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But that

your fufficiency, as your worth is able, And let them work. The nature of our people,

— Then no more remains,

Put that to your fufficiency, as your worth is able,

And let them work.

Our

I doubt not, but this paffage, either from the impertinence of the actors, or the negligence of the copyifts, has come maimed to us. In the first place, what an unmeasurable, inharmonious verfe have we here; and then, how lame is the fenfe! What was Efcalus to put to his fufficiency? Why, his fcience. But his fcience and his fufficiency were but one and the fame thing. On what then does the relative them depend? The old editions read thus:

-Then no more remains,

But that to your fufficiency, as your worth is able,

And let them work.

Here again, the fenfe is manifeftly lame and defective, and as the verfification is fo too, they concur to make me think, a line has accidentally been left out. Perhaps, fomething like this might fupply our author's meaning:

Then no more remains,

But that to your fufficiency you add

Due diligency, as your worth is able,
And let them work.

By fome fuch fupplement both the fenfe and measure would be cured. But as the conjecture is unfupported by any authorities, I have not pretended to thrust it into the text; but fubmit it to judgment. They, who are acquainted with books, know, that, where two words of a fimilar length and termination happen to lie under one another, nothing is more common than for tranfcribers to glance their eye at once from the first to the undermoft word, and fo leave out the intermediate part of the fentence. THEOBALD.

Since I am not to know, that your own science
Exceeds, in that, the lifts of all advice
My ftrength can give you: then no more remains:
Put that to your fufficiency, as your worth is able,

And let them work.

To the integrity of this reading Mr. Theobald objects, and fays, What was Efcalus to put to his fufficiency? why, his fcience: But his Science and fufficiency were but one and the fame thing. On what then does the relative them depend? He will have it, therefore, that a line has been accidentally dropp'd, which he attempts to reftore by due diligency. Nodum in feirpo quærit. And all for want of knowing, that by fufficiency is meant authority, the power delegated by the duke to Efcalus. The plain meaning of the word

B 3

being

Our city's inftitutions, and the terms

For common juftice, you are as pregnant in

As

being this: Put your skill in governing (fays the duke) to the power which I give you to exercife it, and let them work together. WARBURTON.

Sir Tho. Hanmer, having caught from Mr. Theobald a hint that a line was loft, endeavours to fupply it thus.

-Then no more remains,

But that to your fufficiency you join

A will to ferve us, as your worth is able.

He has by this bold conjecture undoubtedly obtained a meaning, but, perhaps not, even in his own opinion, the meaning of Shakespeare.

That the paffage is more or lefs corrupt, I believe every reader will agree with the editors. I am not convinced that a line is loft, as Mr. Theobald conjectures, nor that the change of but to put, which Dr. Warburton has admitted after fome other editor, will amend the fault. There was probably fome original obfcurity in the expreffion, which gave occafion to mistake in repetition or tranfcription. I therefore fufpect that the author wrote thus, Then no more remains,

But that to your fufficiencies your worth is abled,
And let them work.

Then nothing remains more than to tell you, that your virtue is now invefted with power equal to your knowledge and wisdom. Let there fore your knowledge and your virtue now work together. It may eafily be conceived how fufficiencies was, by an inarticulate speaker, or inattentive hearer, confounded with fufficiency as, and how abled, a word very unusual, was changed into able. For abled, however, an authority is not wanting. Lear ufes it in the fame sense, or nearly the fame, with the Duke. As for fufficiencies, D. Hamilton in his dying fpeech, prays that Charles II. may exceed both the vi:tus and fufficiencies of his father. JOHNSON.

Take

The uncommon redundancy, as well as obfcurity, of this verse may be confidered as fome evidence of its corruption. away the two firft words, and the fenfe joins well enough with what went before. Then (fays the duke) no more remains to fay: Your fufficiency as your worth is able,

And let them work.

i. e. Your skill in government is in ability to ferve me, equal to the integrity of your heart, and let them co-operate in your future miniftry.

The verfification requires that either fomething fhould be added, or fomething retrenched. The latter is the eafier, as well as the fafer tafk. I join in the belief, however, that a line is loft; and whoever is acquainted with the inaccuracy of the folio, (for of this play there is no other old edition) will find my opinion justified. STEEVENS.

Some

As art and practice hath enriched any

That we remember: There is our commiffion,
From which we would not have you warp.-Call
hither,

I fay, bid come before us Angelo.-
What figure of us think you he will bear?

For you muft know, we have with special foul"

Elected

Some words feem to be lost here, the fenfe of which, perhaps, may be thus fupplied :

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then no more remains,

But that to your fufficiency you put

A zeal as willing as your worth is able,
And let them work.

-the terms

TYRWHITT.

