Mercy to thee would prove itself a bawd: "Tis beft that thou dy't quickly.

Claud. Oh hear me, Ifabella.

Re-enter Duke.

Duke. Vouchsafe a word, young fifter, but one word.

Ifab. What is your will?

Duke. Might you difpenfe with your leisure, I would by and by have fome fpeech with you: the fatisfaction I would require, is likewife your own be

nefit.

Ifab. I have no fuperfluous leifure; my stay must be ftolen out of other affairs; but I will attend you a while.

Duke. [To Claudio afide.] Son, I have over-heard what hath paft between you and your fifter. Angelo had never the purpose to corrupt her; only he hath made an affay of her virtue, to practife his judgment with the difpofition of natures: fhe, having the truth of honour in her, hath made him that gracious denial, which he is moft glad to receive: I am confeffor to Angelo, and I know this to be true; therefore prepare yourself to death: Do not fatisfy your refolution with hopes that are fallible: to-morrow

you

So we fay of a man much addicted to any thing, he makes a trade of it. JOHNSON.

• Do not fatisfy your refolution with hopes that are fallible:] A condemned man, whom his confeffor had brought to bear death with decency and refolution, began anew to entertain hopes of life. This occafioned the advice in the words above. But how did these hopes fatisfy his refolution? or what harm was there, if they did? We muft certainly read, Do not falfify your refolution with hopes that are fallible. And then it becomes a reasonable admonition. For hopes of life, by drawing him back into the world, would naturally elude or weaken the virtue of that refo lution which was raised only on motives of religion. And this his confeffor had reason to warn him of. The term falfify is taken from fencing, and fignifies the pretending to aim a stroke in order to draw the adverfary off his guard. So Fairfax:

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you must die; go to your knees, and make ready, Claud. Let me afk my fifter pardon, I am so out of love with life, that I will fue to be rid of it. [Exit Claud. Re-enter Provost Duke. Hold you there : Farewell. Provoft, a word with you,

Prov. What's your will, father?

Duke. That now you are come, you will be gone: Leave me a while with the maid; my mind promises with my habit, no lofs fhall touch her by my company.

Prov. In good time.

[Exit Prov, Duke. The hand, that hath made you fair, hath made you good: the goodness, that is cheap in beauty, makes beauty brief in goodnefs; but grace, being the foul of your complexion, fhould keep the body of it ever fair. The affault, that Angelo hath made to you, fortune hath convey'd to my understanding; and, but that frailty hath examples for his falling, I fhould wonder at Angelo: How would you do to content this fubftitute, and to fave your brother?

Ifab. I am now going to refolve him : I had rather my brother die by the law, than my fon fhould be unlawfully born. But oh, how much is the good duke deceived in Angelo! if ever he returns, and I can fpeak to him, I will open my lips in vain, or discover his government,

Duke. That fhall not be much amifs: yet, as the matter now ftands, he will avoid your accufation; he made trial of you only.-Therefore faften your ear on my advifings; to the love I have in doing good, a remedy prefents itself. I do make myself

"Now ftrikes be out, and now he falfifieth." WARBURTON. The fenfe is this. Do not reft with fatisfaction on hopes that are fallible. There is no need of alteration. STEEVENS. Hold you there:] Continue in that refolution, JOHNSon. In good time.] i. e, a la bonne heure, fo be it, very well.

STEEVENS,

believe,

believe, that you may most uprighteously do a poor wronged lady a merited benefit; redeem your brother from the angry law; do no ftain to your own gracious perfon; and much please the abfent duke, if, peradventure, he fhall ever return to have hearing of this bufinefs.

Ifab. Let me hear you speak further: I have spirit to do any thing, that appears not foul in the truth of my spirit.

Duke. Virtue is bold, and goodness never fearful. Have you not heard fpeak of Mariana the fifter of Frederick, the great foldier, who miscarried at sea ? Ifab. I have heard of the lady, and good words. went with her name,

Duke. Her fhould this Angelo have marry'd; was affianc'd to her by oath, and the nuptial appointed: between which time of the contract, and limit of the folemnity, her brother Frederick was wreck'd at fea, having in that perifh'd veffel the dowry of his fifter. But mark, how heavily this befel to the poor gentlewoman: there fhe loft a noble and renowned brother, in his love toward her ever most kind and natural; with him the portion and finew of her fortune, her marriage-dowry; with both, her combinate hufband, this well-feeming Angelo ?

