Witness, that here Iago doth give up
The execution of his wit, hands, heart,
To wrong'd Othello's service. Let him command,
And to obey shall be in me remorse,
What bloody work soe'er.
Oth.

I greet thy love,
Not with vain thanks, but with acceptance bounteous,
And will upon the instant put thee to’t.
Within these three days let me hear thee say,
That Cassio's not alive.

Iago. My friend is dead : 'tis done at your request;
But let her live.
Oth.

Damn her, lewd minx! Oh, damn her!
Come, go with me apart; I will withdraw,
To furnish me with some swift means of death
For the fair devil. Now art thou my lieutenant.
Iago. I am your own for ever.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV.

The Same.

Enter DESDEMONA, EMILIA, and Clown.
Des. Do you know, sirrah, where the lieutenant Cassio
lies?
Clo. I dare not say he lies any

where. Des. Why, man?

Clo. He is a soldier'; and for one to say a soldier lies, is stabbing

Des. Go to. Where lodges he?
Clo. To tell you where he lodges, is to tell you where I lie.
Des. Can any thing be made of this $ ?
Clo. I know not where he lodges; and for me to devise a

H

lodging, and say, he lies here, or he lies there, were to lie in mine own throat.

Des. Can you inquire him out, and be edified by report ?

Clo. I will catechize the world for him ; that is, make questions, and by them answer.

Des. Seek him; bid him come hither: tell him, I have moved my lord in his behalf, and hope all will be well.

Clo. To do this is within the compass of man's wit; and therefore I will attempt the doing it.

[Exit. Des. Where should I lose that handkerchief, Emilia ? Emil. I know not, madam.

Des. Believe me, I had rather have lost my purse Full of cruzadoes'; and but

my

noble Moor
Is true of mind, and made of no such baseness
As jealous creatures are, it were enough
To put him to ill thinking.
Emil.

Is he not jealous ?
Des. Who? he! I think the sun, where he was born,
Drew all such humours from him.
Emil.

Look, where he comes.

Enter OTHELLO.

Des. I will not leave him now, till Cassio Be call’d to him.—How is't with you, my lord ? Oth. Well, my good lady. -[Aside.] Oh, hardness to

dissemble ! How do you, Desdemona ? Des.

Well, my good lord. Oth. Give me your hand. This hand is moist, my lady. Des. It yet has felt no age’, nor known no sorrow.

Oth. This argues fruitfulness, and liberal heart. Hot, hot and moist : this hand of your's requires A sequester from liberty, fasting and praying », Much castigation, exercise devout;

9 – he lies here, or] These words are only in the folio : there are other smaller variations in this part of the scene.

cruzadoes ;] A Portuguese gold coin, so called from the cross stamped upon it. Our text of the preceding line is that of the folio : the 4tos. have it, “ Believe me, I had rather lose my purse.”

? It yet has felt no age,] The folio omits “yet” to the injury of the line ; but it is inserted in MS. in the corr. fo. 1632.

3 -- fasting and PRAYING,] Our reading is that of the two 4tos : the folio has “ fasting and prayer.”

VOL. VI.

a

For here's a young and sweating devil here,
That commonly rebels. 'Tis a good hand;
A frank one.

Des. You may, indeed, say so;
For 'twas that hand that gave away my heart.

Oth. A liberal hand : the hearts of old gave hands,
But our new heraldry is-hands, not hearts.

Des. I cannot speak of this. Come now, your promise.
Oth. What promise, chuck ?
Des. I have sent to bid Cassio come speak with you.

Oth. I have a salt and sullen rheum offends me:
Lend me thy handkerchief.
Des.

Here, my lord.
Oth. That which I gave you.
Des.

I have it not about me.
Oth. Not ?
Des.

No, indeed, my lord.
Oth.

That is a fault.
That handkerchief
Did an Egyptian to my mother give;
She was a charmers, and could almost read
The thoughts of people: she told her, while she kept it,
'Twould make her amiable, and subdue my father
Entirely to her love; but if she lost it,
Or made a gift of it, my father's eye
Should hold her loathed, and his spirits should hunt
After new fancies. She, dying, gave it me;
And bid me, when my fate would have me wive',

,
To give it her. I did so; and take heed on’t:
Make it a darling like your precious eye;
To lose or give't away, were such perdition
As nothing else could match.
Des.

