Page images
PDF
EPUB

Duke. Away with her, poor foul,

She fpeaks this in th' infirmity of fense.

Ifab. O Prince, I conjure thee, as thou believ'it There is another comfort than this world,

That thou neglect me not; with that opinion

That I am touch'd with madness. Make not impof

fible

That, which but feems unlike; 'tis not impoffible,
But one, the wicked'ft caitiff on the ground,
May feem (7) as fhy, as grave, as juft, as abfolute,
As Angelo; even fo may Angelo,

(8) In all his dreffings, caracts, titles, forms,
Be an arch-villain : believe it, royal Prince,
If he be less, he's nothing; but he's more,
Had I more names for badness.

Duke. By mine honesty,

If the be mad, as I believe no other,
Her madness hath the oddeft frame of sense;
Such a dependency of thing on thing,

As ne'er I heard in madness.

Ifab. Gracious Duke,,

Harp not on That; nor do not banish reafon (9)
For inequality; but let your reason serve

To make the truth appear, where it seems hid,
Not hide the falfe, feems true. (1)

Duke. Many, that are not mad,
Have, fure, more lack of reafon.
What would you fay?

Ifab. I am the fifter of one Claudio, Condemn'd upon the act of fornication To lofe his head; condemn'd by Angelo: I, in probation of a fifterhood,

[ocr errors]

(7) •as fhy, as grave, as just, as abfolute,] As fby; as referved, as abstracted as just as nice, as exact: as abfolute as complete in all the round of duty.

1

(8) In all bis dreffings, &c.] In all his femblance of virtue, in all his habiliments of office.

(9)

do not banish reason

For inequality;] Let not the high quality of my adversary prejudice you against me.

(1) And bide the falfe, feems true.] We fhould read Not bide.

[blocks in formation]

WARBURTON.
Was

Was fent to by my brother. One Lucio
Was then the meffenger,

Lucio. That's I, an't like your Grace :
I came to her from Claudio, and defir'd her
To try her gracious fortune with lord 'Angelo,
For her poor brother's pardon.

Ifab. That's he, indeed.

Duke. You were not bid to speak.

[To Lucio.

Lucio. No, my good lord, nor with'd to hold my

peace.

Duke. I wish you now then;

Pray you, take note of it: and when you have
A bufinefs for yourself, pray heav'n, you then
Be perfect.

Lucio. I warrant your Honour.

Duke. The warrant's for yourself; take heed to't.
Ifab. This gentleman told fomewhat of my tale.
Lucio. Right.

Duke. It may be right, but you are in the wrong
To speak before your time. Proceed.

Jab. I went to this pernicious caitiff Deputy.
Duke. That's fomewhat madly spoken.
Ifab. Pardon it:

The phrafe is to the matter.

Duke. Mended again: the matter;-proceed.
Ifal. In brief, (to fet the needlefs Process by,
How I perfuaded, how I pray'd and kneel'd,
How he repell'd me, and how I reply'd;
For this was of much length) the vile conclufion
I now begin with grief and fhame to utter.
He would not, but by gift of my chafte body
To his concupifcent intemp'rate luft,

Release my brother ; and after much debatement,
My fifterly Remorfe confutes mine Honour,
And I did yield to him: but the next morn betimes,
His purpose furfeiting, he fends a Warrant
For my poor brother's head.

Duke. This is most likely!

[ocr errors]

Ifab. Oh, that it were as like, as it is true! *
Duke. By heav'n, fond wretch, thou know'ft not
what thou speak'st,

Or else thou art fuborn'd against his honour
In hateful practice. (3) Firit, his integrity

Stands without blemish. Next, it inports no reason,
That with fuch vehemence he fhould pursue
Faults proper to himself! if he had fo offended,
He would have weigh'd thy brother by himself,
And not have cut him off. Some one hath fet you on;
Confefs the truth, and fay, by whofe advice
Thou cam'ft here to complain.

Ifab. And is this all ?

Then, oh, you blessed ministers above!
Keep me in patience; and with ripen'd time,
Unfold the evil which is here wrapt up

(4) In countenance. Heav'n fhield your Grace from woe, As I, thus wrong'd, hence unbelieved go.

Duke. I know, you'd fain be gone. An officer
To prison with her.-Shall we thus permit
A blafting and a scandalous breath to fall
On him fo near us? this needs must be practice.
Who knew of your intent, and coming hither?

Ifab. One that I would were here, Friar Lodowick.
Duke. A ghoftly father, belike:- Who knows that
Lodowick?

Lucio. My lord, I know him; 'tis a medling Friar; I do not like the man; had he been Lay, my lord, For certain words he fpake against your Grace In your retirement, I had fwing'd him foundly.

