Page images
PDF
EPUB

Bawd. I am too fure of it; and it is for getting madam Julietta with child.

Lucio. Believe me, this may be. He promifed to meet me two hours fince, and he was ever precife in promife-keeping.

2 Gent. Befides, you know, it draws fomething near to the fpeech we had to fuch a purpose.

1 Gent. But most of all agreeing with the proclamation.

Lucio. Away, let's go learn the truth of it. [Exe Manet Bawd.

Bawd. Thus, what with the war, what with the fweat, (2) what with the gallows, and what with poverty, I am cuftom fhrunk. How now, what's the news with you?

SCENE V.

Enter Clown.

Clown. Yonder man is carry'd to prifon
Bard. Well, what has he done?

Clown. A woman.

Bawd. But what's his offence?

Clown. Groping for trouts in a peculiar river. Bard. What is there a maid with child by him? Clown. No; but there's a woman with maid by him. You have not heard of the proclamation, have you? Bawd. What proclamation, man?

Clown. All houses in the fuburbs of Vienna must be pluck'd down.

Bawd. And what shall become of those in the city? Clown. They thall stand for feed; they had gone down too, but that a wife burgher put in for them.

Bawd. But fhall all our houses of resort in the suburbs be pull'd down?

Clown. To the ground, mistress.

(2) What with the fweat.] This may allude to the Sarating. fickness, of which the memory was very fresh in the time of Shakefpear: but more probably to the method of cure then ufed for the difeafes contracted in Brothels.

Bawd

Bawd. Why here's a change, indeed, in the common wealth. What shall become of me?

Clown. Come, fear not you? good counsellors lack no clients; though you change your place, you need not change your trade: I'll be your tapfter ftill. Courage, there will be pity taken on you; you that have worn your eyes almoft out in the fervice, you will be confidered.

Bawd. What's to do here, Thomas Tapfter? let's withdraw.

Clown. Here comes Signior Claudio, led by the provoft to prifon; and there's Madam Juliet.

[Exit Bawd and Clown.

SCENE VI.

Enter Provoft, Claudio, Juliet, and Officers. Lucio and two Gentlemen.

Claud. Fellow, why dost thou show me thus to th❜ world?

Bear me to prifon, where I am committed,
Prov. I do it not in evil difpofition,
But from lord Angelo by fpecial charge.

Claud. Thus can the Demi-god, Authority,(3)
Make us pay down, for our offence, hy weight.
The words of heaven; on whom it will, it will;
On whom it will not, fo; yet ftill 'tis juft.

(3) Thus can the Demi-god, Authority, Make us pay down, for our offence, by weight The words of heaven; on whom it will, it will;

On whom it will not, fo; yet ftill 'tis juft.] The wrong pointing of the fecond line hath made the paffage unintelligible. There ought to be a full stop at weight. And the fenfe of the whole is this: The Demi-god, Authority, makes us pay the ful penalty of our offence, and its decrees are as little to be queftioned as the words of heaven, which pronounces its pleasure thus, I punish and remit punishment according to my own uncontrolable will, and yet who can fay what deft they. Make us pay down, for our offence, by weight, is a fine expreffion, to fignify paying the full penalty. The metaphor is taken from paying money by weight, which is always exact; not fo by tale, on account of the practice of diminishing the fpecies. WARBURT.

I fufpect that a line is left,

Lucio.

Lucio. Why, how now, Claudio? whence comes this reftraint?

Claud. From too much liberty, my Lucio, liberty;. As furfeit is the father of much faft, So ev'ry scope by the immoderate use Turns to restraint: our natures do pursue; Like rats that ravin down their proper bane, A thirsty evil; and when we drink, we die.

Lucio. If I could fpeak fo wifely under an arreft, I' would fend for certain of my creditors; and yet; to say the truth, I had as lief have the foppery of freedom, as the morality of imprisonment: what's thy offence, Claudio

Claud. What, but to speak of, would offend again.. Lucio. What is't, murder?

Claud. No.

Lucio. Letchery ?>

Claud. Call it fo..

Prov. Away, Sir, you must go.

Claud. One word, good friend: ------- Lucio, a word with you.

Lucio. A hundred; if they'll do you any good. Is letchery fo look'd after?

Claud. Thus ftands it with me; upon a true contra&: I got poffeffion of Julietta's bed,

(You know the lady) fhe is faft my wife;

Save that we do the denunciation lack

Of outward order: This we came not to,

Only for propagation of a dower

Remaining in the coffer of her friends;

From whom we thought it meet to hide our love,.,

'Till time had made them for us..

