Imatges de pàgina
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Bra. Nothing, but this is fo.

Oth. Moft potent, grave, and reverend figniors,
My very noble and approved good mafters;
That I have ta'en away this old man's daughter,
It is most true; true, I have married her;
The very head and front of my offending

Hath this extent; no more. Rude 9 am I in my speech,
And little bleft with the fet phrase of peace;

For fince these arms of mine had seven years pith,
'Till now, fome nine moons wafted, they have us'd
Their deareft action in the tented field;

And little of this great world can I speak,

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More than pertains to feats of broils and battle;
And therefore little fhall I grace my cause,

W

In fpeaking" for myself. Yet by your gracious patience,
I will a round. unvarnish'd tale deliver

Of my whole courfe of love; what drugs, what charms,
What conjuration, and what mighty magic,

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b

I won his daughter with.

Bra. A maiden, never bold;

Of spirit fo ftill and quiet, that her motion

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Blush'd at itself; and fhe, in fpight of nature,
Of years, of country, credit, every thing,

a The ad q. I am for am I.

r So the qu's and W; the reft, foft

for fet.

s First q. feate.

Firft q. and C, broil.

Second q. of for for.

x Second q. would for will.

y Second q. unravish'd.

z The qu's read proceedings,

a So the qu's; the reft, I am.

The qu's and 1ft f, omit with,

c This is P.'s emendation; all be

w So all before P. who omits gra- fore read berfelf for itself.

cious; followed by T. H. and W,

To

To fall in love with what fhe fear'd to look on-
It is a judgment maim'd, and most imperfect,
That will confefs, affection fo* would 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 fome mixtures, powerful o'er the blood,
Or with fome dram, conjur❜d to this effect,
He wrought upon her,

f Duke. To vouch this is no proof,

Without more certain and more 1 overt test,
i Than these thin habits and poor likelyhoods
Of modern Seeming do prefer against him.
1 Sen. But, Othello, fpeak;

k

Did you by indirect and forced courfes

Subdue and poifon this young maid's affections?
Or came it by request, and such fair question
As foul to foul affordeth?

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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,

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The truft, the office, I do hold of you,

Not only take away, but let your sentence

Even fall upon my life.

Duke. Fetch Defdemona hither.

[Exeunt two or three.

Oth. Ancient, conduct them, you best know the place.

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And till fhe come, as P truly as to heaven

I do confefs the vices of my blood,

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

Duke. Say it, Othello.

Oth. Her father lov'd me, oft invited me,

Still queftion'd me the
From year to year the
That I have paft.

r

ftory of my life,

t

battles, fieges, fortunes,

I ran it through, even " from my boyish days,
To th' very moment that he bad me tell it :

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[Exit Iago.

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

And fold to flavery; 2 of my redemption thence,

This line is omitted in the rft q,

• First f. tell.

P First q. faithful for truly.

This line is omitted in the rft q.

Second q. fteryes. s Firft f. battaile.

The fo's, fortune.

u Second q. to for frem.

w The qu's and C. fpake.

x Firft q. accident of flood, &c,
y First q. beire-breadth.

z Firft q. and for ef.

And

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Wherein of antres vaft, and defarts idle,

Rough quarries, rocks, f and hills, whofe & heads touch."

heaven,

It was my hint to fpeak;

And of the Canibals that each other eat,

m

n

fuch was the process;

These to hear

The Anthropophagi; and a men whose heads • Do grow beneath their fhoulders.

Would Defdemona seriously incline;

But ftill the houfe-affairs would draw her 4 thence,
Which ever as she could with haste dispatch,
She'd come again, and with a greedy ear
Devour up my discourse: which I observing,
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;

a So the fo's, R. T. 7, and C; the ad q. pertence; the reft, And with it all my travel's, &c.

b Rymer has changed portance to por

tents. P.

The fo's, traveller's.

J. propofes to read,

h Firft q. and W. bent for bint.
i P. and H. omit what is in italic.
k The fo's and R. read my for the.

1 First and 2d fo's, others.

m The qu's, Anthropophagie; 1ft f. Anthropophague.

n of these men there is an account

And portance in't; (i. e. in slavery) my in the interpolated travels of Mandevile,

travel's biftory, &c.

d Firft q. antrees, fo P; the 2d qu's, fo's, and R. antars.

e The three last fo's, P. and H. read wild for idle. P. gives us wild, as an emendation of his own; which the fucceeding editors have regarded as fuch. The 1ft f. omits and.

The Ift f. and R. bead.

a book of that time. J.

• So the qu's, T. W. J. and C; the fo's, Grew for Do grow; R. Did grow. P So the 2d q. and R; the it q This to bear, &c. The fo's and C. Thefe things to bear, &c. P. and the reft, All thefe to bear, &c.

q The fo's and R. bence.

First q. And for which.

Whereof

Whereof by parcels fhe had fomething heard,
But not intentively. I did confent,

And often did beguile her of her tears,
When I did speak of fome " diftressful ftroke
That my youth fuffer'd. My ftory being done,
She gave me for my pains a world of fighs:

She fwore, in faith 'twas ftrange, 'twas paffing ftrange,
'Twas pitiful, 'twas wondrous pitiful—

She wish'd fhe had not heard it ;-yet fhe wifh'd

That heaven had made her fuch a man:- She thank'd me,

And bad me, if I had a friend that lov'd her,

I should but teach him how to tell my ftory,

And that would woo her. y Upon this hint I spake,

a

She lov'd me for the dangers I had paft,

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.

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Enter Desdemona, Iago, and Attendants.

Duke. I think this tale would win my daughter too.

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