But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor;
And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets
He has done my office: I know not if 't be true;
But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,

Will do, as if for surety. He holds me well;
The better shall my purpose work on him.
Cassio 's a proper man: Let me see now;
To get his place, and to plume up my will;
In double knavery,-How? how ?-Let's see :—
After some time, to abuse Othello's ear
That he is too familiar with his wife:
He hath a person, and a smooth dispose,
To be suspected; fram'd to make women false.
The Moor is of a free and open nature,
That thinks men honest that but seem to be so;
And will as tenderly be led by the nose,

As asses are.

I have 't; it is engender'd :-Hell and night
Must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light.

[Exit.

ACT II.

SCENE I.-A Sea-port Town in Cyprus.

Enter MONTANO and Two Gentlemen.

Mon. What from the cape can you discern at sea? 1 Gent. Nothing at all: it is a high-wrought flood; I cannot, 'twixt the heaven and the main,

Descry a sail.

Mon. Methinks, the wind hath spoke aloud at land; A fuller blast ne'er shook our battlements:

If it hath ruffian'd so upon the sea,

What ribs of oak, when mountains melt on them,
Can hold the mortise ? what shall we hear of this?
2 Gent. A segregation of the Turkish fleet :
For do but stand upon the foaming shore,

The chidden billow seems to pelt the clouds;

The wind-shak'd surge, with high and monstrous mane,b

a Mortise. The hole of one piece of timber fitted to receive the tenon of another.

b Mane. In the folio this word is spelt maine; in the quarto mayne. In each the spelling of main in the third line of this scene is the same. But we have ventured to reject this consistency of orthography, and for the first time to print the word We use the

mane.

For what is "high and monstrous main ?"

word main elliptically, for the main sea, the great sea, as Shakspere uses it in the passage "twixt the heaven and the main." The main is the ocean. Substitute that word, and what can we make of the passage before us?" The wind-shak'd surge, with high and monstrous ocean." But adopt the word mane, and it appears to us that we have as fine an image as any in Shakspere. In the high and monstrous mane we have a picture which was probably suggested by the noble passage in Job: "Hast thou given the horse strength? Hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?" The horse of Job is the war-horse, "who swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage;" and when Shakspere pictured to himself his mane wildly streaming, "when the VOL. VIII.

M

Seems to cast water on the burning bear,
And quench the guards of the ever-fixed pole :
I never did like molestation view

On th' enchafed flood.

Mon.

If that the Turkish fleet

Be not enshelter'd and embay'd, they are drown'd;
It is impossible to bear it out.

Enter a Third Gentleman.

3 Gent. News, lads! our wars are done : The desperate tempest hath so bang'd the Turks, That their designment halts: A noble ship of Venice Hath seen a grievous wracka and sufferance

On most part of their fleet.

Mon. How! is this true? 3 Gent.

The ship is here put in,

A Veronessa: Michael Cassio,

Lieutenant to the warlike Moor, Othello,

Is come on shore: the Moor himself 's at sea,
And is in full commission here for Cyprus.

Mon. I am glad on 't; 't is a worthy governor.

3 Gent. But this same Cassio,-though he speak of comfort,

Touching the Turkish loss,—yet he looks sadly,
And prays the Moor be safe; for they were parted
With foul and violent tempest.

Mon.
'Pray heaven he be :
For I have serv'd him, and the man commands
Like a full soldier. Let's to the sea-side,-hoa!

quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield," he saw an image of the fury of "the wind-shak'd surge," and of its very form; and he painted it "with high and monstrous mane."

a Wrack. Mr. Hunter has with great propriety suggested the restoration of the old word wrack to Shakspere's text, instead of wreck. He observes that we still use the familiar phrase "wrack and ruin."

As well to see the vessel that's come in

As to throw out our eyes for brave Othello;

Even till we make the main, and the aërial blue,
An indistinct regard.

3 Gent.

Come, let's do so.

For every minute is expectancy

Of more arrivancy.

Enter CASSIO.

Cas. Thanks, you the valiant of the warlike isle,
That so approve the Moor! O, let the heavens
Give him defence against the elements,
For I have lost him on a dangerous sea!
Mon. Is he well shipp'd?

Cas. His bark is stoutly timber'd, and his pilot
Of very expert and approv'd allowance ;
Therefore my hopes, not surfeited to death,
Stand in bold cure.

[Within.]

A sail, a sail, a sail!

Enter another Gentleman.

Cas. What noise?

4 Gent. The town is empty; on the brow o' the sea Stand ranks of people, and they cry-a sail.

Cas. My hopes do shape him for the governor.

2 Gent. They do discharge their shot of courtesy: [Guns heard.

Our friends, at least.

Cas.

I pray you, sir, go forth, And give us truth who 't is that is arriv'd.

2 Gent. I shall.

[Exit.

Mon. But, good lieutenant, is your general wiv'd?
Cas. Most fortunately: he hath achiev'd a maid

That paragons description and wild fame;
One that excels the quirks of blazoning pens,

And in the essential vesture of creation

Does tire the ingener.a-How now? who has put in?

Re-enter Second Gentleman.

2 Gent. "T is one Iago, ancient to the general.
Cas. He has had most favourable and happy speed:
Tempests themselves, high seas, and howling winds,
The gutter'd rocks, and congregated sands,
Traitors ensteep'd to enclog the guiltless keel,
As having sense of beauty do omit

Their mortal natures, letting go safely by
The divine Desdemona.

Mon.

What is she?

Cas. She that I spake of, our great captain's captain, Left in the conduct of the bold Iago;

Whose footing here anticipates our thoughts,

A se'nnight's speed.-Great Jove, Othello guard,
And swell his sail with thine own powerful breath;
That he may bless this bay with his tall ship,
Make love's quick pants in Desdemona's arms,
Give renew'd fire to our extincted spirits,
And bring all Cyprus comfort!-O, behold,

Enter DESDEMONA, EMILIA, IAGO, RODERIGO,
and Attendants.

The riches of the ship is come on shore!
You men of Cyprus, let her have your knees:

a The text presents no difficulty when we understand the word ingener. The word engine is so called "because not made without great effort (ingenii) of genius, of ingenuity, of contrivance.' The ingener, then, is the contriver by ingenuitythe designer-and here applied to a poet is almost literally the Greek IIoints-maker. Daniell uses the word ingeniate in the sense of to contrive; Ben Jonson, ingine for understanding. b Mortal-deadly.

c Riches is used as a singular noun in the 87th Sonnet"And for that riches where is my deserving."