Sometimes, to do me service: Nine or ten times That, with the little godliness I have, I did full hard forbear him. But, I pray, sir, Oth. For the sea's worth. But, look! what lights come yonder? Enter CASSIO, at a distance, and certain Officers with torches. Iago. These are the raised father, and his friends: You were best go in. Oth. Not I: I must be found; My parts, my title, and my perfect soul, Shall manifest me rightly. Is it they? Iago. By Janus, I think no. Oth. The servants of the duke, and my lieutenant. The goodness of the night upon you, friends! What is the news? Cas. The duke does greet you, general; And he requires your haste-post-haste appearance, Even on the instant. Oth. What is the matter, think you? Cas. Something from Cyprus, as I may divine; It is a business of some heat: the gallies Have sent a dozen sequent messengers This very night at one another's heels; And many of the consuls, rais'd, and met, Are at the duke's already: You have been hotly call'd for; When, being not at your lodging to be found, The senate hath sent about three several quests, To search you out. Oth. Good signior, you shall more command with years, Than with your weapons. Bra. O thou foul thief, where hast thou ston's Damn'd as thou art, thou hast enchanted her: Oth. Hold your hands, Both you of my inclining, and the rest: Were it my cue to fight, I should have known it Without a prompter. Where will you, that I go To answer this your charge? Bra. To prison: till fit time Of law, and course of direct session, Call thee to answer. Oth. What if I do obey? How may the duke be therewith satisfied, Whose messengers are here about my side, Upon some present business of the state, To bring me to him? The duke's in council; and your noble self, Off. 'Tis true, most worthy signis, I am sure, is sent for. Bra. How! the duke in council! In this time of the night!-Bring him away: Mine's not an idle cause: the duke himself, Or any of my brothers of the state, Cannot but feel this wrong, as 'twere their own For if such actions may have passage free, Bond-slaves, and pagans, shall our statesmen be [Breast The Duke and Senators, sitting at a table; Oficar SCENE III.-The same. A Council-Chamber. attending. Duke. There is no composition in these news, That gives them credit. 1 Sen. Indeed, they are disproportion'd 'Tis well I am found by you. My letters say, a hundred and seven gallies. I will but spend a word here in the house, And go with you. [Exit. Cas. If it prove lawful prize, he's made for ever. Cas. I do not understand. Duke. And mine, a hundred and forty. 2 Sen. And mine, two hundred But though they jump not on a just account, (As in these cases, where the aim reports, 'Tis oft with difference,) yet do they all confirm A Turkish fleet, and bearing up to Cyprus. Duke. Nay, it is possible enough to judgment; I do not so secure me in the error, But the main article I do approve In fearful sense. Sailor. (Within.) What ho! what ho! what be! Enter an Officer, with a Sailor. Off. A messenger from the gallies. Duke. Now? the business? Sail. The Turkish preparation makes for Rhodes : So was I bid report here to the state, By signior Angelo. Duke. How say you by this change? 1 Sen. This cannot be By no assay of reason; 'tis a pageant, To keep us in false gaze: When we consider The importancy of Cyprus to the Turk; And let ourselves again but understand, [this, That, as it more concerns the Turk than Rhodes, Their purposes toward Cyprus.-Signior Montano, Duke. 'Tis certain then for Cyprus.- 1 Sen. He's now in Florence. Duke. Write from us; wish him post-post-haste: despatch. [Moor. 1 Sen. Here comes Brabantio, and the valiant Enter BRABANTIO, OTHELLO, IAGO, RODERIGO, and Officers. Duke. Valiant Othello, we must straight employ Ay, to me; She is abus'd, stolen from me, and corrupted [ing, Bra. Humbly I thank your grace. Here is the man, this Moor; whom now, it seems, Your special mandate, for the state affairs, Hath hither brought. Duke & Sen. We are very sorry for it. Duke. What, in your own part, can you say to this? (To Othello.) Bra. Nothing, but this is so. Oth. Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors, My very noble and approv'd good masters,That I have ta'en away this old man's daughter, It is most true; true, I have married her; The very head and front of my offending Hath this extent, no more. Rude am I in speech, And little bless'd with the set phrase of peace; my For since these arms of mine had seven years' pith, I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver What conjuration, and what mighty magic, Bra. A maiden never bold; Of spirit so still and quiet, that her motion Why this should be. I therefore vouch again, Duke. To vouch this, is no proof; Without more certain and more overt test, Than these thin habits, and poor likelihoods Of modern seeming, do prefer against him. 1 Sen. But, Othello, speak ;Did you, by indirect and forced courses Subdue and poison this young maid's affections? Or came it by request, and such fair question As soul to soul affordeth? I do beseech you, Send for the lady to the Sagittary, And let her speak of me before her father: If you do find me foul in her report, The trust, the office, I do hold of you, Not only take away, but let your sentence Even fall upon my life. Oth. Duke. Fetch Desdemona hither. Oth. Ancient, conduct them; you best know the place.