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, (8) In all his dreffings, caracts, titles, forms, Duke. By mine honesty, If the be mad, as I believe no other, As ne'er I heard in madness. Ifab. Gracious Duke,, Harp not on That; nor do not banish reafon (9) To make the truth appear, where it seems hid, Duke. Many, that are not mad, 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, (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. WARBURTON. Was fent to by my brother. One Lucio Lucio. That's I, an't like your Grace : 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 Lucio. I warrant your Honour. Duke. The warrant's for yourself; take heed to't. Duke. It may be right, but you are in the wrong Jab. I went to this pernicious caitiff Deputy. The phrafe is to the matter. Duke. Mended again: the matter;-proceed. Release my brother ; and after much debatement, Duke. This is most likely! Ifab. Oh, that it were as like, as it is true! * Or else thou art fuborn'd against his honour Stands without blemish. Next, it inports no reason, Ifab. And is this all ? Then, oh, you blessed ministers above! (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 Ifab. One that I would were here, Friar 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 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 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 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 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, Duke. Good Friar, let's hear it, Do you not finile at this, lord Angelo? 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. 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. |