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is a fore decayer of your whorefon dead body. Here's a fcull now has lain in the earth three and twenty years. Ham. Who's was it?

Clown. A whorefon mad fellow's it was. Whofe do you think it was?

Ham. Nay, I know not.

Clown. A peftilence on him for a mad rogue! he pour'd a flaggon of Rhenish on my head once. This fame fcull, Sir, was Yorick's fcull, the king's jefter.

. Ham. This ?

Clown. E'en that.

Ham. Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jeft; of most excellent fancy: he hath borne me on his back a thousand times: and now how abhorred in my imagination it is! My gorge rifes at it. Here hung thofe lips, that I have kifs'd I know not how oft. Where be your gibes now, your gambols, your fongs, your flashes of merriment, that were wont to fet the table on a roar? Not one now to mock your own grinning! Quite chap fallen! Now get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must come: make her laugh at that.-Pr'ythee, Horatio, tell me one thing.

Hor. What's that, my Lord?

Ham. Deft thou think Alexander look'd o' this fashion i' the earth?

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Ham. To what base uses we may return, Horatio! Why may not imagination trace the noble duft of Alexander, till he find it ftopping a bung-hole?

Hor. 'Twere to confider too curiously, to confider fo.

Ham. No, 'faith, not a jot: but to follow him thither . with modesty enough, and likelihood to lead it; as thus: Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth to duft; the duft is earth; of earth we make loam; and why of that loam, whereto he was converted, might they not ftop a beer-barrel !

Imperial Cafar, dead and turn'd to clay,

Might ftop a hole to keep the wind away.

Oh, that that earth, which kept the world in awe,
Should patch a wall, t' expel the winter's aw!

No. XXXV.

No. XXXV.-O T HELLO.

ACT I. SCENE III. Council Chamber. Duke,
Senators, &c.

Enter Brabantio, Othello, Caffio, Iago, Roderigo,

V

and Officers.

DUKE.

ALIANT Othello, we muft ftraight employ you Against the general enemy Ottoman.

I did not fee you; welcome, gentle fignior: [To Brabantio, 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 Is of fo flood-g -gate and o'erbearing nature, That it ingluts and fwallows other forrows, And yet is still itself.

Duke. Why, what's the matter?

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

To me;

She is abus'd, ftol'n from me, and corrupted
By fpells and medicines, bought of mountebanks;
For nature fo prepofterously to err,

Being not deficient, blind, nor lame of sense,
Sans witchcraft, could not-

Duke. Whoe'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 fon
Stood in your action.

Bra. Humbly I thank your Grace,

Here is the man, this Moor, whom now, it seems,
Your fpecial mandate for the ftate affairs

Hath hither brought.

All. We're very forry for't.

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

Bra.

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 bleft with the foft phrase of peace;
For fince these arms of mine had feven years pith,
Till now, fome nine moons wafted, 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 fhall I grace my cause,

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,

For fuch proceeding I am charg'd withal,
I won his daughter with,

Bra. A maiden, never bold;

Of spirit fo ftill and quiet, that her motion
Blufh'd at itfelf: and the, in fpite of nature,
Of years, of country, credit, every thing,
To fall in love with that fhe fear'd to look on--
It is a judgment maim'd, and most imperfect,
That will confefs, perfection fo could err
Against all rules of nature; and must be driven
To find out practices of cunning hell,

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,

Without more certain and more overt teft,
Than these thin habits and poor likelihoods
Of modern feeming, do prefer against him.
1 Sen. Othello, fpeak;

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

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

Oth. I beseech you,

Send for the lady to the Sagittary,

And let her fpeak of me before her father;
If you do find me foul in her report,

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.

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

[Exeunt two or threes

[Exit Lago.

And till the come, as 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 ftory of my life,
From year to year, the battles, fieges, fortunes,
That I have pafs'd.

I ran it through, e'en from my boyish days,
To the very moment that he bade me tell it:
Wherein I fpoke of most 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,

And portance in my travel's hiftory:

Wherein of antres vaft, and deferts idle,

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Rough quarries, rocks, and hills, whofe heads touch heaven,
It was my hint to speak; fuch was the process;
And of the Canibals that each other eat;
The Anthropophagi, and men whofe heads
beneath their fhoulders.

Do

grow

Would Defdemona ferioufly incline;

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All these to hear

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

R

Took

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 fhe had fomething heard,
But not intentively. I did confent,
And often did beguile her of her tears,
When I did speak of some distressful stroke
That my youth fuffer'd. My ftory being done,
She
gave me for my pains a world of fighs;

She wore, In faith, 'twas ftrange, 'twas paffing frange, 'Twas pitiful, 'twas wondrous pitiful."

She wifh'd fhe had not heard it; yet she wifh'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 fhould but teach him how to tell my story,
And that would woo her. On this hint I spake:
She lov'd me for the dangers I had pass'd,
And I lov❜ 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,

Take up this mangled matter at the best.

Men do their broken weapons rather use
Than their bare hands.

Bra. I pray you hear her speak;

If the confess that he was half the wooer,
Deftruction on my head, if my bad blame

Light on the man! Come hither, gentle mistress:
Do you perceive, in all this noble company,
Where you moft owe obedience?

Def. My noble father,

I do perceive here a divided duty.

To you I'm bound for life and education;

My life and education both do learn me

How to refpect you. You're the Lord of duty;

I'm hitherto your daughter. But here's my husband;
And fo much duty as my mother fhew'd

To you, preferring you before her father;

Se

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