SCENE V. Fields without the Town.

Enter Duke in his own habit, and Friar Peter.

Duke. These letters at fit time deliver me.

[Giving letters.
The provost knows our purpose, and our plot.
The matter being afoot, keep your instruction,
And hold you ever to our special drift;

Though sometimes you do blench1 from this to that,
As cause doth minister, Go, call at Flavius' house,
And tell him where I stay: give the like notice
To Valentinus, Rowland, and to Crassus,

And bid them bring the trumpets to the gate;
But send me Flavius first.

F. Peter.

It shall be speeded well.

Enter VARRIUS.

[Exit Friar.

Duke. I thank thee, Varrius; thou hast made

good haste:

Come, we will walk: There's other of our friends Will greet us here anon, my gentle Varrius.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VI. Street near the City Gate.

Enter ISABELLA and MARIANA.

Isab. To speak so indirectly, I am loath;
I would say the truth; but to accuse him so,
That is your part: Yet I'm advis'd to do it;
He says, to 'vailfull2 purpose.

Mari.

Be rul'd by him.

Isab. Besides, he tells me, that, if peradventure He speak against me on the adverse side,

1 To blench, to start off, to fly off.

2 Availful.

I should not think it strange; for 'tis a physick,
That's bitter to sweet end.

Mari. I would, friar Peter

Isab.

O, Peace; the friar is come.

Enter Friar PETER3.

F. Peter. Come, I have found you out a stand most fit,

Where

you may

have such vantage on the duke, He shall not pass you; Twice have the trumpets

sounded;

The generous and gravest citizens

Have hent5 the gates, and very near upon
The duke is ent'ring; therefore hence, away.

[Exeunt.

ACT V.

SCENE I. A publick Place near the City Gate.

MARIANA (veil'd), ISABELLA, and PETER, at a distance. Enter at opposite doors, Duke, VARRIUS, Lords; ANGELO, ESCALUS, LUCIO, Provost, Officers, and Citizens.

Duke. My very worthy cousin, fairly met: Our old and faithful friend, we are glad to see you. Ang. and Escal. Happy return be to your royal grace!

Duke. Many and hearty thankings to you both. We have made inquiry of you; and we hear Such goodness of your justice, that our soul

3 He is called friar Thomas in the first Act.

4 Generous, for most noble, or those of rank. Generosi, Lat. 5 i. e. seized, laid hold on, from the Saxon hentan.

Cannot but yield you forth to publick thanks,
Forerunning more requital.

Ang.

You make my bonds still greater. Duke. O, your desert speaks loud; and I should

wrong it,

To lock it in the wards of covert bosom,
When it deserves with characters of brass
A forted residence, 'gainst the tooth of time,
And razure of oblivion: Give me your hand,
And let the subject see, to make them know
That outward courtesies would fain proclaim
Favours that keep within.-Come, Escalus;
You must walk by us on our other hand;-
And good supporters are you.

PETER and ISABELLA come forward.

F. Peter. Now is your time; speak loud, and kneel before him.

Isab. Justice, O royal duke! Vail1 your regard
Upon a wrong'd, I'd fain have said, a maid!
O worthy prince, dishonour not your eye
By throwing it on any other object,

Till you have heard me in my true complaint,
And given me, justice, justice, justice, justice!
Duke. Relate your wrongs: In what? By whom?
Be brief:

Here is Lord Angelo shall give you justice!
Reveal yourself to him.

Isab.

O, worthy duke,

You bid me seek redemption of the devil :

Hear me yourself; for that which I must speak
Must either punish me, not being believ❜d,

Or wring redress from you; hear me, O, hear me, here.

Ang. My lord, her wits, I fear me, are not firm:

To vail is to lower, to let fall, to cast down.

She hath been a suitor to me for her brother,

Cut off by course of justice.

Isab.

By course of justice! Ang. And she will speak most bitterly, and strange. Isab. Most strange, but yet most truly, will I speak: That Angelo's forsworn; is it not strange?

That Angelo's a murderer; is't not strange?

That Angelo is an adulterous thief,
An hypocrite, a virgin-violator;

Is it not strange, and strange?
Duke.

Nay, ten times strange.

Isab. It is not truer he is Angelo,

Than this is all as true as it is strange:
Nay, it is ten times true; for truth is truth
To the end of reckoning.

Duke.

Away with her:-Poor soul,

She speaks this in the infirmity of sense.

Isab. O prince, I cónjure thee, as thou believ'st There is another comfort than this world,

That thou neglect me not, with that opinion

That I am touch'd with madness: make not impossible

That which but seems unlike: 'tis not impossible,
But one, the wicked'st caitiff on the ground,
May seem as shy, as grave, as just, as absolute,
As Angelo; even so may Angelo,

In all his dressings, characts, titles, forms,
Be an arch-villain: believe it, royal prince,
If he be less, he's nothing; but he's more,
Had I more name for badness.

Duke.

2 i. e. habiliments of office.

By mine honesty,

3 Characts are distinctive marks or characters. A statute of Edward VI. directs the seals of office of every bishop to have ' certain characts under the king's arms for the knowledge of the diocess.'

If she be mad (as I believe no other),
Her madness hath the oddest frame of sense,
Such a dependency of thing on thing,

As e'er I heard in madness.

Isab.

O, gracious duke,

Harp not on that; nor do not banish reason
For inequality: but let your reason serve
To make the truth appear, where it seems hid;
And hide the false, seems true 5.

Duke.

Many that are not mad, Have, sure, more lack of reason.-What would you say?

Isab. I am the sister of one Claudio,
Condemn'd upon the act of fornication
To lose his head; condemn'd by Angelo:
I, in probation of a sisterhood,

Was sent to by my brother: One Lucio
As then the messenger;

Lucio.

That's I, an't like your grace:

I came to her from Claudio, and desir'd her

To try her gracious fortune with Lord Angelo,
For her poor brother's pardon.

Isab.

Duke. You were not bid to speak.

Lucio.

Nor wish'd to hold my peace.

Duke.

That's he, indeed.

No, my good lord;

I wish you now then;

Pray you, take note of it: and when you have
A business for yourself, pray heaven you then
Be perfect.

Lucio. I warrant your honour.

4 The meaning appears to be 'do not suppose me mad because I speak inconsistently or unequally.'

5 I must say with Mr. Steevens that I do not profess to understand these words.' Mr. Phelps proposes to read And hid, the false seems true.' i. e. The truth being hid, not discovered or made known, what is false seems true.'