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Your fon-in-law is far more fair than black.

(Exi

Sen. Adieu, brave Moor, ufe Defdemona well. Bra. Look to her, Moor, if thou haft eyes to fee; She has deceiv'd her father, and may thee. Oth. My life upon her faith. Honeft Iago, My Desdemona muft I leave to thee; I pr'ythee let thy wife attend on her; And bring her after in the beft advantage. Come, Desdemona, I have but an hour Of love, of worldly matter, and direction

To speak with thee. We muft obey the time. {Exeunt.

SCEN E X.

Rod. lago!

Manent Rodorigo and lago.

Iago. What fayeft thou, noble heart?
Rod. What will I do, thinkeft thou?
Jago. Why, go to bed and fleep.

Rod. I will incontinently drown my self.

Iago. If thou doft, I fhall never love thee after. Why, thou filly gentleman!

Rod. It is fillinefs to live, when to live is a torment; and then have we a prefcription to die, when death is our phyfician.

lago. O villainous! I have look'd upon the world for four times seven years, and fince I could diftinguish betwixt a benefit and an injury, I never found man that knew how to love himself. Ere I would fay I would drown my felf for the love of a Guiney-hen, I would change my humanity with a baboon.

Rod. What fhould I do? I confefs it is my shame to be fo fond, but it is not in my virtue to amend it.

lago. Virtue? a fig: 'tis in our felves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardiners. So that if we will plant nettles, or sow lettice; fet hyffop, and weed up thyme; fupply it with

one

one gender of herbs, or diftract it with many; either have it fteril with idleness, or manured with induftry; why, the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our will. If the ballance of our lives had not one fcale of reason to poise another of fenfuality, the blood and bafenefs of our natures would conduct us to moft prepofterous conclufions. But we have reafon, to cool our raging motions, our carnal ftings, our unbitted lufts; whereof I take this that you call love, to be a 'flip or fcyon.

Rod. It cannot be.

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Iago. It is meerly a luft of the blood, and a permiffion of the will. Come, be a man: drown thy felf? drown cats and blind puppies.. I have profeft me thy friend, and I confefs me knit to thy deferving with cables of perdurable toughness. I could never better ftead thee than now. Put money in thy purfe; follow thou thefe wars, defeat thy favour with an ufurped beard; I fay, put money in thy purfe. It cannot be that Desdemona fhould long continue her love to the Moor-put money in thy purfe nor he his to her. It was a violent commencement in her, and thou fhalt fee an answerable fequeftration, but put money in thy purfe.-Thefe Moors are changeable in their wills;-fill thy purfe with money. The food that to him now is as lufcious as locufts, fhall fhortly be as bitter as coloquintida. She muft change for youth; when she is fated with his body, fhe will find the errors of her choice Therefore put money in thy purfe If thou wilt needs damn thy felf, do it a more delicate way than drowning. Make all the money thou canft. If fanctimony and a frail vow, betwixt an arrant` Barbarian and a fuper-fubtle Venetian, be not too hard for my wits, and all the tribe of hell, thou fhalt enjoy her; therefore make money. A pox of drowning thy felf! it is clean

out

(a) That is, difgrace thy features and make thy fair countenance grim with a falje beard. Warburton.

(b) J. Ludolfus fpeaking of the Locuft faith, fuavis valde nec non falubris eft cibus. Hift. Ethiop. lib. 1. c. 13.

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out of the way. Seek, thou rather to be hang'd in com paffing thy joy, than to be drown'd and go without her. Rod. Wilt thou be faft to my hopes, if I depend on the iffue?

Iago. Thou art fure of me.Go, make money. I have told thee often, and I re-tell thee again and again, I hate the Moor. My caufe is hearted; thine hath no lefs reafon. Let us be conjunctive in our revenge against him. If thou canft cuckold him, thou doft thy felf a plea fure, me a sport. There are many events in the womb of time, which will be delivered. Traverfe, go, provide thy money. We will have more of this to-morrow. Adieu.

Rod. Where fhall we meet i'th' morning?

Jago. At my lodging.

Rod. I'll be with thee betimes.

Iago. Go to, farewel. Do you hear, Rodorigo?

No more of drowning.

Rod. I'll fell all my land.

S CE

[Exit.

NE XI.

Manet lago.

Iago. Thus do I ever make my fool my purse;
For I mine own gain'd knowledge fhould profane,
If I fhould time expend with fuch a fwain,
But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor,
And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my fheets
He has done my office. I know not if't be true-
But I, for meer fufpicion in that kind,
Will do, as if for furety. He holds me well-
The better fhall my purpose work on him;
Caffio's a proper man: let me fee now;

--

To get his place, and to plume up my will,
A double knavery. How? how? let's fee-
After fome time, t' abufe Othello's ears,
That he is too familiar with his wife

He

T

He hath a perfon, and a smooth difpofe,

To be fufpected; fram'd to make women falfe.
The Moor is of a free and open nature,
That thinks men honest that but feem to be fo,
And will as tenderly be led by th' nose

As affes are:

I have't it is ingendred-Hell and night

Muft bring this monstrous birth to the world's light. [Exit.

ACT II. SCENE I.
АСТ

The Capital City of Cyprus.

Enter Montano Governor of Cyprus, and two Gentlemen.

WHA

MONTANO.

HAT from the cape can you discern at fea?
1 Gent. Nothing at all, it is a high-wrought
I cannot 'twixt the heavens and the main [flood;
Defcry a fail.

Mont. Methinks the wind hath spoke aloud at land;
A fuller blaft ne'er fhook our battlements;

If it hath ruffian'd fo upon the sea,

What ribs of oak, when mountains melt on them,
Can hold the mortife? what fhall we hear of this?

2 Gent. A fegregation of the Turkish fleet;

For do but stand upon the foaming fhore,
The chiding billows feem to pelt the clouds,

The wind-fhak'd furge, with high and monftrous main,
Seems to caft water on the burning Bear,

And quench the guards of th' ever fired pole;

I never did like moleftation view

On' th' enchaf'd flood.

Mont. If that the Turkish fleet

Be

Be not infhelter'd and embay'd, they're drown'd :
It is impoffible to bear it out.

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3 Gent. News, Lords, our wars are done : The defperate tempeft hath fo bang'd the Turks, That their Defignment halts. 9'A fhip of Venice

Hath feen a grievous wreck and fufferance

On moft part of their fleet.

Mont. How! is this true?

3 Gent. The fhip is here put in;

A Veronea; Michael Caffo,

Lieutenant of the warlike Moor Othello,

Is come on fhore; the Moor himself's at fea,
And is in full commiffion here for Cyprus.

Mont, I'm glad on't; 'tis a worthy governor.

[fort

3 Gent. But this fame Caffio, though he fpeak of comTouching the Turkish lofs, yet he looks fadly, And prays the Moor be fafe; for they were parted With foul and violent tempeft.

Mont. Pray heav'ns he be:

For I have ferv'd him, and the man commands
Like a full foldier. Let's to the fea-fide,

As well to fee the veffel that's come in,

As to throw out our eyes for brave Othello,

Even till we make the main and th'aerial blue
And indiftinct regard.

Gent. Come, let's do fo;

For every minute is expectancy

Of more arrivance,

SCENE III

Enter Caffio.

Caf. Thanks to the valiant of this warlike ifle, That fo approve the Moor: oh let the heav'ns

9 a noble ship

Give

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