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Ifab. Courfe of justice!

Ang. And she will speak moft bitterly, and strange.
Ifab. Moft ftrange, but yet moft truly, will I speak;
That Angelo's forfworn, is it not strange?
That Angelo's a murth'rer, is't not ftrange?
That Angelo is an adult'rous thief,
An hypocrite, a virgin-violater;
Is it not strange, and strange?

Duke. Nay, it is ten times ftrange.
Ifab. It is not truer he is Angelo,
Than this is all as true, as it is strange:
Nay, it is ten times truer ; for truth is truth
To th' end of reckoning.

Duke. Away with her: poor foul,

She speaks this in th' infirmity of sense.

Ifab. O Prince, I conjure thee, as thou believ'ft There is another comfort than this world,

That thou neglect me not; with that opinion

That I am touch'd with madness. Make not impoffible
That, which but feems unlike; 'tis not impoffible,
But one, the wicked'ft caitiff on the ground,
May seem as shy, as grave, as juft, as abfolute,
As Angelo; even fo may Angelo,

In all his dreffings, caracts, titles, forms,
Be an arch-villain: believe it, royal Prince,
If he be lefs, he's nothing; but he's more,
Had I more name for badness.

Duke. By mine honesty,

If fhe be mad, as I believe no other,
Her madness hath the oddeft frame of sense;
Such a dependency of thing on thing,
As e'er I heard in madness.

Ifab. Gracious Duke,

Harp not on That; nor do not banish reason
For inequality; but let your reafon serve

To make the truth appear, where it seems hid;
Not hide the falfe, feems true.

■ And hide the false, feems true.] We should read Not hide.

Duke.

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

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

Was fent to by my brother; one Lucio,
As then the meffenger,-

Lucio. That's I, an't like your Grace:
I came to her from Claudio, and defir'd her
To try her gracious fortune with lord Angelo,
For her poor brother's pardon.

Ifab. That's he, indeed.

Duke. You were not bid to speak.

[To Lucio.

Lucio. No, my good lord, nor wish to hold my peace.

Duke. I wish you now then;

Pray you, take note of it: and when you have
A bufinefs for your felf; pray heav'n, you then
Be perfect,

Lucio. I warrant your Honour.

Duke. The warrant's for your felf; take heed to't. Ifab. This gentleman told fomewhat of my tale. Lucio. Right.

Duke. It may be right, but you are in the wrong To speak before your time. Proceed.

Ifab. I went

To this pernicious caitiff Deputy.

Duke. That's fomewhat madly fpoken.
Ifab. Pardon it:

The phrafe is to the matter.

Duke. Mended again: the matter;-proceed.
Ifab. In brief; (to fet the needlefs Process by,
How I perfuaded, how I pray'd and kneel'd,
How he repell'd me, and how I reply'd;
For this was of much length) the vile conclufion
I now begin with grief and fhame to utter.
He would not, but by gift of my chaste body

To

To his concupifcent intemp'rate luft,

Release my brother? and after much debatement,
My fifterly Remorfe confutes mine Honour,

And I did yield to him: But the next morn betimes,
His purpose surfeiting, he fends a Warrant
For my poor brother's head.

Duke. This is most likely !

2

Ifab. Oh, that it were as like, as it is true!
Duke. By heav'n, fond wretch, thow know'ft not what
thou speak'st,

Or else thou art fuborn'd against his honour
In hateful practice. First, his integrity

Stands without blemish; next, it imports no reafon,
That with fuch vehemence he should pursue
Faults proper to himself: if he had fo offended,
He would have weigh'd thy brother by himself,
And not have cut him off. Some one hath fet you on;
Confefs the truth, and fay, by whose advice
Thou cam'ft here to complain.

Ifab. And is this all?

