ACT I. SCENE I. ES The Duke's PALACE. Enter Duke, Efcalus, and Lords. DUKE. SCALUS, Duke. Of Government the properties t'un- Would seem in me t'affect speech and discourse. But But that to your fufficiency, as your worth is able, And let them work. The nature of our people, Our city's inftitutions, 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 docs the Relative, them, depend? The old Editions read thus. Then no more remains. But that to your Sufficiency, as your Werth is able, And let them work. Here, again, the Senfe is manifely lame and defective, and as the Verification 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 Sufficiency you add Due Diligency, as your Worth is able; And let them work. By fome fuch Supplement both the Sente 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 feince: 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 reflore by due diligence. Nodum in feirpo quærit. And all for want of knowing, that by Jufficiency is meant authority, the power delegated by the Duke to Efcalus. The plain meaning of the word being this: Put your fkill 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 I fay, bid come before us Angelo: What figure of us, think you, he will bear? + -Then no more remains, worth A will to ferve us, as your is able. He has by this bold conjecture undoubtedly obtained a meaning, but, perhaps not, even in his own opinion, the meaning of Shakespear. line was loft, endeavours to fup- tue now work together. It may ply it thus. eally be conceived how fufficiencies was, by an inarticulate peakBut that to your fufficiency you er, or inattentive hearer, conjoin founded 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 speech, prays that Charles II. may exceed both the virtues and fuficiencies of bis father. 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 miitake in repetition or tranfcription. I therefore fufpect that the Author wrote thus, Elected 4. 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 must know we have with Special SOUL 5 you Elected him our absence to supply.] This nonfenfe mutt be corrected 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 invested with power equal to your knowledge and wijdom. Let therefore your knowledge and your vir- i. e. by a special commiffion. with Special ROLL For Elected him our Abfence to fupply; Lent him our Terror, dreft him with our Love; SCENE 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, " For it appears, from this fcene, you Of your commiffions. II. Why Angelo's was called the Special roll was because he was in authority fuperior to Efcalus. Either this introduction has more folemnity than meaning, or it has a meaning which I cannot difcover. What is there peculiar -old Efcalus, Tho' firft in question, is thy fecon- in this, that a man's life informs of history? Might it be fuppofed that ShakeSpear wrote this? dary. WARBURTON. This Editor is, I think, right in fuppofing a corruption, but 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 commiffion. 6 There is a kind of character in thy life, That to th' obferver, &c.] 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 Goddess, the determines Both thanks and ufe. But I do bend my fpeech In our Remove, be thou at full our felf. Live in thy tongue and heart: old Efcalus, 2 WARBURTON. 8 To fine iffues.] To great confequences. For high purposes. -I do bend my speech 9 To One that can my part in him advertife.] This is obfcure. The meaning is, I direct my fpeech 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 ftrongest. So he al ters 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 wy part to tell him. That is, continue to be Angelo, 1 Hold therefore Angelo.] bold as thou art. 2 Firft in queflion.] That is, firft called for; firit appointed. Ang. |