For common juftice, you are as pregnant in,] The later editions all give it, without authority,

Of juftice,

the terms

and Dr. Warburton makes terms fignify bounds or limits. I rather think the Duke meant to fay, that Efcalus was pregnant, that is, ready and knowing in all the forms of law, and, among other things, in the terms or times fet apart for its adminiftration.

JOHNSON. The word pregnant is used with this fignification in Ram-alley or Merry Tricks 1611, where a lawyer is reprefented reading: "In triceffimo primo Alberti Magni

" "Tis very cleare-the place is very pregnant." i.e. very expreffive, ready, or very big with meaning.

Again, 66 -the Proof is most pregnant.”

Again, The Cruel Brother by Sir W. Davenant, 1630. my abilities are most pregnant

Again,

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"When I find I may be profitable."

“—-oh, such a pregnant eye!" STEEVENS.
For you must know, we have with special soul
Elected him our abfence to fupply;]

This nonfenfe must be corrected thus,

with Special roll

i. e. with a special commiffion. For it appears, from this scene, that Efcalus had one commiffion, and Angelo another. The Duke had before delivered Efcalus his commiffion. He now declares that defigned for Angelo; and he fays, afterwards, to both, To the hopeful execution do I leave you

Of your commiffions.

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Elected him our abfence to fupply;

Lent him our terror, dreft him with our love;
And given his deputation all the organs
Of our own power: What think you of it?
Efcal. If any in Vienna be of worth

To undergo fuch ample grace and honour,
It is lord Angelo.

Enter Angelo.

Duke. Look where he comes.

Ang. Always obedient to your grace's will, I come to know your pleasure.

Duke. Angelo,

There is a kind of character in thy life,

That

Why Angelo's was called the Special roll was, because he was in authority fuperior to Escalus.

-old Efcalus,

Though firft in queftion, is thy fecondary. WARBURTON. This editor is, I think, right in fuppofing a corruption, but lefs happy in his emendation. I read,

we have with special feal

Eleled him our abfence to fupply.

A fpecial feal is a very natural metonomy for a special commiffion.

JOHNSON.

By the words with special foul elected him, I believe, the poet meant no more than that he was the immediate choice of his heart. A fimilar expreffion occurs in Troilus and Creffida:

" with private foul

"Did in great Ilion thus tranflate him to me."

Again, more appofitely in the Tempeft:

for feveral virtues

"Have I lik'd feveral women, never any

"With fo full foul, but fome defect," &c. STEEVENS. We have with Special foul.

This feems to be only a tranflation of the ufual formal words inferted in all royal grants-" De gratia noftra Speciali et ex mero motu- MALONE.

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8 There is a kind of character in thy life,

That to the obferver, &c.]

Either this introduction has more folemnity than meaning, or it has a meaning which I cannot difcover. What is there peculiar in this, that a man's life informs the obferver of his hiftory? Might it be supposed that Shakespeare wrote this?

There

That, to the observer, doth thy history
Fully unfold: Thyself and thy belongings.
Are not thine own fo proper, as to wafte
Thyfelf upon thy virtues, them on thee 1.
Heaven doth with us, as we with torches do;
Not light them for themfelves: for if our virtues*
Did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike

As if we had them not.

tquch'd,

Spirits are not finely

But to fine iffues3; nor nature never lends ✦
The smallest scruple of her excellence,

But, like a thrifty goddess, fhe determines
Herself the glory of a creditor,

Both thanks and ufe. But I do bend my speech

There is a kind of character in thy look.

Hiftory may be taken in a more diffufe and licentious meaning, for future occurrences, or the part of life yet to come.

If this sense be received, the paffage is clear and proper. JOHNSON.

Shakespeare muft, I believe, be anfwerable for the unneceffary pomp of this introduction. He has the fame thought in Henry IV. p. 2. which is fome comment on this paffage before us:

"There is a history in all mens' lives,

"Figuring the nature of the times deceas'd:
"The which obferv'd, a man may prophecy
"With a near aim, of the main chance of things
"As yet not come to life, &c." STEEVENS.

—are not thine own so proper.] i. e. are not so much thy own property. STEEVENS.

-them on thee.] The old copy reads-they on thee.

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"Virtue, if not in action, is a vice,

STEEVENS.

WARBURTON.

"And, when we move not forward, we go backward." So the Latin adage-Non progredi eft regredi. STEEVENS. 3

to fine ilues:] To great confequences. For high purposes. JOHNSON.

4

nor nature never lends.] Two negatives, not employed to make an affirmative, are common in our author.

So in Julius Cæfar:

"There is no harm intended to your person,
"Nor to no Roman elfe." STEEVENS.

To

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