Then, oh, you bleffed minifters above!
Keep me in patience; and with ripen'd time,
Unfold the evil which is here wrapt up

3 In countenance: Heav'n fhield your Grace from woe, As I, thus wrong'd, hence unbelieved go.

Duke. I know, you'd fain be gone. An officer; To prison with her. Shall we thus permit A blafting and a fcandalous breath to fall On him fo near us? this needs must be a practice. Who knew of your intent, and coming hither?

Ifab. One that I would were here, Friar Lodowick. Duke. A ghoftly father, belike:

Who knows that Lodowick?

2 Oh, that it were as like, as it is true!] Like is not here used for probable, but for feemly. She catches at the Duke's word, and turns it to another fenfe; of which there are a great many examples in Shakespear, and the writers of that time.

3 In countenance: ] i. e. in partial favour.

Lucio. My lord, I know him; 'tis a medling Friar; I do not like the man; had he been Lay, my lord, For certain words he spake against your Grace In your retirement, I had fwing'd him foundly. Duke. Words against me? this is a good Friar, belike; And to fet on this wretched woman here Against our Substitute! let this Friar be found. Lucio. But yefternight, my lord, fhe and that Friar, I faw them at the prifon: a fawcy Friar,

A very scurvy fellow.

Peter. Bleffed be your royal Grace!

I have stood by, my lord, and I have heard
Your royal ear abus'd. First, hath this woman
Moft wrongfully accus'd your Substitute;
Who is as free from touch or foil with her,
As the from one ungot.

Duke. We did believe no less.

Know you that Friar Lodowick, which she speaks of? Peter. I know him for a man divine and holy; Not fcurvy, nor a temporary medler,

As he's reported by this gentleman;

And, on my Truft, a man that never yet

Did, as he vouches, mifreport your Grace.

Lucio. My lord, most villainously; believe it.

Peter. Well; he in time may come to clear himself; But at this inftant he is fick, my lord,

Of a strange fever. On his meer request,

(Being come to knowledge that there was Complaint
Intended 'gainst lord Angelo) came I hither
To fpeak as from his mouth, what he doth know
Is true, and false; and what he with his oath
By all Probation will make up full clear,

+ Whenever he's convented. Firft, for this woman;

To

4 Whenever he's CONVEN'D.] The firft Folio reads CONVENTED, and this is right: for to convene fignifies to affemble; but convent, to cite, or fummons. Yet, because convented hurts the measure, the Oxford Editor flicks to conven'd, tho' it be nonfense, and fignifies, Whenever he is affembled together. But thus it will be, when

the

To juftifie this worthy Nobleman,
So vulgarly and perfonally accus'd,
Her fhall you hear difproved to her eyes,
'Till the herself confefs it.

Duke. Good Friar, let's hear it.
Do you not smile at this, lord Angelo?
O heav'n! the vanity of wretched fools!-
Give us fome feats; come, Coufin Angelo,
In this I'll be impartial: be you judge

Of your own Caufe. Is this the witness, Friar?
[Ifabella is carried off, guarded.

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First let her fhew her face; and, after, speak.
Mari. Pardon, my lord, I will not fhew my face,

Until my husband bid me.

Duke. What, are you marry'd?

Mari. No, my lord.

Duke. Are you a maid?

Mari. No, my lord.

Duke. A widow then?

Mari. Neither, my lord.

Duke. Why, are you nothing then? neither maid, widow, nor wife?

Lucio. My lord, fhe may be a punk; for many of

them are neither maid, widow, nor wife.

Duke. Silence that fellow: I would, he had fome cause to prattle for himself.

Lucio. Well, my lord.

Mari. My lord, I do confefs, I ne'er was marry'd; And, I confefs, befides, I am no maid;

the author is thinking of one thing and his critic of another. The poet was attentive to his fenfe, and the Editor, quite throughout his performance, to nothing but the measure: which Shakespear having entirely neglected, like all the dramatic writers of that age, he has spruced him up with all the exactness of a modern measurer of Syllables. This being here taken notice of once for all, shall, for the future, be forgot, as if it had never been.

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