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Duke. 'Tis good; tho' mufick oft hath fuch a

charm

To make had, good; and good provoke to harm. I pray you, tell me, hath any body enquir'd for me here to day? much upon this time, have I promis'd here to meet.

Mari. You have not been enquir'd after: I have fate here all day.

Duke. I do conftantly believe you:

Enter Ifabel.

the time is come, even now. I shall crave your forbearance a little; may be, I will call upon you anon for fome advantage to yourself.

Mari. I am always bound to you.

SCENE II.

[Exit.

Duke. Very well met, and welcome.
What is the news from this good deputy?
Ifab. He hath a garden circummur'd with brick,
Whofe western fide is with a vineyard backt;
And to that vineyard is a planched gate,
That makes his opening with this bigger key;
This other doth command a little door,
Which from the vineyard to the garden leads;
There, on the heavy middle of the night,
Have I my promife made to call upon him.

Duke. But fhall you on your knowledge find this way?

Ifab. I've ta'en a due and wary note upon't. With whifp'ring and moft guilty diligence,

forrows, it had no tendency to produce light merriment.

3 Conftantly.] Certainly; with out fluctua ion of mind. 4 Circummur'd with brick.]

Circummured, walled round. He caufed the doors to be mured and cafed up.

PAINTER's Palace of Pleasure.

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In action all of precept, he did fhew me

The way twice o'er.

Duke. Are there no other tokens

6

Between you 'greed, concerning her obfervancé?
Ifab. No: none, but only a repair i'th' dark;
And that I have poffeft him, my most flay
Can be but brief; for I have made him know,
I have a fervant comes with me along,
That stays upon me; whofe perfuafion is,
I come about my brother.

Duke. 'Tis well born up.

I have not yet made known to Mariana

A word of this. What, hoa! within! come forth!

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I pray you be acquainted with this maid

She comes to do you good.

Ifab. I do defire the like.

?

Duke. Do you perfuade yourself that I refpect you Mari. Good Friar, I know you do; and I have

found it.

Duke. Take then this your companion by the hand, Who hath a story ready for your ear.

I fhall attend your leifure; but make hafte;
The vaprous night approaches.
Mari. Wilt please you to walk afide ?

5 In action all of precept.-] i. e. fhewing the feveral turnings of the way with his hand; which action contained fo many precepts, being given for my direction. WARBURTON.

I rather think we should read,

[Exeunt Mar, and Ifab.

in precept all of action; that is, in direction given not by words but by mute figns.

• I have poffeft him.] I have made him clea ly and ftrongly comprehend,

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Duke. O place and greatnefs! millions of falfe *

eyes

Are stuck upon thee: volumes of report
Run with thefe falfe and moft contrarious quefts +
Upon thy doings: thousand 'scapes of wit
Make thee the father of their idle dreams,
And rack thee in their fancies!

SCENE

IV.

Enter Mariana, and Isabel.

Welcome; how agreed.

Ifab. She'll take the enterprize upon her, father,

If you advife it.

Duke. 'Tis not my confent,

But my intreaty too.

Ifab. Little have you to say,

When you depart from him, but soft and low, "Remember now my brother."

Mari. Fear me not.

Duke. Nor, gentle daughter, fear you not at all:

Falfe eyes] That is, Eyes infidious and trayterous. + Contrarious quests.] Different reports run counter to each other. O place and greatness!] It plainly appears that this fine fpeech belongs to that which conclades the preceding Scene, between the Duke and Lucio. For they are absolutely foreign to the fubject of this, and are the natural reflections arifing from that. Befides, the very words, Run with THESE false and most contrarious quests, evidently refer to Lucio's Icandals juft preceding: which the Oxford Editor, in his ufual way, has emended, by altering thefe to their. -But that fome time might be given to the two women to confer together,

the players, I fuppofe, took part of the fpeech, beginning at No might nor greatness, &c. and put it here, without troubling them felves about its pertinency. However we are obliged to them for not giving us their own impertinency, as they have frequently done in other places. WARB

I cannot agree that these lines are placed here by the players. The fentiments are commor, and fuch as a Prince given to reflection, mult have often prefent. There was a neceffity to fill up the time in which the Ladies converfe apart, and they must have quick tongues and ready apprehenfious, if they underflood each other while this fpeech was uttered.

He

He is your husband on a pre-contract;
To bring you thus together, 'tis no fin;
Sith that the juftice of your title to him
Doth flourish the deceit. Come, let us go;
Our corn's to reap; for yet our tithe's to fow. [Exit.

Prov.

SCEN E. V.

Changes to the Prison.

Enter Provoft and Clown.

OME hither, firrah: can you cut off a man's head?

COM

Clown. If the man be a batchelor, Sir, I can: but if he be a marry'd man, he is his wife's head, and I can never cut off a woman's head.

Prov. Come, Sir, leave me your fnatches, and yield me a direct answer. To-morrow morning are to die Claudio and Bernardine. Here is in our prifon a common executioner, who in his office lacks a helper; if you will take it on you to affift him, it fhall redeem you from your gyves; if not, you shall have your full time of imprisonment, and your deliverance with an unpitied whipping; for you have been a notorious bawd.

Clown. Sir, I have been an unlawful bawd, time

8 Doth flourish the deceit.] A metaphor taken from embroide. ry, where a coarse ground is filled up and covered with figures of rich materials and elegant workmanship. WARBURTON. 9 for yet our TYTHE's to for As before, the blundering Editors have made a prince of the priestly Angelo, fo here they have made a priest of the prince. We should read TILTH, i. . our tillage is yet to make.

Z

The grain, from which we expect our harveft, is not yet put into the ground. WARBURTON.

The reader is here attempted with a petty fophifm. We should read tilth, i. e. our tillage is to make. But in the text it is to fow; and who has ever faid that bis tillage was to for? I believe tithe is right, and that the expreffion is proverbial, in which tithe is taken, by an easy meto, nymy, for harvest.

3

out

out of mind, but yet I will be content to be a lawful hangman. I would be glad to receive fome inftruction from my fellow-partner.

Prov. What hoa, Abberfon, where's Abborfon, there?

Enter Abhorson.

Abbor. Do you call, Sir?

Prou Abber. Sirrah, here's a fellow will help you to-morrow in your execution; if you think it meet, compound with him by the year, and let him abide here with you; if not, ufe him for the prefent, and dif mifs him. He cannot plead his eftimation with you,

he hath been a bawd.

Abhor. A bawd, Sir? fie upon him, he will difcredit our mistery. '

Prov. Go to, Sir, you weigh equally; a feather will turn the scale.

[Exit.

Clown. Pray, Sir, by your good favour; (for, furely, Sir, a good favour you have, but that you have a hanging look;) do you call, Sir, your occupation a mistery?

Abbor. Ay, Sir; a miftery.

Clown. Painting, Sir, I have heard fay, is a miftery; and your whores, Sir, being members of my occupation, ufing painting, do prove my occupation a miftery but what miftery there fhould be in hanging, if I fhould be hang'd, I cannot imagine.

1 difcredit our myftery.] I think it just worth while to obferve, that the word mystery, when ufed to fignify a trade or manual profeffion, fhould be fpelt with an i, and not a y; because it comes not from the Greek Murpa, but from the French, Mulier. WARBURTON,

2**

Abbor.

2 what mystery there should be in banging, if I should be hang'd, I cannot imagine.

Abhor. Sir, it is a mystery.
Clown. Proof
Abhor. Every true man's ap-
parel fits your thief.

Clown. If it be too little for your thief, your true man thinks it

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