Sc. II. Enter Oth. above at a window, who hearing the voice of Caf. concludes that Iago has kept his word, and that Caf. is murthered. Exit.

Sc. III. Enter Lod. and Gra. at a diftance, hearing Caf. cry Murther. Enter Iago in his fhirt, with a light and fword. Caf. tells him he is befet by villains. Iago, as looking about for them, finds Rod. and ftabs him.

Sc. IV. Enter Bianca, whom Iago charges with being an accomplice in Caf.'s attack.

Sc. V. Enter Emil. Bianca confeffes that Caf. fupt with her, and Iago feizes her as guilty. Exeunt, Iago

following.

Sc. VI. A bed-chamber. Def. is difcovered afleep in her bed. Enter Oth with a light. His foliloquy. Kiffes her. She wakes. He bids her prepare for death, and accuses her of disloyalty with Caf. She defends her virtue, and endeavours to diffuade him from his horrid defign, but in vain. He fmothers

her.

Sc. VII. Emil. at the door, calling to Oth.

Enter Emil. She comes to tell him Rod. is flain. She finds that Def. is murdered. Oth. owns 'tis by him, and as a punishment for her difloyalty with Caf. of which he fays Iago had informed him. Upon Emilia's crying murther,

Sc. VIII. Enter Mon. Gra. Iago, and others. Emil. tells Iago that Oth. charges him with saying that Def. was false to him; which he owns. Emil. contradicting him, and beginning to vindicate the character of Def. lago bids her get home; which the refufing, he offers to ftab her. She relates that the handkerchief

B

handkerchief was accidentally found by her, and given to lago, who had often earnestly begged her to fteal it. Upon this Oth. runs at lago, who breaks through, and wounds his wife; then runs out. Exeunt Mon. and Gra. after Iago.

Sc. IX. Emil. protefts that Def. was chafte, and loved Oth. Re-enter Gra. Oth. bewails the lofs of

She dies.

Def.

Sc. X. Enter Lod. Caf. led in wounded, Mon. and Iago prifoners, with officers. Oth. wounds Iago.

Lod. fays Iago had in part confeffed his villainy. Oth. afks Caf's pardon for having confpired against him, and begs him to ask lago, why he had thus impofed upon and infnared him (Oth.). Iago declares he will relate nothing. Lod. produces two letters, found in the pocket of the murdered Rod. one of them importing the death of Caf. to be undertaken by Rod. and the other a difcontented paper that Rod. intended to have fent Iago. Caf. being questioned by Oth. about the handkerchief, tells him he found it in his chamber, and that lago had confeffed he dropt it there for a special purpose, which wrought to his defire. Oth. after representing his unhappy cafe, ftabs himself, and kiffing Defe dies. Lod. recommends to Caf (who is made governor of Cyprus) the punishing lago according to his deserts. Exeunt.

OTHELLO,

USH, never tell me; I take it much unkindly,

d That thou, Iago, who haft had my purse, As if the ftrings were thine, fhouldft know of this.

Iago.

"Sblood, but you will not hear me.

If ever I did dream of fuch a matter, abhor me.

Rod. Thou told'ft me thou didst hold him in thy hate.

lago. Despise me, if I do not. Three great ones of the city,

In perfonal fuit to make me his lieutenant,

Off-cap'd to him; and, by the faith of man,

k

I know my price, I am worth no worfe a place,
But he (as loving his own pride and purposes)
Evades them with a bombaft circumstance,
Horribly stuff'd with epithets of war,

Non-fuits my mediators: " for, certes, says he,

I have already chofen my officer. And what was he?

Forfooth, a great arithmetician,

One Michael Caffio, a Florentine,

(A fellow's almost damn'd in a fair' wife!)

i The qu's, R. P. and H. read Oft capt. But we are not to fuppofe that the Great ones often begg'd Othello (cap in

hand) to promote lago; it was enough that they did so once. 'Tis very likely the original reading was Off'd cap.

* H. omits own.

1 T. reads purpose (as in no edition before) followed by W. and J.

[ Afide

The emendation of T. (followed by all the fucceeding editors, except H.y ftands thus,

One Michael Caffio ;-(" the Floren

"tine's

"A fellow almost damn'd in a fair

" wife;")—

Wherein it is fuppofed that Iago is the
Florentine here mentioned; and that he

m The 2d q. the fo's, and R. omit, here breaks off in his fpeech, and is And in conclufion. perfonating Orbello, and repeating the n So all before P, who omits for; words Othello had faid concerning him followed by the reft, except C. (Lago.) But it is furprizing it hath not • So the ift q. and S; all the reit, appeared to thefe editors that Iago is a

unless the "bookish theorick, confuls can propofe

As masterly as he: meer prattle, without practice,

And in the following paffage, Iago de

Fares Roderigo to be his country-man, and a Venetian.

honeft than this lago.

But then tho' Caffio be the Florentine, as it does not appear that he was mar

Alas, my friend and my dear country- ried, he cannot be the fellow almost damn'd

man,

Roderigo? &c.

Gra. What, of Venice?

Iago. Even he, &c.

How these two plain paffages came to efcape these editors, is astonishing: 7. indeed, when he comes to the firft of them, remarks that, Here Jago feems to be Venetian. (Seems? I know not Seems) who can doubt it ?

Lago, therefore, being a Venetian, this emendation of T, falls to the ground: and Caffio may be the Florentine here mentioned; and that he is may be proved by a paffage which has been made ufe of to prove him not a Florentine, Speaking of lago, Caffio fays, Caf.

I never knew

A Florentine more kind and honeft.

Act III. Sc. 1. By which these editors would understand Caffio to mean, that Iage was a very kind `and honeft Florentine. But as it is proyed that Iago was no Florentine, but a Ve"netian the meaning of these words of Caffio muft be, "I never knew one of my own country-men more kind and

B 3

in a fair wife; therefore H. alters wife to Phyx; a fair face (and fuch an one Caffio is fuppofed to have) being no compliment to a foldier, but rather a difgrace. H.'s meaning then is something like this, "Caffio's a damn'd handsome fellow."

In the above reading, I have only supplied, 's, after fellozu, and restored the parenthefis which is in the fo's, though not in the qu's; and suppose Shakespeare meant this line to be spoke apart, expreffing a fudden motion of jealousy in Iago on naming Othello and Caffio; of both of which that he was jealous appears from A&t II, Sc. 8. And Iago's meaning is, "To be married to a handfome woman (as I am) is almost as bad as being damn'd; as the number of her admirers will doom the husband to a state of perpetual jealousy.”

So all before P. who reads but for unless; followed by the reft, except C, u Blockish, ad q.

w So the ift q. T. W. J and C; the reft, tongued for toged, * T. reads couns lors,