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,

2

* And prays you to believe him.

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

Is he not here in town?

I Sen. He's now in Florence.

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

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

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 bufinefs, Hath rais'd me from my bed; nor doth the general

care

Take hold on me, for my particular grief

2 And prays you to believe him.] The late learned and ingenious Mr. Thomas Clark of Lincoln's Inn, read the paffage thus,

And prays you to relieve him. But the prefent reading may eftand. He intreats you not to doubt

the truth of this intelligence.

3-general care.] The word care, which encumbers the verfe, was probably added by the players. Shakespeare uses the general as a fubftantive, though, I think, not in this fenfe,

Is

Is of fo flood-gate and o'er-bearing nature,
That it ingluts and swallows other forrows,
And yet is still itself.

Duke. Why, what's the matter?

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

Bra. To me;

tyles© ༢༽+

She is abus'd, ftoll'n from me, and corrupted 2 15

4

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

Being not deficient, blind, nor lame of fense,"
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 fhall 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 special mandate for the State-affairs,
Hath hither brought.

4 By Spells and medicines, bought of mountebanks] Rymer has ridiculed this circumftance as unbecoming (both for its weakness and fuperftition) the gravity of the accufer, and the dignity of the tribunal But his criticifm only exposes his own ignorance. The circumstance was not only exacly in character, but urged with the greatest addrefs, as the thing chiefly to be infifted on. For, by the Venetian law, the giving Love-potions was very criminal, as Shak fear without queftion well underfood. Thus the Law, Dei maleficii & herba

rie, cap. 17. of the Code intitled, Dellapron ion del maleficio. Slatuimo eriamaio, che-fe alcun homo, • femina baria fatto maleficii, iquali fe dimania o vulgarmente amatorie, overamente alcuni altri maleficii, che alcun bomo o femina Se barvefon in odio, fia frufta I bullado, & che bara confegliado patifca fimile pena. And therefore in the preceding Scene, Brabantia calls them,

-Arts» inhibited, and out of warrant. WARBURTON. 5 Stood in your action.] Were the man expofed to your ebarge or accufation.

All.

All. We're very forry for❜t.

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

Bra. Nothing, but this is fo.

Oth. Moft 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 most true; true, I have married her;

* The very head and front of my offending

Hath this extent; no more. Rude am I in fpeech, " And little blefs'd with the foft phrase of peace; For fince these arms of mine had seven years Pith, 'Till now, fome nine moons wafted, they have us'd 8 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 fhall I grace my cause,

In fpeaking for myfelf. 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 charg'd withal,
I won his daughter with.

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

whole unextenuated.

7 And little bless'd with the SOFT phrafe 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 mascu

Ż 2

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

-the SET phrafe 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 fafety.

Bra.

Bra. A maiden, never bold;

Of spirit fo ftill and quiet, that her motion
Blufh'd at itfelf; and fhe, in fpight 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,

9

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,

2.

Than these thin habits and poor likelyhoods
Of modern Seeming do prefer against him.
1 Sen. But, Othello, fpeak;

Did you by indirect and forced courfes
Subdue and poison this young maid's affections?

9-Perfection so could er Against all rules of nature;] Perfection erring, feems a contradiction in terminis, as the fchoolmen call it. Belides, Prabantio 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 prepofterouly, 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 childifh; perfection is used here, as almost every where elfe, for a high degree of excellence.

I

overt teft,] Open proofs, external evidence. 2 -thin habitsOf modern feeming fhew of flight appearance.

Weak

Or came it by request, and fuch fair queftion
As foul to foul affordeth?

Oth. I beseech 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 hold 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 the come, as truly as to heav'n
I do confefs the vices of my blood,
So justly 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.

[Exit Iago.

Oth. Her father lov'd me, oft invited me;
Still question'd me the ftory 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, 3 And portance in my travel's hiftory:

3 And portance, &c.] I have reftored,

And with it, all my travel's biftory: from the old edition. It is in the reft,

Wherein