*OTHELLO.] The story is taken from Cynthio's Novels.

age

POPE.

of Shak

I have not hitherto met with any tranflation of this novel (the
feventh in the third decad) of fo early a date as the
fpeare; but undoubtedly many of thofe little pamphlets have
perished between his time and ours.

It is highly probable that our author met with the name of
Othello in fome tale that has efcaped our researches; as I like-
wife find it in God's Revenge against Adultery, ftanding in one of
his Arguments as follows: She marries Othello, an old German
foldier." This Hiftory (the eighth) is profeffed to be an Italian
Here alfo occurs the name of lago.

one.

It may indeed be urged that thefe names were adopted from the
tragedy before us: but I trust that every reader who is converfant
with the peculiar ftyle and method in which the work of honest
John Reynolds is compofed, will acquit him of the slightest fa-
miliarity with the fcenes of Shakspeare.

This play was firft entered at Stationers' Hall, Oct. 6, 1621, by
Thomas Walkely. STEEVENS.

I have feen a French tranflation of Cynthio, by Gabriel Chappuys,
Par. 1584. This is not a faithful one; and I fufpect, through this
medium the work came into English. FARMER.

This tragedy I have afcribed (but on no very fure ground) to the year 1611. See An Attempt to afcertain the order of Shakspeare's Plays, Vol. I. MALONE.

The time of this play may be ascertained from the following circumftances: Selymus the Second formed his design against Cyprus in 1569, and took it in 1571. This was the only attempt the Turks ever made upon that island after it came into the hands of the Venetians, (which was in the year 1473,) wherefore the time must fall in with fome part of that interval. We learn from the play that there was a junction of the Turkish fleet at Rhodes, in order for the invafion of Cyprus, that it first came failing towards Cyprus, then went to Rhodes, there met another fquadron, and then refumed its way to Cyprus. Thefe are real historical facts which happened when Muftapha, Selymus's general, attacked Cyprus in May, 1570, which therefore is the true period of this performance. See Knolles's Hiftory of the Turks, p. 838, 846, 867.

REED

Reynolds's

tikerindaleg in "The History & the the strange of the famous rdanus Prince of Denmark, with the strange ventures of lago Prince of Saxonie; bl.1.4°.

Imm, 1605."

Bb4

1

PERSONS represented.

Duke of Venice.
Brabantio, a Senator.

Two other Senators.

Gratiano, brother to Brabantio.

Lodovico, kinfman to Brabantio.

Othello, the Moor:

Caffio, his Lieutenant;

Iago, bis Ancient.

Roderigo, a Venetian Gentleman.

Montano, Othello's predeceffor in the government of Cyprus.*

Clown, fervant to Othello.

Herald.

Defdemona, daughter to Brabantio, and wife to Othello.

Emilia, wife to Iago.

Bianca, a courtezan, miftrefs to Caffio.

Officers, Gentlemen, Messengers, Muficians, Sailors, Attendants, &c.

SCENE, for the first Act, in Venice; during the reft of the play, at a fea-port in Cyprus.

Though the rank which Montano held in Cyprus, cannot be exactly afcertained, yet from many circumftances, we are fure he had not the powers with which Othello was fubfequently invefted.

Perhaps we do not receive any one of the Perfonæ Dramatis to Shakspeare's Plays, as it was originally drawn up by himself. These appendages are wanting to all the quartos, and are very rarely given in the folio. At the end of this play, however, the following enumeration of perfons occurs:

"The names of the actors.-Othello, the Moore.-Brabantio, Father to Defde mona.-Caffio, an Honourable Lieutenant.-Iago, a Villaine.-Rodcrigo, a gull'd Gentleman.-Duke of Venice.-Senators.-Montano, Governour of Cyprus.-Gentlemen of Cyprus.Lodovico, and Gratiano, two noble Venetians.-Saylors.-ClowneDesdemona, Wife to Othello.-Emilia, Wife to Iago.—-Bianca, a Curtezan." STEEVENS.

OTHELL 0,

THE MOOR OF VENICE.

ACT I. SCENE I.

Venice. A Street.

Enter RODERIGO and IAGO.

ROD. Tush, never tell me, I take it much un-
kindly,

That thou, Iago,-who haft had my purse,
As if the ftrings were thine,-fhould'ft know of this.
LAGO. 'Sblood, but you will not hear me:3-
If ever I did dream of fuch a matter,

Abhor me..

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

LAG. Defpife me, if I do not. Three great ones
of the city,

In perfonal fuit to make me his lieutenant,
Oft capp'd to him; and, by the faith of man,

Tush, never tell me,] Thus the quarto, 1622. The folio omits the interjection-Tub. STEEVENS.

