His bed shall seem a school, his board a shrift; With Cassio's suit. Therefore, be merry, Cassio; Than give thy cause away. Enter OTHELLO and IAGO, at a distance. Emil. Madam, here comes my lord. Cas. Madam, I'll take my leave. Cas. Madam, not now: I am very ill at ease, Unfit for mine own purpose. Des. Well, do your discretion'. Iago. Ha! I like not that. Oth. [Exit CASSIO. What dost thou say? Iago. Nothing, my lord: or if I know not what. Oth. Was not that Cassio, parted from my wife? Iago. Cassio, my lord? No, sure; I cannot think it, That he would steal away" so guilty-like, Seeing you coming. Oth. I do believe 'twas he. Des. How, now, my lord! I have been talking with a suitor here, A man that languishes in your displeasure. Oth. Who is't you mean? Des. Why, your lieutenant Cassio. Good, my lord, If I have any grace, or power to move you, His present reconciliation take; For if he be not one that truly loves you, Well, do your discretion.] Malone and Steevens, "for the sake of the measure," inserted another monosyllable here, "Well, well, do your discretion." Every old copy is without it, and surely we have no pretence for attempting to amend Shakespeare's versification. It is quite out of the province of a commentator, to say nothing of the boldness of the undertaking. Besides, the insertion of a monosyllable would not be sufficient, according to the reading of the two quartos, which have "for mine own purpose," and not purposes, as in the folio. would STEAL away] "Sneak away," in the quarto, 1622, only. 5 I have no judgment in an honest face. Oth. Went he hence now? Des. Ay, sooth; so humbled, That he hath left part of his grief with me, To suffer with him. Good love, call him back. I shall not dine at home: Des. To-morrow dinner then? I meet the captains at the citadel. Des. Why then, to-morrow night; or Tuesday morn; And yet his trespass, in our common reason, Out of her best) is not almost a fault T' incur a private check. When shall he come? What you could ask me that I should deny, Or stand so mammering on. What! Michael Cassio, That came a wooing with you, and so many a time, When I have spoke of you dispraisingly, Hath ta'en your part, to have so much to do To bring him in! Trust me, I could do much, To suffer with him :] The reading of the folio and of the quarto, 1630: the quarto, 1622, "I suffer with him." 7 On Tuesday noon,] Both quartos have "On Tuesday morn," which must be an error, as "Tuesday morn" is mentioned in the preceding line. Lower down in this speech every old copy reads "Out of her best," a characteristic peculiarity, and a personification of "the wars," which Shakespeare often treats as a substantive in the singular. 8 so mammering on.] This is the word in the folio and quarto, 1630: the quarto, 1622, has muttering. 9 TRUST ME,] The quarto, 1622, “By'r Lady. Oth. Pr'ythee, no more: let him come when he will; I will deny thee nothing. Des. Why, this is not a boon; To your own person: nay, when I have a suit Oth. I will deny thee nothing: To leave me but a little to myself. Des. Shall I deny you? no. Farewell, my lord. straight. Des. Emilia, come.-Be it as your fancies teach you; Whate'er you be, I am obedient. [Exit, with EMILIA. Oth. Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul, But I do love thee, and when I love thee not, Chaos is come again. Iago. My noble lord,— Oth. What dost thou say, Iago? Iago. Did Michael Cassio, when you woo'd my lady, Know of your love? Oth. He did, from first to last: why dost thou ask? Iago. But for a satisfaction of my thought; No farther harm. 1 Oth. Why of thy thought, Iago? Iago. I did not think, he had been acquainted with her. to do a peculiar profit] Malone here omits "a," probably " for the sake of the measure;" as if the line, as it stands in the ancient text, could not be easily read in the time of ten syllables. 2 and difficult WEIGHT,] The quarto, 1622, alone has difficulty for "difficult weight." Lower down the folio misprints he for "you," in "when you woo'd my lady," which makes nonsense of the passage. Oth. Indeed! ay, indeed:-discern'st thou aught in As if there were some monster in his thought Too hideous to be shown.-Thou dost mean something.. In my whole course of wooing, thou criedst, "Indeed!" Some horrible conceit1. If thou dost love me, Iago. My lord, you know I love Oth. you. I think, thou dost ; And,—for I know thou art full of love and honesty, And weigh'st thy words before thou giv'st them breath, Therefore, these stops of thine fright me the more; Are tricks of custom; but in a man that's just, 3 BY HEAVEN, he echoes me,] Thus the quarto, 1622: the folio, tamely and poorly, (perhaps in compliance with the correction of the Master of the Revels) "Alas! he echoes me;" and the quarto, 1630, "Why dost thou echo me?" The quarto, 1622, has also consistently, "his thought," in the next line. Lower down, the folio misprints "In my whole course of wooing," (as it is given in both quartos) "Of my whole course," &c. * Some horrible CONCEIT.] The quarto, 1622, alone reads "horrible counsel." They are close DELATIONS,] The word denotements stands in the quarto 1622, for "delations" of the folio and of the quarto, 1630. "Delations" are VOL. VII. 0 0 Iago. For Michael Cassio, I dare be sworn, I think that he is honest. Oth. I think so too. Iago. Men should be what they seem; Or, those that be not, would they might seem none ! I pray thee, speak to me as to thy thinkings, As thou dost ruminate; and give thy worst of thoughts The worst of words. Iago. Good my lord, pardon me: Though I am bound to every act of duty, I am not bound to that all slaves are free to". Utter my thoughts? Why, say, they are vile and false, As where's that palace, whereinto foul things Sometimes intrude not? who has a breast so pure, But some uncleanly apprehensions Keep leets, and law-days, and in session sit With meditations lawful? accusations or informations, and in this sense Ben Jonson uses the verb to delate in his "Volpone," Act ii. sc. 3, "Yet, if I do it not, they may delate My slackness to my patron." The second folio misprints "close" cold, in the same line. I dare be sworn,] The quarto, 1622, “I dare presume." 7 I am not bound to that all slaves are free To.] The folio misprints the line thus corruptly: "I am not bound to that: All slaves are free." The two quartos agree in our text. Modern editors, in various places, in this scene and others, adopt the reading of the folio, 1623, when it suits them, and abandon it when they find it convenient to follow the wording of the quartos, but without notice in either case; so that no accurate judgment can from thence be formed of the real state of the text in any of the editions. 8 Keep leets, and law days,] Steevens has the following note, "Leets and law-days, are synonymous terms : "Leet (says Jacob, in his Law Dictionary) is otherwise called a law-day." They are there explained to be courts, or meetings of the hundred, "to certify the king of the good manners, and government, of the inhabitants," and to inquire of all offences that are not capital. The poet's meaning will now be plain: who has a breast so little apt to form ill opinions of others, but that foul suspicion will sometimes mix with his fairest and most candid thoughts, and erect a court in his mind, to inquire of the offences apprehended?' |