We lose it not, fo long as we can smile.

He bears the fentence well, that nothing bears
But the free comfort which from thence he hears:
But he bears both the sentence and the forrow,
That, to pay grief, muft of poor patience borrow.
These fentences, to fugar, or to gall,

Being strong on both fides, are equivocal :
But words are words; I never yet did hear,

That the bruis'd heart was pierced through the ear.
I humbly beseech you, proceed to the affairs of state.

Duke. The Turk with a most mighty preparation makes for Cyprus :-Othello, the fortitude of the place is best known to you: And though we have there a substitute of most allow'd fufficiency, yet opinion, a sovereign mistress of effects, throws a more fafer voice on you: you must therefore be content to slubber the glofs of your new for tunes with this more stubborn and boisterous expedition. Oth. The tyrant cuftom, moft grave fenators,

Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war
My thrice-driven bed of down: I do agnize
A natural and prompt alacrity,

I find in hardness; and do undertake
These present wars against the Ottomites.
Moft humbly therefore bending to your state,
I crave fit difpofition for my wife;
Due reference of place, and exhibition;
With fuch accommodation, and befort,
As levels with her breeding.

Def.

Nor I; I would not there refide,

To put my father in impatient thoughts,

By being in his eye. Moft gracious duke,
To my unfolding lend a gracious ear;
And let me find a charter in your voice,
To affift my fimpleness.

Duke. What would you, Defdemona ?

Def. That I did love the Moor to live with him,
My downright violence and storm of fortunes
May trumpet to the world; my heart's fubdu'd
Even to the very quality of my lord:
I faw Othello's visage in his mind;
And to his honours, and his valiant parts,
Did I my foul and fortunes confecrate.
So that, dear lords, if I be left behind,

A moth of peace, and he go to the war,

The rites, for which I love him, are bereft me,
And I a heavy interim shall support

By his dear abfence: Let me go with him.

Oth. Your voices, lords :-'befeech you, let her will

Have a free way.

Vouch with me, heaven, I therefore beg it not,

To please the palate of my appetite;

Nor to comply with heat, the young affects,

In my diftinct and proper fatisfaction ;

But to be free and bounteous to her mind:

And heaven defend your good souls, that you think

I will your serious and great business fcant,
For the is with me: No, when light-wing'd toys
Of feather'd Cupid feel with wanton dullness
My fpeculative and active inftruments,

That my difports corrupt and taint my business,
Let housewives make a skillet of my helm,
And all indign and base adversities
Make head against my estimation !

Duke. Be it as you fhall privately determine,

Either for her stay, or going: the affair cries-hafte,
And speed must answer it; you must hence to-night.
Def. To-night, my lord.

Duke.

Oth.

This night.

With all my heart.

Duke. At nine i'the morning here we'll ineet again.
Othello, leave fome officer behind,

And he shall our commiffion bring to you;
With fuch things elfe of quality and respect,

As doth import you.

Oth.

す

Please your grace, my ancient;

A man he is of honesty, and trust:

To his conveyance I affign my wife.

With what else needful your good grace fhall think
To be fent after me.

Good night to every one.-And, noble fignior,

If virtue no delighted beauty lack,

[To BRABANTIO.

Your fon-in-law is far more fair than black.

1. Sen. Adieu, brave Moor! use Desdemona well. Bra. Look to her, Moor; have a quick eye to fee; She has deceiv'd her father, and may thee.

[Exeunt Duke, Senators, Officers, &c.

Oth. My life upon her faith.-Honest Iago,
My Desdemona muft 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.
Lago. What fay'ft thou, noble heart?

Rod. What will I do, think'st thou? lago. Why, go to bed, and fleep.

Rod. I will incontinently drown myself.

Iago. Well, if thou dost, I fhall never love thee after it. Why, thou filly gentleman!

Rod. It is filliness to live, when to live is a torment: and then have we a prescription to die, when death is our phy fician.

Iago. O villainous! I have look'd upon the world for four times seven years: and fince I could distinguish a benefit and an injury, I never found a man that knew how to love himself. Ere I would fay, 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 confefs, it is my fhame to be fo fond; but it is not in virtue to amend it.

lago. Virtue? a fig! 'tis in ourselves, that we are thus, or thus. Our bodies are our gardens; to the which, our wills are gardeners: fo that if we will plant nettles, or fow lettuce; fet hyffop, and weed up thyme; fupply it with one gender of herbs, or distract it with many; either to have it fteril 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 fenfuality, the blood and basenefs of our natures would conduct us to most preposterous conclufions: But we have reason, to cool our raging mo tions, our carnal ftings, our unbitted lufts; whereof I take this, that you call-love, to be a fect, or scion.

Rod. It cannot be.

Iago. It is merely a luft of the blood, and a permiffion of the will. Come, be a man: Drown thyself? drown cats, and blind puppies. I have profefs'd me thy friend, and I confess me knit to thy deserving with cables of perdurable toughness; I could never better stead thee than

now.

now.

Put money in thy purfe; follow thefe wars; defeat thy favour with an ufurped beard; I fay, 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 fee an anfwerable fequeftration ;-put but money in thy purse.-Thefe Moors are changeable in their wills; -fill thy purse with money: the food that to him now is as luscious as locufts, shall be to him shortly as bitter as coloquintida. She must change for youth: when the is fated with his body, she will find the error of her choice. -She must have change, she muft: therefore put money in thy purse. If thou wilt needs damn thy felf, do it a more delicate way than drowning. Make all the money thou canst: If fanctimony and a frail vow, betwixt an erring barbarian and a fupersubtle 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 thyfelf! it is clean out of the way: feek thou rather to be hang'd in compaffing thy joy, than to be drown'd and gö without her,

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

Iago. Thou art fure 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 lefs reafon Let us he conjunctive in our revenge againk him: if thou canft cuckold him, thou doft 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 fhall we meet i'the morning?

Iago. At my lodging.

Rod. I'll be with thee betimes.

lago. Go to; farewell. Do you hear, Roderigo?

C 4

Rod.