Enter VARRIUS.

Duke. I thank thee, Varrius; thou hast made good haste:

Come, we will walk: There 's other of our friends
Will greet us here anon, my gentle Varrius. [Exeunt.

SCENE VI.-Street near the City Gate.

Enter ISABELLA and MARIANA.

Isab. To speak so indirectly I am loth;
I would say the truth; but to accuse him so,
That is your part: yet I am advis'd to do it;
He says, to veil full purpose.a

Mari.

Be rul'd by him.
Isab. Besides, he tells me, that, if peradventure
He speak against me on the adverse side,

I should not think it strange; for 't is a physic
That 's bitter to sweet end.

Mari. I would, friar Peter-
Isab.

O, peace; the friar is come.

Enter Friar PETER.

F. Peter. Come, I have found you out a stand most fit,

Where you may have such vantage on the duke,
He shall not pass you: Twice have the trumpets sounded;
The generous and gravest citizens

Have hent the gates, and very near upon

The duke is ent❜ring; therefore, hence, away. [Exeunt.

a To veil full purpose-to conceal the whole extent of his purpose.

b Generous is here used in its Latin sense.

ACT V.

SCENE I-A public Place near the City Gate.

MARIANA (veiled), ISABELLA, and PETER, at a distance. Enter at opposite sides, DUKE, VARRIUS, Lords; ANGELO, ESCALUS, LUCIO, Provost, Officers, and Citizens

Duke. My very worthy cousin, fairly met :Our old and faithful friend, we are glad to see you. Ang. and Escal. Happy return be to your royal grace! Duke. Many and hearty thankings to you both. We have made inquiry of you; and we hear Such goodness of your justice, that our soul Cannot but yield you forth to public thanks, Forerunning more requital.

Ang.

You make my bonds still greater. Duke. O, your desert speaks loud; and I should wrong it,

To lock it in the wards of covert bosom,
When it deserves with characters of brass
A forted residence, 'gainst the tooth of time,
And razure of oblivion. Give me your hand,
And let the subject see, to make them know
That outward courtesies would fain proclaim
Favours that keep within.-Come, Escalus;
You must walk by us on our other hand;
And good supporters are you.

PETER and ISABELLA come forward.

F. Peter. Now is your time; speak loud, and kneel

before him.

a

Isab. Justice, O royal duke! Vail your regard Upon a wrong'd, I would fain have said, a maid!

a Vail-lower.

O worthy prince, dishonour not your eye
By throwing it on any other object,

Till you have heard me in my true complaint,
And given me justice, justice, justice, justice!

Duke. Relate your wrongs: In what? By whom? Be brief:

Here is lord Angelo shall give you justice!

Reveal yourself to him.

Isab.

O, worthy duke,

You bid me seek redemption of the devil:

Hear me yourself; for that which I must speak
Must either punish me, not being believ'd,

Or wring redress from you: hear me, O, hear me, here.
Ang. My lord, her wits, I fear me, are not firm :
She hath been a suitor to me for her brother,

Cut off by course of justice!

Isab.

By course of justice!

Ang. And she will speak most bitterly and strange. Isab. Most strange, but yet most truly, will I speak: That Angelo 's forsworn; is it not strange?

That Angelo's a murtherer; is 't not strange?
That Angelo is an adulterous thief,

An hypocrite, a virgin-violator;

Is it not strange, and strange?
Duke.

Nay, it is ten times strange.

Isab. It is not truer he is Angelo,

Than this is all as true as it is strange;
Nay, it is ten times true; for truth is truth
To the end of reckoning.

Duke.

Away with her ;-Poor soul,

She speaks this in the infirmity of sense.

Isab. O prince, I conjure thee, as thou believ'st

There is another comfort than this world,

That thou neglect me not, with that opinion

That I am touch'd with madness; make not impossible That which but seems unlike: 't is not impossible

But one, the wicked'st caitiff on the ground,

May seem as shy, as grave, as just, as absolute,
As Angelo; even so may Angelo,

In all his dressings, characts,a titles, forms,
Be an arch-villain; believe it, royal prince,
If he be less, he 's nothing; but he 's more,
Had I more name for badness.

Duke.

By mine honesty, If she be mad, as I believe no other,

Her madness hath the oddest frame of sense, (Such a dependency of thing on thing,)

As e'er I heard in madness.

Isab.
O, gracious duke,
Harp not on that: nor do not banish reason
For inequality; but let your reason serve
To make the truth appear where it seems hid;
And hide the false seems true.

Many that are not mad,
-What would you say?

Duke.
Have, sure, more lack of reason.-

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

Was sent to by my brother: One Lucio
As then the messenger ;—

Lucio.

That 's I, an 't like your grace :

I came to her from Claudio, and desir'd her
To try her gracious fortune with lord Angelo,
For her poor brother's pardon.

Isab.

Duke. You were not bid to speak.
Lucio.

Nor wish'd to hold my peace.

Duke.

That's he, indeed.

No, my good lord;

I wish you now then;

Pray you, take note of it: and when you have
A business for yourself, pray Heaven, you then
Be perfect.

a Characts-inscriptions, official designations.

VOL. III.

2 B

Lucio. I warrant your honour.

Duke. The warrant 's for yourself; take heed to it. Isab. This gentleman told somewhat of my tale. Lucio. Right.

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

Isab.

I went

To this pernicious caitiff deputy.
Duke. That's somewhat madly spoken.
Isab.

The phrase is to the matter.

Pardon it;

Duke. Mended again: the matter :-Proceed.
Isab. In brief,-to set the needless process by,
How I persuaded, how I pray'd, and kneel'd,
How he refell'da me, and how I replied;
(For this was of much length,) the vile conclusion
I now begin with grief and shame to utter:
He would not, but by gift of my chaste body
To his concupiscible intemperate lust,

Release my brother; and, after much debatement,
My sisterly remorse confutes mine honour,

And I did yield to him: But the next morn betimes,
His purpose surfeiting, he sends a warrant

For my poor brother's head.

Duke.

This is most likely! Isab. O, that it were as like b as it is true!

Duke. By Heaven, fond wretch, thou know'st not what thou speak'st;

Or else thou art suborn'd against his honour,
In hateful practice: First, his integrity

Stands without blemish :-next, it imports no reason,
That with such vehemency he should pursue
Faults proper to himself: if he had so offended,
He would have weigh'd thy brother by himself,
a Refell'd-refuted.

b Like is here used in the sense of probable.
c Practice-craft, subornation.