these wars; defeat thy favour with an usurped beard; I say, put money in thy purse. It cannot be, that Desdemona should long continue her love to the Moor, -put money in thy purse;-nor he his to her': it was a violent commencement, and thou shalt see an answerable sequestration;-put but money in thy purse.— These Moors are changeable in their wills;-fill thy purse with money: the food that to him now is as 'luscious as locusts, shall be to him shortly as bitter as coloquintida. She must change for youth: when she is sated with his body, she will find the error of her choice. She must have change, she must: therefore, put money in thy purse.-If thou wilt needs damn thyself, do it a more delicate way than drowning. Make all the money thou canst. If sanctimony and a frail vow, betwixt an erring barbarian' and a supersubtle Venetian, be not too hard for my wits, and all the tribe of hell, thou shalt enjoy her; therefore make money. A pox of drowning thyself! it is clean out of the way seek thou rather to be hanged in compassing thy joy, than to be drowned and go without her.

Rod. Wilt thou be fast to my hopes, if I depend on the issue??

6

defeat thy favour-] "Defeat thy favour" means, alter thy appearance, or more strictly, undo thy countenance: we have repeatedly had “favour” used in this sense. See Vol. iii. p. 361, and Vol. iv. pp. 188. 294. "Defeat" occurs in "All's Well that Ends Well," Vol. iii. p. 243, in the sense of to free or disembarrass: etymologically it means to undo, and in this latter sense we meet with it again in Act iv. sc. 2, of this play. Minsheu, in his Dictionary, 1617, translates disfacere, " to undo, to mar, to unmake, to defeat."

7 - nor he HIS to her :] The quarto, 1622, alone reads, "nor he to her." 8 as BITTER as coloquintida.] Steevens tells us that the quarto, 1622, reads, "as acerb as coloquintida :" it reads, in fact, "as acerb as the coloquintida ;" but the folio, and the quarto, 1630, agree in our text. The words which follow, "She must change for youth," are in the folio, 1623, and in the quarto, 1630, but not in the quarto, 1622. There are also some minor variations.

9 She must have change, she must :] This reiteration of what Iago has before said, is in both the quartos, though not in the folio.

1

66

- an ERRING barbarian] Erring" is of course to be taken as wandering. 2- if I depend on the issue?] These words are in the folio and quarto, 1630, but not in that of 1622.

I

Iago. Thou art sure of me.-Go, make money. have told thee often, and I re-tell thee3 again and again, I hate the Moor: my cause is hearted; thine hath no less reason. Let us be conjunctive in our revenge against him if thou canst cuckold him, thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport. There are many events in the womb of time, which will be delivered. Traverse1; go; provide thy money. We will have more

of this to-morrow. Adieu.

Rod. Where shall we meet i̇' the morning?

Iago. At my lodging.

Rod. I'll be with thee betimes.

Iago. Go to; farewell. Do you hear, Roderigo?
Rod. What say you?

Iago. No more of drowning, do you hear.

Rod. I am changed. I'll sell all my land.

Iago. Go to; farewell: put money enough in your purse. [Exit RODERIGO. Thus do I ever make my fool my purse; For I mine own gain'd knowledge should profane, If I would time expend with such a snipe, But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor; And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets He has done my office: I know not if 't be true; Yet I', for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do as if for surety. He holds me well; The better shall my purpose work on him. Cassio's a proper man: let me see now;

3

and I RE-TELL thee-] The quartos have it, merely "and I tell thee," with some loss of force.

Traverse ;] This, says Steevens truly, was an ancient military word of command.

5 Do you hear, Roderigo?] Here, with the words, "I'll sell all my land," according to the folio, Roderigo makes his exit, and Iago begins his soliloquy, "Thus do I ever," &c. The quarto, 1622, prolongs the dialogue a little, as in our text; but that of 1630 omits Iago's observation, "Go to; farewell: put money enough in your purse."

He has done my office :] The folio, 1623, misreads absurdly, "She has done my office."

7 YET I,] Both the quartos have "Yet I," the folio, " But I."

To get his place, and to plume up my will;
In double knavery,-How, how?-Let's see :-
After some time, to abuse Othello's ear,
That he is too familiar with his wife:
He hath a person, and a smooth dispose,
To be suspected; fram'd to make women false.
The Moor is of a free and open nature',
That thinks men honest, that but seem to be so,
And will as tenderly be led by the nose,

As asses are.

I have't;—it is engender'd :-hell and night

Must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light.

[Exit.

ACT II. SCENE I.

A Sea-port Town in Cyprus. A Platform.

Enter MONTANO' and Two Gentlemen.

Mon. What from the cape can you discern at sea? 1 Gent. Nothing at all: it is a high-wrought flood; I cannot, 'twixt the heaven and the main, Descry a sail.

