As where's that palace, whereinto foul things
Sometimes intrude not? Who has a breast so pure,
But some uncleanly apprehensions

Keep leets, and law-days, and in session sit
With meditations lawful?

Oth. Thou dost conspire against thy friend, Iago, If thou but think'st him wronged, and mak'st his ear A stranger to thy thoughts.

Iago.

I do beseech you,—
Though I, perchance, am vicious in my guess,
As, I confess, it is my nature's plague

To spy into abuses; and, oft, my jealousy
Shapes faults that are not,—I entreat you, then,
From one that so imperfectly conjects,1

You'd take no notice; nor build yourself a trouble
Out of his scattering and unsure observance.
It were not for your quiet, nor your good,
Nor for my manhood, honesty, or wisdom,
To let you know my thoughts.

What dost thou mean?

Oth. Iago. Good name, in man and woman, dear my lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls.

Who steals my purse, steals trash; 'tis something,

nothing.

'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands;

But he that filches from me my good name,

Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.

Oth. By Heaven, I'll know thy thought.

Iago. You cannot, if my heart were in heart were in your hand; Nor shall not, whilst 'tis in my custody.

Oth. Ha!

Iago.

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster, which doth make 2

1 i. e. conjectures. Thus the quarto 1622. The folio reads:

2 The old copy reads mock. The emendation is Hanmer's. The slight

alteration of the text renders it more clear and poetical.

The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss,
Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger;
But, O, what damned minutes tells he o'er,

Who dotes, yet doubts; suspects, yet strongly loves! Oth. O, misery!

Iago. Poor, and content, is rich, and rich enough; But riches, fineless,' is as poor as winter,

To him that ever fears he shall be poor.

Good Heaven, the souls of all my tribe defend
From jealousy!

Oth.

Why! why is this?

Think'st thou, I'd make a life of jealousy,

To follow still the changes of the moon

With fresh suspicions? No; to be once in doubt,
Is-once to be resolved. Exchange me for a goat
When I shall turn the business of my soul
To such exsufflicate and blown surmises,
Matching thy inference. 'Tis not to make me jealous,
To say-my wife is fair, feeds well, loves company,
Is free of speech, sings, plays, and dances well;
Where virtue is, these are more virtuous;
Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw
The smallest fear, or doubt of her revolt;
For she had eyes, and chose me. No, lago;
I'll see, before I doubt; when I doubt, prove;
And, on the proof, there is no more but this,
Away at once with love, or jealousy.

Iago. I am glad of this, for now I shall have reason
To show the love and duty that I bear you
With franker spirit; therefore, as I am bound,

1 i. e. endless, unbounded. Warburton observes that this is finely expressed-winter producing no fruits.

2 No instance of this word has elsewhere occurred. "It seems to me (says Mr. Todd), that all the critics have overlooked the meaning of the passage. Exsufficates may be traced to the low Latin ersufflare, to spit down upon, an ancient form of exorcising; and, figuratively, to spit out in abhorrence or contempt. See Du Cange, in v. exsufflare. Exsufficate may thus signify contemptible; and Othello may be supposed to mean, that he would not change the noble designs, that then employed his thoughts, for contemptible and despicable surmises."-Johnson's Dict. in v. exsuffolate.

3. e. such as you have mentioned in describing the torments of Jealousy.

VOL. VII.

58

Receive it from me.-I speak not yet of proof.
Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio ;
Wear your eye-thus, not jealous, nor secure.
I would not have your free and noble nature,
Out of self-bounty,' be abused; look to't.
I know our country disposition well;

In Venice they do let heaven see the pranks

They dare not show their husbands; their best con

science

Is-not to leave undone, but keep unknown.

Oth. Dost thou say so?

Iago. She did deceive her father, marrying you; And, when she seemed to shake, and fear your looks, She loved them most.

Oth. Iago.

And so she did.

Why, go to, then;

She that, so young, could give out such a seeming,
To seel her father's eyes up, close as oak,2—

He thought 'twas witchcraft.-But I am much to

blame:

I humbly do beseech you of your pardon,

For too much loving you.

Oth.

I am bound to thee forever.

Trust me, I fear it has.

