yourfelf freely to her importune her help, to put you in your place again. She is of fo free, fo kind, fo apt, fo bleffed a difpofition, she holds it a vice in her goodness not to do more than she is re quefted. This broken joint, between you and her husband, intreat her to fplinter : and my for tunes against any lay worth naming; this crack of your love fhall grow stronger than it was before. Caf. You advife me well.

lago. I proteft, in the fincerity of love, and honeft

kindness.

Caf. I think it freely; and betimes in the morn. ing I will befeech the virtuous Desdemona to undertake for me: I am defperate of my fortunes, if they check me here.

lago. You are in the right: goed-night, Lieute-

nant, I must to the watch.

Caf. Good-night, honeft lago.

Manet IAGO.

[Exit Caffio

Jago. And what's he then that fays I play the villain?

When this advice is free I give, and honeft,
Likely to thinking, and, indeed, the courfe
To win the Moor again. For 'tis most easy
Th' inclining Defdemona to fubdue.

In any honest fuit; fhe's framed as fruitful
As the free elements. And then for her
To win the Moor, were't to renounce his baptism,
All feals and fymbols of redeemed fin,

the mistake certainly arofe from a fingle letter being turned upfide-down at prefs. I read;

to the contemplation, mark, and denotement of her parts and graces.

The three words are, indeed, in fome degree tautological; but the practice is allowed, to add an energy to the thing it would exprefs.

His foul is fo enfettered to her love

That the may make, unmake, do what she list,
Even as her appetite fhall play the god
With his weak function. Am I then a villain,
To counfel Caffio to this parallel courfe,
Directly to his good? Divinity of hell!
When devils will their blackeft fins put on,
They do fuggeft at firft with heavenly fhews,
As I do now.
For while this honeft fool

Plies Defdemona to repair his fortune,

And the for him pleads ftrongly to the Moor,
I'll pour this peftilence into his ear,

That she repeals him for her body's luft :
And by how much she strives to do him good,
She fhall undo her credit with the Moor..
So will I turn her virtue into pitch,

And out of her own goodnefs make the net
That fhall unmeth them all. How now, Rodorigo!

Enter RODORIGO.

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 inue will be, I fhall have fo much experience for my pains; and fo with no money at all, and a little more wit, return again to Venice.

lago. How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees? Thou knoweft we work by wit, and not by witchAnd wit depends on dilatory Time. [craft; Does't not go well? Caffio hath beaten thee, And thou by that small hurt hast cashiered Caffio. Tho' other things grow fair against the fun, Yet fruits that blossom first will first be ripe: Content thyself a while. In troth, 'tis morning:

Pleasure and action make the hours seem short
Retire thee; go where thou art billeted;

Away, I fay; thou fhalt know more hereafter:
Nay, get thee
[Exit Rodorigo.
Two things are to be done; (30)

gone.

My wife must move for Caffio to her mistress:
I'll fet her on :

Myfelf, the while, to draw the Moor apart,
And bring him jump, when he may Caffio find
Soliciting his wife,---ay, that's the way:
Dull not, device, by coldness and delay.

ACT III.

SCENE, before Othello's Palace.
Enter CASS10, with Muficians.

CASSIO.

[Exit.

MASTERS, play here, I will content your pains, Something that's brief; and bid, good-mor row, General : .

[Mufic plays, and enter Clown from the Houfe. (30) Two things are to be done;

My wife must move for Callio to her mistress;

I'll fet her on to draw the Voor apart.] Mr Pope has falfi fied the text, because it wanted a little help; fo that, in the first place, we don't fee what were the two things to be done; and, then, it was Iago, not his wife, that was to draw the Moor apart. The old books read;

-Two things are to be done;

My wife must move for Caffio to her miftrefs;

I'll fet her on myself, awhile, to draw the Moor apart.. This unreasonable long alexandrine was certainly a blun der of the editors; a flight tranfpofition and change will regulate it, as the Poet intended;

My wife must move for Caffio to her mistress;

I'll fet her on...

Myfelf, the while, to draw the Moor apart,
And bring him jump, &c.

Clown. Why, mafters, have your inftruments been in Naples, that they speak i' th' nose thus ? Muf. How, Sir, how?

Clown. Are these, I pray you, wind inftruments? Muf. Ay, marry are they, Sir.

Clown. Oh, thereby hangs a tale.

Muf. Whereby hangs a tale, Sir?

Clown. Marry, Sir, by many a wind inftrument that I know. But, mafters, here's money for you: and the General fo likes your mufic, that he defires you for love's fake to make no more noife with it. Muf. Well, Sir, we will not.

Clown. If you have any mufic that may not be heard, to't again; but as they fay, to hear music, the General does not greatly care.

Muf. We have none fuch, Sir.

I'll away.

Clown. Then put up your pipes in your bag, for Go, vanish into air, away. [Exe. Mus. Caf. Doft thou hear, mine honest friend. (31) Clown. No, I hear not your honest friend; I hear you.

Caf. 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 Caffio entreats of her a little favour of fpeech. Wilt thou do this?

(31) Caf. Dost thou hear me, mine honest friend?

Clown. No, I hear not your honest friend; I hear you.] Though the Clown has his defign of playing at cross-purpofes here, he has no defign to make fuch an abfurd aufwer. But, for this, the inattention of our editors is only accountable: 'tis plain, to make the low joke intelligible, we muft expunge [me] out of Caffio's fpeech; as both Mr Warburton and Dr Thomas Bentley obferved to me; and their obfervation happens to have the fanction of the elder Quarto,

Glown. She is ftirring, Sir; if fhe will ftir hither, I fhall teem to notify unto her.

Caf. Do, my good friend..

To him, enter IAGO.

In happy time, Iago.

[Exit Clown.

Lago. You have not been a-bed, then?

Caf. Why, no; the day had broke before we I have made bold to fend in to your wife; [parted. My fuit is, that the will to Desdemona Procure me fome accefs.

lago. I'll fend her prefently;

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

[Exit. Caf I humbly thank you for't. I never knew A Florentine more kind and honeft.

Te him, enter EMILIA.

Emil. Good-morrow, good Lieutenant. I am forry

i

For your difpleasure; but all will fure be well.
The General and his wife are talking of it:
And fhe fpeaks for you ftoutly. The Moor replies,
That he you hurt is of great fame in Cyprus,
And great affinity; and that in wisdom

He might not but refufe you. But he protests he loves you;

And needs no other fuitor but his likings.
To bring you in again.

Caf. Yet I beseech you,

If you think fit, or that it

may be done,

Give me advantage of fome brief difcourfe-
With Defdemona alone.

Emil. Pray you, come in:

I will beftow you where you fhall have time
To speak your bofom freely..

Caf. I am much bound to you.

[Exeunt