When I have spoke of you dispraisingly,

Hath ta'en your part, to have so much to do

To bring him in! Trust me, I could do much,—

Oth. Pr'ythee, no more: let him come when he will, I will deny thee nothing.

Des.

Why, this is not a boon;

"Tis as I should entreat you wear your gloves,
Or feed on nourishing dishes, or keep you warm,
Or sue to you to do a peculiar profit

To your own person: nay, when I have a suit
Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed,
It shall be full of poize and difficult weight',
And fearful to be granted.

Oth.
Whereon, I do beseech thee, grant me this,

I will deny thee nothing:

To leave me but a little to myself.

Des. Shall I deny you? no. Farewell, my lord. Oth. Farewell, my Desdemona: I'll come to thee straight. Des. Emilia, come.-Be it as your fancies teach you; Whate'er you be, I am obedient.

[Exit, with EMILIA. Oth. Excellent wretch'! Perdition catch my soul,

But I do love thee, and when I love thee not,

Chaos is come again.

Iago. My noble lord,

Oth.

What dost thou say, Iago?

Iago. Did Michael Cassio, when you woo'd my lady,

Know of your love?

Oth. He did, from first to last: why dost thou ask?
Iago. But for a satisfaction of my thought;

No farther harm.

Oth.

Why of thy thought, Iago?

Iago. I did not think, he had been acquainted with her. Oth. Oh, yes; and went between us very oft.

Iago. Indeed?

Oth. Indeed! ay, indeed :-discern'st thou aught in that? Is he not honest ?

2 TRUST ME,] The 4to, 1622, By'r Lady, which may have been objected to by the Master of the Revels.

3- and DIFFICULT WEIGHT,] The 4to, 1622, alone has difficulty for "difficult weight." Lower down the folio misprints he for "you," in "when you woo'd my lady," which makes nonsense of the passage.

* Excellent WRETCH!] A term of endearment and not of reproach, used also by Davenant in his "Cruel Brother." Such words are resorted to, when those implying love, admiration, and delight seem inadequate.

VOL. VI.

F

As if there were some monster in his thought
Too hideous to be shown.-Thou dost mean something.
I heard thee say but now,-thou lik'dst not that,
When Cassio left my wife: what didst not like ?
And, when I told thee, he was of my counsel

In my whole course of wooing, thou criedst, "Indeed!"
And didst contract and purse thy brow together,
As if thou then hadst shut up in thy brain

Some horrible conceit. If thou dost love me,
Show me thy thought.

Iago. My lord, you know I love you.

Oth.
I think, thou dost;
And, for I know thou art full of love and honesty,

And weigh'st thy words before thou giv'st them breath,--
Therefore, these stops of thine fright me the more;
For such things, in a false disloyal knave,

Are tricks of custom; but in a man that's just,
They are close delations', working from the heart,
That passion cannot rule.

Iago.

For Michael Cassio, I dare be sworn,-I think that he is honest. Oth. I think so too.

Iago.

Men should be what they seem ;

5 By HEAVEN, he echoes me,] Thus the 4to, 1622: the folio, tamely and flatly (perhaps in compliance with the correction of the Master of the Revels), "Alas! he echoes me;" and the 4to, 1630, "Why dost thou echo me?" The 4to, 1622, has also consistently, "his thought," in the next line. Lower down, the folio misprints "In my whole course of wooing" (as it is given in both 4tos), "Of my whole course," &c. It is "In my whole course in the corr. fo. 1632. 6 Some horrible CONCEIT.] The 4to, 1622, alone reads "horrible counsel." 7 They are CLOSE DELATIONS,] The word denotements stands in the 4to, 1622, for "delations" of the folio, and of the 4to, 1630. "Delations" are accusations or informations, and in this sense Ben Jonson uses the verb to delate in his Volpone," A. ii. sc. 3,

"Yet, if I do it not, they may delate

My slackness to my patron."

The second folio misprints "close" cold, in the same line.

8 I dare BE SWORN,] The 4to, 1622, poorly, "I dare presume."

Or, those that be not, would they might seem none !
Oth. Certain, men should be what they seem.
Iago. Why, then, I think Cassio's an honest man.
Oth. Nay, yet there's more in this.

I pray thee, speak to me as to thy thinkings,

As thou dost ruminate; and give thy worst of thoughts
The worst of words.

Iago.

Good my lord, pardon me:

Though I am bound to every act of duty,

I am not bound to that all slaves are free to '.

Utter my thoughts? Why, say, they are vile and false,— 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 10, and in session sit

With meditations lawful?

