This deed of thine is no more worthy heaven,
Than thou wast worthy her.

6

Oth.
Peace! you were best.
Emil. Thou hast not half the power to do me harm,
As I have to be hurt. Oh gull! oh dolt!

As ignorant as dirt! thou hast done a deed,-
I care not for thy sword; I'll make thee known,
Though I lost twenty lives.-Help! help, ho! help!
The Moor has kill'd my mistress! Murder! murder!

Enter MONTANO, GRATIANO, and Iago.

Mon. What is the matter?-How now, general!
Emil. Oh! are you come, Iago? you have done well,
That men must lay their murders on your neck.
Gra. What is the matter?

Emil. Disprove this villain, if thou be'st a man :
He
says, thou told'st him that his wife was false.
I know, thou didst not, thou'rt not such a villain.
Speak, for my heart is full.

Iago. I told him what I thought; and told no more

Than what he found himself was apt and true.

Emil. But did you ever tell him, she was false?
Iago. I did.

Emil. You told a lie; an odious, damned lie;

Upon my soul, a lie; a wicked lie.—

She false with Cassio!—Did you say with Cassio?

Iago. With Cassio, mistress. Go to, charm your tongue'. Emil. I will not charm my tongue; I am bound to speak. My mistress here lies murder'd in her bed®.

All. Oh, heavens forefend!

Emil. And your reports have set the murder on'.
Oth. Nay, stare not, masters: it is true, indeed.

half THE power] The folio alone reads, "half that power."

7 Go to, charm your tongue.] i. e. As we say, familiarly, hold your tongue, or poetically, enchant your tongue to silence. See "The Winter's Tale," A. iv. sc. 3, Vol. iii. p. 78, where a number of instances of the use of the expression "charm your tongue," from Shakespeare and other authors, are collected. We may here add to them Chapman, in B. v. of his translation of the Iliad.

8 My mistress here lies murder'd in her bed.] A line not in the 4to, 1622, but in both the other old authorities.

And your reports have set the MURDER on.] i. e. Have occasioned the murder. The corr. fo. 1632 has murderer for “murder," and the change is not merely needless, but injurious.

Gra. 'Tis a strange truth.

Mon. Oh monstrous act!
Emil.

Villainy villainy! villainy!

I think upon't, I think,-I smell't:- Oh villainy!

I thought so then :-I'll kill myself for grief.—

Oh villainy, villainy!

Iago. What are you mad? I charge you, get you home. Emil. Good gentlemen, let me have leave to speak:

'Tis proper I obey him, but not now.—

Perchance, Iago, I will ne'er go home.

Oth. Oh! oh! oh!

Emil.
For thou hast kill'd the sweetest innocent,

That e'er did lift up eye.

[Falling on the bed'.

Nay, lay thee down and roar,

[Rising.

Oh! she was foul.—

Oth.
I scarce did know you, uncle: there lies your niece,
Whose breath, indeed, these hands have newly stopp'd.
I know, this act shows terrible and grim2.

Gra. Poor Desdemona! I am glad thy father's dead.
Thy match was mortal to him, and pure grief
Shore his old thread in twain: did he live now,
This sight would make him do a desperate turn,
Yea, curse his better angel from his side,
And fall to reprobation".

Oth. 'Tis pitiful; but yet Iago knows,
That she with Cassio hath the act of shame

A thousand times committed: Cassio confess'd it;
And she did gratify his amorous works

With that recognizance and pledge of love
Which I first gave her. I saw it in his hand :

1 Falling on the bed.] This is the stage-direction in the 4to, 1622: there is none in the folio, 1623; but in the corr. fo. 1632 it is " Falling on the ground," and opposite Othello's next speech "Starting up" is written in the margin. "Falling on the ground" may indicate the manner of some particular old actor. shows terrible and grim.] The folio alone has horrible for "terrible."

2

3 And fall to REPROBATION.] Here also the folio is singular in reading reprobance, for "reprobation :" like iterance, p. 119, we have no other authority for the word reprobance. Malone quoted the following parallel passage from Shakespeare's Sonnets, No. 144:

"my female evil

Tempteth my better angel from my side;"

but without informing us, that for "side" the old edit. of the Sonnets, 4to, 1609, has sight. This passage from Othello forms a very useful comment on the quotation from the Sonnets, and shows decisively that sight ought to be "side:" the rhyme also supports "side."

122

It was a handkerchief, an antique token
My father gave my mother.

Emil. Oh heaven! oh heavenly powers!
Iago.

Come, hold your peace.

Emil. "Twill out, 'twill out:-I hold my peace, sir? no';

No, I will speak as liberal as the north".

Let heaven, and men, and devils, let them all,
All, all, cry shame against me, yet I'll speak.
Iago. Be wise, and get you home.

Emil.

Gra.

Your sword upon a woman?

I will not.

Emil. Oh thou dull Moor! that handkerchief, thou speak'st

of,

I found by fortune, and did give my husband;

For often, with a solemn earnestness,

(More than, indeed, belong'd to such a trifle)

He begg'd of me to steal it.

Iago.

Villainous whore!

[They hold him.

Emil. She give it Cassio! no, alas! I found it, And I did give't my husband.

Filth, thou liest.

Iago.
Emil. By heaven, I do not; I do not, gentlemen.-
Oh murderous coxcomb! what should such a fool
Do with so good a woman?

Oth.

[IAGO stabs EMILIA, and exit instantly'. Are there no stones in heaven,

4 "Twill out, 'twill out:-I hold my peace, sir? no;] So the 4to, 1630: the folio, imperfectly as regards metre, ""Twill out, 'twill out: I peace?"

