SCENE II.1 A Room in the Castle.

Enter OTHELLO and EMILIA.

Oth. You have seen nothing, then?

Emil. Nor ever heard; nor ever did suspect. Oth. Yes, you have seen Cassio and she together. Emil. But then I saw no harm; and then I heard Each syllable that breath made up between them. Oth. What, did they never whisper? Emil.

Never, my lord. Oth. Nor send you out o' the way? Emil.

Never.

Oth. To fetch her fan, her gloves, her mask, nor

nothing?

Emil. Never, my lord.

Oth.

That's strange.

Emil. I durst, my lord, to wager she is honest,
Lay down my soul at stake. If you think other,
Remove your thought; it doth abuse your bosom.
If any wretch hath put this in your head,
Let Heaven requite it with the serpent's curse!
For, if she be not honest, chaste, and true,
There's no man happy; the purest of their wives
Is foul as slander.

Oth.

Bid her come hither;-go.[Exit EMILIA. She says enough ;-yet she's a simple bawd That cannot say as much. This is a subtle whore,

1 There are great difficulties in ascertaining the place of this scene. What Othello says in an early part of it to Emilia-"Leave procreants alone, and shut the door," and his subsequent address to her as he goes out, decisively point out a room in Othello's castle as the place of the scene; and compel us to place the interlocutors there, however inconsistent with Roderigo's entry, and Iago's address to Desdemona, "Go in and weep not." The truth is, that our Poet and his audience, in this instance, as in many others, were content, from want of scenery, to consider the very same spot, at one and the same time, as the outside and inside of a house.

2 The quarto reads "of her sex."

A closet-lock-and-key of villanous secrets:

And yet she'll kneel, and pray; I have seen her do't.

Re-enter EMILIA, with DESDEMona.

Des. My lord, what is your will?

Oth.

Des. What is your pleasure?

Oth.

Look in my face.

Des.

'Pray, chuck, come hither.

Let me see your eyes;

What horrible fancy's this?

Oth. Some of your function, mistress; [To EMILIA. Leave procreants alone, and shut the door;

Cough, or cry-Hem, if any body come.

Your mystery, your mystery;-nay, despatch.

[Exit EMILIA. Des. Upon my knees, what doth your speech

import?

I understand a fury in your words,

But not the words.1

Oth. Why, what art thou?

Des.

Your wife, my lord; your true

Come, swear it, damn thyself;

Lest, being like one of heaven, the devils themselves Should fear to seize thee: therefore be double-damned, Swear-thou art honest.

Des.

Heaven doth truly know it. Oth. Heaven truly knows that thou art false as hell. Des. To whom, my lord? with whom? How am I

false?

Oth. O Desdemona!-away! away! away!
Des. Alas, the heavy day!-Why do you weep
Am I the occasion of these tears, my lord?

If, haply, you my father do suspect,
An instrument of this your calling back,
Lay not your blame on me; if you
Why, I have lost him too.

have lost him,

1 This line is not in the folio.

Oth.

Had it pleased Heaven
To try me with affliction; had he rained
All kinds of sores, and shames, on my bare head;
Steeped me in poverty to the very lips;
Given to captivity me and my utmost hopes;
I should have found in some part of my soul
A drop of patience: but (alas!) to make me
A fixed figure, for the time of scorn1
To point his slow, unmoving finger at,-
O! O!

Yet could I bear that too; well, very well:
But there, where I have garnered up my heart;
Where either I must live, or bear no life;
The fountain from the which my current runs,
Or else dries up; to be discarded thence,
Or keep it as a cistern, for foul toads

To knot and gender in!-Turn thy complexion there!
Patience, thou young and rose-lipped cherubim ;
Ay, there, look grim as hell! 2

Des. I hope my noble lord esteems me honest. Oth. O, ay; as summer flies are in the shambles, That quicken even with blowing. O thou weed,3 Who art so lovely fair, and smell'st so sweet,

That the sense aches at thee.-'Would thou hadst ne'er been born!