Oth. Thou dost conspire against thy friend, Iago,
If thou but think'st him wrong'd, 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

Το spy into abuses, and oft my jealousy'

Shapes faults that are not)-that your wisdom yet?,
From one that so imperfectly conceits,

Would take no notice; nor build yourself a trouble
Out of his scattering and unsure observance.

I am not bound to that all slaves are free To.] The folio misprints the line thus corruptly :

"I am not bound to that: All slaves are free." The two 4tos. agree in our text.

10 Keep LEETS, and LAW-DAYS,] Steevens has the following note, “Leets and law-days, are synonymous terms: "Leet (says Jacob, in his Law Dictionary) is otherwise called a law-day." They are there explained to be courts, or meetings of the hundred, "to certify the king of the good manners, and government, of the inhabitants," and to inquire of all offences that are not capital. The poet's meaning will now be plain: "who has a breast so little apt to form ill opinions of others, but that foul suspicion will sometimes mix with his fairest and most candid thoughts, and erect a court in his mind, to inquire of the offences apprehended?" The folio, 1623, above, has Wherein for " But some."

1- and oft my jealousy] So both the 4tos: the folio of for "oft," probably a mere typographical error.

2 - that your wisdom YET,] The folio omits "yet," found in the 4to, 1630, and completing the line: it had probably dropped out at the end of the verse. The 4to, 1622, "I entreat you, then." In the next line it has conjects for “conceits" of the folio, and 4to, 1630.

It were not for your quiet, nor your good,
Nor for my manhood, honesty, or wisdom',
To let you know my thoughts.

Oth.

What dost thou mean?

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 thoughts.

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

Oth. Ha!

Iago. Oh! beware, my lord, of jealousy;
It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth make
The meat it feeds on: that cuckold lives in bliss,
Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger;
But, oh what damned minutes tells he o'er,

Who dotes, yet doubts; suspects, yet fondly loves' !
Oth. Oh misery!

Iago. Poor and content is rich, and rich enough;

3

honesty, or wisdom,] The folio alone has "honesty and wisdom." For Othello's next speech, "What dost thou mean?" which completes the line, the 4to, 1622, has only the exclamation "Zounds!"

The meat it feeds on:] The old copies, including the second 4to, have "which doth mock," &c.; Sir Thomas Hanmer substituted "make," and that reading has since been generally adopted; though Warburton would justify mock, on the ground that it is to be taken in the sense of loath, which Johnson denies. Mock was of old spelt with a final e, and so it is printed in the two 4tos. and in the folio, and nothing could be much easier than for a compositor to misread "make "" mocke. The sense seems indisputably to require "make," viz. that jealousy creates food for itself; and so strongly did Southern feel this, that in his copy of the fourth folio he altered mock to "make," in his own handwriting such, too, is the emendation in the corr. fo. 1632. We have no difficulty, therefore, in treating mocke as a mere error of the press. It is to be observed, that the 4to, 1630, reads "It is a green-ey'd monster," contrary to the two other ancient authorities, and Southern concurred in this change of the text; but as the alteration does not to us appear necessary, nor even judicious, we adhere to the word in the first 4to. and first folio.

5 yet FONDLY loves!] It is " yet strongly loves" in both the 4tos, and "soundly loves'in the folio, 1623, though some modern editors assert that it is "fondly loves." This is a mistake, yet there is little or no doubt that soundly was a misprint for "fondly:" the emendation in the corr. fo. 1632, is "fondly" for soundly, and Mr. Singer's folio, 1632, fortunately has the same alteration. We do not hesitate, therefore, to print "fondly loves."

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?

Is once to be resolv'd.

No: to be once in doubt,

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, Iago;
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 it'; for now I shall have reason
To show the love and duty that I bear you
With franker spirit: therefore, as I am bound,
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 abus'd; 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 conscience

6 IS ONCE to be resolv'd.] The folio reads merely, "Is to be resolv'd," with much loss of force and meaning; but " once" is added (perhaps from the 4tos.) in the margin of the corr. fo. 1632.

7 To such EXSUFFLICATE and blown surmises,] The meaning of "exsufflicate " is more obvious than its etymology; and if we had any difficulty, it would be removed, perhaps, by the additional epithet "blown (blow'd in the folio). "Exsufflicate" is one of the words, the origin of which must not be traced with too much lexicographical curiosity. See Richardson's Dictionary.

8 — and dances WELL;] The line is clearly incomplete as it stands in the folio, without "well," which is found in both the 4to. impressions. Southern's ear was sensible of the deficiency, and he added the word in MS. in his copy of the folio, 1685,-from what authority does not appear, possibly, recitation.

9 I am glad of IT;] So both the 4tos: the folio, "I am glad of this."