Gra. 'Tis a strange truth. Villany, villany, villany!- Jago. What, are you mad? I charge you, get Emil. Good gentlemen, let me have leave to 'Tis proper I obey him, but not now :- O, she was foul!-[Rising. I know, this act shows horrible and grim. Gra. Poor Desdemona! I am glad thy father's Thy match was mortal to him, and pure grief Oth. 'Tis pitiful: but yet lago knows, A thousand times committed; Cassio confess'd it : Emil. O heaven! O heavenly powers! sir? no; No, I will speak as liberal' as the air; Gra. I will not. - Come, guard the door without; let him not pass, [Dies. Gra. [Within.] If thou attempt it, it will cost Thou hast no weapon, and perforce must suffer. Gra. What is the mater? Behold! I have a weapon; A better never did itself sustain This look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven, O cursed, cursed slave!-Whip me, ye devils, [lago offers to stab his wife. Wash me in steep-down guifs of liquid fire! Fie! O Desdemona! Desdemona! dead? Enter Lodovico, Montano, Cassio, carried in a Oth. That's he, that was Othello; here I am. a fable: Oth. Av. Cas. Dear general, I never gave you cause. From this time forth I never will speak word. Torments will ope your lips. Which, as I think, you know not: Here is a letter, Oth. O villain! Most heathenish, and most gross! Oth. Cas. Oth. I kiss'd thee, ere I kill'd thee;-No way but this, [Falling upon Desdemona. Killing myself, to die upon a kiss. [Dies. Cas. This did I fear, but thought he had no weapon; For he was great of heart. Lod. [Exeunt. The beauties of this play impress themselves so strongly upon the attention of the reader, that they can draw no aid from critical illustration. The fiery openness of Othello, magnanimous, artless, and credulous, boundless in his confidence, ardent O the pernicious caitiff!-in his affection, inflexible in his resolution, and How came you, Cassio, by that handkerchief obdurate in his revenge; the cool malignity of lago, That was my wife's? silent in his resentment, subtle in his designs, and studious at once of his interest and his vengeance; the soft simplicity of Desdemona, confident of merit, and conscious of innocence, her artless perseverance in her suit, and her slowness to suspect that she can be suspected, are such proofs of Shakspeare's skill in human nature, as, I suppose, it is vain to seek in any modern writer. The gradual progress which lago makes in the Moor's conviction, and the circumstances which he employs to inflame him, are so artfully natural, that, though it will, perhaps, not be said of him as he says of himself, that he is a man not easily jealous, yet we cannot but pity him, when at last we find him perplexed in the extreme. I found it in my chamber: Lod. You must forsake this room, and go with us; That can torment him much, and hold him long, Oth. Soft you; a word or two, before you go. There is always danger, lest wickedness, conjoined with abilities, should steal upon esteem, though it misses of approbation; but the character of lago is so conducted, that he is from the first scene to to the last hated and despised. Even the inferior characters of this play would be very conspicuous in any other piece, not only for their justness, but their strength. Cassio is brave, benevolent, and honest, ruined only by his want of stubbornness to resist an insidious invitation. Roderigo's suspicious credulity, and impatient submission to the cheats which he sees practised upon him, and which, by persuasion, he suf fers to be repeated, exhibit a strong picture of a weak mind, betrayed by unlawful desires, to a false friend; and the virtue of Emilia is such as we often find, worn loosely, but not cast off, easy to commit small crimes, but quickened and alarmed at atrocious villanics. The scenes from the beginning to the end are busy, varied by happy