The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 8 of 9]

Oth. The servants of the duke, and my lieutenant.[5030]
The goodness of the night upon you, friends![5031] 35
What is the news?[5032]

Cas. The duke does greet you, general,
And he requires your haste-post-haste appearance,[5033]
Even on the instant.

Oth. What is the matter, think you?[5034]

Cas. Something from Cyprus, as I may divine;
It is a business of some heat: the galleys 40
Have sent a dozen sequent messengers [5035]
This very night at one another’s heels;[5036]
And many of the consuls, raised and met,[5037]
Are at the duke’s already: you have been hotly call'd for;[5038]
When, being not at your lodging to be found, 45
The senate hath sent about three several quests [5039]
To search you out.

Oth. 'Tis well I am found by you.
I will but spend a word here in the house,[5040]
And go with you. [Exit.[5040][5041]

Cas. Ancient, what makes he here?

Iago. Faith, he to-night hath boarded a land carack:[5042] 50
If it prove lawful prize, he's made for ever.

Cas. I do not understand.

Iago. He's married.

Cas. To who?

Iago. Marry, to—Come, captain, will you go?

Oth. Have with you.[5044]

Cas. Here comes another troop to seek for you.

Iago. It is Brabantio: general, be advised;[5045] 55
He comes to bad intent.

Oth. Holla! stand there![5046]

Rod. Signior, it is the Moor.

Bra. Down with him, thief!

Iago. You, Roderigo! come, sir, I am for you.

Oth. Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them.[5048][5049]
Good signior, you shall more command with years[5048] 60
Than with your weapons.[5048]

Bra. O thou foul thief, where hast thou stow'd my daughter?[5050]
Damn'd as thou art, thou hast enchanted her;[5051]
For I'll refer me to all things of sense,[5052]
If she in chains of magic were not bound,[5053] 65
Whether a maid so tender, fair and happy,
So opposite to marriage that she shunn'd
The wealthy curled darlings of our nation,[5054]
Would ever have, to incur a general mock,[5055]
Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom [5056] 70
Of such a thing as thou, to fear, not to delight.[5057]
Judge me the world, if 'tis not gross in sense [5058][5059]
That thou hast practised on her with foul charms,[5058]
Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals[5058][5060]
That weaken motion: I'll have 't disputed on;[5058][5061] 75
'Tis probable, and palpable to thinking.[5058][5062]
I therefore apprehend and do attach thee[5058]
For an abuser of the world, a practiser [5063]
Of arts inhibited and out of warrant.[5064]
Lay hold upon him: if he do resist, 80
Subdue him at his peril.

Oth. Hold your hands,[5065]
Both you of my inclining and the rest:
Were it my cue to fight, I should have known it [5066]
Without a prompter. Where will you that I go [5067]
To answer this your charge?[5068]

Bra. To prison, till fit time [5069] 85
Of law and course of direct session[5069]
Call thee to answer.[5070]

Oth. What if I do obey?
How may the duke be therewith satisfied,
Whose messengers are here about my side,
Upon some present business of the state 90
To bring me to him?[5071]

First Off. 'Tis true, most worthy signior;
The duke's in council, and your noble self,
I am sure, is sent for.[5072]

Bra. How! the duke in council!
In this time of the night! Bring him away:[5073]
Mine's not an idle cause: the duke himself, 95
Or any of my brothers of the state,
Cannot but feel this wrong as 'twere their own;
For if such actions may have passage free,
Bond-slaves and pagans shall our statesmen be. [Exeunt.[5074]

Duke. There is no composition in these news [5076]
That gives them credit.

First Sen. Indeed they are disproportion'd;[5077]
My letters say a hundred and seven galleys.[5078]

Duke. And mine, a hundred and forty.

Sec. Sen. And mine, two hundred:[5079]
But though they jump not on a just account,— 5
As in these cases, where the aim reports,[5080]
'Tis oft with difference,—yet do they all confirm [5081]
A Turkish fleet, and bearing up to Cyprus.

Duke. Nay, it is possible enough to judgement:
I do not so secure me in the error,[5082] 10
But the main article I do approve [5083]
In fearful sense.

Sailor. [Within] What, ho! what, ho! what, ho![5084]

First Off. A messenger from the galleys.

Duke. Now, what's the business?

Sail. The Turkish preparation makes for Rhodes;
So was I bid report here to the state [5086] 15
By Signior Angelo.[5086][5087]

Duke. How say you by this change?

First Sen. This cannot be,[5088]
By no assay of reason: 'tis a pageant[5088]
To keep us in false gaze. When we consider
The importancy of Cyprus to the Turk, 20
And let ourselves again but understand
That as it more concerns the Turk than Rhodes,
So may he with more facile question bear it,[5089]
For that it stands not in such warlike brace,[5090]
But altogether lacks the abilities[5090][5091] 25
That Rhodes is dress'd in: if we make thought of this,[5090][5092]
We must not think the Turk is so unskilful[5090]
To leave that latest which concerns him first,[5090]
Neglecting an attempt of ease and gain,[5090][5093]
To wake and wage a danger profitless.[5090][5093] 30

Duke. Nay, in all confidence, he's not for Rhodes.[5094]

First Off. Here is more news.

