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Def. Why, this is not a boon:

'Tis as I fhould entreat you wear your gloves,
Or feed on nourishing meats, or keep you warm;
Or fue to you to do peculiar profit

To your own perfon. Nay, when I have fuit
Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed,
It fhall be full of poize and difficulty,
And fearful to be granted.

Oth. I will deny thee nothing.
Whereon I do befeech thee grant me this,
To leave me but a little to myfelf.

Def. Shall I deny you? no: farewel, my Lord. Oth. Farewel, my Defdemona, I'll come ftraight. Def. Emilia, come; be as your fancies teach you; Whate'er you be, I am obedient.

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[Exeunt.

Oth. Excellent wench! perdition catch my foul, But I do love thee; and when I love thee not,

Chaos is come again.

Iago. My noble Lord!

Oib. What doft thou fay, Iago?

Iago. Did Michael Caffio, when you woo'd my Lady, Know of your love?

Oth. He did from first to laft; why doft thou ask?
Iago. But for a fatisfaction of my thought,

No further harm.

Oth. Why of thy thought, Iago?

Jago. I did not think he'd been acquainted with it,

Iago.

(a) The word Wench heretofore carried in it a fenfe no ways fcornful or difparaging, fuch as modern times have annex'd to it: It fignified a young woman, often an amiable woman, fo that fome have thought it a corruption only from the aword Venus. In the play of Antony and Cleopatra A 2. Sc. 3. it is thus ufed: Cleopatra is called, Royal Wench! and in this Play again A& 5. Sc. 9. O ill ftarr'd Wench! So in Fletcher's Bloody Brother Rollo in the midst of his moft paffionate and respectful addreffes to Edith calls her Wench. A&t 5. Sc. 2. 5 wretch ... old edit. Theob, emend.

Oth. O yes, and went between us very oft.

Iago. Indeed?

Oth. Indeed! ay, indeed. Difcern'ft thou aught of that? Is he not honeft?

Iago. Honeft, my Lord!

Oth. Honeft! ay, honeft.

Iago. My Lord, for aught I know.

Oth. What doft thou think?

Iago. Think, my Lord?

[me;

Oib. Think, my Lord! why, by heav'n, thou echo'st As if there were fome monster in thy thought

Too hideous to be fhewn.

Thou doft mean fomething:
I heard thee fay but now, thou lik'dft not that,-
When Caffio left my wife. What did❜ft not like?
And when I told thee, he was of my counsel,

In my whole courfe of wooing; thou cry'dft, indeed?
And didft contract and purfe thy brow together,
As if thou then hadft fhut up in thy brain

Some horrible conceit: if thou doft love me,
Shew me thy thought.

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Iago. My Lord, you know I love you,
Oth. I think thou doft:

And for I know thou'rt full of honesty,`

And weigh'ft thy words before thou giv'ft them breath,
Therefore thefe ftops of thine fright me the more :
For fuch things, in a falfe difloyal knave,

7

Are tricks of cuftom; but in a man that's juft,
They're 'diftillations working from the heart,
That paffion cannot rule.

Iago. For Michael Caffio,

I dare be fworn, I think, that he is honest.
Oth. I think fo too.

Iago. Men fhould be what they feem.

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

I pray

6 of love and honesty,

7 cold dilations or close denotements

thee speak to me as to thy thinkings, As thou doft ruminate; and give thy worst Of thoughts the worst of words.

I pray

Iago. Good my Lord, pardon me. Tho' I am bound to every act of duty,..

I am not bound to that all flaves are free to;

-

Utter my thoughts! Why, fay they're vile and falfe,
As where's that palace whereinto foul things
Sometimes intrude not? who has a breast so pure,
But fome uncleanly apprehenfions

Keep leets and law-days, and in feffions fit

With meditations lawful?

Oth. Thou doft confpire against thy friend, lago, If thou but think'ft him wrong'd, and mak'ft his ear A ftranger to thy thoughts.

