
Iago. You have not been a-bed then?
Cas. Why, no; the day had broke

Before we parted. I have made bold, Iago,
To send in to your wife: My suit to her
Is, that she will to virtuous Desdemona
Procure me some access.

Iago.

I'll send her to you presently;

And I'll devise a mean to draw the Moor
Out of the way, that your converse and business
May be more free.

Cas. I humbly thank you for 't. I never knew
A Florentine more kind and honest."

[Exit.

phrase in the text occurs also in The Merry Wives of Windsor. See Vol. III, p. 71, n. 6.

3

4

Steevens.

for I'll away:] Sir T. Hanmer reads-and hie away.

Johnson.

vanish into air;] So, the folio and one of the quartos.

The eldest quarto reads-Vanish away. Steevens.

5

6

thy quillets.] See Hamlet, Act V, sc. i, Vol. XV. Malone. I never knew

A Florentine more kind and honest.] In consequence of this line, a doubt has been entertained concerning the country of Iago. Cassio was undoubtedly a Florentine, as appears, by the first scene of the play, where he is expressly called one. That Iago was a Venetian, is proved by a speech in the third scene of

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