But it chances,

The stealth of our moft mutual entertainment,

With character too grofs, is writ on Juliet.

Lucio. With child, perhaps?

Claud. Unhappily, even fo..

And the new Deputy now for the Duke,

(Whether it be the fault, and glimpfe, of newnefs; (4)

Or whether that the body public be

(4)

the fault and glimpse of newness.] Fault and glimpfe have fo little relation to each other, that both can fcarcely be right; we may read flab for fault.

A horfe

A horfe whereon the Governor doth ride,
Who, newly in the feat, that it may know
He can command, let's it ftrait feel the spur;;
Whether the tyranny be in his Place,
Or in his eminence that fills it up,
I ftagger in:) but this new Governor
Awakes me all th' enrolled penalties,

Which have, like unfcour'd armour, hung by th’wall
So long that nineteen Zodiacks have gone round, (5)
And none of them been worn; and, for a name,
Now puts the drowfy and neglected A&t

Freshly on me.-—————— 'Tis, furely, for a name.

Lucio. I warrant, it is. And thy head ftands fo tickle on thy fhoulders, that a milk-maid, if the be in love, may figh it off. Send after the Duke, and appeal to

him.

Claud. I have done fo, but he's not to be found
I pr'ythee, Lucio, do me this kind service:
This day my fifter fhould the cloister enter,
And there receive her Approbation.

Acquaint her with the danger of my state,
Implore her, in my voice, that fhe make friends:
To the ftrict Deputy; bid herself affay him;
I have great hope in that; for in her youth
There is a prone and speechlefs dialect, (6)
Such as moves men! befide, the hath prosp'rous art

(5) So long that nineteen Zodiacks have gone round.] The Duke in the Scene immediately following, fays,.

Which for thefe fourteen Years we have let flip..

The Authou could not fo disagree with himself. 'Tis necessary to make the two Accounts correfpond. THEOBALD

(6) prine and Speechless dialect.] I can scarcely tell what fignification to give to the word prone. Its primitive and tranflated fenfes are well known. The author may, by a prone dialect, mean a dialect which men are prone to regard, or a dialect natural and unforced, as thofe actions feem to which we are prone. Either of these interpretations is fufficiently ftrained; but fuch diftortion of words is not uncommon in our authour. For the fake of an eafier fense we may read,

In her youth

There is a pow'r, and speechless dialect,.

Such as moves men.

Or thus,

There is a prompt and speechless dialet,

When

When the will play with reason and discourse,
And well the can perfuade.

Lucio. I pray, the may; as well for the encouragement of the like, which elfe would ftand under grievous impofition;(7) as for the enjoying of thy life, who I would be forry thould be thus foolishly loft at a game of ticktack. I'll to her.

Claud. I thank you, good friend Lucio.
Lucio. Within two hours,-

Claud. Come, officer, away.

SCENE VII.

A MONASTERY,

Enter Duke, and Friar Thomas.

[Exeunt.

Duke. Believe fact that the dribbling dart of love

Q; holy father--Throw away that thought-

(8)Can pierce a compleat bofom; why I defire thee
To give me fecret harbour, hath a purpose

More grave, and wrinkled, than the aims and ends
Of burning youth.

Fri. May your Grace fpeak of it?

Duke. My holy Sir, none better knows than you, How I have ever lov'd the life remov'd;

And held in idle price to haunt Affemblies,

Where youth, and coft, and witless bravery keeps.
I have deliver'd to lord Angelo

A man of ftricture and firm abftinence (9)

(7)-under grievous impofition.] I once thought it should be inquifition, but the prefent reading is probably right.” The crime would be under grievous penalties impofed.

(8) Believe not that the dribbling dari of love

Can pierce a compleat bfm-] Think not that a breast compleatly armed can be pierced by the dart of love that comes fluttering without force.

(9) A man of STRICTURE and firm abstinence.] Stricture makes no fenfe in this place. We fhould read,

A man of STRICT URE and firm abftinence.

i. e. a man of the exacteft conduct, and practifed in the fubdual of his paffions. Ure an old word for ufe, practice, fo enur'd, habituated WARBURTON.

to.

Stricture may eafily be used for frictness; ure is indeed an old word, but, I think, always applied to things, never to perfons.

My

« PreviousContinue »