Lay not your blame on me: if you have lost him,
Why, I have lost him too.

Oth.

Had it pleas'd heaven

To try me with affliction; had he rain'd

All kinds of sores, and shames, on my bare head;
Steep'd me in poverty to the very lips;

Given to captivity me and my utmost hopes;
I should have found in some part of my soul
A drop of patience: but, alas! to make me
A fixed figure, for the time of scorn
To point his slow unmoving finger at9;
Yet could I bear that too; well, very well:
But there, where I have garner'd up my heart,
Where either I must live, or bear no life,
The fountain from the which my current runs,
Or else dries up; to be discarded thence,

Or keep it as a cistern, for foul toads

To knot and gender in !-turn thy complexion there,
Patience, thou young and rose-lipp'd cherubin;
Ay, there, look grim as hell'!

Des. I hope, my noble lord esteems me honest.
Oth. O! ay; as summer flies are in the shambles,
That quicken even with blowing. O thou weed?!
Who art so lovely fair, and smell'st so sweet,

That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne'er been born!

8 had HE RAIN'D] So the quarto, 1630, correcting the misprint of the quarto, 1622, "had he ruin'd." The folio has it, "had they rain'd." Three lines lower, the word "utmost" is only in the folio.

9 A fixed figure, for the time of scorn

To point his slow UNMOVING FINGER at,] This is the reading of the two quartos, excepting that the earliest has fingers for "finger." The folio has, "The fixed figure," and "and moving," for " unmoving." It may be very reasonably doubted, whether the text is not more or less corrupt in all the old copies, and it has been suggested, among other changes, that we ought to read, "hand of scorn," instead of "time of scorn;" but such an alteration is not supported by any ancient authority.

Ay, THERE, look grim as hell!] The old copies have here for "there," but "there" seems fully warranted by what precedes, "turn thy complexion there;" and it was probably an error of the press.

2 O thou weed] The quartos "O thou black weed," and in the next line, Why for " Who," together with some minor changes.

Des. Alas! what ignorant sin have I committed?
Oth. Was this fair paper, this most goodly book,
Made to write whore upon? What committed?
Committed!-0 thou public commoner3!
I should make very forges of my cheeks,
That would to cinders burn up modesty,
Did I but speak thy deeds.-What committed?
Heaven stops the nose at it, and the moon winks:
The bawdy wind, that kisses all it meets,

Is hush'd within the hollow mine of earth,
And will not hear it.

Impudent strumpet1!
Des.

What committed?

By heaven you do me wrong.

Oth. Are not you a strumpet?
Des.

No, as I am a Christian.

If to preserve this vessel for my lord,
From any other3, foul, unlawful, touch,
Be not to be a strumpet, I am none.
Oth. What, not a whore?
Des.

Oth. Is it possible?

Des. O, heaven forgive us!

Oth.

No, as I shall be saved.

I cry you mercy, then?

I took you for that cunning whore of Venice,
That married with Othello.-You, mistress,

Re-enter EMILIA.

That have the office opposite to Saint Peter,
And keep the gate of hell; you, you, ay, you:
We have done our course; there's money for your pains.
pray you, turn the key, and keep our counsel. [Exit.

I

3 Committed!-0, thou public commoner!] This and the three next lines are wanting in the quarto, 1622, but are in the quarto, 1630, and in the folio.

• Impudent strumpet!] These words, almost necessary to the sense, with reference to Desdemona's assertion, "By heaven you do me wrong," and required by the metre, are in both quartos, but not in the folio. Modern editions take no notice of them.

5 From any OTHER,] The quarto, 1622, alone has "From any hated," &c. There are some other variations here between the old copies, but the folio and the quarto, 1630, agree, and that text we have adopted.

2

Emil. Alas! what does this gentleman conceive? How do you, madam? how do you, my good lady? Des. 'Faith, half asleep.

Emil. Good madam, what's the matter with my lord? Des. With whom?

Emil.

Why, with my lord, madam.

Des. Who is thy lord?

Emil.

He that is yours, sweet lady.

Des. I have none: do not talk to me, Emilia;

I cannot weep; nor answer have I none,

But what should go by water. Pr'ythee, to-night
Lay on my bed my wedding sheets,-remember;—
And call thy husband hither.

Emil.

Here is a change, indeed!

Des. "Tis meet I should be us'd so, very meet. How have I been behav'd, that he might stick The small'st opinion on my least misuse??

