ty, I am custom fhrunk. How now, what's the news

with you?

Clown. Yonder man is carry'd to prison.
Bawd. Well, what has he done?

Clown. A woman.

Bawd. But what's his offence?

Clown. Groping for trouts in a peculiar river. Bawd. What is there a maid with child by him? Clown. No; but there's a woman with maid by him. You have not heard of the proclamation, have you? Bawd. What proclamation, man?

Clown. All houfes in the fuburbs of Vienna must be pluck'd down...

Bawd. And what fhall become of those in the city? Clown. They fhall ftand for feed; they had gone down too, but that a wife burgher put in for them. Bawd. But fhall all our houfes of refort in the fuburbs be pull'd down?

Clown. To the ground, miftrefs.

Bawd. Why here's a change, indeed, in the common wealth. What fhall become of me?

Clown. Come, fear not you; good counsellors lack no clients; though you change your place, you need not change your trade: I'll be your tapfter ftill. Courage, there will be pity taken on you; you that have worn your eyes almost out in the fervice, you will be confidered,

Bawd. What's to do here, Thomas Tapfier? let's withdraw.

Clown. Here comes Signior Claudio, led by the provost to prison; and there's Madam Juliet. [Exit Bawd and Clown.

VOL. I,

T

SCENE

Enter Provost, Claudio, Juliet, and Officers. Lucio and two Gentlemen.

Claud. Fellow, why doft thou fhow me thus to th' world?

Bear me to prison, where I am committed.
Prov. I do it not in evil difpofition,
But from lord Angelo by fpecial charge.

Claud. Thus can the Demi-god, Authority, 3
Make us pay down, for our offence, by weight..
The words of heaven; on whom it will, it will;
On whom it will not, fo; yet ftill 'tis juft.

Lucio. Why, how now, Claudio? whence comes this restraint?

Claud. From too much liberty, my Lucio, liberty; As furfeit is the father of much faft,

So ev'ry scope by the immoderate use
Turns to reftraint: our natures do pursue,
Like rats that ravin down their proper bane,
A thirty evil; and when we drink, we die.

Lucio. If I could fpeak fo wifely under an arrest, I would fend for certain of my creditors; and yet, to

3 Thus can the Demi-god, Authority,

Make us pay down, for our of

fence, by weight The words of heaven; on whom

it will, it will; On whom it will not, fo; yet fill 'tis juft. The wrong pointing of the fecond line hath made the paffage unintelligible. There ought to be a full ftop at weight. And the fenfe of the whole is this: The Demi-god, Authority, makes us pay the full penalty of our fence, and its decrees are as little

Make

to be queflioned as the words of heaven, which pronounces its pleafure thus,-I punish and remit punishment according to my own uncontroulable will, and yet who can fay what deft thou. us pay down, for our offence, by weight, is a fine expreffion, to fignify paying the full penalty. The metaphor is taken from paying money by weight, which is always exact; not to by sale, on account of the practice of dimninithing the fpecies. WARBURT. I fufpect that a line is loft.

fay

fay the truth, I had as lief have the foppery of fredom, as the morality of imprifonment: what's thy offence, Claudio?

Claud. What, but to fpeak of, would offend again.
Lucio. What is't, murder?

Claud. No.

Lucio. Letchery?

Claud. Call it fo.

Prov. Away, Sir, you must

go.

Claud. One word, good friend:Lucio, a word with you.

Lucio. A hundred; if they'll do you any good. Is letchery fo look'd after?

Claud. Thus ftands it with me; upon a true contract

I got poffeflion of Julietta's bed,

(You know the tacy) fhe is faft my wife;

Save that we do the denunciation lack

Of outward order.

This we came not to,

Only for propagation of a dower

Remaining in the coffer of her friends;

From whom we thought it meet to hide our love,
"Till time had made them for us. But it chances,
The ftealth of our moft mutual entertainment,
With character too grofs, is writ on Juliet.
Lucio. With child, perhaps?

Claud. Unhappily, even fo.

And the new Deputy now for the Duke,
(Whether it be the fault, and glimple, of newneís; 4
Or whether that the body public be

A horfe whereon the Governor doth ride,
Who, newly in the feat, that it may know
He can command, let's it ftrait feel the fpur;
Whether the tyranny be in his Place,

4

the fault and glimpse of newness] Fault and glimpfe have fo little relation to each other,

that both can fcarcely be right; we may read flash for fault.

Or in his eminence that fills it up,

I ftagger in:) but this new Governor
Awakes me all th' enrolled penalties,

Which have, like unfcour'd armour, hung by th'wall
So long that nineteen Zodiacks have gone round, 5 ·
And none of them been worn; and, for a name,
Now puts the drowfy and neglected Act

Freshly on me.

Tis, furely, for a name.

Lucio. I warrant, it is. And thy head stands so tickle on thy fhoulders, that a milk-maid, if the be in love, may figh it off. Send after the Duke, and appeal to

him.

Claud. I have done fo, but he's not to be found.
I pr'ythee, Lucio, do me this kind service :
This day my fifter fhould the cloister enter,
And there receive her Approbation.

Acquaint her with the danger of my state,
Implore her, in my voice, that fhe make friends
To the ftrict Deputy; bid herself affay him;
I have great hope in that; for in her youth
There is a prone and speechless dialect, 6

Such as moves men! beside, she hath profp'rous art
When he will play with reason and discourse,

5 So long that nineteen Zodiacks have gone round.] The Duke in the Scene immediately following, fays,

Which for these fourteen Years Which for these fourteen Years we have let flip.

The Author could not fo difagree with himself. 'Tis neceffary to make the two Accounts correfpond. THEOBALD.

6 -prone and Speechlifs dialet.] I can fcarcely tell what fignification to give to the word prone. Its primitive and tranflated fenfes are well known. The authour may, by a prone dialect,

And well fhe can perfuade.

Lucio. I pray, the may; as well for the encouragement of the like, which elfe would stand under grievous impofition; 7 as for the enjoying of thy life, who I would be forry fhould be thus foolishly loft at a game of tick-tack. I'll to her.

Claud. I thank you, good friend Lucio.
Lucio. Within two hours,-

Claud. Come, officer, away.

Duke.

N

[Exeunt.

O; holy father--Throw away that thought-Believe not, that the dribbling dart of love Can pierce a compleat bofom; why I defire thee To give me fecret harbour, hath a purpose More grave, and wrinkled, than the aims and ends Of burning youth.

Fri. May your Grace speak of it?

Duke. My holy Sir, none better knows than you, How I have ever lov'd the life remov'd;

And held in idle price to haunt Affemblies,
Where youth, and cost, and witlefs bravery keeps.
I have deliver'd to lord Angelo

A man of ftricture and firm abftinence 9

7- under grievous impofition.] I once thought it should be in quifition, but the prefent reading is probably right. The crime would be under grievous penalties impofed.

8 Believe not that the dribbling dart of love Can pierce a compleat bofom.-]

Think not that a breaft compleatly armed can be pierced by the dart of love that comes fluttering without force.

9 A man of STRICTURE and firm abftinence Stricture makes no fenfe in this place. We should read,

A man