MEASURE FOR MEASURE*. ACT I. SCENE I. The Duke's PALACE. Enter Duke, Efcalus, and Lords. DUKE. E SCALUS, Duke. Of Government the properties t'un- Would seem in me t'affect speech and discourse. My strength can give you: then no more remains : 3 There is perhaps not one of Shakespear's plays more darkened. than this by the peculiarities of its Authour, and the unfkilfulness of its Editors, by diftortions of phrafe, or negligence of tranfcription. The story is taken from Cinthio's Novels, Decad 8. NoРОРЕ. But &c. This is a paffage which has exercised the fagacity of the Editors, and is now to employ mine. Then no more remains: Put that to your Sufficiency, as your Worth is able,' And let them work.] I doubt not, but this Paffage, either from $ 4 the vel 5: But that to your fufficiency, as your worth is able, And let them work. The nature of our people, Our city's institutions, and the terms the Impertinence of the Actors, or the Negligence of the Copyifts, has come maim'd to us. In the first Place, what an unmeafurable, inharmonious, Verfe have we here; and, then, how lame is the Senfe! What was Efcalus to put to his Sufficiency? Why, his Science. But his Science and his Sufficiency were but One and the fame Thing. On what then does the Relative, them, depend? The old Editions read thus. Then no more remains. your Werth is able, Here, again, the Senfe is manifely 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 romains. But that to your Sufficiency you add Due Diligency, as your Worth is able; And let them work. By fome fuch Supplement both the Senfe and Meafure would be cur'd. 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, For 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 andermoft Word, and fo leave out the intermediate part of the Sentence, THEOBALD. Since I am not`to know, that your own Science Exceeds, in that, the lifts of all advice My firength can give you: then no more remains: Put that to your fufficiency, as your worth is able, And let them werk. To the integrity of this reading Mr. Theobald objects, and says, What was Elcalus to put to bis jufficiency! why bis feience: But his fcience and fufficiency were but one and the fame thing. On what than does the relative them depend? He will have it, therefore, that a line has been accidentally dropt, which he attempts to restore by due diligence. 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 being this: Put your kill 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 For common juftice, y'are as pregnant in, 4 That we remember. There is our Commiffion, I fay, bid come before us Angelo: What figure of us, think you, he will bear? Elected line was loft, endeavours to fup- tue now work together. It may ply it thus. Then no more remains, But that to your fufficiency you join A will to serve 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 Shakespear. 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. Thiobald conjectures, For 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 miitake in repetition or tranfcription. I therefore fufpect that the Author wrote thus, -Then no more remains, But that to your And let them work, Then nothing remains more than to tell you that your Virtue is now invested with power equal to your knowledge and wijdom. Let there eally be conceived how fufficiencies was, by an inarticulate peaker, or inattentive hearer, confounded with fufficiency as, anhow abled, a word very unusual was changed into able. For abled, however, an authority is not wanting. Lear ufes it in the fame fenfe or nearly the fame, with the Duke. As for Jufficiencies, D. Hamilton, in his dying fpeech, prays that Charles II. may exceed both the virtues and fuficiencies of his father. The terms For common juftice you're as preg nant in ] The latter Editions all give it, without authority, the terms of justice, 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 administration. For 5 you must know we have with Special SOUL Elected him our absence to supply.] This nonfenfe muit be corrected thus, with Special ROLL fore your knowledge and your vir- i. e. by a special commiffion. For Elected him our Abfence to fupply; Lent him our Terror, dreft him with our Love; Of our own Power: fay, what think you of it? To undergo fuch ample grace and honour, SCENE II. 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, 6 For it appears, from this fcene, you Of your commiffions. Why Angelo's was called the pecial roll was because he was in authority fuperior to Efcalus. -old Efcalus, lefs happy in his emendation. I read, We have with special feal Elected him our abfence to fupply. A fpecial feal is a very natural Metonymy for a special commif fion. 6 There is a kind of character in thy life, That to th' obferver, &c.] Either this introduction has more folemnity than meaning, or it has a meaning which I cannot difcover. What is there peculiar The first in question, is thy fecon- in this, that a man's life informs Tho' dary. WARBURTON. This Editor is, I think, right in fuppofing a corruption, but the obferver of his bistory? Might it be fuppofed that ShakeSpear wrote this? There is a kind of character in thy look. Thy Thyfelf upon thy virtues; them on thee. As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touch'd, But, like a thrifty Goddefs, the determines Both thanks and ufe. But I do bend my speech In our Remove, be thou at full our felf. Live in thy tongue and heart: old Escalus, advertise.] This is obfcure. The meaning is, I direct my speech to one who is able to teach me how to govern: my part in him, fignifying my office, which I have dele. gated to him. My part in him advertise; i. e. who knows what appertains to the character of deputy or viceroy. Can advertife my part in him; that is, his representation of my perfon. But all thefe quaintneffes of expreffion, the Oxford Editor feems fworn to extirpate; that is, to take away one of Shakespear's characteristic marks; which, if not one of the comlieft, is yet one of the strongest. So he alters this to To one that can, in my part, me advertife. A better expreffion indeed, but, for all that, none of Shakespear's. WARBURTON. I know not whether we may not better read, One that can my part to him advertife. One that can inform himself of that which it would be otherwife my part to tell him. 1 Hold therefore Angelo.] That is, continue to be Angelo, bold as thou art. 2. First in queflion.] That is, firft called for; firit appointed. Ang. |