Might in the times to come have ta'en revenge ;
For fo receiving a dishonour'd life,

With ransom of such shame. 'Would yet, he had liv'd!

Alack, when once our grace we have forgot, Nothing goes right; we would, and we would not. 2

[Exit.

SCENE

XIII.

Changes to the Fields without the Town.

Enter Duke in his own Habit, and Friar Peter. Duke. HESE letters at fit time deliver me.

*

THE

[Giving letters.

The Provost knows our purpose and our plot.
The matter being afoot, keep your inftruction,
And hold you ever to our special drift;
Tho' fometimes you do blench from this to that,
As caufe doth minifter. Go, call at Flavius' houfe,
And tell him, where I ftay; give the like notice
Unto Valentius, Rowland, and to Craffus,
And bid them bring the trumpets to the gate :
But fend me Flavius firft.

Peter. It fhall be speeded well.

[Exit Friar

Enter Varrius.

Duke. I thank thee, Varrius; thou haft made good hafte : Come, we will walk. Will greet us here anon,

There's other of our friends my gentle Varrius. [Exeunt,

2 we would, and we would not.] Here undoubiedly the act should end, and was ended by the poet; for here is properly a ceffation of action, and a night intervenes, and the place is changed, between the paffages of this fcene and thofe of the next. The

next act beginning with the following fcene, proceeds without any interruption of time or change of place.

* Peter never delivers the letters, but tells his story without any credentials. The poet forgot the plot which he had formed.

SCENE

SCENE XIV.

Enter Isabella and Mariana.

Ifab. To speak fo indirectly, I am loth: (I'd say the truth; but to accuse him so, That is your part;) yet I'm advis'd to do it, He fays, to vail full purpose. 3

Mari. Be rul'd by him.

Ifab. Befides, he tells me, that if peradventure
He speak against me on the adverse fide,
I fhould not think it strange; for 'tis a phyfick,
That's bitter to sweet end.

Mari. I would, Friar Peter

Ifab. Oh, peace; the Friar is come.

Enter Peter. 4

Peter. Come, I have found you out at a ftand most fit,

Where

very little force on the words, mean to hide the whole extent of our defign, and therefore the read. ing may ftand yet I cannot but think Mr. Theobald's alteration either lucky on ingenious. To interpret words with fuch laxity as to make full the fame with beneficial, is to put an end, at once, to all neceffity of emendation, for any word may then ftand in the place of another.

4 Enter Peter.] This play has two Friars, either of whom might fingly have ferved. I fhould therefore imagine that Friar Thomas, in the firft act, might be changed, without any harm, to Friar Peter; for why fhould the Duke unneceffarily Į truit

3 He fays to vail full purpose.) Thus the old Copies, I don't know, what Idea our Editors form'd to themselves, of vailing full purpofe; but, I'm perfuaded, the Poet meant, as I have reftor'd; viz. to a Purpofe that will ftand us in ftead, that will profit us. THEOBALD. He fays, to vail full purpose.] Mr. Theobald alters it to, He fays, 1' availful purpoje; becaufe he has no idea of the common reading. A good reason! Yet the common reading is right. Full is uled for beneficial; and the meaning is, He fays, it is to hide a beneficial purpose, that must not yet be revealed. WARBURTON. To vail full purpose, may, with

A a 4

Where you may have fuch vantage on the Duke, He shall not pafs you. Twice have the trumpets founded:

The generous and graveft citizens

Have hent the gates, 5 and very near upon.
The Duke is entring: therefore hence, away. [Exeunt.

ACT V.

A publick Place near the City.

Enter Duke, Varrius, Lords, Angelo, Efcalus,
Lucio, and Citizens at feveral Doors.

SCENE I.

DUKE.

Y very worthy coufin, fairly met;

Our old and faithful friend, we're glad to fee

MY

you.

Ang. and Efcal. Happy return be to your royal

Grace!

Duke. Many and hearty thanks be to you both:
We've made enquiry of you, and we hear
Such goodness of your juftice, that our foul
Cannot but yield you forth to publick thanks,
Forerunning more requital.

Ang. You make my bonds ftill greater.
Duke. Oh, your defert fpeaks loud, and I fhould
wrong it,

To lock it in the wards of covert bofom,
When it deferves with characters of brafs
A forted refidence, 'gainst the tooth of time.
And razure of oblivion. Give me your hand,
And let the fubjects fee, to make them know

trust two in an affair which required only one. The name of Friar Thomas is never mentioned in the dialogue, and therefore

feems arbitrarily placed at the head of the scene.

5 Have bent the gates.] Have. taken poffeffion of the gates.

That

•

That outward courtefies would fain proclaim
Favours that keep within. Come, Efcalus;
You must walk by us on our other hand :
And good fupporters are you. [As the Duke is going out.

SCENE

II.

Enter Peter and Ifabella.

Peter. Now is your time: speak loud, and kneel before him.

Ifab. Juftice, O royal Duke!* vail your regard Upon a wrong'd, I'd fain have faid, a maid. Oh, worthy Prince, difhonour not your eye By throwing it on any other object, 'Till you have heard me in my true complaint, And giv'n me juftice, justice, justice, justice. Duke. Relate your wrongs; in what, by whom? be brief.

Here is lord Angelo fhall give you justice;
Reveal yourself to him.

Ifab. Oh, worthy Duke,

You bid me feek redemption of the devil.
Hear me your self, for that which I must speak
Muft either punish me, not being believ'd,
Or wring redrefs from you: hear me, oh, hear me,

here.

Ang. My lord, her wits, I fear me, are not firm; She hath been a fuitor to me for her brother, Cut off by course of justice.

Ifab. By Courfe of justice!

Ang. And fhe will fpeak moft bitterly, and ftrange. 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 strange?

• Vail your regard.] That is, withdraw your thoughts from higher things; let your notice de

fcend upon a wronged woman. To vail, is to lower.

That

That Angelo is an adult'rous thief,
An hypocrite, a virgin-violater;
Is it not strange, and ftrange?

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

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 impof

fible

That, which but feems unlike; 'tis not impoffible,
But one, the wicked'ft caitiff on the ground,
May feem 7 as fhy, as grave, as juft, as abfolute,
As Angelo; even fo may Angelo,

8 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 the be mad, as I believe no other,
Her madness hath the oddeft frame of fenfe;
Such a dependency of thing on thing,
As ne'er I heard in madnefs.

Ifab. Gracious Duke,

6

truth is truth To th' end of reckning ] That is, Truth has no gradations; nothing which admits of encrease → can be fo much what it is, as truth is truth. There may be a a ftrange thing, and a thing more frange, but if a propofition be true there can be none more true.

7 —as shy, as grave, as juft, as abfolute.] As fhy; as re ferved, as abstracted: as just ; as nice, as exact: as abjolute as complete in all the round of duty.

8 In all bis dreings, &c.] In all his femblance of virtue, in all his habiliments of office.

Harp.