1go. I do befeech you,

'Caufe I perchance am vicious in my guess:
As I confefs it is my nature's plague
To fpie into abufe, and oft my jealoufie
Shapes faults that are not; I intreat you then,
From one that fo imperfectly conceits,

Your wifdom would not build your felf a trouble
Out of my fcattering and unfure obfervance:
It were not for your quiet, nor your good,
Nor for my manhood, honefty and wisdom,
To let you know my thoughts.

Oth. What doft thou mean?

Iago. Good name in man and woman, dear my Lord, Is the immediate jewel of their fouls.

Who fteals my purfe fteals trafh, 'tis fomething, nothing; 'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been flave 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. I'll know thy thoughts

Iago. You cannot, if my heart were in your hand; Nor fhall not, whilft 'tis in my cuftody.

Though

Oib.

Oth. Ha!

Iago. Oh, beware, my Lord, of jealousie :
It is a green-ey'd monfter, 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; fufpects, yet ftrongly loves!
Oth. Oh mifery!

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

To him that ever fears he fhall be poor.

Good heaven the fouls of all my tribe defend
From jealousie!

Oth. Why? why is this?

Think'ft thou I'd make a life of jealoufie?
To follow ftill the changes of the moon

With fresh fufpicions? No; to be once in doubt is
'At once to be refolv'd. Exchange me for a goat,
When I fhall turn the bufinefs of my foul

To fuch exfuffolate and blown furmifes,
Matching thy inference. 'Tis not to make me jealous,
To fay my wife is fair, feeds well, loves company,
Is free of fpeech, fings, plays, and dances well;
Where virtue is, thefe are most virtuous.
Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw
The smallest fear, or doubt of her revolt;
For fhe had eyes, and chofe me. No, lago,
I'll fee before I doubt; when I doubt, prove;
And on the proof, there is no more but this,
Away at once with love, and jealoufie.

Iago. I'm glad of this; for now I fhall have reafon
To fhew the love and duty that I bear you
With franker fpirit. Therefore, as I'm bound,
Receive it from me. I fpeak not yet of proof.
Look to your wife, obferve her well with Cafia,
Wear your eye, thus; not jealous, nor fecure;
I would not have your free and noble nature

9 mock

..Out

I once 2 exufflicate 3 or... old edit. Warb, emend.

Out of felf-bounty be abus'd; look to't.
I know our country difpofition well;
In Venice they do let heav'n fee the pranks

They dare not fhew their husbands; their beft confcience
Is not to leave't undone, but keep't unknown.

Oth. Doft thou fay fo?

Iago. She did deceive her father, marrying you; And when the feem'd to fhake, and fear your looks, She lov'd them moft.

Oth. And fo fhe did.

Iago. Go to then ;

She that fo young could give out fuch a feeming
To feal her father's eyes up, clofe as oak-

He thought 'twas witchcraft-but I'm much to blame:

I humbly do befeech you of your pardon,

For too much loving you.

Oth. I'm bound to you for ever.

Iago. I fee this hath a little dash'd your spirits.
Oth. Not a jot, not a jot.

lago. Trust me, I fear it has:

I hope you will confider what is fpoke

Comes from my love. But I do fee you're mov'd

I am to pray you not to ftrain my speech

To groffer iffues, nor to larger reach,

Than to fufpicion.

Oth. I will not.

lago. Should you do fo, my Lord,

My fpeech would fall into fuch vile fuccefs,

Which my thoughts aim not at. Caffio's my worthy friend. My Lord, I fee you're mov'd

Oth. No, not much mov'd

I do not think but Defdemona's honeft.

Jago. Long live fhe fo; and long live you to think fo! Oth. And yet how nature erring from it felf

lago. Ay, there's the point; -as (to be bold with you) Not to affect many propofed matches

Of her own clime, complexion and degree,
Whereto we fee in all things nature tends:

Foh!

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