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for four times seven years, and since I could distinguish betwixt a benefit and an injury, I never found a man that knew how to love himself. Ere I would say, I would drown myself for the love of a Guinea-hen, I would change my humanity with a baboon.

Rod. What should I do? I confess, it is I confess, it is my shame to be so fond; but it is not in my virtue to amend it. Iago. Virtue? a fig! 'tis in ourselves that we are thus, or thus. Our bodies are gardens, to the which, our wills are gardeners; so that if we will plant nettles, or sow lettuce; set hyssop, and weed up thyme; supply it with one gender of herbs, or distract it with many; either to have it steril with idleness, or manured with industry; why, the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills. If the balance of our lives3 had not one scale of reason to poise another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our natures would conduct us to most preposterous conclusions: but we have reason to cool our raging motions, our carnal stings, our unbitted lusts, whereof I take this, that you calllove, to be a sect1, or scion.

Rod. It cannot be.

Iago. It is merely a lust of the blood, and a permission of the will. Come, be a man: drown thyself? drown cats, and blind puppies. I profess me thy friends, and I confess me knit to thy deserving with cables of perdurable toughness; I could never better stead thee than now. Put money in thy purse; follow

2 Our bodies are gardens,] The folio alone, “Our bodies are our gardens.” * If the BALANCE of our lives] So the quartos: the folio has brain for "balance," and Southern, in his copy of the fourth folio, (the error having descended through the folios of 1632 and 1664) has judiciously altered brain to beam, for which, (as indeed Steevens conjectured,) it was in all probability a misprint. However, as the quarto authorities give "balance," we need resort to no speculative emendation. Modern editors have adopted “balance” into their text, as if it were the reading of the folio; and later in this speech they print "our" for or, thus silently avoiding another corruption of the folio.

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to be a SECT,] i. e. says Steevens, a cutting.

- I profess me thy friend,] The folio, in opposition to both quartos, reads "I have professed" &c.

these wars; defeat thy favour with an usurped beard; I say, put money in thy purse. It cannot be, that Desdemona should long continue her love to the Moor, -put money in thy purse ;-nor he his to her': it was a violent commencement, and thou shalt see an answerable sequestration;-put but money in thy purse.These Moors are changeable in their wills;-fill thy purse with money: the food that to him now is as luscious as locusts, shall be to him shortly as bitter as coloquintida. She must change for youth: when she is sated with his body, she will find the error of her choice. She must have change, she must': therefore, put money in thy purse.-If thou wilt needs damn thyself, do it a more delicate way than drowning. Make all the money thou canst. If sanctimony and a frail vow, betwixt an erring barbarian' and a supersubtle Venetian, be not too hard for my wits, and all the tribe of hell, thou shalt enjoy her; therefore make money. A pox of drowning thyself! it is clean out of the way seek thou rather to be hanged in compassing thy joy, than to be drowned and go without her.

Rod. Wilt thou be fast to my hopes, if I depend on the issue??

6 defeat thy favour-] "Defeat thy favour" means, alter thy appearance, or more strictly, undo thy countenance: we have repeatedly had “favour” used in this sense. See Vol. iii. p. 361, and Vol. iv. pp. 188. 294. "Defeat" occurs in "All's Well that Ends Well," Vol. iii. p. 243, in the sense of to free or disembarrass: etymologically it means to undo, and in this latter sense we meet with it again in Act iv. sc. 2, of this play. Minsheu, in his Dictionary, 1617, translates disfacere, " to undo, to mar, to unmake, to defeat.”

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nor he His to her :] The quarto, 1622, alone reads, "nor he to her."

8 as BITTER as coloquintida.] Steevens tells us that the quarto, 1622, reads, as acerb as coloquintida :" it reads, in fact, "as acerb as the coloquintida ;" but the folio, and the quarto, 1630, agree in our text. The words which follow, "She must change for youth," are in the folio, 1623, and in the quarto, 1630, but not in the quarto, 1622. There are also some minor variations.

9 She must have change, she must :] This reiteration of what Iago has before said, is in both the quartos, though not in the folio.

1

an ERRING barbarian] "Erring" is of course to be taken as wandering. if I depend on the issue?] These words are in the folio and quarto, 1630, but not in that of 1622.

2

Iago. Thou art sure of me.—Go, make money.-I have told thee often, and I re-tell thee3 again and again, I hate the Moor: my cause is hearted; thine hath no less reason. Let us be conjunctive in our revenge against him if thou canst cuckold him, thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport. There are many events in the womb of time, which will be delivered. Traverse1; go; provide thy money. We will have more

of this to-morrow. Adieu.

Rod. Where shall we meet i̇' the morning?

Iago. At my lodging.

Rod. I'll be with thee betimes.

Iago. Go to; farewell. Do you hear, Roderigo"?
Rod. What say you?