interchanges, and regularly promoting the progression of the story; and the narrative in the end, though it tells but what is known already, yet is necessary to produce the death of Othello. Had the scene opened in Cyprus, and the prece ding incidents been occasionally related, there had been little wanting to a drama of the most exact and scrupulous regularity. JOHNSON. FINIS. GLOSSARY OF OBSOLETE WORDS, AND OF WORDS VARYING FROM THEIR ORDINARY SIGNIFICATION. Adversity, contrariety. Advertisement, admonition. Advice, consideration, discretion, thought. Advise, to consider, to recollect. Aery or Aiery, a hawk's or eagle's nest. Affect the letter, to practise allitera. tion. Appeache, to impeach. Appeared, made apparent. Attornied, supplied by substitution of embassies. Audacious, spirited, animated. Aukward, adverse. Aunts, strumpets. Authentic, learned. Awful, reverend. Awless, failing to produce awe B. Apple-john, an apple that will keep Baccare, stand back, give place. for two years. Apply, to attend to, consider. Apprehensive, quick of comprehen. sion. Approbation, entry or probation. Aqua-vitæ, strong waters, probably usquebaugh. Arabian bird, the phoenix. Arch, chief. Argentine, silver. Argentine, the goddess Diana. Argosies, ships laden with great wealth. Argument, subject for conversation, evidence, proof. Arm, to take up in the arms. Art, practice as distinguished from Ascaunt, askew, sideways. As point, completely armed. Ascapart, a giant. Ates, instigate from Ate, the goddess of bloodshed. Atomies, minute particles visible in the sun's rays. Attasked, taken to task. Attended, waited for. Attent, attentive. Atone, to reconcile. Attest, attestation. Attorney, deputation. Bairn, brushwood. Baldrick, a belt. Bale, misery. Balked, bathed or piled up. Balm, the oil of consecration. Band, bond. Bandog, village-dog. Bandy, to exchange smartly. Bank, to sail along banks. Banquet, a slight repast. Bar, barrier. Barbason, the name of a demon. Barbed, warlikely caparisoned. Barber-monger,an associate of barbers. Barful, full of impediments. Barn, or bairn, a child. Base, a rustic game called prison-base. Bases, a kind of loose breeches worn by equestrian knights. Basilisks, a species of cannon. Basta, 'tis enough. Bastard, raisin wine. Bat, a club. Bate, strife. Attorneyship, the discretional agency Beard, to defy. of another. Bearing, demeanour. Bearing-cloth, a mantle used at chris-Bow, yoke. tenings. Beat, (in falconry) to flutter. Beating, hammering, dwelling upon. Beaver, helmet in general. Beck, a salutation made with the head. Beetle, to hang over the base. Beholding, viewing with regard. Bellame, ancient mother. Be lee'd, becalmed. Belongings, endowments. Be-moiled, bedraggled, bemired. Bent, utmost degree of any passion. Bestowed, stowed away, lodged. Beteem, to give, pour out, permit,suffer. Bezonian, a mean fellow. Bolds, emboldens. Borne in haud, deceived. Bowlins or bowlines, tackle of a ship. Brace, armour for the arın. Brack, to salt. Braid, crafty, deceitful. Brake, an instrument of torture; also a thicket. Brands, a part of the andirons on which the wood for the fire was supported. Brasier, a manufacturer of brass; also, Canary, a dance. Candle-wasters, those who sit up all Canvas-climber, a sailor. Cap, to salute by taking off the cap. Capon, metaphor for a letter. Carbonado, a piece of meat cut cross- Care, inclination. Careires, the motion of a horse; to pass the careires, means to over. step the bounds of decorum. Carkanet, a necklace. Carl, clown, boor. Carlot, peasant. Carnal, sanguinary. Carowses, drinks. com-Carriage, import. Break with, to break the matter to. Breeched, foully sheathed, mired. Breeching, liable to be flogged. Breathed, inured by constant practice. Bilbo, a Spanish blade, made at Bilboa Breathe, to utter. Bill, articles of accusation. Breed-bate, an