Duke. Words against me? this is a good Friar, belike;

Oh, that it were as like, as it is true!] Like is not here ufed for probable, but for feemly. She catches at the Duke's word, and turns it to another fenfe; of which there are a great many examples in Shakespeare, and the writers of that time. WARB. I do not fee why like may not ftand the Lady fhould not wifh that fince her belief. If Dr. Warburton's explication O! that it were as likely as 'tis true. for feemly.

here for probable, or why tale is true it may obtain be right, we should read, Like I have never found

(3) In bateful practice.] Practice was used by the old writers for any unlawful or infidious ftratagem. So again, this must needs be practice; and again, let me bave way to find this practice out.

(4) In countenance.] i. e. in partial favour.

E 2

WARBURTON,
And

And to fet on this wretched woman here

Against our Substitute! -let this Friar be found. Lucio. But yefternight, my lord, fhe and that Friar, I faw them at the prison: a fawcy Friar,

A very fcurvy fellow.

Peter. Bleffed be your royal Grace!

I have ftood by, my lord, and I have heard
Your royal ear abus'd. First, hath this woman
Moft wrongfully accus'd your Substitute;
Who is as free from touch or foil with her,
As the from one ungot.

Duke. We did believe no lefs.

Know you that Friar Lodowick, which the fpeaks of? Peter. I know him for a man divine and holy; Not fcurvy, nor a temporary medler, (5)

As he's reported by this gentleman;

And, on my Truft, a man that never yet
Did, as he vouches, mifreport your Grace.
Lucio. My lord, most villainously; believe it.
Peter. Well; he in time may come to clear himfelf;
But at this inftant he is fick my lord,

Of a strange fever. On his meer request,

(Being come to knowledge that there was Complaint Intended 'gainst lord Angelo) came I hither

To fpeak as from his mouth, what he doth know
Is true, and false; and what he with his oath
By all Probation will make up full clear,
Whenever he's convented. (6)

First, for this woman;

Το

(5) nor a temporary medler,] It is hard to know what is meant by a temporary medier. In its ufual fenfe, as opposed to perpetual, it cannot be ufed here. It may ftand for temporal: the fenfe will then be, I know him for a holy man, one that meddles not with fecular affairs: It may mean temporizing: I know him to be a holy man, one who would not temporife, or take the opportunity of your abfence to defame you. Or we may read, Not fourvy, nor a tamperer, and medler; not one who would have tampered with this woman to make her a falfe evidence against your Deputy.

:

(6) Whenever he's CONVEN'D.] The first Folio reads CONVENTED, and this is right for to convene fignifies to affemble; but convent, to cite, or fummons. Yet, because convented hurts the measure, the Oxford Editor Aticks to conven'd, tho' it be nonsense, and signifies. Whenever he is affembled, together. But thus it will be, when the author is thinking of one thing and his critic of another. The poet

was

To juftifie this worthy Nobleman,
So vulgarly (7) and perfonally accus'd,
Her fall you hear difproved to her eyes,
'Till the herfelf confels it.

Duke. Good Friar, let's hear it,

Do you not finile at this, lord Angelo?
O heav'n! the vanity of wretched fools!
Give us fome feats;-come, Cousin Angelo, (8)
In this I will be partial: be you judge

Of your own Caufe. Is this the witness, Friar?

[Ifabella is carried off, guarded.

SCENE III.

Enter Mariana veil'd.

First let her fhew her face; and, after, speak.
Mari. Pardon, my lord, I will not fhew my face,
Until my hufband bid me.

Duke. What, are you marry'd?

Mari. No, my lord.

Duke. Are you a maid?

Mari. No, my lord.

was attentive to his fenfe, and the Editor, quite throughout his per formance, to nothing but the measure: whch Shakespeare having entirely neglected, like all the dramatic writers of that age, he has fpruced him up with all the exactness of a modern measurer of Syllables. This being here taken notice of once for all, shall, for the future, be forgot, as if it had never been. WARBURTON.

(7) So vulgarly-] Meaning either, so grofly, with fach indecency of invective, or by fo mean and inadequate witneffes. (8) In former Editions:come, cousin Angelo,

In this I'll be impartial: be you judge

Of your own Caufe.] Surely, this Duke had odd Notions of Impartiality to commit the Decifion of a Caufe to the Perfon accus'd. He talks much more rationally in the Character of the Friar.

The Duke's unjust

Thus to ret.rt your manifeft Appeal;

And put your Trial in the Villain's mouth,

Which here you come t'accuse.

I think, there needs no ftronger Authority to convince, that the Poet must have wrote as I have corrected :

In this I will be partial.

E 3

THEOBALD.
Duke.

« PreviousContinue »