I know when one is dead, and when one lives;
She's dead as earth. Lend me a looking-glass;
If that her breath will mist or stain the stone,
Why, then she lives.
Kent.
Is this the promised end?
Edg. Or image of that horror?
Alb.
Fall, and cease! Lear. This feather stirs; she lives! if it be so, It is a chance which does redeem all sorrows That ever I have felt.
Kent. [Kneeling] O my good master!
Lear. Prithee, away.
Edg.
'Tis noble Kent, your friend.
Lear. A plague upon you, murderers, traitors
all!
I might have saved her; now she's gone for ever!
Cordelia, Cordelia! stay a little. Ha! 271
What is't thou say'st? Her voice was ever soft,
Gentle, and low, an excellent thing in woman.
I kill'd the slave that was a-hanging thee.
Capt. 'Tis true, my lords, he did.
Lear.
Capt. Edmund is dead, my lord.
Alb.
That's but a trifle here.
You lords and noble friends, know our intent.
What comfort to this great decay may come
Shall be applied: for us, we will resign,
During the life of this old majesty,
To him our absolute power: [To Edgar and Kent] you, to your rights;
With boot, and such addition as your honours Have more than merited. All friends shall taste The wages of their virtue, and all foes
The cup of their deservings. O, see, see!
Lear. And my poor fool is hang'd! No, no, no life!
Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life,
And thou no breath at all? Thou'lt come no more,
Never, never, never, never, never!
Pray you, undo this button: thank you, sir.
Do you see this? Look on her, look, her lips,_310
Look there, look there!
[Dies.
Edg.
He faints! My lord, my lord!
Kent. Break, heart; I prithee, break!
Look up, my lord.
Kent. Vex not his ghost: O, let him pass! he
That would upon the rack of this tough world
Stretch him out longer.
Edg.
He is gone, indeed.
Kent. The wonder is, he hath endured so long:
He but usurp'd his life.
Alb. Bear them from hence. Our present business
Is general woe. [To Kent and Edgar] Friends of my soul, you twain
Rule in this realm, and the gored state sustain. Kent. I have a journey, sir, shortly to go; 321 My master calls me, I must not say no.
Alb. The weight of this sad time we must obey; Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. The oldest hath borne most: we that are young Shall never see so much, nor live so long.
[Exeunt, with a dead march.
Rod. By heaven, I rather would have been his hangman.
Iago. Why, there's no remedy; 'tis the curse of service,
Preferment goes by letter and affection,
Rod. Tush! never tell me; I take it much And not by old gradation, where each second 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 ever I did dream of such a matter,
Rod. Thou told'st me thou didst hold him in thy hate.
Iago. Despise me, if I do not. Three great ones of the city,
In personal suit to make me his lieutenant,
Off-capp'd to him: and, by the faith of man,
I know my price, I am worth no worse a place :
But he, as loving his own pride and purposes,
Evades them, with a bombast circumstance
Horribly stuff'd with epithets of war;
And, in conclusion,
Nonsuits my mediators; for, 'Certes,' says he,
'I have already chose my officer.'
And what was he?
Forsooth, a great arithmetician,
One Michael Cassio, a Florentine,
Stood heir to the first. Now, sir, be judge your
self, Whether I in any just term am affined
I would not follow him then. 40 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,
For nought but provender, and when he's old,
cashier'd:
Whip me such honest knaves. Others there are
Who, trimm'd in forms and visages of duty,
Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves,
And, throwing but shows of service on their lords,
Do well thrive by them and when they have lined
their coats
Do themselves homage: these fellows have some soul;
And such a one do I profess myself. 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;
Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty,
But seeming so, for my peculiar end:
For when my outward action doth demonstrate
The native act and figure of my heart
In compliment extern, 'tis not long after
But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at: I am not what I am.
Rod. What a full fortune does the thick-lips
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 changes of vexation on't,
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 appears above, at a window. Bra. What is the reason of this terrible sum
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're robb'd; for shame,
put on your gown;
Your heart is burst, you have lost half
your soul
Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise;
Awake the snorting citizens with the bell,
Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you:
Arise, I say.
Bra. What, have you lost your wits?
Rod. Most reverend signior, do you know my
voice?
Bra. Not I: what are you?
Rod. My name is Roderigo.
Bra.
The worser welcome:
I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors:
In honest plainness thou hast heard me say
My daughter is not for thee; and now, in mad-
Rod.
Bra. What tell'st thou me of robbing? this is
Venice;
My house is not a grange.
Rod.
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 do you service and 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 gen-
nets for germans.
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.
Rod. Sir, I will answer any thing. But, I beseech 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 watch o' the night,
Transported, with no worse nor better guard
But with a knave of common hire, a gondolier,
To the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor,-
If this be known to you and your allowance,
We then have done you bold and saucy wrongs;
But if you know not this, my manners tell me 130
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
say again, hath made a gross revolt,
Tying her duty, beauty, wit and fortunes
In an extravagant and wheeling stranger
Of here and every where. Straight satisfy your-
self:
If she be in her chamber or your house,
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! This accident is not unlike my dream: Belief of it oppresses me already. Light, I say! light!
