Enter Iago.

Iago. How now? what do you here alone?
Emil. Do not you chide; I have a thing for you.
Tago. You have a thing for me?

It is a common thing

Emil. Ha?

Iago. To have a foolish wife.

Amil. Oh, is that all? What will you give me now For that fame handkerchief?

Iago. What handkerchief?

Emil. What handkerchief?

Why, that the Moor firft gave to Desdemona;
That which fo often you did bid me steal.
Iago. Haft ftolen it from her?

Emil. No; but fhe let it drop by negligence; And, to th' advantage, I, being here, took 't up. Look, here 'tis,

Fago. A good wench, give it me.

Emil. What will you do with 't, you have been fo earneft

To have me filch it?

lego. Why, what is that to you?

[Snatching it

Amil. If 't be not for fome purpose of import, Give 't me again. Poor lady! fhe'll run mad When the fhall lack it.

[Exit Æmil

I will in Caffio's lodging lofe this napkin,
And let him find it. Trifles light as air
Are, to the jealous, confirmations strong
As proofs of holy Writ. This may do fomething,

The Moor already changes with my poifons:
Dang'rous conceits are in their nature poifons,
Which at the first are scarce found to diftatte;
But, with a little act upon the blood,
Burn like the mines of fulphur.-I did fay fo.

Look, where he comes! Not Poppy, nor Mandragora,

Nor all the drowsy Syrups of the world,

? Shall ever med'cine thee to that fweet Sleep, Which thou owedst yesterday.

Oth. Ha! Falfe? To me! to me!

Iago. Why, how now, General? No more of that. Oth. Avant! be gone! thou'ft fet me on the rack. I fwear, 'tis better to be much abus'd,

Than but to know 't a little.

Iago. How, my Lord?

Oth. What fenfe had I of her ftoll'n hours or luft?
I faw 't not, thought it not, it harm'd not me;
I flept the next night well; was free, and merry;
I found not Caffio's kiffes on her lips:

He, that is robb'd, not wanting what is ftoll'n,
Let him not know 't, and he's not robb'd at all.
Iago. I am forry to hear this.

Oth. I had been happy, if the general Camp,

7 Shall ever med'cine thee to debt of nature. WARBURTON. that sweet fleep, Which thou HADST yesterday.] The old quarto reads,

To owe is, in our authour, oftener to poffef, than to be indebted, and fuch was its meaning here; but as that fenfe was grow ing lefs ufual, it was changed unneceffarily by the editors to hadft; to the fame meaning, more intelligibly expreffed. Dd2

Which thou OWEDST yesterday. And this is right, and of much greater force than the common reading; not to fleep, being fine. ly called defrauding the day of a

Pioneers

Pioneers and all, had tasted her fweet body,
So I had nothing known. Oh now, for ever
Farewel the tranquil mind, farewel content,
Farewel the plumed troops, and the big war,
That makes ambition virtue! oh, farewel!
Farewel the neighing fteed, and the fhrill trump,
The fpirit-ftirring drum, th' ear-piercing fife,
The royal banner, and all quality,

Pride, pomp, and circumftance of glorious war!
And, oh, you mortal engines, whofe rude throats
Th' immortal Jove's dread clamours counterfeit,
Farewel! Othello's Occupation's gone!

Iago. Is't poffible, my Lord?

Oth. Villain, be fure, thou prove my love a whore; Be fure of it give me the ocular proof,

[Catching hold on him.

Or, by the worth of mine eternal foul,

Thou hadst been better have been born a dog,
Than answer my wak'd wrath.

Iago. Is 't come to this?

Oth. Make me to fee 't; or, at the leaft, fo prove it, That the probation bear no hinge, nor loop,

To hang a doubt on: or, woe upon thy life!