Mess. The Ottomites, reverend and gracious,
Steering with due course toward the isle of Rhodes,
Have there injointed them with an after fleet.[5096] 35

First Sen. Ay, so I thought. How many, as you guess?[5097]

Mess. Of thirty sail: and now they do re-stem [5098]
Their backward course, bearing with frank appearance
Their purposes toward Cyprus. Signior Montano,[5099]
Your trusty and most valiant servitor, 40
With his free duty recommends you thus,[5100]
And prays you to believe him.[5101]

Duke. 'Tis certain then for Cyprus.
Marcus Luccicos, is not he in town?[5102]

First Sen. He's now in Florence. 45

Duke. Write from us to him; post-post-haste dispatch.[5103]

First Sen. Here comes Brabantio and the valiant Moor.

Duke. Valiant Othello, we must straight employ you [5105]
Against the general enemy Ottoman.
[To Brabantio] I did not see you; welcome, gentle signior;[5106] 50
We lack'd your counsel and your help to-night.[5107]

Bra. So did I yours. Good your grace, pardon me;
Neither my place nor aught I heard of business [5108]
Hath raised me from my bed, nor doth the general care [5109]
Take hold on me; for my particular grief [5110] 55
Is of so flood-gate and o'erbearing nature
That it engluts and swallows other sorrows,[5111]
And it is still itself.[5112]

Duke. Why, what's the matter?

Bra. My daughter! O, my daughter!

All. Dead?

Bra. Ay, to me;[5113]
She is abused, stol'n from me and corrupted 60
By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks;
For nature so preposterously to err,[5114]
Being not deficient, blind, or lame of sense,[5115]
Sans witchcraft could not.[5116]

Duke. Whoe'er he be that in this foul proceeding 65
Hath thus beguiled 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 [5117]
Stood in your action.

Bra. Humbly I thank your grace. 70
Here is the man, this Moor; whom now, it seems,
Your special mandate for the state-affairs
Hath hither brought.

All. We are very sorry for't.[5118]

Duke. [To Othello] What in your own part can you say to this?[5119]

Bra. Nothing, but this is so. 75

Oth. Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors,
My very noble and approved 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 80
Hath this extent, no more. Rude am I in my speech,[5120]
And little blest with the soft phrase of peace;[5121]
For since these arms of mine had seven years' pith,
Till now some nine moons wasted, they have used [5122]
Their dearest action in the tented field; 85
And little of this great world can I speak,
More than pertains to feats of broil and battle;[5123]
And therefore little shall I grace my cause
In speaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious patience,[5124]
I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver [5125] 90
Of my whole course of love; what drugs, what charms,[5126]
What conjuration and what mighty magic—
For such proceeding I am charged withal—[5127]
I won his daughter.[5128]

Bra. A maiden never bold;[5129]
Of spirit so still and quiet that her motion[5129] 95
Blush'd at herself; and she—in spite of nature,[5130]
Of years, of country, credit, every thing—
To fall in love with what she fear'd to look on![5131]
It is a judgement maim'd and most imperfect [5132]
That will confess perfection so could err [5133] 100
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 conjured to this effect, 105
He wrought upon her.

Duke. To vouch this, is no proof,[5134]
Without more certain and more overt test [5135]
Than these thin habits and poor likelihoods [5136]
Of modern seeming do prefer against him.[5137]

First Sen. But, Othello, speak:[5138] 110
Did you by indirect and forced courses
Subdue and poison this young maid's affections?
Or came it by request, and such fair question
As soul to soul affordeth?

Oth. I do beseech you,[5139]
Send for the lady to the Sagittary,[5140] 115
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,[5141]
Not only take away, but let your sentence
Even fall upon my life.[5142]

Duke. Fetch Desdemona hither. 120

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

And till she come, as truly as to heaven [5144]
I do confess the vices of my blood,[5145]
So justly to your grave ears I'll present
How I did thrive in this fair lady's love 125
And she in mine.

Duke. Say it, Othello.

Oth. Her father loved me, oft invited me,
Still question'd me the story of my life [5146]
From year to year, the battles, sieges, fortunes,[5147] 130
That I have pass'd.[5148]
I ran it through, even from my boyish days [5149]
To the very moment that he bade me tell it:
Wherein I spake of most disastrous chances,[5150]
Of moving accidents by flood and field,[5151] 135
Of hair-breadth 'scapes i' the imminent deadly breach,[5152]
Of being taken by the insolent foe,
And sold to slavery, of my redemption thence,[5153]
And portance in my travels' history:[5154]
Wherein of antres vast and deserts idle,[5155] 140
Rough quarries, rocks, and hills whose heads touch heaven,[5156]
It was my hint to speak,—such was the process;[5157][5158][5159]
And of the Cannibals that each other eat,[5158][5160]
The Anthropophagi, and men whose heads[5158][5161]
Do grow beneath their shoulders. This to hear[5158][5162] 145
Would Desdemona seriously incline:
But still the house-affairs would draw her thence;[5163]
Which ever as she could with haste dispatch,[5164]
She'ld come again, and with a greedy ear
Devour up my discourse: which I observing, 150
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,[5165]
But not intentively: I did consent,[5166] 155
And often did beguile her of her tears
When I did speak of some distressful stroke [5167]
That my youth suffer'd. My story being done,[5168]
She gave me for my pains a world of sighs:[5169]
She swore, in faith, 'twas strange, 'twas passing strange;[5170] 160
'Twas pitiful, 'twas 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,[5171]
And bade me, if I had a friend that loved her,
I should but teach him how to tell my story, 165
And that would woo her. Upon this hint I spake:[5172]
She loved me for the dangers I had pass'd,[5173]
And I loved her that she did pity them.
This only is the witchcraft I have used.
Here comes the lady; let her witness it. 170

Scene III. A council-chamber.