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I've known my husband; yet my husband knows not, That ever he knew me.

Lucio. He was drunk then, my lord, it can be no

better.

Duke. For the benefit of filence, would thou wert fo

too.

Lucio. Well, my lord.

Duke. This is no witnefs for lord Angelo.
Mari. Now I come to't, my lord.

She, that accufes him of fornication,

In felf-fame manner doth accuse my husband;
And charges him, my lord, with fuch a time,
When I'll depofe, I had him in my arms,
With all th' effect of love.

Ang. Charges fhe more than me?

Mari. Not that I know.

Duke. No? you fay, your husband. [To Mariana. Mari. Why, juft, my lord; and that is Angelo; Who thinks, he knows, that he ne'er knew my body; But knows, he thinks, that he knows Ifabel's.

Ang. This is a strange abufe*Let's fee thy face. Mari. My husband bids me; now I will unmask [Unveiling.

This is that face, thou cruel Angelo,

Which, once thou fwor'ft, was worth the looking on:
This is the hand, which, with a vow'd contract,
Was faft belock'd in thine: this is the body,

That took away the match from Ifabel;
And did fupply thee at thy garden-house

In her imagin'd perfon.

Duke. Know you this woman?

Lucio. Carnally, the fays.

Duke. Sirrah, no more.

Lucio. Enough, my lord.

Ang. My lord, I must confefs, I know this woman;

Abufe ftands in this place for deception, or puzzle So in Macbeth, this firange and self abuse,

means this ftrange deception of himself.

And

And five years fince there was fome fpeech of mar

riage

Betwixt myself and her; which was broke off.
Partly, for that her promifed proportions
Came fhort of compofition; but, in chief,
For that her Reputation was difvalu'd
In levity; fince which time, of five years,

I never fpake with her, faw her, nor heard from her,
Upon my faith and honour.

Mari. Noble Prince,

As there comes light from heav'n, and words from breath,

As there is fenfe in truth, and truth in virtue,

I am affianc'd this man's wife, as ftrongly

As words could make up vows; and, my good lord, But Tuesday night laft gone, in's garden-house,

He knew me as a wife. As this is true,

Let me in fafety raife me from my knees;
Or else for ever be confixed here,

A marble monument!

Ang. I did but fmile 'till now.

Now, good my lord, give me the fcope of juftice;
My patience here is touch'd; I do perceive,
• These poor informal women are no more
But inftruments of fome more mightier member,
That fets them on. Let me have way, my lord,
To find this practice out.
Duke. Ay, with my heart;

9 her promifed proportions Came fhort of compofition;-] Her fortune which was promised proportionate to mine, fell fhort of the compofition, that is, contract or bargain.

Thefe poor informal women.] i. e. women who have ill concerted their story. Formal fignifies frequently, in our author, a thing put into form or method: fo informal, out of method, ill VOL. I.

concerted. How easy is it to fay, that Shakespear might better have wrote informing, i. e. accufing. But he who (as the Oxford Editor) thinks he did write ío, knows nothing of the character of his ftile. WARBURTON.

I believe informal has no other or deeper fignification than informing, accufing. The fpe of juftice, is the full extent.

B b

And

And punish them unto your height of pleasure.
Thou foolish Friar, and thou pernicious woman,
Compact with her that's gone; think'ft thou, thy
oaths,

2

Tho' they would fwear down each particular Saint,
Were teftimonies 'g inft his worth and credit,
That's feal'd in approbation? You, lord Efcalus,
Sit with my coutin; lend him your kind pains
To find out this abufe, whence 'tis deriv'd.
There is another Friar, that fet them on;
Let him be sent for.

Peter. Would he were here, my lord; for he indeed, Hath fet the women on to this complaint.

Your Prov ft knows the place, where he abides;
And he may fetch him.

Duke. Go, do it inftantly.

And you, my noble and well warranted cousin,
Whom it concerns to hear this matter forth; 3
Do with your injuries, as feems you best,
In any chaftifement: I for a while.

Will leave you fir not you, 'till you have well
Determined upon the fe flanderers.

[Exit. Efcal. My lord, we'll do it thoroughly. Signior Lucio, did not you fay, you knew that Friar Ledowick to be a difhoneft perfon?

Lucio. Cucullus non facit monachum; honeft in nothing, but in his cloaths; and one that has fpoke moft villainous fpeeches of the Duke.

Efcal. We fall intreat you to abide here 'till he come, and inforce them against him; we fhall find this Friar a notable fellow.

2 That's feal'd in approbation.] When any thing fubject to counterfeits is tried by the proper of ficers and approved, a ftamp or Jeal is put upon it, as among us on plate, weights and meatures So the Duke fays that Angelo's faith has been tried, approved

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Lucio. As any in Vienna, on my word.

Efcal. Call that fame jabel here once again; I would fpeak with her: pray you, my lord, give me leave to question; you thall fee how I'll handle her. Lucio. Not better than he, by her own report. Efcal. Say you?

Lucio. Marry, Sir, I think, if you handled her privately, he fhould looner conlefs; perchance, publickly fhe'll be asham'd.

SCENE V.

Enter Duke in the Friar's babit, and Provost. Ifabella is brought in.

Efcal. I will go darkly to work with her.

Lucio. That's the way; for women are light at midnight.

Efcal. Come on, miftrefs: here's a gentlewoman denies all that you have faid.

Lucio. My lord, here comes the rafcal I spoke of, here with the Provost.

Efcal. In very good time-speak not you to him, 'till he call upon you.

Lucio. Mum

Efcal. Come, Sir, did you fet thefe women on to flander lord Angelo? they have confefs'd you did. Duke. 'Tis falfe.

Efcal. How? know

you where you are?

Duke. Refpect to your great Place !and let the devil

Be fometime honour'd for this burning throne.

Where is the Duke? 'tis he fhould hear me fpeak. Ejcal. The Duke's in us; and we will hear you Speak:

Look, you fpeak juftly.

Duke. Foldly, at leaft.

But oh, poor fouls,

Come you to feek the lamb here of the fox?

Good night to your redrefs: is the Duke gone?

Bb 2

Then

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Then is your caufe gone too. The Duke's unjust,
Thus to retort your manifeft appeal; +

And put your trial in the villain's mouth,
Which here you come to accufe.

Lucio. This is the rafcal; this is he I spoke of.
Eftal. Why, thou unrev'rend and unhallow'd Friar,
Is't not enough thou haft fuborn'd thefe women
T'accufe this worthy man, but with foul mouth,
And in the witnefs of his proper ear,

To call him villain;

And then to glance from him to th' Duke himself,
To tax him with injuftice ?-take him hence;
To th' rack with him--we'll touze you joint by joint,
But we will know your purpofe-what? unjuft?

Duke. Be not fo hct; the duke dare no more stretch
This finger of mine, than he dare rack his own:
His fubject am I not,

Nor here provincial; my bufinefs in this ftate
Made me a looker on here in Vienna;

Where I have feen corruption boil and bubble,
Till it o'er-run the ftew: laws, for all faults;
But faults fo countenanc'd, that the ftrong ftatutes
Stand like the forfeits in a barber's fhop,

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Which Donatus calls apta fedes otiofis. Formerly, with us, the better fort of people went to the Barber's fhop to be trimm'd; who then practifed the under parts of Surgery: fo that he had occafion for numerous inflruments, which lay there ready for ufe; and the idle people, with whom his shop was generally crowded, would be perpetually handling and mifufing them. To remedy which, I fuppofe, there was placed up against the wall a table of forfeitures, adapted to every offence of this kind; which

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