I have no judgment in an honest face. Oth. Went he hence now? Des. Ay, sooth; so humbled, That he hath left part of his grief with me, To suffer with him. Good love, call him back. Oth. The sooner, sweet, for you. Des. Shall't be to-night at supper? Des. To-morrow dinner then? No, not to-night. I shall not dine at home: I meet the captains at the citadel. Des. Why then, to-morrow night; or Tuesday morn; And yet his trespass, in our common reason, T' incur a private check. When shall he come? What you could ask me that I should deny, Or stand so mammering on3. What! Michael Cassio, That came a wooing with you, and so many a time, 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,— To suffer with him :] The reading of the folio and of the quarto, 1630: the quarto, 1622, "I suffer with him." 7 On Tuesday noon,] Both quartos have "On Tuesday morn," which must be an error, as "Tuesday morn" is mentioned in the preceding line. Lower down in this speech every old copy reads "Out of her best," a characteristic peculiarity, and a personification of "the wars," which Shakespeare often treats as a substantive in the singular. 8 so mammering on.] This is the word in the folio and quarto, 1630: the quarto, 1622, has muttering. 9 TRUST ME,] The quarto, 1622, “By'r Lady. Oth. Pr'ythee, no more: let him come when he will; I will deny thee nothing. Des. Why, this is not a boon; To your own person: nay, when I have a suit Oth. I will deny thee nothing: To leave me but a little to myself. 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? No farther harm. 1 Oth. Why of thy thought, Iago? Iago. I did not think, he had been acquainted with her. -to do a peculiar profit] Malone here omits "a," probably "for the sake of the measure;" as if the line, as it stands in the ancient text, could not be easily read in the time of ten syllables. 2 - and difficult WEIGHT,] The quarto, 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. Oth. Indeed! ay, indeed:-discern'st thou aught in As if there were some monster in his thought Too hideous to be shown.-Thou dost mean something. In my whole course of wooing, thou criedst, "Indeed!" Some horrible conceit1. If thou dost love me, 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; Are tricks of custom; but in a man that's just, 3 BY HEAVEN, he echoes me,] Thus the quarto, 1622: the folio, tamely and poorly, (perhaps in compliance with the correction of the Master of the Revels) "Alas! he echoes me;" and the quarto, 1630, "Why dost thou echo me?" The quarto, 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 quartos) "Of my whole course," &c. • Some horrible CONCEIT.] The quarto, 1622, alone reads "horrible counsel." 5 They are close DELATIONS,] The word denotements stands in the quarto 1622, for "delations" of the folio and of the quarto, 1630. "Delations" are VOL. VII. 0 0 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; 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, and in session sit With meditations lawful? accusations or informations, and in this sense Ben Jonson uses the verb to delate in his " Volpone," Act 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. • I dare be sworn,] The quarto, 1622, “I dare presume.” 7 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 quartos agree in our text. Modern editors, in various places, in this scene and others, adopt the reading of the folio, 1623, when it suits them, and abandon it when they find it convenient to follow the wording of the quartos, but without notice in either case; so that no accurate judgment can from thence be formed of the real state of the text in any of the editions. 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?' 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. I do beseech you, Iago. Though I, perchance, am vicious in my guess, (As, I confess, it is my nature's plague To spy into abuses, and oft my jealousy9 Shapes faults that are not)-that your wisdom yet', Would take no notice; nor build yourself a trouble 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 thoughts3. Iago. You cannot, if my heart were in your hand; Nor shall not, whilst 'tis in my custody. 9 Oth. Ha! Iago. O! beware, my lord, of jealousy; and OFT my jealousy] So both the quartos: the folio of for "oft," probably a typographical error. that your wisdom yet,] The follo omits "yet," found in the quarto, 1630, and completing the line: it had probably dropped out at the end of the verse. The quarto, 1622, "I entreat you, then." In the next line it has conjects for "conceits" of the folio, and quarto, 1630. 2 honesty, or wisdom,] The folio alone has "honesty and wisdom." For Othello's next speech, "What dost thou mean?" the quarto, 1622, has only the exclamation "Zounds !" 3 By heaven, I'll know thy thoughts.] The folio and quarto, 1630, omit "By heaven;" the Master of the Revels had, no doubt, here also corrected the manuscripts from which they were printed. The quarto, 1622, contains the words. |