Imatges de pàgina
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Why he hath thus enfnar'd my foul and body?

Jago. Demand me nothing; what you know, you know;

From this time forth I never will speak word.

Lod. What? not to pray?

Gra. Torments will ope your lips.

Oth. Well, thou dost best.

Lod. Sir you shall understand what hath befaln,
Which as I think, you know not; here's a letter,
Found in the pocket of the flain Rodrigo,
And here another, one of them imports
The death of Caffio to be undertook
By Rodorigo.

Oth. Oh villain!

Caf. Most heathenish and moft gross!

Lod. Now, here's another discontented paper
Found in his pocket too; and this it seems
Rodrigo meant t'have sent this damned villain;
But that belike Jago in the interim
Came in, and fatisfy'd him.

Oth. Oh thou pernicious caitiff!

How came you, Caffio, by that handkerchief
That was my wife's?

Caf. I found it in my chamber;

And he himself confeft it but even now,
That there he dropt it for a special purpose,
Which wrought to his defire.

Oth. Oh fool, fool, fool!

Caf. There is befides, in Rodorigo's letter, How he upbraids Jago that he made him Brave me upon the watch; whereon it came That I was caft; and even now he spake After long seeming dead, Jago hurt him, Jago let him on.

Lod.

1

Lod. You must forfake this room, and go with us;
Your pow'r and your command is taken off,
And Caffio rules in Cyprus. For this slave,
If there be any cunning cruelty,

That can torment him much and hold him long,
It fhall be his. You fhall close prisoner rest,
Till that the nature of your fault be known
To the Venetian state. Come, bring away.

Oth. Soft you; a word or two before you go.
I've done the state some service, and they know't;
No more of that. I pray you in your letters,
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
Speak of me, as I am. Nothing extenuate,
Nor fet down ought in malice. Then must you speak
Of one that lov'd not wifely, but too well;
Of one, not eafily jealous; but being wrought,
Perplex'd in the extream; of one whose hand,
Like the base † Indian, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe; of one, whose eyes
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their medicinal gum. Set you down this.
And fay befides, that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turban'd Turk
Beat a Venetian, and traduc'd the ftate,
I took by th' throat the circumcised dog,
And smote him, thus.

Lod. Oh bloody period!
Gra. All that is fpoke is marr'd.

[Stabs himself.

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In the first edition it is Judian, occafion'd probably by the word Tribe just after, but the common reading is better; as the word Tribe is applicable to any race of people, and the thought of an ignorant Indian's cafting away a pearl very natural in itself, whereas to make fenfe of the other, one must prefuppofe fome particular ftory of a Jew alluded to, which is much less obvious.

Oth.

Oth. I kift thee, ere I kill'd thee. No way but this,

Killing my self, to die upon a kiss.

[Dies.

Caf. This did I fear, but thought he had no weapon;

For he was great of heart.

Lod. Oh Spartan dog!

More fell than anguish, hunger, or the fea!
Look on the tragick loading of this bed;
This is thy work; the object poifons fight,
Let it be hid. Gratiano, keep the house,
And seize upon the fortunes of the Moor,
For they fucceed to you. To you, lord governor,
Remains the cenfure of this hellish villain':
The time, the place, the torture, oh inforce it.
My felf will straight aboard, and to the state,
This heavy act, with heavy heart, relate.

The End of SHAKESPEAR'S Plays.

[Exeunt.

INDEX

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