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From men of royal fiege; and my demerits
May fpeak, and bonnetted, to as proud a fortune
As this that I have reach'd. For know, lago,
But that I love the gentle Defdemona,

I would not my unhoufed free condition
Put into circumfcription and confine,

For the fea's worth. But look! what lights come yonder?

Enter Caffio, with torches.

lago. Those are the raised father, and his friends:

You were beft go in.

Oth. Not I: I must be found.

My parts, my title and my perfect Soul

Shall manifeft 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?

Caf. The Duke does greet you, General;

And he requires your hafte, poft-hafte, appearance,
Ev'n on the inftant.

Oth. What is the matter, think you?

Caf. Something from Cyprus, as I may divine;
It is a bufinefs of fome heat. The Gallies
Have fent a dozen fequent meffengers

This very night, at one anothers heels:

And many of the Counf'lors, rais'd and met, (4)
Are at the Duke's already. You have been hotly call'd

for,

;

to fay, that his Birth and Services fet him upon fuch a Rank,
that he may fpeak to a Senator of Venice with his Hat
i. c. without fhewing any marks of Deference, or Inequality. I,
therefore, am inclin'd to think, Shakespeare wrote;

May speak, and bonnetted, &c.

(4) And many of the Confuls rais'd and met,

Are at the Duke's already.] Thus all the Editions concur in reading; but there is no fuch Character as a Conful appears in any Part of the Play. I change it to, Counsellers; i. c. the Grandees that conftitute the great Council at Venice. The Reaion I have already given, above, in the Close of the ad Note.

When

R

When, being not at your lodging to be found,
The Senate fent above three several quests,
To fearch you out.

Oth. Tis well I am found by you:

I will but spend a word here in the house,
And go with you.

Caf. Ancient, what makes he here ?

[Exit Othello.

Iago. Faith, he to night hath boarded a land-carrack; If it prove lawful prize, he's made for ever.

Caf. I do not understand.

Iago. He's married.

Caf. To whom ?

Lago. Marry to-Come, Captain, will you go?

Oth. Have with

Enter Othello.

you.

Caf. Here comes another troop to feek for you.

Enter Brabantio, Rodorigo, with officers and torches. Iago. It is Brabantio: General, be advis'd;

He comes to bad intent.

Oth. Holla! ftand there.

Rod. Signior, it is the Moor.

Bra. Down with him, thief!

They draw on both fides.
Iago. You, Roderigo! come, Sir, I am for you
Oth. Keep up your bright fwords, for the dew will

ruft 'em.

Good Signior, you shall more command with years,
Than with your weapons.

Bra. O thou foul thief! where haft thou ftow'd my daughter?

Damn'd as thou art, thou hast enchanted her;
For I'll refer me to all things of fense,

If she in chains of magick were not bound,
Whether a maid, fo tender, fair, and happy,
So oppofite to marriage, that she shunn'd (5)

(s)

-that she fhunn'd

The

The wealthy curled Darlings of our Nation.] I have a

dopted

The wealthy culled darlings of our nation,
Would ever have, t'incur a general mock,
Run from her guardage to the footy bofom
Of fuch a thing as thou, to fear, not to delight?
Judge me the world, if 'tis not grofs in sense, (6)
That thou haft practis'd on her with foul charms,
Abus'd her delicate youth with drugs or minerals,
That weaken Notion.- -I'll hav't difputed on;

dopted a very probable Conjecture, which Mr. Warburton propos'd to me.

The wealthy culled Darling of our Nation.

For

i. e. pick'd, select, chofen, from the common Suitors. the Epithet curled, as he obferves, was no Mark of Diftin&tion or Difference between a Venetian and a Moor; which latter People are remarkably curl'd by Nature. And tho' culled now, when our ears are nicer than our Understandings, may not fo frequently find a Place in the Drama; the fame objection did not lie to the Sound of it in Shakespeare's Days, who chufes to use it wherever he can.

