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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 sense; yea, though our proper son
Stood in your action.

BRA.
Humbly I thank your grace.
Here is the man, this Moor; whom now, it

seems,

Your special mandate, for the state-affairs,
Hath hither brought.

DUKE and SEN. We are very sorry for 't. DUKE. What, in your own part, can you say to this? [TO OTHELLO.

BRA. Nothing, but this is so.

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

a Their dearest action-] See note (b), p. 398.

The very head and front of my offending
Hath this extent, no more. Rude am I in my

speech,

And little bless'd with the soft phrase of peace;
For since these arms of mine had seven years' pith,
Till now some nine moons wasted, they have us'd
Their dearest action in the tented field;
And little of this great world can I speak,
More than pertains to feats of broils and battle;
And therefore little shall I grace my cause

In speaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious

patience,

I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver

Of my whole course of love; what drugs, what

charms,

What conjuration, and what mighty magic,-
For such proceeding I am charg'd withal,-
I won his daughter.

BRA.

A maiden never bold;
Of spirit so still and quiet, that her motion
Blush'd at herself: and she,-in spite of nature,
Of years, of country, credit, every thing,-
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 should be. I therefore vouch again,
That with some mixtures powerful o'er the blood,
Or with some dram conjur'd to this effect,
He wrought upon her.

(*) First folio, main'd.

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

From year to year, the battles,* sieges, fortunes,†
That I have pass'd.

I ran it through, even from my boyish days,
To the very moment that he bade me tell it :
Wherein I spake of most disastrous chances;
Of moving accidents by flood and field;
Of hair-breadth scapes i' the imminent-deadly
breach;

Of being taken by the insolent foe

And sold to slavery; of my redemption thence,
And portance in my travel's § history:
Wherein of antres vast, and deserts idle,
Rough quarries, rocks and hills whose heads T
touch heaven,

It was my hint to speak,-such was

process;

the **

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Took once a pliant hour, and found good means
To draw from her a prayer of earnest heart
That I would all my pilgrimage dilate,
Whereof by parcels she had something heard,
But not intentively:* I did consent;
And often did beguile her of her tears,
When I did speak of some distressful stroke
That my youth suffer'd. My story being done,
She gave me for my pains a world of sighs:†
She swore,-in faith, 't was strange, 't was passing
strange;

'T was pitiful, 't was wondrous pitiful :-
She wish'd she had not heard it ;-yet she wish'd
That heaven had made her such a man ;-she
thank'd me;

And bade me, if I had a friend that lov'd her,
I should but teach him how to tell my story,
And that would woo her. Upon this hint I spake:-
She lov'd me for the dangers I had pass'd;
And I lov'd her that she did pity them.
This only is the witchcraft I have us'd;-
Here comes the lady, let her witness it.

Enter DESDEMONA, IAGO, and Attendants.

DUKE. I think this tale would win my daughter

too.Good Brabantio,

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I here do give thee that with all my heart,
Which, but thou hast already, with all my heart
I would keep from thee.-For your sake, jewel,
I am glad at soul I have no other child;
For thy escape would teach me tyranny,
To hang clogs on them.-I have done, my lord.
DUKE. Let me speak like yourself; and lay a
sentence,

a Which, but thou hast already, with all my heart-] A line wanting in the earlier quarto.

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Which, as a grise, or step, may help these lovers
Into your favour.*

When remedies are past, the griefs are ended
By seeing the worst, which late on hopes depended.
To mourn a mischief that is past and gone
Is the next way to draw new mischief on.
What cannot be preserv'd, when Fortune takes,
Patience her injury a mockery makes.

() First folio omits the words, Into your favour.

b Let me speak like yourself;] He perhaps means, sententiously.

UU

The robb'd that smiles, steals something from the thief;

He robs himself that spends a bootless grief.

BRA. So let the Turk of Cyprus us beguile,
We lose it not, so long as we can smile.

He bears the sentence well, that nothing bears
But the free comfort which from thence he hears;
But he bears both the sentence and the sorrow,
That, to pay grief, must of poor patience borrow.
These sentences, to sugar, or to gall,
Being strong on both sides, are equivocal:
But words are words; I never yet did hear
That the bruis'd heart was pierced through the

ear.—a

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 allowed sufficiency, yet opinion, a* sovereign mistress of effects, throws a more safer voice on you: you must therefore be content to slubber the gloss of your new fortunes with this more stubborn and boisterous expedition.

Отн. The tyrant custom, most grave senators,
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.
Most humbly, therefore, bending to your state,
I crave fit disposition for my wife ;

Due reference of place and exhibition ;
With such accommodation and besort
As levels with her breeding.

DUKE.

Be't at her father's."

BRA.

If you please,

I'll not have it so.

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And let me find a charter in your voice, To assist my simpleness.

DUKE. What would you, Desdemona? DES. That I did love the Moor to live with hi My downright violence and storm * of fortunes May trumpet to the world: my heart's subdu'd Even to the very quality of my lord:* I saw Othello's visage in his mind; And to his honours and his valiant parts Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate. 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 absence. Let me go with him. Отн. Let her have your voice. 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 me defunct) and proper satisfaction; But to be free and bounteous to her mind: And heaven defend your good souls, that you thin I will your serious and great business scant For§ she is with me: no, when light-wing'd tot Of feather'd Cupid seel with wanton dulness My speculative and offic'd instruments," That my disports 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 shall privately determine Either for her stay or going: the affair cries hast. And speed must answer it.

1 SEN. You must away to-night.'
Отн.
With all hear
my
DUKE. At nine i' the morning here we
'll me
again.-

Othello, leave some officer behind,
And he shall our commission bring to you;
With such things else of quality and respect
As doth import you.
Отн.

So please your grace, my ancien A man he is of honesty and trust,

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Othello, that I am even willing to endure all the inconvenien incident to a military life, and to attend him to the wars. MALONE.

f dear absence.] See note (6), p. 398.

8 Let her have your voice.] The folio lection; that of the qua 1662 is,

"Your voices lords: beseech you let her will
Have a free way."

h My speculative and offic'd instruments,-] By "speculatin and offic'd instruments" he probably means, the organs of th

and action.

You must away to-night.] In the quartos, “You must he to-night," which words are given to the Duke, and the diag proceeds as follows,

"Des. To-night my lord? Du. This night. Oth. With all my heart."

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