Pleafure and action make the hours feem short,
Retire thee; go where thou art billeted;

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

My wife mult 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 coldnefs and delay.

.

A CT HI

SCENE, before Othello's Palace.

Enter CASSI0, with Muficians.

CASSIO.

[Exit.

MASTERS, play here, I will content your pains, Something that's brief; and bid, good-morrow, 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 Moor apart.] Mr Pope has falfified 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 lago, 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 myfelf. awhile, to draw the Moor apart. This unreasonable long alexandrine was certainly a blunder of the editors; a flight transposition and change will regulate it, as the Poet intended;

My wife muft 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 thefe, 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 mufic, the General does not greatly care.

Muf. We have none fuch, Sir.

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

Gaf. 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. Doft thou hear me, mine honest friend?

Clown. No, I hear not your honest friend; 1 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 must 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.

Clown. She is ftirring, Sir; if she will ftir hither, I fhall feem to notify unto her.

Caf. Do, my good friend.

To him, enter LAGO.

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 Defdemona

Procure me fome access.

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.

To him, enter AMILIA.

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

For your difpleafure; but all will fure be well.
The General and his wife are talking of it:

And the speaks for yon 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 refuse you.

loves you;

But he protests he

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 discourse
With Defdemona alone.

Emil. Pray you, come in:

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

Caf. I am much bound to you.

[Exeunt.

1

Enter OTHELLO, IAGO, and Gentlemen.
Oth. These letters give, lago, to the pilot,
And by him do my duties to the Senate;
That done, I will be walking on the works;
Repair there to me.

Lago. My good Lord, I'll do't.

Oth. This fortification, gentlemen, shall we fee't? Gent. We'll wait upon your Lordship. [Exeunt.

SCENE changes to an Apartment in the Palace.

All

Enter DESDEMONA, CASSIO, and EMILIA. Def. Be thou affured, good Caffio, I will do my abilities in thy behalf.

Emil. Good Madam, do: I know it grieves my As if the cause were his. [hufband, Def. Oh, that's an honeft fellow; doubt not, But I will have my Lord and you again

As friendly as you were.

Caf. Moft bounteous Madam,

Whatever fhall become of Michael Caffio,

He is never any thing but your true fervan

[Caffio,

Def. I know't, I thank you; you do love my
Lord,

You have known him long; and, be you well affured,
He thall in ftrangeness stand no further off
Than in a politic distance.

Caf. Ay, but, Lady,

That policy may either laft fo long,

Or feed upon fuch nice and waterih diet,
Or breed itself fo out of circumstances,
That I being abfent, and my place fupplied.
My General will forget my love and service.

Def. Do not doubt that; before Æmilia here, I give thee warrant of thy place. Affure thee,

If I do vow a friendship, I'll perform it

To the laft article. My Lord fhall never reft;
I'll watch him tame, and talk him out of patience;
His bed thall feem a fchool, his board a fhrift;
I'll intermingle every thing he does

With Caffio's fuit: therefore be merry, Caffio;
For thy folicitor fhall rather die,

Than give thy cause away.

Enter OTHELLO, and IAGO, at a distance.

Emil. Madam, here comes my Lord.
Caf. Madam, I'll take my leave.

Def. Why, ftay, and hear me speak.

Caf. Madam, not now; I am very ill at ease,

Unfit for mine own purposes.

Def. Well, do your difcretion.

lago. Hah! I like not that.-----Oth. What doft thou fay?

[Exit Caffio.

lago. Nothing, my Lord; or if---1 know not what. Oth. Was not that Caffio, parted from my wife? Iago. Caffio, my Lord? no, fure, I cannot think it, That he would fteal away fo guilty-like, Seeing you coming.

Oth. I believe 'twas he.

Def. How now, my Lord?

I have been talking with a fuitor here,
A man that languishes in your displeasure.
Oth. Who is't you mean ?

Def. Why, your Lieutenant Caffio. Good my Lord,
If I have any grace, or power to move you,
His prefent reconciliation take.

For if he be not one that truly loves you,
That errs in ignorance, and not in cunning,
I have no judgment in an honeft face.

I pr'ythee call him back.

Oth.. Went he hence now?