(6) Judge me the World, if 'tis not grofs in Sense,

That thou hast prattis'd on her with foul Charms,

Abus'd her delicate Youth with Drugs, or Minerals,

That weaken Motion.] Brabantio is here accufing Othello of having us'd fome foul Play, and intoxicated Desdemona by Drugs and Potions to win her over to his Love. But why, Drugs to weaken Motion? How then could he have run away with him voluntarily from her Father's Houfe? Had the been averfe to chufing Othello, tho' he had given her Medicines that took away the Ufe of her Limbs, might the not ftill have retain'd her Senfes, and oppos'd the Marriage? Her Father, 'tis evident, from several of his Speeches, is pofitive that the muft have been abused in her rational Faculties; or the could not have made fo prepofterous a Choice, as to wed with a Moor, a Black, and refufe the finest young Gentlemen in Venice. What then have we to do with her Motion being weaken'd? If I underftand any thing of the Poet's Meaning here, I cannot bug think, he must have wrote;

Abus'd her delicate Touth with Drugs, or Minerals,

That weaken Notion.

i. e. her Apprehenfion, right Conception and Idea of Things, Unr derstanding, Judgment, &c.

VOL. VIII.

L

'Tis

'Tis probable, and palpable to thinking.
I therefore apprehend and do attach thee
For an abufer of the world, a practicer
Of arts inhibited and out of warrant;
Lay hold upon him; if he do resist,
Subdue him at his peril.

Oth. Hold your hands,

Both you of my inclining, and the rest.
Were it my cue to fight, I fhould have known it
Without a prompter. Where will you I go
To answer this your charge?

Bra. To prifon, 'till fit time

Of law, and courfe of direct Seffion
Call thee to answer.

Oth. What if I do obey?

How may the Duke be therewith fatisfied,
Whofe meffengers are here about my fide,
Upon fome present business of the State,
To bring me to him?

Offi. True, moft worthy fignior,

The Duke's in Council; and your noble self,
I'm fure, is fent for.

Bra. How! the Duke in Council?

In this time of the night? bring him away; Mine's not an idle caufe. The Duke himself, any of my Brothers of the State,

Or

Cannot but feel this wrong, as 'twere their own;
For if fuch actions may have paffage free, (7)

(7) For if such Actions may have Passage free,

1

Bond

Bondflaves and Pagans hall our Statesmen be.] I have long had a Sufpicion of Pagans here. Would Brabantio infer, if his private Injury were not redrefs'd, the Senate should no longer pretend to call themselves Christians? But Pagans are as ftrict and moral, we find, all the World over, as the most regular Christians, in the Prefervation of private Property. The Diffetence of Faith is not at all concern'd, but mere human Policy, in afcertaining the Right of meum and tuum. I have ventur'd to imagine, that our author wrote,

Bandfaves and Pageants shall our Statesmen be.

i. e. if

Bond-flaves, and Pageants, fhall our Statesmen be.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to the Senate Houfe.

Duke and Senators, fet at a table with lights, and

Duke

T

attendants.

HERE is no compofition in these news,
That gives them credit.

1 Sen. Indeed, they're difproportion'd;
My letters fay, a hundred and feven Gallies.
Duke. And mine a hundred and forty.

2 Sen. And mine, two hundred;

But though they jump not on a juft account,
(As in thefe cafes, where they aim reports,
Tis oft with diff'rence ;) yet do they all confirm
A Turkish Fleet, and bearing up to Cyprus.

Duke. Nay, it is poffible enough to judgment;
I do not fo fecure me in the error,

But the main article I do approve

In fearful fense.

Sailors within.] What hoa! what hoa! what hoa!
Enter Sailors.

Ofi. A meffenger from the Gallies.
Duke. Now! what's the business?
Sail. The Turkish preparation makes for Rhodes,
So was I bid report here to the State.
Duke. How fay you by this change?

1 Sen. This cannot be,

By no affay of reason. 'Tis a pageant,

i. e. if we'll let fuch injurious A&tions go unpunish'd, our Statefmen must be Slaves, Cyphers in Office, and have no Pow'r of redreffing; be Things of meer Show, and gaudy Appearance only. Nor could Pagans, include any Reflexion on Othello, confidering him as a Moor: for unless he had been turn'd Chriftian, he never could have had any Commiffion under the Venetian State.

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