- [Exeunt Iago and Attendants. And, till she come, as truly as to heaven I do confess the vices of my blood, So justly to your grave ears I'll present How I did thrive in this fair lady's love, And she in mine. Duke. Say it, Othello. Oth. Her father lov'd me; oft invited me; I ran it through, even from my boyish days, And sold to slavery; of my redemption thence, It was my hint to speak, such was the process; Would Desdemona seriously incline: But still the house affairs would draw her thence; That I would all my pilgrimage dilate, Twas pitiful, 'twas wondrous pitiful: She wish'd, she had not heard it; yet she wish'd That heaven had made her such a man: she thank'd me; And bade me, if I had a friend that lov'd her, Enter DESDEMONA, IAGO, and Attendants. Duke. I think, this tale would win my daughter Good Brabantio, Take up this mangled matter at the best: [too. band; And so much duty as my mother shew'd Bra. I here do give thee that with all my heart, Which, as a grise, or step, may help these lovers When remedies are past, the griefs are ended, The robb'd, that smiles, steals something from the thief; He robs himself, that spends a bootless grief. makes for Cyprus :-Othello, the fortitude of the place is best known to you: And though we have there a substitute of most allowed sufficiency, vel opinion, a sovereign mistress of effects, throws a more safer voice on you: you must therefore be content to slubber the gloss of your new fortunes with this more stubborn and boisterous expedition. Oth. The tyrant custom, most grave senatură, I find in hardness; and do undertake Duke. Be't at her father's. Oth. Nor I. If you please, I'll not have it so. Nor I; I would not there reside, Duke. What would you, Desdemona? Des. That I did love the Moor to live with him, I saw Othello's visage in his mind; By his dear absence: Let me go with him. Oth. Your voices, lords :-'beseech you, let her Vouch with me, heaven; I therefore beg it not, Duke. Be it as you shall privately determine, Either for her stay, or going: the affair cries-baste,| And speed must answer it; you must hence to-nightDes. To-night, my lord? Duke. Oth. This night. With all my heart. Duke. At nine i'the morning here we'll meet 1 Sen. Adieu, brave Moor! use Desdemona well. Bra. Look to her, Moor; have a quick eye to see; She has deceiv'd her father, and may thee. [Exeunt Duke, Senators, Officers, &c. Oth. My life upon her faith.-Honest Iago, My Desdemona must I leave to thee; I pr'ythee, let thy wife attend on her; And bring them after in the best advantage.-Come, Desdemona; I have but an hour Of love, of worldly matters and direction, To spend with thee: we must obey the time. [Exeunt Othello and Desdemona. Rod. Iago. Iago. What say'st thou, noble heart? Iago. Well, if thou dost, I shall never love thee after it. Why, thou silly gentleman! Rod. It is silliness to live, when to live is a torment: and then have we a prescription to die, when death is our physician. Iago. O villanous! I have looked upon the world for four times seven years; and since I could distinguish between 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 my shame to be so fond; but it is not in virtue to amend it. Iago. Thou art sure of me ;-Go, make money: -I have told thee often, and I re-tell thee 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, and me a sport. There are many events in the womb of time, which will be delivered. Traverse; go; provide thy money. We will have more of this to-morrow. Adieu. Rod. Where shall we meet i'the morning? 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. Iago. Go to; farewell: put money enough in your purse. [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; But 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; To get his place, and to plume up my will; A double knavery,-How? how?-Let me 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 nature, That thinks men honest, that but seem to be so; And will as tenderly be led by th' nose, As asses are. Iago. Virtue? a fig! 'tis in ourselves, that we are thus, or thus. Our bodies are our 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 lives 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 SCENE I.—A Sea-port Town in Cyprus. A Platform. our raging motions, our carnal stings, ou our unbitted lusts; whereof I take this, that you call-love, to be a sect, 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 have professed me thy friend, 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 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 banged 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? I have't;-it is engender'd:-Hell and night Must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light. [Exit. ACT II. Enter MONTANO and Two Gentlemen. Mon. What from the cape can you discern at sea? Gent. Nothing at all: it is a high-wrought flood; I cannot, 'twixt the heaven and the main, Mon. Methinks the wind hath spoke aloud at land; A fuller blast ne'er shook our battlements : Seems to cast water on the burning bear, Mon. If that the Turkish fleet Be not inshelter'd and embay'd, they are drown'd; It is impossible they bear it out. Enter a Third Gentleman. 3 Gent. News, lords! our wars are done; The desperate tempest bath 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. The ship is here put in, A Veronesé; Michael Cassio, Lieutenant to the warlike Moor, Othello, Touching the Turkish loss,-yet he looks sadly, Mon. 3 Gent. Come, let's do so; 4 Gent. The town is empty; on the brow o'the sea Stand ranks of people, and they cry—a sail. [Exit. Cas. My hopes do shape him for the governor. 2 Gent. 'Tis one Iago, ancient to the general. Their mortal natures, letting go safely by Mon. What is she? Cas. He is not yet arriv'd; nor know I aught (Cry within, A sail, a sail! Then guns heard. Good ancient, you are welcome ;-Welcome, tress: (To Emilia) Iago. In faith, too much; I find it still, when I have list to sleep: Emil. doors, Bells in your parlours, wild cats in your kitchens, Des. O, fy, upon thee, slanderer! Iago. Nay, it is true, or else I am a Tark; Iago. O, gentle lady, do not put me to't; Des. Come on, assay:-There's one gone to the Iago. Ay, madam. Des. I am not merry; but I do beguile Iago. I am about it; but, indeed, my invention Des. Well prais'd! How if she be black and witty! Emil. How, if fair and foolish? Iago. She never yet was foolish that was fair? Cas. She, that I spake of, our great captain's For even her folly help'd her to an heir. captain, Left in the conduct of the bold Iago; The riches of the ship is come on shore! Des. I thank you, valiant Cassio. What tidings can you tell me of any lord? Des. These are old fond paradoxes, to make fools laugh i'the alebouse. What miserable praise bast thou for her that's foul and foolish? [ante, Iago. There's none so foul, and foolish thereBut does foul pranks, which fair and wise ones de. Des. O heavy ignorance!-thou praisest the worst best. But what praise could'st thon bester on a deserving woman indeed? one, that, in the authority of her merit, did justly put on the vouch of very malice itself? Iago. She that was ever fair, and never proud; |