Rod. By heaven, I rather would have been his hang man. Iago. But there's no remedy, 'tis the curse of service; Preferment goes by letter1, and affection, Not by the old gradation, where each second Stood heir to the first. Now, sir, be judge yourself, To love the Moor. Rod. I would not follow him then. Iago. O, sir, content you; I follow him to serve my turn upon him : Do themselves homage: these fellows have some soul; For, sir, It is as sure as you are Roderigo, Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago: In following him, I follow but myself; by letter,] By recommendation from powerful friends. 2 Whether I in any just term am affin'd-] Do I stand within any such terms of propinquity, or relation to the Moor, as that it is my duty to love him? 3 honest knaves:] Knave is here for servant, but with a sly mixture of contempt. P For when my outward action doth demonstrate Rod. What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe, 5 If he can carry't thus! Iago. Plague him with flies: though that his joy be joy, As it may lose some colour. Rod. Here is her father's house; I'll call aloud, Iago. Do; with like timorous accent, and dire yell, As when, by night and negligence, the fire Is spied in populous cities. Rod. What ho! Brabantio! signior Brabantio, ho! Iago. Awake! what, ho! Brabantio! thieves! thieves! thieves ! Look to your house, your daughter, and your bags! Thieves thieves! BRABANTIO, above, at a Window. Bra. What is the reason of this terrible summons? What is the matter there? Rod. Signior, is all your family within? Iago. Are your doors lock'd? Bra. Why? wherefore ask you this? Iago. 'Zounds, sir, you are robb'd; for shame, put on your gown; 4 In compliment extern,] In that which I do only for an outward show of civility. + "For doves". MALONE. What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe,] Full fortune, is, a complete piece of good fortune. To owe, is to possess. Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul; What, have you lost your wits? Bra. Rod. My name is Bra. Roderigo. The worse welcome : I have charg'd thee, not to haunt about my doors: In honest plainness thou hast heard me say, My daughter is not for thee; and now, in madness, Being full of supper, and distempering draughts,"7 Upon malicious bravery, dost thou come To start my quiet. Rod. Sir, sir, sir, sir, Bra. My spirit, and my place, have in them power To make this bitter to thee. Rod. But thou must needs be sure, Patience, good sir. Bra. What tell'st thou me of robbing? this is Venice; My house is not a grange. Rod. 8 Most grave Brabantio, In simple, and pure soul I come to you. Iago. 'Zounds, sir, you are one of those, that will not serve God, if the devil bid you. Because we come to 6 is burst,] i. e. broken. 7 distempering draughts,] To be distempered with liquor, was, in Shakspeare's age, the phrase for intoxication. My house is not a grange.] That is, " you are in a populous city, not in a lone house, where a robbery might easily be committed." Grange is strictly and properly the farm of a monastery, where the religious reposited their corn. Grangia, Lat. from granum. But in Lincolnshire, and in other northern counties, they call every lone house, or farm which stands solitary, a grange. do you service, you think we are ruffians: You'll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse: you'll have your nephews neigh to you?: you'll have coursers for cousins, and gennets for germans.1 Bra. What profane wretch art thou? Iago. I am one, sir, that comes to tell you, your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs. Bra. Thou art a villain. Iago. Bra. This thou shalt answer; I know thee, Roderigo. I thus would play and trifle with your reverence: 9 - your nephews neigh to you:] Nephew, in this instance, has the power of the Latin word nepos, and signifies a grandson, or any lineal descendant, however remote. 1 gennets for germans.] A jennet is a Spanish horse. 2 At this odd-even and dull watch o'the night,] By this singular expression,-"this odd-even of the night," our poet appears to have meant, that it was just approaching to, or just past, that it was doubtful whether at that moment it stood at the point of midnight, or at some other less equal division of the twenty-four hours; which a few minutes either before or after midnight would be. 3 and your allowance,] i. e. done with your approbation. 4 That, from the sense of all civility,] That is, in opposition to, or departing from, the sense of all civility. 5 Tying her duty, beauty, wit, and fortunes, Let loose on me the justice of the state For thus deluding you. Bra. Strike on the tinder, ho! Give me a taper :- call up all my people: - Belief of it oppresses me already: - Iago. [Exit, from above. Farewell; for I must leave you: It seems not meet, nor wholesome to my place, Against the Moor: For, I do know, the state, - To lead their business: in which regard, I must show out a flag and sign of love, Which is indeed but sign. That you shall surely find him, Lead to the sagittary† the rais'd search; And there will I be with him. So, farewell. [Exit. Enter, below, BRABANTIO, and Servants with Torches. Bra. It is too true an evil: gone she is ; 5 In an extravagant-] For wandering. 6 7 some check,] Some rebuke. cast him; ] That is, dismiss him; reject him. 66 sagittar the raised” . MALONE. |