A man that languifhes in your displeasure.

Oth. Who is't you mean?

Def. Why, your lieutenant Caffio. Good my lord, If I have any grace, or power to move you,

His prefent reconciliation take.

For if he be not one that truly loves you,
That errs in ignorance, and not in cunning,
I have no judgment in an honeft face.
I prethee, call him back.

Oth. Went he hence now?
Def. I, footh, fo humbled,

That he hath left part of his grief with me,
To fuffer with him. Good love, call him back.
Oth. Not now, fweet Defdemona; fome other time.
Def. But fhall't be shortly?

Oth. The fooner, Sweet, for you.
Def. Shall't be to night at fupper?
Oth. Not to night.

Def. To morrow dinner then?
Oth. I fhall not dine at home:

I meet the Captains at the citadel.

Def. Why then to morrow night, or Tuesday morn,
Or Tuesday noon, or night, or Wednesday morn,
I pr'ythee, name the time; but let it not
Exceed three days; in faith, he's penitent:
And yet his trefpafs, in our common reason,
(Save that, they fay, the wars must make examples
Out of their beft,) is not almost a fault

T'incur a private check. When shall he come?
Tell me, Othello. I wonder in my foul,
What you would ask me, that I would deny,
Or ftand fo mutt'ring on? what? Michael Caffio!-
That came a wooing with you, and many a time,
When I have spoke of you difpraifingly,

Hath ta'en your part, to have fo much to do
To bring him in? truft me, I could do much

Oth. Pr'ythee, no more; let him come when he will,

I will deny thee nothing.

Def. Why, this is not a boon:

'Tis as I fhould entreat you wear your gloves,

C

Or

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.

1

Oth. I will deny thee nothing.

Whereon I do befeech thee, grant me this,
To leave me but a little to my self.

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

Manent Othello, and Iago.

[Exeunt.

Oth. Excellent Wench!-Perdition catch my foul, (32) But I do love thee; and when I love thee not,

Chaos is come again.

Iago. My noble lord,

Oth. What doft thou fay, Tago?

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

(32) Excellent Wretch! Perdition catch my Soul,

But I do love thee; &c.] Tho' all the printed Copies concur in this Reading, I think, it is very reasonably to be fufpected. Othello is exclaiming here with Admiration and rapturous Fondnels: but Wretch can scarce be admitted to be used, unless in Compaffion or Contempt. I make no question, but the Poet wrote;

Excellent Wench!- -Perdition catch my foul, &c.

It is to be obferv'd, that, in SHAKESPEARE's time, Wench, Lafs, and Girl were not used in that low and vulgar Acceptation as they are at this time of day; but very frequently with Dignity. To appeal to a few Inftances.

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

No farther harm.

Oth. Why of thy thought, Iago?

Iago. I did not think, he'd been acquainted with it. Oth. Oh, yes, and went between us very oft.

Iago. Indeed!

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

Iago. Honeft, my lord?

Oth. Honeft? ay, honeft.

Iago. My lord, for ought I know.

Oth. What doest thou think?

Iago. Think, my lord!.

Oth. Think, my lord! why, by heaven, thou echo't

me;

As if there were fome monfter in thy thought,

Too hideous to be fhewn. Thou doft mean fomething:
I heard thee fay but now, thou likʼdft 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 shut up in thy brain
Some horrible conceit: if thou doft love me,
Shew me thy thought.

Iago. My lord, you know, I love you.

Oth. I think, thou doft:

And for I know, thou art full of love and honesty,
And weigh'ft thy words before thou giv'ft them breath,
Therefore these ftops of thine fright me the more :
For fuch things, in a falfe difloyal knave,

Are tricks of cuftom; but, in a man that's juft,
They're cold dilations working from the heart, (33)
That paffion cannot rule.

They're clofe denotements working from the heart,

Lag

That Paffion cannot rule.] I cannot fee, why this Reading should be prefer'd into the Text; and another degraded, which makes the Sentiment admirably fine.

The'n

lago. For Michael Caffio,

I dare be fworn, I think, that he is honeft.

Oth. I think fo too.

Iago. Men fhould be what they seem.

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 honeft man.
Oth. Nay, yet there's more in this;

I pray thee, fpeak to me as to thy thinkings,

As thou doft ruminate; and give thy worst of thoughts
The worst of words.

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 breaft fo pure,
But fome uncleanly apprehenfions

Keep leets and law-days, and in feffions fit
With meditations lawful?

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

Iago. I do befeech you,

Though I perchance, am vicious in my Guefs,
(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 scattering and unfure obfervance :
It were not for your quiet, nor your good,
Nor for my manhood, honefty, and wisdom,

They're cold Dilations working from the Heart,
That Paffion cannot rule.

"These Stops and Breaks, which thou mak'ft, (fays Othello). are cold
Dilations, or the cold keeping back a Secret, which Men of phlegma-
"tick Conftitutions, whofe Hearts are not ruled or govern'd by their
Paffions, we find, can do; while more fanguine Tempers reveal them-
"felves at once, and without Referve.
Mr. Warburton.

VOL VII.

E e

I

Το

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; (34)

'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 hands Nor fhall not, whilft 'tis in my custody.

Iago. Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousie; w
It is a green-ey'd monfter, which doth mock.
The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in blifs,
Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger;
But, oh, what damned minutes tells he o'er,
Who doats, yet doubts; fufpects, yet strongly 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

(34) Who fteals my Purfe, fieals Traf; 'tis fomething, nothing;
'Twas mine, 'tis his; and has been Slave to thousands.]

Of Riches, and other temporal Poffeffions, being uncertain, and often changing their Mafters, we meet with feveral Paffages in the Claffics, which might have given our Author a Hint for this Sentiment.

Nunc ager Umbreni fub Nomine, nuper Ofelli
Dictus, erit nulli proprius; fed cedet in ufum
Nunc mihi, nunc alii.

1.

Horat. Serm. lib. ii. z.

This Lucian seems to have imitated in an Epigram.
Αγρὸς ̓Αχαιμενίδε γενόμεν πολὲ, νῦν δὲ Μενίππε,
Καὶ πάλιν ἐξ ἑτέρω βήσομαι εἰς ἕλερον.

1

Kai γὰρ ἐκεῖν ἔχειν με πολ ̓ ᾤελο, καὶ πάλιν ἔτος
Ὄιέται, εἰμὶ δ ̓ ὅλως ἐδένος ἀλλὰ τύχης.
Nil proprium ducas, quod mutarier poteft."

· Ουκ διδ ̓ ὅτῳ πέποιθας αργυρίῳ, πάτερ.

· καιρὸς ὁ τυχῶν τοῖς μὲν ὁ κεκλημένοις

Εδωκε, τῶν κεκλημένων δ' αφείλετο.
Χρήματα δ' ανθρώπων ἄλλοτε ἄλλος ἔχει.

3

I

f.

Publ. Syrus

Apollodorus.

Solon.
From