Des. Alas, what ignorant sin have I committed?
Oth. Was this fair paper, this most goodly book,

1 Rowe reads "the hand of scorn," a satisfactory emendation; and it is to be wished that there was sufficient authority to admit it into the text. Steevens thinks the old reading right, saying, that Othello takes his idea from a clock.

The folio reads and moving instead of unmoving; but the reading adopted in the text is probably correct, and the meaning seems to be, that the finger of scorn never moves from, or ceases to point at its object.

2 "At such an object do thou, patience, thyself change color; at this do thou, even thou, rosy cherub as thou art, look grim as hell." The old copies have, "I here look grim as hell." I was written for ay; and here was an evident error of the press for there. Theobald made the correction.

3 The quarto reads:

“O thou black weed, why art so lovely fair?

Thou smell'st so sweet, that the sense aches at thee."

Made to write whore upon? What committed!1
Committed!-0, thou public commoner!
I should make very forges of my cheeks,
That would to cinders burn up modesty,
Did I but speak thy deeds. What committed!
Heaven stops the nose at it, and the moon winks;
The bawdy wind, that kisses all it meets,

Is hushed within the hollow mine of earth,
And will not hear it.

Impudent strumpet!
Des.

What committed!

By Heaven, you do me wrong.

Oth. Are not you a strumpet?
Des.

No, as I am a Christian.

If to preserve this vessel for my lord,"
From any other foul, unlawful touch,
Be-not to be a strumpet, I am none.
Oth. What, not a whore?
Des.

Oth. Is it possible?

Des. O Heaven, forgive us!

Oth.

No, as I shall be saved.

I cry you mercy, then;

I took you for that cunning whore of Venice,
That married with Othello.-You, mistress,

Re-enter EMILIA.

That have the office opposite to saint Peter,
And keep the gate of hell; you! you! ay, you!
We have done our course; there's money for your
pains ;

I pray you, turn the key, and keep our counsel. [Exit.
Emil. Alas, what does this gentleman conceive?
How do you, madam? how do you, my good lady?
Des. Faith, half asleep.

Emil. Good madam, what's the matter with my lord?

Des. With who?

1 This and the three following lines are not in the first quarto. 2 This expression is from Sacred Writ:-" To possess his vessel in sanctification."

Emil.

Why, with my lord, madam.

Des. Who is thy lord ?1

Emil.

He that is yours, sweet lady. Des. I have none. Do not talk to me, Emilia;

I cannot weep; nor answer I have none,
But what should go by water. 'Pr'ythee, to-night
Lay on my bed my wedding-sheets,-remember;-
And call thy husband hither.

Emil. Here is a change indeed!

[Exit.

Des. 'Tis meet I should be used so, very meet. How have I been behaved, that he might stick The small'st opinion on my great'st abuse??

Re-enter EMILIA, with IAGO.

Iago. What is your pleasure, madam? How is it with you?

Des. I cannot tell. Those that do teach young

babes,

Do it with gentle means, and easy tasks.

He might have chid me so; for, in good faith,
I am a child to chiding.

Iago.

What's the matter, lady?

Emil. Alas, Iago, my lord hath so bewhored her, Thrown such despite and heavy terms upon her,

As true hearts cannot bear.

Des. Am I that name, Iago?

What name, fair lady?

Iago. Des. Such as she says my lord did say I was. Emil. He called her whore; a beggar in his drink Could not have laid such terms upon his callet.3 Iago. Why did he so?

Des. I do not know; I am sure, I am none such. Iago. Do not weep, do not weep. Alas, the day! Emil. Has she forsook so many noble matches,

1 This and the following speech are not in the quarto.

2 This is the reading of the quarto; which Dr. Johnson thought preferable to the reading of the folio-on my least misuse.

A callet is a trull, a drab. The word is of great antiquity in the English language.

VOL. VII.

62