3 S'blood, but you will not &c.] Thus the quarto: the folio fuppreffes this oath. STEEVENS.

4 Oft capp'd to him;] Thus the quarto. The folio reads,-Offcapp'd to him. STEEVENS.

In fupport of the folio, Antony and Cleopatra may be quoted:
I have ever held my cap off to thy fortunes.'
This reading I once thought to be the true one.

But a more

I know my price, I am worth no worse a place:
But he, as loving his own pride and purposes,
Evades them, with a bombaft circumstance,'
Horribly ftuff'd with epithets of war;
And, in conclufion, nonfuits
My mediators; for, certes," fays he,
I have already chofe my officer.
And what was he?

Forfooth, a great arithmetician,'

One Michael Caffio, a Florentine,

intimate knowledge of the quarto copies has convinced me that they ought not without very strong reason to be departed from.

MALONE. Το cap is to falute by taking off the cap. It is ftill an academic phrafe. M. MASON.

5a bombaft circumftance,] Circumftance fignifies circum locution. So, in Greene's Tu Quaque:

"You put us to a needlefs labour, fir,

"To run and wind about for circumftance,

"When the plain word, I thank you, would have ferv'd.” Again, in Meffinger's Picture:

"And therefore, without circumftance, to the point,
"Inftruct me what I am."

Again, in Knolles's Hiftory of the Turks, p. 576: “ — where fore I will not use many words to perfuade you to continue in your fidelity and loyalty; neither long circumftance to encourage you to play the men." REED.

6

certes,] i. e. certainly, in truth. Obfolete. So, Spenfer, in The Faery Queen, Book IV. c. ix:

"Certes, her loffe ought me to forrow moft."

STEEVENS.

Forfouth, a great arithmetician,] So, in Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio fays: 66 — one that fights by the book of arithmetick.” STEEVENS. Iago, however, means to reprefent Caffio, not as a perfon whofe arithmetick was 66 one, two, and the third in your bofom," but as a man merely converfant with civil matters, and who knew no more of a fquadron than the number of men it contained. So afterwards he calls him this counter-cafier. MALONE.

8a Florentine,] It appears from many paffages of this play (rightly understood) that Caffio was a Florentine, and Iago a Venetian. HANMER.

A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife;

9 A fellow almost damn'd in a fair cwife;] Sir Thomas Hanmer fuppofed that the text must be corrupt, because it appears from a following part of the play that Caffio was an unmarried man. Mr. Steevens has clearly explained the words in the fubfequent note: I have therefore no doubt that the text is right; and have not thought it necellary to infert Mr. Tyrwhitt's note, in which he propofed to read a fellow almoft damn'd in a fair life." Shakfpeare, he conceived, might allude to the judgement denounced in the gospel against thofe of whom all men speak well. MALONE.

Mr. Tyrwhitt's conjecture is ingenious, but cannot be right; for the malicious Iago would never have given Caffio the highest commendation that words can convey, at the very time that he wishes to depreciate him to Roderigo: though afterwards, in speaking to himself, [A&t V. fc. i.] he gives him his juft character.

M. MASON.

That Caffio was married is not fufficiently implied in the words, a fellow almoft damn'd in a fair wife, fince they may mean, according to Iago's licentious manner of expreffing himself, no more than a man very near being married. This feems to have been the cafe in refpect of Caffio.-Act IV. fc. i, Iago fpeaking to him of Bianca, fays,-Why, the cry goes, that you shall marry her. Caffio acknowledges that fuch a report had been raised, and adds, This is the monkey's own giving out: he is perfuaded I will marry her, out of her own love and felf-flattery, not out of my promife. Iago then, having heard this report before, very naturally circulates it in his prefent converfation with Roderigo. If Shakspeare, however, defigned Bianca for a courtezan of Cyprus, (where Caffio had not yet been, and had therefore never feen her,) Iago cannot be fuppofed to allude to the report concerning his marriage with her, and confequently this part of my argument muft fall to the ground.

Had Shakspeare, confiftently with Iago's character, meant to make him fay that Caffio was actually damn'd in being married to a handsome woman, he would have made him fay it outright, and not have interpofed the palliative almost. Whereas what he fays at prefent amounts to no more than that (however near his marriage) he is not yet completely damn'd, because he is not abfolutely married," The fucceeding parts of Iago's converfation fufficiently evince, that the poet thought no mode of conception or expreffion too brutal for the character. STEEVENS.

There is no ground whatfoever for fuppofing that Shakspeare defigned Bianca for a courtezan of Cyprus. Caffio, who was a Florentine, and Othello's lieutenant, failed from Venice in a fhip