Is't possible?

a

and sullen rheum] “ Sullen” is the epithet in both the 4tos : the folio changes it to sorry. Perhaps the poet's word was sudden, to which it is altered in the corr. fo. 1632. The same emendation, and on the same authority, is proposed in “ King John,” A. i. sc. 1, Vol. iv. p. 126.

s She was a CHARMER,] i. e. An enchantress, or compounder of charms, a word in frequent use in Shakespeare's age.

6 Entirely to her love; but if she lost it,] In the 4to, 1622, between p. 56, and p. 57 (for both it and the 4to, 1630, are paged, a rather unusual circumstance), this line is accidentally repeated.

would have me wive,] The folio, only, has wiv'd for “ wive:” lower down it has “to lose 't.” Two lines above for " loathed” of the folio, and 4to, 1630, the 4to, 1622, has loathly.

7

Oth. 'Tis true: there's magic in the web of it.
A sibyl, that had number'd in the world
The sun to course two hundred compasses,
In her prophetic fury sew'd the work ;
The worms were hallow'd that did breed the silk,
And it was died in mummy, which the skilful
Conserv'd of maiden's hearts.
Des.

Indeed ! is't true?
Oth. Most veritable; therefore look to't well.
Des. Then, would to heaven that I had never seen it !
Oth. Ha! wherefore ?
Des. Why do you speak so startingly and rash ?
Oth. Is’t lost ? is't gone? speak, is it out o' the way?
Des. Heaven bless us !
Oth.

Say you ?
Des. It is not lost; but what an if it were ?
Oth. How ?
Des. I say, it is not lost.
Oth.

Fetch't, let me see't.
Des. Why, so I can, sir; but I will not now.
This is a trick, to put me from my

suit: I pray, let Cassio be receiv'd again.

Oth. Fetch me that handkerchief: my mind misgives.

Des. Come, come;
You'll never meet a more sufficient man.

Oth. The handkerchief,
Des.

I

pray, talk me of Cassio.
Oth. The handkerchief',-
Des.

A man that, all his time,
Hath founded his good fortunes on your love;
Shar'd dangers with you ; -

Oth. The handkerchief,-
Des. In sooth, you are to blame.
Oth. Away'!

[Exit OTHELLO. Emil. Is not this man jealous ?

Des. I ne'er saw this before.
Sure, there's some wonder in this handkerchief:
I am most unhappy in the loss of it.

Emil. 'Tis not a year or two shows us a man:
They are all but stomachs, and we all but food;
They eat us hungerly, and when they are full,
They belch us.

Enter Iago and CASSIO.

Look you! Cassio, and my husband. Iago. There is no other way; 'tis she must do't: And, lo, the happiness! go, and importune her.

Des. How now, good Cassio ! what's the news with you ?

Cas. Madam, my former suit. I do beseech you,
That by your virtuous means I may again
Exist, and be a member of his love,
Whom I, with all the office of my heart',
Entirely honour : I would not be delay’d.
If my offence be of such mortal kind,
That nor my service past, nor present sorrows,
Nor purpos'd merit in futurity,
Can ransom me into his love again,
But to know so must be

my

benefit;
So shall I clothe me in a forc'd content,
And shut myself up in some other course,
To fortune's alms *.
Des.

Alas! thrice-gentle Cassio,
My advocation is not now in tune :
My lord is not my lord ; nor should I know him,
Were he in favour, as in humour, alter'd.
So help me every spirit sanctified,

1

1

3

with all the office of my heart,] In the 4to, 1622, only, “with all the duty of my heart." 4 And shut myself up in some other course,

To fortune's alms.] The folio, 1623, and the 4to, 1630, agree in this reading, while the 4to, 1622, has shoot for "shut.” The commentators have been at a difficulty about the meaning, which however seems sufficiently clear to induce us not to disturb the text. We formerly suggested that “ And set myself upon some other course may have been the true lection ; but the corr. fo. 1632 tells us to put it,

“And shift myself upon some other course." This is plausible, but we make no change, because it is by no means imperatively called for.