8 — and to PLUME up my will ;] The quarto, 1622, only, “And to make up my will."

The Moor is of a free and open nature,] This is the line in the folio, and in the quarto, 1630: in the earlier quarto it is,

"The Moor a free and open nature too."

1 Enter Montano-] Steevens makes a doubt what rank Montano held in Cyprus. Here in the stage-direction of both the quartos, he is called “ Governor of Cyprus," as well as in the list at the end of the tragedy in the folio.

2 I cannot, 'twixt the HEAVEN and the main,] This reading is supported, not only by the folio, but (as none of the commentators remarked) by the quarto, 1630, in the preparation and printing of which considerable pains seem to have been taken. Malone, merely on the authority of the quarto, 1622, would read haven for "heaven." "The main" was the sea, and the haren must have joined or been connected with "the main," so that "twixt the haven and the main' would have little or no meaning.

Mon. Methinks, the wind hath spoke aloud at land; A fuller blast ne'er shook our battlements:

If it hath ruffian'd so upon the sea,

What ribs of oak, when mountains melt on them3,
Can hold the mortise? what shall we hear of this?
2 Gent. A segregation of the Turkish fleet:

For do but stand upon the foaming shore1,
The chidden billow seems to pelt the clouds,
The wind-shak'd surge, with high and monstrous mane,
Seems to cast water on the burning bear,

And quench the guards of th' ever-fixed pole:
I never did like molestation view

On the enchafed flood.

Mon.

If that the Turkish fleet

Be not inshelter'd and embay'd, they are drown'd ;
It is impossible to bear it out".

Enter a third Gentleman.

3 Gent. News, lads! our wars are done. The desperate tempest hath so bang'd the Turks, That their designment halts: a noble ship of Venice' Hath seen a grievous wreck and sufferance

On most part of their fleet.

Mon. How! is this true? 3 Gent.

A Veronesé, Michael Cassio3,

3

The ship is here put in:

when mountains melt on them,] This is the reading of the folio, and of the quarto, 1630: the quarto, 1622, has "when the huge mountain melt."

4

- the FOAMING shore,] So the folio, and the quarto, 1630: the quarto, 1622, has banning for " foaming ;" probably a mere misprint. In the next line the folio has "chidden billow," for "chiding billow" of the quartos. Southern corrected main to "mane" in the next line.

> It is impossible to bear it out.] Perhaps the reading of the quarto, 1622, may be preferable, "they bear it out," for they should bear it out; but that of the folio is seconded by the quarto, 1630.

6 News, LADS!] So the folio, and the quarto, 1630: the earlier quarto, "News, lords."

7 - A NOBLE ship of Venice] The quarto, 1622, alone reads, " Another ship." 8 A Veronese, Michael Cassio.] In the two quartos, it is printed, "A Veronessa," and in the folio, "A Verennessa." Our punctuation is that of all the old copies, which make the third Gentleman call Cassio a Veronese, when in fact he

Lieutenant to the warlike Moor, Othello,
Is come on shore: the Moor himself's at sea,
And is in full commission here for Cyprus.

Mon. I am glad on't; 'tis a worthy governor.

3 Gent. But this same Cassio, though he speak of comfort,

Touching the Turkish loss, yet he looks sadly,

And prays the Moor be safe; for they were parted
With foul and violent tempest.

Mon.
Pray heaven he be;
For I have serv'd him, and the man commands
Like a full soldier. Let's to the sea-side, ho!
As well to see the vessel that's come in,

As to throw out our eyes for brave Othello,
Even till we make the main, and th' aerial blue,
An indistinct regard9.

3 Gent.

Come, let's do so;

minute is expectancy

Of more arrivance'.

Enter CASSIO.

Cas. Thanks you, the valiant of the warlike isle', That so approve the Moor.-O! let the heavens Give him defence against the elements,

was a Florentine. Malone would have "A Veronesé" apply to the ship, as if it belonged to, and had been fitted out by, Verona, an inland town, the property of the state of Venice. The third Gentleman has already said that the ship was "of Venice," and it is not likely that he would assert just afterwards that she was "A Veronesé: " it seems much more probable that he would by mistake call Cassio" a Veronese."

9 An indistinct regard.] This hemistich and the preceding line are in the folio, and in the quarto, 1630, but not in that of 1622.

1 of more ARRIVANCE.] So the two quartos: the folio arrivancie, probably a mere misprint.

2 Thanks you, the valiant of the warlike isle,] Here we adopt the text of the folio, because both the quartos appear to be wrong: that of 1622 has it, "Thanks to the valiant of this worthy isle ;" and that of 1630, omits worthy. Very possibly, the true reading may be what Malone has given, "Thanks to the valiant of this warlike isle ;" but no ancient authority so gives it, and the reading of the folio is at least unobjectionable. In the next line, both the quartos read tamely," and let the heavens."