know from an interesting diary first pointed out by Sir Frederic Madden (see Note (4), p. 689, Vol. I.), that the play was acted at the Globe on the 30th of April, 1610. And upon the authority of Vertue's MS. we find that it retained its popularity in 1613, early in which year it was acted at the Court. The story upon which this tragedy is founded is a novel in Cinthio's Hecatommithi, Parte Prima, Deca Terza, Novella 7, bearing the following explanatory title:-" Un capitano Moro piglia per mogliera una cittadina Venetiana: un suo alfieri l'accusa di adulterio al marito; cerca che l'alfieri uccida colui ch'egli credea l'adultero: il capitano uccide la moglie, è accusato dall' alfieri, non confessa il Moro, ma essendovi chiari inditii è bandito; e lo scelerato alfieri, credendo nuocere ad altri, procaccia a se la morte miseramente." There is a French translation of Cinthio's novels by Gabriel Chappuys, Paris, 1584; but no English one of a date as early as the age of Shakespeare has come down to us. "The time of this play may be ascertained from the following circumstances. 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 some part of that interval. We learn from the play that there was a junction of the Turkish fleet at Rhodes, in order for the invasion of Cyprus, that it first came sailing towards Cyprus, then went to Rhodes, there met another squadron, and then resumed its way to Cyprus. These are real historical facts, which happened when Mustapha Selymus's general attacked Cyprus in May, 1570, which therefore is the true period of this performance. See Knolles's History of the Turks, p. 838, 846, 867."-REED. Sailor, Messengers, Herald, Officers, Gentlemen, Musicians, and Attendants. SCENE,-The first Act in VENICE; during the rest of the play, at a Sea-port in CYPRUS. Forsooth, a great arithmetician, More than a spinster; unless the bookish theoric, By debitor-and-creditor: this counter-caster, aa Florentine,-] Are we quite assured Iago means by this expression merely that Cassio was a native of Florence? The system of book-keeping called Italian Book-keeping came, as is well known, originally from Florence; and he may not improbably use "Florentine,' as he employs "arithmetician," "debitor-andcreditor," and "counter-caster," in a derogatory sense to denote the mercantile origin and training which he chooses to attribute to his rival. b A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife,-] This line has perplexed the commentators not a little. Tyrwhitt's conjecture that "wife" was a misprint of life, and that the allusion is to the judgment denounced in the Gospel against those of whom all men speak well, was in high favour at one time, but has long been disregarded; the impression now is that lago refers to a report, which he subsequently speaks of, that Cassio was on the point of marrying the courtezan Bianca. To this it is objected, and the objection seems unanswerable, that there is no reason for supposing Cassio had ever seen Bianca until they met in Cyprus. We doubt, indeed, the possibility of eliciting a satisfactory meaning from the line as it stands, and, in despair of doing so, have sometimes thought the poet must have written, "A fellow almost damn'd in a fair-wife;" That is to say, a fellow by habit of reckoning debased almost into a market-woman. In of old was commonly used for into; we even still employ it so, as in the expression to fall in love. Compare, too, "Troilus and Cressida," Act III. Sc. 3, "Why, he stalks up and down like a peacock,-a stride and a stand, ruminates, like an hostess that hath no arithmetic but her brain to set down her reckoning." Wears out his time, much like his master's ass, For nought but provender; and, when he's old, cashier'd: k Whip me such honest knaves. Others there are, Do themselves homage: these fellows have some owe, If he can carry 't thus! IAGO. Call up her father, Rouse him :-make after him, poison his delight, Proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen, And, though he in a fertile climate dwell, Plague him with flies: though that his joy be joy, Yet throw such chances of vexation on 't, As it may lose some colour. Roo. Here is her father's house; I'll call aloud. IAGO. Do; with like timorous accent, and dire yell "we will follow In the main battle." d the tongued consuls-] So the folio and the quarto 1650; the quarto of 1622 has, "toged." The former, as Boswell observes, agrees better with the words "mere prattle," &c.; but “toja" may have sprung from the common adage, Cedant arms lege, and is equally appropriate. e-must be be-lee'd-] The quarto 1622 has, "must be led," &c.; this and the imperfect measure of the line in other copies might lead us to suspect the author wrote, "must be lee'd and calm'd," &c. fdebitor-and-creditor:] The title of certain old treatises upon commercial book-keeping. So in "Cymbeline," Act V. Sc. 4,-"You have no true debitor-and-creditor but it." g-in any just term am affin'd-] By any moral obligation am bound, &c. hknave,-] "Knave" carries no opprobrious meaning here; it is simply servitor. i dom. - obsequious bondage,-] That is, obedient, submissive thralk Who, trimm'd in forms and visages of duty,-] Who, dress'd in shapes and masks of duty, &c. Mr. Collier proposes to read, "in forms and usages of duty," which the expression "trimm'd" negatives at once. Cymbeline," Act V. 1 What a full fortune--] The folio has "fall" for "fall," 3 reading Mr. Knight prefers, although in " Sc. 4, we find,— "Our pleasure his full fortune doth confine;" in "Antony and Cleopatra," Act IV. Sc. 15.-"full-fortes'd Cæsar;" and in D'Avenant's "Law against Lovers," Act III. Sc. 1,-"She has a full fortune." m -chances of vexation-] Crosses, or casualties; the quartos read, "changes." BRA. What tell'st thou me of robbing? this is Venice; My house is not a grange.a ROD. Most grave Brabantio, In simple and pure soul I come to you. IAGO. Zounds, sir, you are one of those that will not serve God, if the devil bid you. Because we come to do you service, and you think we are ruffians, you'll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you'll have your nephews neigh to you; you'll have coursers for cousins, and gennets for germans. BRA. What profane wretch art thou? IAGO. I am one, sir, that comes to tell you, your daughter and the Moor are now† making the beast with two backs. BRA. This thou shalt answer; I know thee, Roderigo. ROD. Sir, I will answer any thing. But, I beseech you, If 't be your pleasure and most wise consent That, from the sense of all civility, Tying her duty, beauty, wit, and fortunes, (*) First folio omits, Zounds. a (†) First folio omits, now. this is Venice; My house is not a grange.] Grange, Warton remarks, is strictly and properly the farm of a monastery. But in Lincolnshire, and in other northern counties, they call every lone house, or farm which stands solitary, a grange. What Brabantio means, then, is,-I am in a populous city, not in a place where robbery can be easily committed. bruthians,-] Here ruffian is employed in its secondary sense of roisterer, swash-buckler, and the like, though its primary meaning undoubtedly was, pander; the Latin, "leno," the Italian, "rothiano." It seems not meet, nor wholesome to my place, I must show out a flag and sign of love, Lead to the Sagittary (1) the raised search; [Exit. Enter, below, BRABANTIO, and Servants with torches. BRA. It is too true an evil: gone she is! And what's to come of my despised time Is nought but bitterness.-Now, Roderigo, Where didst thou see her?-O, unhappy girl!— With the Moor, say'st thou ?-Who would be a father! How didst thou know 't was she?-0, she deceives me Past thought-What said she to you?-Get more tapers; Raise all my kindred.-Are they married, think you? ROD. Truly, I think they are. BRA. O, heaven!-How got she out?-0, treason of the blood!Fathers, from hence trust not your daughters' minds By what you see them act.-Are there not charms By which the property of youth and maidhood May be abus'd? Have you not read, Roderigo, Of some such thing? ROD. BRA. Call up my had her! Yes, sir, I have indeed. brother.-O, would you had Some one way, some another.-Do you know |