By seeing the worst, which late on hopes depended.
To mourn a mischief that is past and gone

Is the next way to draw more mischief on2.
What cannot be preserv'd when fortune takes,
Patience her injury a mockery makes.

The robb'd, that smiles, steals something from the thief:

He robs himself, that spends a bootless grief.
Bra. So let the Turk of Cyprus us beguile:
We lose it not, so long as we can smile.
He bears the sentence well, that nothing bears
But the free comfort which from thence he hears;
But he bears both the sentence and the sorrow,
That, to pay grief, must of poor patience borrow.
These sentences, to sugar, or to gall,

Being strong on both sides, are equivocal:
But words are words; I never yet did hear,
That the bruis'd heart was pierced through the ear3.
Beseech you, now to the affairs of state1.

Duke. The Turk with a most mighty preparation makes for Cyprus.-Othello, the fortitude of the place is best known to you; and though we have there a substitute of most allowed sufficiency, yet opinion, a sovereign mistress of effects, throws a more safer voice on you: you must, therefore, be content to slubber the gloss of your new fortunes with this more stubborn and boisterous expedition".

3

"More mischief," in both the quartos: in

was PIERCED through the ear:] This is the reading of all the old copies, and Warburton suggested that "we" ought to read pieced for "pierced ;” but "pierced,” as Malone remarked, means penetrated or reached; and in Marlowe's "Tamburlaine," 1590, we have the expression, "my heart to be with gladness pierc'd."

4 Beseech you, now to the affairs of state.] So the two quartos of 1622 and 1630: the folio, prosaically, "I humbly beseech you, proceed to the affairs of the

state.

5

yet opinion, a sovereign mistress of effects,] So the quartos; the printer of the folio, 1623, caught more from the line below, and inserted it also before "sovereign.”

and boisterous expedition.] As this speech is the only one in this part

Oth. The tyrant custom, most grave senators,
Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war'
My thrice-driven bed of down: I do agnizes
A natural and prompt alacrity,

I find in hardness; and do undertake9
These present wars against the Ottomites.
Most humbly, therefore, bending to your state,
I crave fit disposition for my wife;

Due reference of place, and exhibition,
With such accommodation, and besort,
As levels with her breeding.

Duke.

Be't at her father's'.

Bra.

Oth. Nor I.
Des.

If you please,

I'll not have it so.

Nor I; I would not there reside2,

To put my father in impatient thoughts,
By being in his eye. Most gracious duke,
To my unfolding lend your prosperous ear3:
And let me find a charter in your voice,
T'assist my simpleness.

Duke. What would you, Desdemona1?

of the scene printed as prose, it may be doubted, especially from the rhythm of some of the passages, whether it was not originally verse. It would not be difficult, as the Rev. Mr. Barry observes, to render it metrical.

7 — steel couch of war] The folio, 1623, has "coach of war," and so it remained in the later folios, but Southern corrected his copy of 1685 to couch. In the quartos it is printed cooch.

8- I do agnize] i. e. acknowledge or recognize.

and Do undertake] The quarto, 1622, only, "and would undertake."

Be't at her father's.] The folio omits "If you please," found in both quartos, and has only "Why, at her father's."

2 Nor I; I would not there reside,] So the quartos, though some modern editors print "I would not there reside," as if such were the reading of the folio, which in fact has, "Nor would I there reside."

3 To my unfolding lend YOUR PROSPEROUS ear:] This is the line in the folio: the compositor of the quarto printed it "a gracious ear," repeating carelessly the word he saw in the line preceding. In the next line but one we read "T'assist my simpleness," on the authority of the folio, and the quarto, 1630: the quarto, 1622, has it "And if my sinpleness

What would you, Desdemona ?] The quarto, 1622, alone reads, "What would you speak," which certainly accords better with the metre.

5

Des. That I did love the Moor to live with him,
My downright violence and storm of fortunes
May trumpet to the world: my heart's subdued
Even to the very quality of my lord:

I saw Othello's visage in his mind;
And to his honours, and his valiant parts,
Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate.
So that, dear lords, if I be left behind,
A moth of peace, and he go to the war,
The rites for which I love him' are bereft me,
And I a heavy interim shall support

By his dear absence. Let me go with him.

Oth. Your voices, lords: 'beseech you, let her will Have a free ways.

Vouch with me, heaven, I therefore beg it not,

To please the palate of my appetite;

Nor to comply with heat, the young affects,

In my defunct and proper satisfaction";

But to be free and bounteous to her mind':

And heaven defend your good souls, that you think
I will your serious and great business scant,

5 — and STORM of fortunes] The quarto, 1622, alone reads, “scorn of fortunes," which may be preferable.

6 Even to the very quality] Thus the folio, and the quarto, 1630: the quarto, 1622, "Even to the utmost pleasure.”

7 for WHICH I love him,] The folio alone, "for why I love him."