Iago. My noble Lord

Oth. If thou doft flander her, and torture me,

Farewel the neighing freed, and the fhrill trump, The Spirit-ftirring drum, th'

EAR PIERCING ffe,] The attributes to the trumpet and fife, in the prefent reading, feem to be too much alike for the rich nefs and variety of Shak Spear's ideas. Befides, as the feed and trumpet in the one line where defigned to be characterized by their founds; fo the drum and fife, by their effects on the hearers; as appears in part from the

epithet given to the drum of pirit ftirring: I would read then,

The Spirit-firring drum, th

FEAR 'SPERSING fife, i. e. the fear-difperfing. WARE.

Ear-piercing is an epithet fo eminently adapted to the fife, and fo diftinct from the fhrilness of the trumpet, that it certainly ought not to be changed. Dr. Warburton has been cenfured for this propofed emendation with more noife than honefty, for he did not himself put it in the text.

Never pray more; abandon all remorse;
On horror's head horrors accumulate;

Do deeds to make heaven weep, all earth amaz'd;
For nothing canft thou to damnation add,
Greater than that.

Iago. Oh grace! oh heaven defend me!
Are you a man? have you a foul? or fenfe?
God be w' you. Take mine office.-O wretched fool,
That liv'ft to make thine honefty a vice!

Oh monftrous world! take note, take note, oh world,
To be direct and honeft, is not fafe.

I thank you for this profit, and from hence
I'll love no friend, fith love breeds fuch offence.
Oth. Nay, ftay. Thou shouldft be honest→→→→→
Iago. I fhould be wife, for honefty's a fool,
And lofes what it works for.

I think, my wife is honeft; and think, she is not;
I think, that thou art just; and think, thou art not.
I'll have fome proof. Her name, that was as fresh
As Dian's vifage, is now begrim'd and black

As

my own face. If there be cords, or knivès, Poifon, or fire, or fuffocating streams,

I'll not endure't. 'Would, I were fatisfied!

lago. I fee, Sir, your are eaten up with paffion; I do repent me that I put it to you.

You would be fatisfied?

Oth. Would? nay, and will.

Iago. And may; but how? how fatisfied, my Lord?

Would you be supervisor, grofly gape on?

Behold her tupp'd?

9-abandon all remorse ;] Remorfe, for repentance. WARB.

I rather think it is, Let go all fcruples, throw afide all restraints.

1 By the world, &c.] This fpeech not in the first edition,

Dd 3

POPE.

Oth:

Oth. Death and damnation! oh!

Iago. It were a tedious difficulty, I think,
To bring 'em to that profpect: damn them then,
If ever mortal eyes do fee them bolster,
More than their own. What then? how then?
What fhall I fay? where's fatisfaction?

It is impoffible you fhould fee this,

2

Were they as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys,
As falt as wolves in pride, and fools as grofs
As ignorance made drunk. But yet, I fay,
If imputation and ftrong circumstances,
Which lead directly to the door of truth,
Will give you fatisfaction, you might hav't.
Oth. 3 Give me a living reafon fhe's difloyal,
Jago. I do not like the office;

But fince I'm enter'd in this cause so far,
Prick'd to't by foolish honefty and love,
I will go on. I lay with Caffio lately,
And, being troubled with a raging tooth,
I could not fleep.-

There are a kind of men, fo loose of foul,
That in their fleeps will mutter their affairs;
One of this kind is Caffio:

In fleep I heard him say, "Sweet Defdemona,
"Let us be wary, let us hide our loves!"
And then, Sir, would he gripe, and wring my hand
Cry-"Oh fweet creature!" and then kiss me hard,
As if he pluckt up kiffes by the roots,

That grew upon my lips; then lay his leg
Over my thigh, and figh and kiss, and then
Cry, "Curfed fate! that gave thee to the Moor."
Ob. Oh monftrous! monftrous!
Iago. Nay, this was but his dream:

2 Were they as prime as goals,] Prime, is prompt, from the Celtic or British PRIM, HANMER.

3 Give me a living reason-] Living, for fpeaking, manifeft. WARBURTON. Oth