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Mef. Of thirty fail; and now they do re-stem Their backward courfe, bearing with frank appear

ance

Their purposes toward Cyprus.

Signior Montano,

Your trufty and most valiant Servitor,

With his free duty, recommends you thus,
And prays you to believe him.

Duke. 'Tis certain then for Cyprus. Marcus Luccicos,

Is he not here in town?

1 Sen. He's now in Florence.

Duke. Write from us, to him, post, post-hafte. Despatch.

1 Sen. Here comes Brabantio, and the valiant Moor.

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To them, enter Brabantio, Othello, Caffio, Iago, Rodorigo, and Officers.

Duke. Valiant Othello, we muft ftraight employ

you,

Against the general enemy Ottoman.

I did not fee you; welcome, gentle fignior, [To Brab. We lack'd your counfel, and your help to night.

Bra. So did I yours. Good your Grace, pardon me; Neither my place, nor aught I heard of business, Hath rais'd me from my bed; nor doth the general

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Is of fo flood-gate and o'er-bearing nature,
That it ingluts and fwallows other sorrows,
And yet is ftill itself.

Duke, Why, what's the matter?

Bra. My daughter! oh, my daughter !------
Sen. Dead?

Bra. To me;

She is abus'd, ftoll'n from me, and corrupted

4

By spells and medicines, bought of mountebanks; For nature fo prepofterously to err,

Being not deficient, blind, nor lame of fenfe,
Sans witchcraft could not

Duke. Who-e'er he be, that in this foul proceeding
Hath thus beguil'd your daughter of herself,
And you of her, the bloody book of law
You shall yourself read in the bitter letter,

After your own fenfe; yea, though our proper Son 5 Stood in your action.

Bra. Humbly I thank your Grace.

Here is the man, this Moor, whom now it feems,
Your fpecial mandate for the State-affairs,
Hath hither brought.

4 By Spel's and medicines, bought of mountebanks] Rymer has ridiculed this circumftance as unbecoming (both for its weaknets and fuperftition) the gravity of the accufer, and the cignity of the tribunal: But his criticism only expofes his own ignorance. The circumfance was not only exactly in character, but urged with the greatest addrefs, as the thing chiefly to be infilled on. For, by the Venetian law, the giving Love-potions was very criminal, as Shakef car without question well unde ftood. Thus the Law, Dei maleficii & kerba

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1

All. We're very forry for't.

Duke. What in your own part can you say to this? [To Othello.

Bra. Nothing, but this is fo.

Oth. Most potent, grave, and reverend figniors,
My very noble and approv'd good masters;
That I have ta'en away this old man's daughter,
It is moft true; true, I have married her;

• The very head and front of my offending
Hath this extent; no more. Rude am I in fpeech,
7 And little blefs'd with the foft phrafe of peace;
For fince these arms of mine had seven years Pith,
'Till now, fome nine moons wasted, they have us'd
Their dearest action in the tented field;
And little of this great world can I fpeak,
More than pertains to feats of broils and battle;
And therefore little fhall I grace my cause,

In fpeaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious pa tience,

I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver

Of my whole course of love; what drugs, what
charms,

What conjuration, and what mighty magick,
For fuch proceeding I am charged withal,
I won his daughter with.

6 The very head and front of my offending] The main, the whole unextenuated.

7 And little blefs'd with the SOFT phraft of peace; ] This apology, if addreffed to his miftref, had been well expreffed. But what he wanted, in fpeaking before a Venetian Senate, was not the foft blandifhments of fpeech, but the art and method of mafcu

Z 2

line eloquence. The old Quarto reads it, therefore, as I am perfuaded Shakespear wrote,

the SET phrase of peace; WARBURTON. Soft is the reading of the folio.

Their dearest action-] That is dear, for which much is paid, whether money or labour; dear action, is action performed at great expence, either of ease or safety,

Bra,

Bra. A maiden, never bold;

Of fpirit fo ftill and quiet, that her motion
Blush'd at itself, and fhe, in fpight of nature,
Of years, of country, credit, every thing,

9

To fall in love with what she fear'd to look on-
It is a judgment maim'd, and most imperfect,
That will confess, Perfection so could err
Against all rules of nature; and must be driven
To find out practices of cunning hell,

Why this fhould be. I therefore vouch again,
That with fome mixtures powerful o'er the blood,
Or with fome dram, conjur'd to this effect,
He wrought upon her.

Duke. To vouch this is no proof,

Without more certain and more' overt teft,
Than these2 thin habits and poor likelyhoods
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?

-Perfection fo could er Against all rules of nature;] Perfection erring, feems a contradiction in terminis, as the fchoolmen call it. Befides, Erabantio does not blazon his daughter out for a thing of abfolute perfection; he only fays, fhe was indued with fuch an extreme innate modefty, that for her to fall in love fo prepofterously, no found judgment could allow, but it must be by magical practice upon her. I have ventur'd to imagine that our author wrote;

That will confefs, Affection fo could err, &c.

This is entirely confonant to what Brabantio would fay of her;

and one of the fenators, immediately after, in his examination of the Moor, thus addreffes himfelf to him;

-But, Othello, Speak; Did you by indirect and forced courfes

Subdue and poifon this young maid's affections, &c.

THEOBALD.

The objection is childish; perfetion is ufed here, as almost every where elfe, for a high degree of excellence.

1-overt tef] Open proefs, external evidence.

thin habitsOf modern feeming-] Weak fhew of flight appearance.

Or came it by requeft, and fuch fair question
As foul to foul affordeth?

Oth. 1 befeech 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 bold of you,
Not only take away, but let your Sentence
Even fall upon my life.

Duke. Fetch Desdemona hither.

[Exeunt two or three. Oth. Ancient, conduct them, you best know the

place.

And till fhe come, as truly as to heav'n
I do confefs the vices of my blood,

So juftly to your grave ears I'll prefent,
How I did thrive in this fair lady's love,
And fhe in mine.

Duke. Say it, Othello.

[Exit Iago.

Oth. Her father lov'd me, oft invited me;
Still queftion'd me the story of my life,

From year to year, the battles, fieges, fortunes,
That I have past.

I ran it through, e'en from my boyish days,
To th' very moment that he bade me tell it:
Wherein I fpoke of moft difaftrous chances,
Of moving accidents by flood and field;

Of hair-breadth 'fcapes in th' imminent deadly breach;
Of being taken by the infolent foe,

And fold to flavery; of my redemption thence, travel's history:

3 And portance in my

3 And fortance, &c.] I have

restored,

And with it, all my travel's

biftory:

Wherein

And portance in my travel's bif

tory.

Rymer, in his criticism on this play, has changed it to pertent,

from the old edition. It is in the inftead of portance.

reft,

Ꮓ 3

POPE.

Mr.

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