8 Your voices, lords: 'beseech you, let her will

Have a free way.] For this passage, in both the quartos, the folio has, poorly, "Let her have your voice;" the next words, " Vouch with me, heaven," are in the folio and in the quarto, 1630, and not in that of 1622.

• In my defunct and proper satisfaction;] This passage (so printed in every old copy) has occasioned much dispute and long notes: it seems to us that nothing can be clearer, allowing only a little latitude of expression. Othello refers to his age, elsewhere several times alluded to, and "in my defunct and proper satisfaction" is merely," in my own dead satisfaction" or gratification, the youthful passions, or "young affects," being comparatively “defunct” in him. For the sense, though not for the harmony of the verse, it ought to have run, "for my proper and defunct satisfaction," and had it so run, we doubt if so much ink would have been spilt and wasted upon it. It requires no proof that "proper was often used for own in this very scene (p. 512) the Duke says, "yea, though our proper son," &c. Mr. Amyot fully concurs with me.

:

1 and bounteous To her mind:] The quarto, 1622, alone reads, "of her

mind."

For she is with me. No, when light-wing'd toys
Of feather'd Cupid foil with wanton dulness
My speculative and active instruments",

That my disports corrupt and taint my business,
Let housewives make a skillet of my helm,
And all indign and base adversities

Make head against my reputation1!

Duke. Be it as you shall privately determine, Either for her stay, or going. Th' affair cries haste,

And speed must answer it: you must hence to-night. Des. To-night, my lord"?

Duke.

Oth.

This night.

With all my heart.

6

Duke. At nine i' the morning here we'll meet again. Othello, leave some officer behind,

And he shall our commission bring to you;
With such things else of quality and respect,
As doth import you.

Oth.

Please your grace, my ancient';

? FOR she is with me.] i. e. Because she is with me. The folio substitutes When for "For" of both the quartos.

3- and active instruments,] Our text is from the quarto, 1622, confirmed by that of the quarto, 1630, the editor of the latter refusing to adopt (if, indeed, he saw it) the reading of the folio, 1623, where seel is printed for "foil," offic'd for "active," and instrument for "instruments."

• Make head against my REPUTATION!] So the quarto, 1622, and the quarto, 1630: the folio, estimation.

Des. To night, my lord?] We here follow the two quartos: the folio omits these words, (which must originally have been written by Shakespeare, even supposing he afterwards expunged them) and gives "you must hence to-night," (printing away for "hence") to a Senator. It is surely very natural that Desdemona should express surprise at the suddenness of the command, and our persuasion is, that the words were left out in the folio by accident. If, however, we exclude such passages from the text, on the mere conjecture that Shakespeare directed their omission, what excuse can we have for inserting various long speeches, found in many of the quarto editions of his plays, not one line of which is transferred to the folio, and which it is much more probable the author rejected? We are anxious to preserve all that Shakespeare wrote.

At nine i' the morning] The quarto, 1622, “At ten i' the morning :" the quarto, 1630, and the folio as our text. The same reason has induced us to adopt " As doth import you" below, instead of "As doth concern you."

7 Please your grace, my ancient ;] The quarto, 1630, agrees with the folio in reading "import you," but it omits "So," found in the folio before "Please your grace," as injurious to the metre.

A man he is of honesty, and trust:
To his conveyance I assign my wife,

With what else needful your good grace shall think

To be sent after me.

Duke.

Let it be so.

Good night to every one.-And, noble signior,

If virtue no delighted beauty lack,

[TO BRABANTIO.

Your son-in-law is far more fair than black.

1 Sen. Adieu, brave Moor! use Desdemona well. Bra. Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see3: She has deceiv'd her father, and may thee.

[Exeunt DUKE, Senators, Officers, &c.

Oth. My life upon her faith.-Honest Iago,
My Desdemona must I leave to thee:

I pr'ythee, let thy wife attend on her,
And bring her after' in the best advantage.—
Come, Desdemona; I have but an hour
Of love, of worldly matters and direction,
To spend with thee: we must obey the time.

Rod. Iago.

[Exeunt OTHELLO and DESDEMONA.

Iago. What say'st thou, noble heart?
Rod. What will I do, thinkest thou?
Iago. Why, go to bed, and sleep.

Rod. I will incontinently drown myself.

Iago. Well, if thou dost, I shall never love thee after it. Why, thou silly gentleman!

Rod. It is silliness to live, when to live is a torment; and then have we a prescription to die, when death is our physician.

Iago. O villainous!! I have looked upon the world

8 if thou hast eyes to see ;] The quarto, 1622, alone reads, "have a quick eye to see.”

9 And BRING HER after] So both the quartos: the folio, "and bring them after?" Two lines lower, the quartos have "matters" for matter of the folio, with some other changes of little moment.

1 O villainous !] This exclamation is not in the quarto, 1622.