Ifab. Can this be fo? Did Angelo fo leave her? Duke. Left her in her tears, and dry'd not one of them with his comfort; fwallow'd his vows whole, pretending, in her, discoveries of dishonour : in few, bestow'd her on her own lamentation, which yet the wears for his fake; and he, a marble to her tears, is washed with them, but relents not.

Ifab. What a merit were it in death, to take this poor maid from the world! What corruption in this life, that it will let this man live!-But how out of this can fhe avail?

9

her combinate bufband,] Combinate is betrothed, fettled by contract. STEEVENS.

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Duke.

Duke. It is a rupture that you may eafily heal; and the cure of it not only faves your brother, but keeps you from dishonour in doing it.

Ifab. Shew me how, good father.

Duke. This fore-named maid hath yet in her the continuance of her first affection; his unjuft unkindnefs, that in all reafon fhould have quenched her love, hath, like an impediment in the current, made it more violent and unruly. Go you to Angelo; anfwer his requiring with a plaufible obedience; agree with his demands to the point; only refer yourself to this advantage',-firft, that your ftay with him maynot be long; that the time may have all fhadow and filence in it; and the place answer to convenience: this being granted in courfe, now follows all. We fhall advise this wronged maid to stead up your appointment, go in your place; if the encounter acknowledge itself hereafter, it may compel him to her recompence: and here, by this, is your brother faved, your honour untainted, the poor Mariana advantaged, and the corrupt deputy fcaled. The maid will I frame, and make fit for his attempt. If you think well to carry this as you may, the doubleness of the benefit defends the deceit from reproof. What think you of it?

Ifab. The image of it gives me content already; and, I truft, it will grow to a moft profperous perfection.

I

Duke.

only refer yourself to this advantage,] This is fcarcely to be reconciled to any eftablished mode of fpeech. We may read, only referve yourself to, or only referve to yourself this advantage. JOHNSON.

2 the corrupt deputy fealed.] To fcale the deputy may be, to reach him, notwithstanding the elevation of his place; or it may be, to Arip him and difcover his nakedness, though armed and concealed by the investments of authority. JOHNSON.

To fcale, as may be learn'd from a note to Coriolanus, act I. fc. i, moft certainly means, to diforder, to difconcert, to put to flight. An army routed is called by Hollinfhed, an army sealed. The

word

Duke. It lies much in your holding up: Hafte you speedily to Angelo; if for this night he intreat you to his bed, give him promise of fatisfaction. I will presently to St. Luke's; there, at the moated grange refides this dejected Mariana at that place. call upon me; and dispatch with Angelo, that it may be quickly.

Ijab. I thank you for this comfort: Fare you well, good father. [Exeunt feverally.

Re-enter Duke as a Friar, Elbow, Clown, and Officers.

Elb. Nay, if there be no remedy for it, but that you will needs buy and fell men and women like beafts, we fhall have all the world drink brown and white baftard 4.

Duke. Oh, heavens? what ftuff is here?

Clown. 'Twas never merry world, fince, of two ufuries, the merriest was put down, and the worfer allow'd

word fometimes fignifies to diffufe or difperfe; at others, as I fuppofe in the present inftance, to put into confufion. STEEVENS. -the moated grange] A grange is a folitary farm-house. So in Othello:

3

STEEVENS.

My houfe is not a grange. 4baftard.] A kind of fweet wine, then much in vogue, from the Italian, baftardo. WARBURTON.

See a note on Hen. IV. p. I. act II, fc. iv. STEEVENS.

5 fince of two ufuries, &c.] Here a fatire on ufury turns abruptly to a fatire on the perfon of the ufurer, without any kind of preparation. We may be affured then, that a line or two, at least, have been loft. The fubject of which we may cafily discover, a comparison between the two ufurers; as, before, between the two ufuries. So that, for the future, the paffage fhould be read with afterifks thus by order of law,***a furr'd gown, &c. WARBURTON.

Sir Thomas Hanmer corrected this with lefs pomp, then fince of two ufurers the merrieft was put down, and the worfer allowed, by order of law, a furr'd gown, &c. His punctuation is right,

but