[Exit above. Iago. Farewell; for I must leave you: It seems not meet, nor wholesome to my place, To be produced-as, if I stay, I shallAgainst the Moor: for, I do know, the state, However this may gall him with some check, 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, To lead their business: in which regard, Though I do hate him as I do hell-pains, Yet, for necessity of present life,
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 raised search; And there will I be with him. So, farewell. 160 [Exit.
Enter, below, BRABANTIO, and Servants with torches.
Bra. It is too true an evil: gone she is; And what's to come of my 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 didst thou know 'twas she? O, she deceives
I did full hard forbear him. But, I pray you, sir,
Are you fast married? Be assured of this,
That the magnifico is much beloved,
And hath in his effect a voice potential
As double as the duke's: he will divorce you;
Or put upon you what restraint and grievance
The law, with all his might to enforce it on,
Will give him cable.
Oth.
Let him do his spite:
My services which I have done the signiory
Shall out-tongue his complaints.
Which, when I know that boasting is an honour,
I shall promulgate-I fetch my life and being 21
From men of royal siege, and my demerits
May speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune
As this that I have reach'd: for know, Iago,
But that I love the gentle Desdemona,
I would not my unhoused free condition
Put into circumscription and confine
Oth.
What is the matter, think you?
Cas. Something from Cyprus, as I may divine:
It is a business of some heat: the galleys
Have sent a dozen sequent messengers
This very night at one another's heels,
And many of the consuls, raised 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.
'Tis well I am found by you.
I will but spend a word here in the house,
And go with you.
(Exit.
Ancient, what makes he here?
lago. 'Faith, he to-night hath boarded a land
carack:
If it prove lawful prize, he's made for ever.
Cas. I do not understand.
Iago. Marry, to-Come, captain, will you go?
Oth.
Have with you.
Cas. Here comes another troop to seek for you.
lago. It is Brabantio. General, be advised;
He comes to bad intent.
Enter BRABANTIO, RODERIGO, and Officers with
torches and weapons.
Oth.
Holla! stand there!
Rod. Signior, it is the Moor.
Bra.
Down with him, thief!
[They draw on both sides.
Iago. You, Roderigo! come, sir, I am for you.
Oth. Keep up your bright swords, for the dew
will rust them.
Good signior, you shall more command with years
Than with your weapons.
Bra. O thou foul thief, where hast thou stow'd
my daughter?
Damn'd as thou art, thou hast enchanted her;
For I'll refer me to all things of sense,
If she in chains of magic were not bound,
Whether a maid so tender, fair and happy,
So opposite to marriage that she shunn'd
The wealthy curled darlings of our nation,
Would ever have, to incur a general mock,
Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom
Of such a thing as thou, to fear, not to delight.
Judge me the world, if 'tis not gross in sense
That thou hast practised on her with foul charms,
Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals
That weaken motion: I'll have 't disputed on;
'Tis probable and palpable to thinking.
30 I therefore apprehend and do attach thee
For an abuser of the world, a practiser
Of arts inhibited and out of warrant.
Lay hold upon him: if he do resist,
Subdue him at his peril.
For the sea's worth. But, look! what lights come
yond?
CRIago.
Those 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.
Enter CASSIO, and certain Officers with torches.
Oth. The servants of the duke, and my lieu-
The goodness of the night upon you, friends!
What is the news?
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?
The DUKE and Senators sitting at a table;
Officers attending.
Duke. There is no composition in these news
That gives them credit.
First Sen. Indeed, they are disproportion'd;
My letters say a hundred and seven galleys.
Duke. And mine, a hundred and forty.
Sec. 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 judge-
Now, what's 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?
First Sen.
Against the general enemy Ottoman.
[To Brabantio] I did not see you; welcome, gentle signior;
We lack'd your counsel and your help to-night.
Bra. So did I yours. Good your grace, par-
Neither my place nor aught I heard of business
Hath raised me from my bed, nor doth the general
Take hold on me, for my particular grief
Is of so flood-gate and o'erbearing nature
That it engluts and swallows other sorrows
And it is still itself.
Duke.
Why, what's the matter?
Bra. My daughter! O, my daughter!
Duke and Sen.
Bra.
She is abused, stol'n from me, and corrupted 66
By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks;
For nature so preposterously to err,
Being not deficient, blind, or lame of sense,
Sans witchcraft could not.
-Duke. Whoe'er he be that in this foul pro-
ceeding
This cannot be, Hath thus beguiled your daughter of herself
And you of her, the bloody book of law
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,
That as it more concerns the Turk than Rhodes,
So may he with more facile question bear it,
For that it stands not in such warlike brace,
But altogether lacks the abilities
That Rhodes is dress'd in: if we make thought
We must not think the Turk is so unskilful
To leave that latest which concerns him first,
Neglecting an attempt of ease and gain,
To wake and wage a danger profitless.
We are very sorry for't.
Duke. [To Othello] What, in your own part, can you say to this?
Bra. Nothing, but this is so.
Oth. Most potent, grave, and reverend sig. niors,
Duke. Nay, in all confidence, he's not for My very noble and approved good masters,
First Off. Here is more news.
That I have ta'en away this old man's daughter,
It is most true; true, I have married her:
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