Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war I find in hardness; and do undertake Duke. Why, at her father's. Bra. I will not have it so. Oth. Nor I. Des. Nor would I there reside, To put my father in impatient thoughts By being in his eye. Most gracious duke, Duke. What would you, Desdemona ? Des. That I did love the Moor to live with him, I saw Othello's visage in his mind, A moth of peace, and he go to the war, By his dear absence. Let me go with him. Oth. Your voices, lords; 'beseech you, let her Have a free way. I therefore beg it not [will To please the palate of my appetite ; That my disports corrupt and taint my business ; Make head against my estimation. Duke. Be it as you shall privately determine, Or for her stay or going; the affair cries haste; And speed must answer. You must hence to-night. Des. To-night, my Lord? Duke. This night. Oth. With all my heart. (34) By referring to figure 100, and reversing it, it may be seen that the helm or bonnet of Othello, there drawn resembles a skillet. Duke. At nine i' th' morning here we'll meet Othello, leave some officer behind, [again. And he shall our commission bring to you ; And such things else of quality and respect As doth import you. Oth. Please your grace, my ancient; (A man he is of honesty and trust) To his conveyance I assign my wife, With what else needful your good grace shall think To be sent after me. Duke. Let it be so; Good night to every one. And, noble signior, If virtue no delighted beauty lack, Your son-in-law is far more fair than black. Sen. Adieu, brave Moor, use Desdemona well. Bra. Adieu, brave Moor, if thou hast eyes to see, She has deceived her father, and may thee. [Exit Duke, with Senators. Oth. My life upon her faith.--Honest Iago, My Desdemona must I leave to thee; I pr'ythee, let thy wife attend on her; (35) (35) Let thy wife attend on her. Iago's wife, Æmilia, is the same as Trulla in Hudibras, whose figure (No. 20, by this time well impressed upon the reader's memory,) is following or attending on that of Desdemona in the moon. Though her character in this play may not be free from levity, yet she is not to be considered here so coarse a virago as she was in Hudibras. And bring her after in the best advantage. Manent RODORIGO and IAGO. Rod. Iago Iago. What sayest thou, noble heart? Rod. What will I do, thinkest thou? [Exeunt. Rod. I will incontinently drown myself. Iago. Well, if thou dost, I shall never love thee Why, thou silly gentleman! [after. Rod. It is silliness to live, when to live is a torment; and then we have a prescription to die, when death is our physician. Iago. O villainous! I have looked upon the world for four times seven years, and since I could distinguish betwixt 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 my virtue to amend it. 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 have it steril with idleness, or manured with industry; why, the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our will. If the beam 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 our raging motions, our carnal stings, our unbitted lusts; whereof I take this, that you call love, to be a sect or syen. Rod. It cannot be. Iago. It is merely a lust of the blood, and a permission of the will. Come, be a man: drownthyself? 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 steed thee than now. Put money in thy purse, follow thou 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 in her, and thou shalt see an answerable sequestration-put money in thy purse. These Moors are changeable in their wills; fill thy purse with money. The food that to him |