No, I will speak as liberal as the NORTH.] Our reading is here that of the folio: the 4tos. differ from each other, as well as from the folio, but that of 1630 substantially supports the folio: it has,

"I'll be in speaking liberal as the north,"

while the line in the 4to, 1622, runs thus:

"I'll be in speaking liberal as the air."

This instance among others, may serve to show that all three copies were printed from different manuscripts. A third version is supplied by the corr. fo. 1632, where wind is substituted for "north" of the folio, 1623, and for air of the 4to, 1622. "North" ought to have the preference.

Do with so good a WOMAN?] "Do with so good a wife," only in the folio. 7 Iago stabs Emilia, AND EXIT INSTANTLY.] The old stage-direction in the 4tos. is (for there is none in the folio), "The Moor runs at Iago: Iago kills his wife," but his exit is not marked until after Emilia's next speech. It appears afterwards that Montano disarms Othello.

But what serve for the thunder ?-Precious villain'!
Gra. The woman falls: sure, he has kill'd his wife.
Emil. Ay, ay. Oh, lay me by my mistress' side!
Gra. He's gone, but his wife's kill'd.

Mon. 'Tis a notorious villain. Take you this weapon,
Which I have here recover'd from the Moor9.

Come, guard the door without: let him not pass,
But kill him rather. I'll after that same villain,
For 'tis a damned slave.

[Exeunt MONTANO and GRATIANO.
Oth.
I am not valiant neither,
But every puny whipster gets my sword.
But why should honour outlive honesty?
Let it go all.

Emil. What did thy song bode, lady?
Hark, canst thou hear me? I will play the swan,
And die in music:- Willow, willow, willow'.-
Moor, she was chaste; she lov'd thee, cruel Moor:
So come my soul to bliss, as I speak true;
So speaking as I think, I die,-I die.

Oth. I have another weapon in this chamber,
It is a sword of Spain, the ice-brook's temper.-

[Dies.

[Exit and returns.

Oh! here it is.-Uncle, I must come forth.
Gra. [Within.] If thou attempt it, it will cost thee dear:
Thou hast no weapon, and perforce must suffer.

Oth. Look in upon me, then, and speak to me',

Or, naked as I am, I will assault thee.

Re-enter GRATIANO.

Gra. What is the matter?

Oth.

A better never did itself sustain

Behold! I have a weapon;

Upon a soldier's thigh: I have seen the day,

* PRECIOUS villain!] This is a place where the 4to, 1630, affords a different, and an inferior reading to the two older editions: it has "pernicious villain." At all events, pernicious does not suit the measure.

9 Which I have here recover'd from the Moor.] This line shows that Othello had "run at Iago," according to the old stage-direction of the 4tos, and that Montano, interposing, had "recovered" his sword of him. "Here" in this line is omitted in the folio, 1623, but inserted in the corr. fo. 1632.

1 - Willow, willow, willow.] These words and the preceding part of the speech, are not in the 4to, 1622. In the last line of it, the folio reads "Alas! I die," instead of "I die-I die," of the 4tos.

and speak to me,] The folio alone has, "and speak with me."

That, with this little arm, and this good sword,
I have made my way through more impediments
Than twenty times your stop.-But, oh vain boast!
Who can control his fate? 'tis not so now.-
Be not afraid, though you do see me weapon'd;
Here is my journey's end, here is my butt,
And very sea-mark of my utmost sail.
Do you go back dismay'd? 'tis a lost fear;
Man but a rush against Othello's breast,

And he retires.-Where should Othello go?-
Now, how dost thou look now? oh ill-starr'd wench'!
Pale as thy smock! when we shall meet at compt,
This look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven,
And fiends will snatch at it. Cold, cold, my girl;
Even like thy chastity.-Oh, cursed slave'!-
Whip me, ye devils,

From the possession of this heavenly sight!
Blow me about in winds! roast me in sulphur!

Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire!

Oh Desdemona! Desdemona! dead? Oh! oh! oh!

Enter LODOVICO, MONTANO, CASSIO, and Officers with IAGO, prisoner.

Lod. Where is this rash and most unfortunate man?

Oth. That's he, that was Othello: here I am.

Lod. Where is that viper? bring the villain forth.

Oth. I look down towards his feet';-but that's a fable:

If that thou be'st a devil, I cannot kill thee.

[OTHELLO wounds IAGO.

3 Now, how dost thou look now? oh ill-starr'd wench!] This and the six previous lines are not in the 4to, 1622, but are in the folio, 1623, and in the 4to, 1630 the latter, however, omits "Now," in this line.

Even like thy chastity.-Oh, cursed slave!] So the two 4tos: the folio

repeats "cursed," to the detriment of the metre.

♪ Oh Desdemona! Desdemona! dead? Oh! oh! oh!] Our reading is here that of both the 4tos; the folio has the line thus, with an injurious, though by no means unprecedented, abridgment of the name:

"Oh Desdemon? dead? Desdemon! dead? Oh! oh;"

The line in our text ends, strictly, at "dead."

6 Enter Lodovico, Montano, Cassio,] The stage-direction of the 4tos. informs us that Cassio was "carried in a chair," but as the words are not in the folio, we may, perhaps, infer that the practice of our old stage in this respect was not uniform. In modern times Cassio walks in lame, and supported, with the handkerchief as a bandage about his wounded leg.

7

- towards his feet;] To see (observes Johnson) if, according to the common opinion, his feet were cloven.