Re-enter EMILIA, with IAGO.

[Exit.

Iago. What is your pleasure, madam? How is it with you?

Des. I cannot tell. Those, that do teach young

babes,

Do it with gentle means, and easy tasks:

He might have chid me so; for, in good faith,

I am a child to chiding.

Iago.

What's the matter, lady?

Emil. Alas! Iago, my lord hath so bewhor'd her, Thrown such despite and heavy terms upon her,

As true hearts cannot bear.

Des. Am I that name, Iago?

Iago.

What name, fair lady?

Des. Such as, she says, my lord did say I was.

Who is thy lord?] This question and answer are not in the quarto, 1622. Just above," "Faith" was allowed to stand in the folio.

7 on my LEAST misuse!] So the folio and the quarto, 1630: the quarto, 1622, alone has "on my greatest abuse."

Emil. He call'd her whore: a beggar in his drink,
Could not have laid such terms upon his callat.
Iago. Why did he so?

Des. I do not know; I am sure, I am none such.
Iago. Do not weep, do not weep. Alas the day!
Emil. Has she forsook so many noble matches,
Her father, and her country, and her friends,
To be call'd whore? would it not make one weep?
Des. It is my wretched fortune.

Iago.

How comes this trick upon him?

Des.

Beshrew him for it!

Nay, heaven doth know.

Emil. I will be hang'd, if some eternal villain,
Some busy and insinuating rogue,

Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office,
Have not devis'd this slander; I'll be hang'd else.
Iago. Fie! there is no such man: it is impossible.
Des. If any such there be, heaven pardon him!
Emil. A halter pardon him, and hell gnaw his bones!
Why should he call her, whore? who keeps her com-
pany?

What place? what time? what form? what likelihood?
The Moor's abus'd by some most villainous knave",
Some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow.—
O, heaven! that such companions' thou'dst unfold,
And put in every honest hand a whip,

To lash the rascals naked through the world,
Even from the east to the west!

Speak within door.

Iago. Emil. O, fie upon them! some such squire he was, That turn'd your wit the seamy side without,

And made you to suspect me with the Moor.

8

upon his CALLAT.] For an explanation of this term of female abuse, see Vol. iii. p. 466, and Vol. v. pp. 124. 262.

9

some most VILLAINOUS knave,] The quarto, 1622, reads "outrageous knave.” 1 - such COMPANIONS] We have had previous instances of the use of the word "companion" in a derogatory sense. See Vol. vi. p. 230. The folio (differing from the quartos) afterwards has consistently "rascals" and "them."

Iago. You are a fool; go to.

Des.

O good Iago?!

What shall I do to win my lord again?

Good friend, go to him; for, by this light of heaven,

I know not how I lost him. Here I kneel3:—

If e'er my will did trespass 'gainst his love,
Either in discourse of thought, or actual deed;
Or that mine eyes, mine ears, or any sense,
Delighted them in any other form;

Or that I do not yet, and ever did,

And ever will, though he do shake me off
To beggarly divorcement,-love him dearly,
Comfort forswear me! Unkindness may do much ;
And his unkindness may defeat my life,

But never taint my love. I cannot say whore;
It does abhor me, now I speak the word;

To do the act that might the addition earn,
Not the world's mass of vanity could make me.
Iago. I pray you, be content; 'tis but his humour:
The business of the state does him offence,

And he does chide with you*.

Des.

If 'twere no other,

[Trumpets.

Iago. "Tis but so, I warrant.
Hark, how these instruments summon to supper!
The messengers of Venice stay the meat".
Go in, and weep not; all things shall be well.

[Exeunt DESDEMONA and EMILIA.

2 O good Iago !] The folio alone has "Alas, Iago !"

3 Here I kneel:-] These words and to the end of the speech, are not contained in the quarto, 1622, but they are in the folio, and in the quarto, 1630. The quarto, 1622, was evidently printed from a less perfect manuscript than the folio, and the folio, in many places, from a less perfect manuscript than the quarto, 1630. Thus in this speech the folio reads corruptly, "Delighted them or any other form," which the quarto, 1630, corrects.

And he does chide with you.] These words are in both quartos, but not in the folio.

5 The messengers of Venice stay the meat:] Our text is that of the folio; the two other old copies conflict: the quarto, 1622, reads, “And the great messengers of Venice stay;" while the quarto, 1630, has it, "The meat great messengers of Venice stay." It seems clear, therefore, that the words "the meat" formed part of the line.