［Venice,a street. Enter RODERIGO and IAGO］

RODERIGO

Tush！never tell me； Itake it much unkindly

That thou，Iago， who hast had my purse

As if the strings were thine， shouldst know of this.

IAGO

‘Sblood， but you will not hear me；

If everI did dream of such a matter，abhorme．

RODERIGO

Thou told’stme thou didsthold him in thy hate．

IAGO

Despise me， ifI do not．Three great onesof the city，

In personalsuit to make me his lieutenant，

Off－capp’ d to him： and， by the faithof man，

I know my price，Iam worth no worse a place：

But he； as loving his own pride and purposes，

Evades them，witha bombast circumstance

Horribly stuff’dwith epithets of war；

And， in conclusion，

Nonsuits my mediators； for，（Certes）， says he，

‘I have already chosemy office r’．

And what was he？

Forsooth, a great arithmetician，

One MichaelCassio， a Florentine，

A fellow almost damn’din a fair wife；

That never set a squadronin the field，

Nor the divisionof a battle knows

More than a spinster； unlessthe bookish theoric，

Wherein the toged consulscan propose

As masterly as he：mere prattle，without practise，

Is all his soldiership． But he， sir， had the election：

And I，of whom his eyes had seen the proof

At Rhodes，at Cyprus and on other grounds

Christian and heathen，must be be-lee’ d and calm’d

By debitor and creditor： thiscounter－caster．

He，in good time， must his lieutenant be，

And I—God blessthe mark！—his Moorship’s ancient．

RODERIGO

By heaven，Iratherwould have been his hangman．

IAGO

Why， there’s no remedy；’tis thecurse of service

Preferment goes by letter and affection，

And not by old gradation， where each second

Stood heir to the first． Now， sir， be judge yourself，

Wheth Iinany just termam affined

To love the Moor．

RODERIGO

I would not follow him then．

IAGO

O， sir， content you；

I follow him to serve my turn upon him：

We cannot all be masters， nor all masters

Cannot be truly follow’d． You shall mark

Many a duteous and knee－crooking knave，

That，doting on his own obsequious bondage,

Wears out his time， much like his master’s ass,

Fornoughtbutprovender， andwhenhe’sold，cashier’d：

Whip me suchhonest knaves．Others there are

Who， trimm’d in forms and visage of duty，

Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves，

And，throwing butshowsof service on their lords，

Do well thriveby them and when they have lined their coats

Dothemselveshomage：these fellows have some soul；

And such a one doI profess myself For， sir，

It is as sure as you are Roderigo，

Were I the Moox，I would not be Iago：

In following him，I follow but myself；

Heaven is my judge， notI for love and duty，

But seeming so，for my peculiar end:

For when my outward action doth demonstrate

The native act and figure ofmy heart

In compliment extern，’tisnot long after

ButI will wear myheart upon my sleeve

For daws to peck at：Iam not whatI am．

RODERIGO

What a full fortune does the thicklips owe

If he can carry’t thus！

IAGO

Call up her father，

Rouse him：make after him，poison his delight，

Proclaim him in the streets； incense her kinsmen，

And，though he in a fertile climate dwell，

Plague him with flies： though that his joy be joy，

Yet throw such change so fvexationon’t，

As itmay lose some colour.

RODERIGO

Here is her father’s house； I’llcall aloud．

IAGO

Do， with like timorous accent and dire yell

As when， by night and negligence， the fire

Is spied in populous cities．

RODERIGO

What，ho，Brabantio!Signior Brabantio，ho！

IAGO

Awake！what，ho，Brabantio！thieves！thieves！tjoeves!

Look toyour house， your daughter and your bags！

Thieves！ thieves！

［BRABANTIO appears above,at a window］

BRABANTIO

What is the reason of this terrible summons？

What is the matter there？

RODERIGO

Signior，is all your family within？

IAGO

Are your doors lock’d？

BRABANTIO

Why， whereforeask you this？

IAGO

‘Zounds，sir， you’re robb’d； forshame，puton

your gown；

Your heart is burst， you have lost half your soul；

Even now， now， very now， an old black ram

Is toppingyour white ewe．Arise，arise；

Awake the snorting citizenswith thebell，

Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you：

Arise， Isay．

BRABANTIO

What，have you lost your wits？

RODERIGO

Most reverendsignior，do you know my voice？

BRABANTIO

What are you？

RODERIGO

My name isRoderigo.