Iago. I see this hath a little dashed your spirits.
Oth. Not a jot, not a jot.

Iago.

I hope you will consider, what is spoke

Comes from my love;-but I do see you are moved.—

I am to pray you not to strain my speech

To grosser issues,3 nor to larger reach,

Than to suspicion.

Oth. I will not.

Iago.

Should you do so, my lord,

My speech should fall into such vile success

1 Self-bounty for inherent generosity.

4

2 An expression from falconry: to seel a hawk is to sew up his eyelids. Close as oak means as close as the grain of oak.

3 Issues for conclusions.

4 Success here means consequence or event. So in Sidney's Arcadia, p. 39, ed. 1613:-" Straight my heart misgave me some evil success."

I do not think but Desdemona's honest.

Iago. Long live she so! and long live you to think so! Oth. And yet, how nature, erring from itself,— Iago. Ay, there's the point.-As,-to be bold with

you,

Not to affect many proposed matches,

Of her own clime, complexion, and degree;
Whereto, we see, in all things nature tends:
Foh! one may smell, in such, a will' most rank,
Foul disproportion, thoughts unnatural.—
But pardon me; I do not, in position,
Distinctly speak of her: though I may fear,
Her will, recoiling to her better judgment,
May fall to match you with her country forms,
And (happily) repent.

Oth.

Farewell, farewell.
If more thou dost perceive, let me know more; ·
Set on thy wife to observe. Leave me, lago.
Iago. My lord, I take my leave.

[Going.

Oth. Why did I marry? This honest creature,

doubtless,

Sees and knows more, much more, than he unfolds.
Iago. My lord, I would I might entreat your honor
To scan this thing no further; leave it to time;
And though it be fit that Cassio have his place.
(For, sure, he fills it up with great
ability,)
Yet, if you please to hold him off a while,
You shall by that perceive him and his means.
Note, if your lady strain his entertainment 3
With any strong or vehement importunity;
Much will be seen in that. In the mean time,
Let me be thought too busy in my fears,

1 Will for inclination or desire. A rank will is a lustful inclination.
2 "You shall discover whether he thinks his best means, his most power-

ful interest, is by the solicitation of your lady."

3 i. e. press hard his readmission to his pay and office. Entertainment was the military term for the admission of soldiers.

(As worthy cause I have to fear-I am,)
And hold her free, I do beseech your honor.
Oth. Fear not my government.1
Iago. I once more take my leave.

5

[Exit.

Oth. This fellow's of exceeding honesty, And knows all qualities, with a learned spirit 2 Of human dealings. If I do prove her haggard, Though that her jesses were my dear heart-strings, I'd whistle her off, and let her down the wind, To prey at fortune. Haply, for I am black; And have not those softs parts of conversation That chamberers have; or, for I am declined Into the vale of years;-yet that's not much;She's gone; I am abused; and my relief Must be to loathe her. O, curse of marriage, That we can call these delicate creatures ours, And not their appetites! I had rather be a toad, And live upon the vapor of a dungeon, Than keep a corner in the thing I love,

For others' uses. Yet 'tis the plague of great ones, Prerogatived are they less than the base;

'Tis destiny unshunnable, like death;

Even then this forked plague is fated to us,
When we do quicken.

Desdemona comes.

1 Do not distrust my ability to contain my passion.

2 Learned for experienced.

3 Haggard is wild, and therefore libertine. A haggard falcon was a wild hawk that had preyed for herself long before she was taken; sometimes also called a ramage falcon. Haggard was also a term of reproach, sometimes applied to a wanton.

4 Jesses are short straps of leather tied about the foot of a hawk, by which she is held on the fist.-"The falconers always let fly the hawk against the wind; if she flies with the wind behind her, she seldom returns. If, therefore, a hawk was for any reason to be dismissed, she was let down the wind, and from that time shifted for herself and preyed at fortune."

5 Men of intrigue.

6 One of sir John Harington's Epigrams will illustrate this forked plague.

"Acteon guiltless unawares espying

Naked Diana bathing in her bowre

Was plagued with hornes; his dogs did him devoure;
Wherefore take heed, ye that are curious, prying,
With some such forked plague you be not smitten,
And in your foreheads see your faults be written."

7 i. e. when we begin to live.