exciter of quarrels. Bill, a weapon, formerly carried by Bridal, the nuptial feast. watchmen. Bin, is. Bring, to attend or accompany. Brize, the gad, or horse-fly. Bird-bolt, an arrow shot at birds from Broach, to put on the spit, to transfix. Brock, the badger. Brogues, a kind of shoes. Brow of youth, the height of youth. Carried, conducted. Case, skin, outward garb. Cassock, a horseman's loose cost. Castilian, an opprobrious term. Castiliano valgo, a cant term of contempt. Cast-lips, left off lips. Cast the water, to find out disorders by inspecting the urine. Cataian, a liar. Catling, a small lutestring, made of catgut. Cavalero justice, a cant term. Bung, a cat-purse. Burgonet, a helmet. Busky, woody. with. Buxom, obedient. Caviare, too good for, or above the comprehension of; so called from a delicacy made of the roe of sturgeons, eaten by the quality. Cautel, subtlety. Cautel or cantle, the corner, or piece of any thing. Cautelous, insidious, cautious. Cearinent, the wrapping of an embshined body. Cease, decease. Butt-shaft, an arrow to shoot at shafts Censure, to give an opinion. By'rlaken, by our lady. C. Caddis, worsted lace. Cade, a barrel. Cadent, falling. Cain-coloured, yellow. Boot, profit, something over and above. Calculate, to foretell. Bona-robas, strumpets. Bond, bounden duty. Bony or bonny, handsome. Book, paper of conditions. Bore, demeaned. Bore, the calibre of a gun. Bores, stabs Bosky, woody. Bosom wish heart's desire. Bots, worms in a horse's stomach Bourn, undary, rivulet. 2 Caliver, a musket. Call, to visit. Callet, a woman, a witch. Calling, appellation. Calm, qualm. Camelot, a place where King Arthur Chainber, ancient name for London; also, a piece of ordnance. Charactery, the matter with which let- Convents, agrees, is convenient. Coach-fellow, one who draws with a Convented, summoned. confederate. Coasting, conciliatory. Codling, an unripe apple. Cob-loaf, a crusty, uneven loaf. Cock, cock-boat. Cock-and-pye, a vulgar oath. Cockshut-time, twilight. Cockle-hat, a pilgrim's hat. Cockle, a corn-weed. Codding, amorous. Codpiece, a part of the dress. Coigne of vantage, convenient corner. Coignes, corners. Coil, bustle, stir. Cold, naked. Conversion, change of condition. Conveyance, slight of hand, theft. Conveyed himself, derived his title. Copatain hat, a hat with a conical crown Coragio, courage, be of good cheer. Collection, consequence, or corollary. Corporal, corporeal. Collied, black, amutted. Colt, to trick. Corrigible, corrected. Costard, a head. Coster-monger, a dealer in costers or apples. Cote, to overtake. Coted, quoted, regarded. Cotsale, Cotswood in Gloucester. Count, to reckon upon, Countenance, favour; also, false ap pearance, hypocrisy. Counter, a hunting term. Counter-caster, one who reckons with counters. Counter-check, a term in chess. Courses, the mainsail and foresail. Cowlstaff, a staff used in carrying & basket. Coy, to soothe. Coyed, yielded reluctantly. Coystril, a coward cock, a poltroon. Crack, dissolution; also, a boy-child. Cranking or crankling, the rush of a river. armorial bearings. Crewel, worsted. Crisp, curled, winding. Critic, cynic. Critical, censorious. Crone, a very old woman. Crosses, money stamped with a cross. Crow-keeper, a scarecrow. Crownet, last purpose. Crulentious, cruel. Crusado, a Portuguese coin. Crush, to drink. Crush a cup, to crack a bottle. Cry, a pack of hounds. Cub-drawn, alluding to a bear whose dugs are dry. Cue, a theatrical term, the last word of the preceding speech. Cuisses, armour for the thighs. Curiosity, curiousness, finical delicacy Curl, ostentatiously dressed. Cursed, under the influence of a male diction. Curst, petulant, ill tempered, crabbed, harsh. Curstness, ill-humour. Curtail, a little cur. Curtal, a docked horse. Curtle-axe, a cutlass, broad-sword. Cut, a horse. |