BRABANTIO

The worser Welcome：

I have charged theenot tohauntabout my doors：

In honest plainnessthou hast heard mesay

My daughter isnot forthee；and now，inmadness，

Being fullof supper and distemperingdraughts，

Upon malicious bravery， dost thou come

To start my quiet．

RODERIGO

Sir, sir, sir，——

BRABANTIO

But thou must needsbesure

My spirit and my place have in them power

To make this bitter to thee．

RODERIGO

Patience， good sir．

BRABANTIO

What tell’st thou me of robbing？ This is Venice；

My house is not a grange．

RODERIGO

Most graveBrabantio，

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

do you service and you think we are ruffians， you’ll

have your daughter covered with a Barbaty horse;

you’ll have your nephews neigh to you；you’ll have

coursersfor cousinsand gennetsforgermanstimorous.

BRABANTIO

What profane wretch art thou？

IAGO

Iam one， sir， that comes to tell you your daughter

and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.

BRABANTIO

Thou art a villain．

IAGO

You are——a senator．

BRABANTIO

This thou shaltanswer；I know thee， Roderigo

RODERIGO

Sir，I will answer any thing． But， Ibeseech you，

If’t be your pleasure and most wise consent，

As partly I find it is， that your fair daughter，

At this odd-even and dull watcho’ the night，

Transported,with now or senor better guard

But with aknave of common hire， a gondolier，

To the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor——

If this be known to you and your allowance，

We thenhave doneyou bolk and saucy wrongs；

But if you know not this， my manners tell me

We have your wrong rebuke Do not believe

That， from the sense of all civility，

I thus would play and trifle with your reverence：

Your daughter， if you have not given her leave，

I say again， hathmade a gross revolt；

Tying her duty， beauty， wit and fortunes

In an extravagant and wheeling stranger

Of here and every where．Straight satisfy yourself：

If she be in her chamber or your house，

Let looseon me the justice of the state

For thus deludingyou

BRABANTIO

Strike on the tinder， ho！

Give me a taper！ cal up all my people！

This accident is not unlike my dream：

Belief of it oppresses me already

Light， Isay！ light！

［Exit above］

IAGO

Farewell； forI must leave you：

It seems not meet，nor wholesome to my place，

To be produced——as， ifI stay，I shall——

Against the Moor：for，Ido know，the state，

Howeverthismaygall him withsomecheque，

Cannot with safety cast him， for he’s embark’d

With such loud reason to the Cyprus wars，

Which even now stand in act，that，for their souls，

Another of his fathom they have none，

Toleadtheirbusiness：inwhichregard，

ThoughI do hate him asI do hell－pains．

Yet， for necessity of prasent life，

I must show out a flag and sign of love，

Which isindeed but sign． That you shall surely find him，

Lead to the Sagittary the raised search；

And there will Ibe with him．So，farewell．

〔Exit〕

［Enter，below， BRABANTIO， and Servants with torches．］

BRABANTIO

It is too true an evil：gone she is；

And what’s to come ofmy despised time

Is nought but bitterness． Now， Roderigo，

Where didst thou see her？ O unhappy girl！

With the Moor， say’st thou？ Who would be a father！

How didstthouknow’twasshe？Oshedeceives me

Pastthought！What saidshetoyou？Get more tapers：

Raise all my kindred Are they married，think you？

RODERIGO

Truly， Ithink tney are．

BRABANTIO

O heaven！ How gotshe out？ O treasonof the blood！

Fathers， from hence trust not your daughters’ minds

By what you see them act． Is there not charms

By which the property of youth and maidhood

May be abused？ Have you not read， Roderigo，

Of some such thing？

RODERIGO

Yes， sir， Ihave indeed

BRABANTIO

Call up my brother． O， would you had had her！

Some one way，some another.Do you know

Where we may apprehend her and theMoor？

RODERIGO

I think Ican discoverhim，ifyou please，

Togetgood guard and go alongwith me．

BRABANTIO

Pray you， lead on． At every houseI’ll call；

I may commandatmost．Getweapons，ho!

And raise sime special officers of night.

On， good Roderigo： I’ll deserve your pains．

［Exeunt］