That, I being absent, and my place supplied,
My general will forget my love and service.

DES. Do not doubt that; before Emilia here,
I give thee warrant of thy place. Assure thee,
If I do vow a friendship I'll perform it
To the last article: my lord shall never rest;
I'll watch him tame, and talk him out of patience;
His.bed shall seem a school, his board a shrift;
I'll intermingle every thing he does

With Cassio's suit: therefore be merry, Cassio,
For thy solicitor shall rather die
Than give thy cause away.

EMIL. Madam, here comes my lord.
CAS. Madam, I'll take my leave.
DES. Why, stay, and hear me speak.

CAS. Madam, not now; I am very ill at ease, Unfit for mine own purposes.

DES. Well; do your discretion. [Exit CASSIO.

a I'll watch him tame,-] See note d, p. 683, Vol. I.

675

(*) First folio, your.

x x 2

I meet the captains at the citadel.

DES. Why then, to-morrow night; or Tuesday [morn ;

morn;

On Tuesday noon, or night; on Wednesday
I pr'ythee name the time; but let it not
Exceed three days: in faith, he's penitent;
And yet his trespass, in our common reason,-
Save that, they say, the wars must make example
Out of their best,-is not almost a fault
To incur a private check. When shall he come?
Tell me, Othello: I wonder in my soul,
What you would ask me, that I should deny,
Or stand so mammering on. What! Michael
Cassio,
[time,

That came a-wooing with you; and so many a
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,—
Отн. Pr'ythee, no more: let him come when
he will;

I will deny thee nothing.

DES. Why, this is not a boon; "T is 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 difficulty, And fearful to be granted.

Отн. I will deny thee nothing: Whereon, I do beseech thee, grant me this, To leave me but a little to myself.

DES. Shall I deny you? no: farewell, my

(*) Old text, her.

lord.

8- mammering-] To mammer meant to hesitate, to be in doubt. In addition to the examples of this word which the commentators have given, the following passage may be cited from Dent's" Plain Man's Path-way to Heaven,"-" They bring such simple folke as we are, into a mammering."

bIt shall be full of poize and difficulty,-] The folio has,

Is he not honest?

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
Ing 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.
Отн.
I think thou dost;
And, for I know thou'rt full of love and honesty,
And weigh'st thy words before thou giv'st them
breath,

If thou but think'st him wrong'd, and makʼst 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,)—that your wisdom
From one that so imperfectly conceits,
Would take no notice; nor build yourself
trouble

Out of his scattering and unsure observance :-
It were not for your quiet nor your good,
Nor for my manhood, honesty, and wisdom,
To let you know my thoughts.

Отн.

:

a

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; 't is something-
nothing; a
[thousands;

'T was mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to
But he that filches from me my good name,
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.(1)

Oтн. By heaven,† I'll know thy thoughts!
IAGO. You cannot, if my heart were in your

hand;

(t) First folio omits, By heaven.

(*) First folio, of. a't is something-nothing ;] This is invariably printed, "something, nothing;" but "something-nothing" appears to have been one of those compound epithets to which our old writers were so partial, and of which the plays before us afford very many more examples than have ever been noted. The precise meaning of the phrase it is not easy to determine, the only instance of its use we have met with being the following:-"Before this newes was stale came a taile of freshe s2mmon to countermand it with certain newes of a something nothing, and a priest that was neither dead nor alive, but suspended between both."A Watch Bayte to Spare Provender, &c. &c. 4to. 1604. It appears, however, to have been nearly equivalent to the expression, neither here nor there.

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 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,
Receive it from me :-I speak not yet of proof.
Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio;
Wear your eyes 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

Is not to leav't undone, but keep't unknown.
Отн. Dost thou say so?

IAGO. She did deceive her father, marrying you; And when she seem'd to shake and fear your looks, She lov'd them most.

Why, go to, then She that, so young, could give out such a seeming, To seel her father's eyes up, close as oak,—1

soundly loves!] So the folio, in support of which Mr. Dyce quotes from "Henry V." Act V. Sc. 2,- O, fair Katherine, if you will love me soundly with your French heart," &c. The quartos have," suspects, yet strongly loves;" and a few modern editions read, "fondly loves."

d But riches fineless is as poor as winter,-] Riches fineless, are treasures endless, unnumbered. Shakespeare before in this play uses "riches" as a singular,

"The riches of the ship is come on shore." exsufficate-] This word, in the old copies spelt exufflicate, Dr. Richardson considers, not improbably, "a misprint for exsufflate, i.e. effiate, or efflated, puffed out, and consequently, exaggerated, extravagant," &c.

f To seel her father's eyes up, close as oak.-] The technical term to seel, which has been before explained, would lead us to suspect the poet wrote,-"close as hawk's."

He thought 't was witchcraft:-but I am much to blame;

I humbly do beseech you of your pardon,

For too much loving you.

Отн.
I am bound to thee for ever.
IAGO. I see this hath a little dash'd your
spirits.

OTн. Not a jot, not a jot.
IAGO.

I' faith,* I fear it has.
I hope you will consider what is spoke
Comes from my love;-but I do see you're
mov'd:-

I am to pray you not to strain my speech

To grosser issues nor to larger reach,

Than to suspicion.

Отн. I will not.

IAGO.

Should you do so, my lord,

My speech should fall into such vile success

IAGO. [Returning.] My lord, I would I might entreat your honour

To scan this thing no farther; leave it to time:
Although 't is fit that Cassio have his place,—
For, sure, he fills it up with great ability,—
Yet, if you please to hold* him off awhile,
You shall by that perceive him and his means:
Note, if your lady strain his entertainment
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,—
As worthy cause I have to fear I am,—
And hold her free, I do beseech your honour.
Отн. Fear not my government.

IAGO. I once more take my leave.
Отн. This fellow 's of exceeding honesty,

[Exit.

And knows all qualities, with a learned spirit
Of human dealings. If I do prove her haggard,

worthy friend :

My lord, I see you're mov'd.

Отн.

No, not much mov'd:— I do not think but Desdemona's honest. IAGO. Long live she so! and long live you to think so!

Отн. 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 disproportions, 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.

Farewell, farewell :

Отн.
If more thou dost perceive, let me know more ;-
Set on thy wife to observe.-Leave me, Iago.

IAGO. My lord, I take my leave. [Going. Отн. Why did I marry?—This honest creature, doubtless,

Sces and knows more, much more, than he unfolds.

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 soft parts of conversation
That chamberers have; or, for I am declin'd
Into the vale of years,-yet that's not much ;-
She's gone; I am abus'd; 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 vapour of a dungeon,
Than keep a corner in the thing I love,
For others' uses. Yet, 't is the plague of† great

ones;

Prerogativ'd 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 :
If she be false, O, then heaven mocks itself! —"
I'll not believe 't.

Re-enter DESDEMONA, and EMILIA.

DES. How now, my dear Othello! Your dinner, and the generous islanders By you invited, do attend your presence.

f - forked plague-] Malone quotes an Epigram of Sir John Harrington which very happily illustrates this expression:"Actæon guiltless unawares espying Naked Diana bathing in her bowre,

Was plagu'd 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."
Desdemona comes:
If she be false, O, then, heaven mocks itself!-]
So the quartos; in the folio we have,-

g