Iago. No more of drowning, do you hear.

Rod. I am changed. I'll sell all my land.

purse.

Iago. Go to; farewell: put money enough in your [Exit RODERIGO. Thus do I ever make my fool my purse; For I mine own gain'd knowledge should profane, If I would time expend with such a snipe, But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor; And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets He has done my office: I know not if 't be true; Yet I', for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do as if for surety. He holds me well; The better shall my purpose work on him. Cassio's a proper man: let me see now;

- and I RE-TELL thee-] The quartos have it, merely "and I tell thee,” with some loss of force.

Traverse ;] This, says Steevens truly, was an ancient military word of command.

5 Do you hear, Roderigo?] Here, with the words, "I'll sell all my land," according to the folio, Roderigo makes his exit, and Iago begins his soliloquy, "Thus do I ever," &c. The quarto, 1622, prolongs the dialogue a little, as in our text; but that of 1630 omits Iago's observation, “Go to; farewell: put money enough in your purse."

He has done my office :] The folio, 1623, misreads absurdly, "She has done my office."

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7 YET I,] Both the quartos have “Yet I,” the folio, “ But I.”

To get his place, and to plume up my will3;
In double knavery,-How, how?-Let's see:-
After some time, to abuse Othello's ear,
That he is too familiar with his wife:
He hath a person, and a smooth dispose,
To be suspected; fram'd to make women false.
The Moor is of a free and open nature9,
That thinks men honest, that but seem to be so,
And will as tenderly be led by the nose,

As asses are.—

I have't;—it is engender'd :-hell and night

Must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light.

[Exit.

ACT II. SCENE I.

A Sea-port Town in Cyprus. A Platform.

Enter MONTANO' and Two Gentlemen.

Mon. What from the cape can you discern at sea? 1 Gent. Nothing at all: it is a high-wrought flood; I cannot, 'twixt the heaven and the main, Descry a sail.

8 and to PLUME up my will ;] The quarto, 1622, only, " And to make up my will."

9 The Moor is of a free and open nature,] This is the line in the folio, and in the quarto, 1630: in the earlier quarto it is,

"The Moor a free and open nature too."

1 Enter Montano-] Steevens makes a doubt what rank Montano held in Cyprus. Here in the stage-direction of both the quartos, he is called “ Governor of Cyprus," as well as in the list at the end of the tragedy in the folio.

2 I cannot, 'twixt the HEAVEN and the main,] This reading is supported, not only by the folio, but (as none of the commentators remarked) by the quarto, 1630, in the preparation and printing of which considerable pains seem to have been taken. Malone, merely on the authority of the quarto, 1622, would read haven for "heaven." "The main" was the sea, and the haren must have joined or been connected with "the main," so that "twixt the haren and the main" would have little or no meaning.

Mon. Methinks, the wind hath spoke aloud at land; A fuller blast ne'er shook our battlements:

If it hath ruffian'd so upon the sea,

What ribs of oak, when mountains melt on them3,
Can hold the mortise? what shall we hear of this?

2 Gent. A segregation of the Turkish fleet: For do but stand upon the foaming shore1, The chidden billow seems to pelt the clouds,

The wind-shak'd surge, with high and monstrous mane,
Seems to cast water on the burning bear,

And quench the guards of th' ever-fixed pole:
I never did like molestation view

On the enchafed flood.

Mon.

If that the Turkish fleet

Be not inshelter'd and embay'd, they are drown'd;
It is impossible to bear it out.

Enter a third Gentleman.

3 Gent. News, lads! our wars are done. The desperate tempest hath so bang'd the Turks, That their designment halts: a noble ship of Venice' Hath seen a grievous wreck and sufferance

On most part of their fleet.

Mon. How! is this true? 3 Gent.

A Veronesé, Michael Cassio",

3

The ship is here put in:

when mountains melt on them,] This is the reading of the folio, and of the quarto, 1630: the quarto, 1622, has “when the huge mountain melt.”

the FOAMING shore,] So the folio, and the quarto, 1630: the quarto, 1622, has banning for "foaming ;" probably a mere misprint. In the next line the folio has "chidden billow," for "chiding billow" of the quartos. Southern corrected main to mane in the next line.

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5 It is impossible to bear it out.] Perhaps the reading of the quarto, 1622, may be preferable, "they bear it out," for they should bear it out; but that of the folio is seconded by the quarto, 1630.

6 News, LADS!] So the folio, and the quarto, 1630: the earlier quarto, "News, lords."

7 - A NOBLE ship of Venice] The quarto, 1622, alone reads, " Another ship." 8 A Veronesé, Michael Cassio.] In the two quartos, it is printed, “ A Veronessa,” and in the folio, "A Verennessa." Our punctuation is that of all the old copies, which make the third Gentleman call Cassio a Veronese, when in fact he

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