Mari.

O, my dear lord,

[Kneeling.

I crave no other, nor no better man.
Duke. Never crave him; we are definitive.
Mari. Gentle my liege,—

Duke.

You do but lose your labour; Away with him to death.-Now, sir, [to Lucio] to you. Mari. O, my good lord!-Sweet Isabel, fake my

part;

Lend me your knees, and all my life to come
I'll lend you all my life to do you service.
Duke. Against all sense you do importune her:
Should she kneel down, in mercy of this fact,
Her brother's ghost his paved bed would break,
And take her hence in horror.

Mari.

Isabel,
Sweet Isabel, do yet but kneel by me;

Hold up your hands, say nothing, I'll speak all.
They say, best men are moulded out of faults;
And, for the most, become much more the better
For being a little bad: so may my husband.
Ó, Isabel! will you not lend a knee?

Duke. He dies for Claudio's death.
Isab.

Most bounteous sir, [Kneeling.
Look, if it please you, on this man condemn'd,
As if my brother liv'd: I partly think,
A due sincerity govern'd his deeds,
Till he did look on me; since it is so,
Let him not die: My brother had but justice
In that he did the thing for which he died:

For Angelo,

His act did not o'ertake his bad intent;

And must be buried but as an intent

That perish'd by the way: thoughts are no subjects; Intents but merely thoughts.

Mari.

Merely, my lord.

Duke. Your suit 's unprofitable; stand up, I say.— I have bethought me of another fault :—

Provost, how came it Claudio was beheaded
At an unusual hour?

Prov.

It was commanded so.

Duke. Had you a special warrant for the deed? Prov. No, my good lord; it was by private message. Duke. For which I do discharge you of your office : Give up your keys.

Prov.
Pardon me, noble lord:
I thought it was a fault, but knew it not;
Yet did repent me, after more advice:
For testimony whereof, one in the prison,
That should by private order else have died,
I have reserv'd alive.

Duke.

Prov.

What 's he?

His name is Barnardine.

Duke. I would thou hadst done so by Claudio.Go, fetch him hither; let me look upon him.

[Exit Provost.
Escal. I am sorry, one so learned and so wise
As you, lord Angelo, have still appear'd,
Should slip so grossly, both in the heat of blood,
And lack of temper'd judgment afterward.

Ang. I am sorry that such sorrow I procure:
And so deep sticks it in my penitent heart,
That I crave death more willingly than mercy;
'T is my deserving, and I do entreat it.

Re-enter Provost, BARNARDINE, CLAUDIO, and JULIET.
Duke. Which is that Barnardine?

Prov.

This, my lord.

Duke. There was a friar told me of this man :Sirrah, thou art said to have a stubborn soul,

That apprehends no further than this world,

And squar'st thy life according. Thou 'rt condemn'd;
But, for those earthly faults, I quit them all;
And pray thee, take this mercy to provide
For better times to come :-Friar, advise him;

I leave him to your hand. What muffled fellow 's

that?

Prov. This is another prisoner that I sav'd,

That should have died when Claudio lost his head;
As like almost to Claudio as himself.

[Unmuffles CLAUDIO. Duke. If he be like your brother, [to ISABELLA] for

his sake

Is he pardon'd: And, for your lovely sake,
Give me your hand, and say you will be mine;
He is my brother too: But fitter time for that.
By this, lord Angelo perceives he 's safe;
Methinks, I see a quick'ning in his eye :—
Well, Angelo, your evil quits a you well:

Look that you love your wife; her worth, worth yours.—
I find an apt remission in myself:

And yet here 's one in place I cannot pardon :-
You, sirrah, [to Lucio] that knew me for a fool, a
coward,

One all of luxury, an ass, a madman;
Wherein have I so deserv'd of you,
That you extol me thus?

Lucio. 'Faith, my lord, I spoke it but according to the trick: If you will hang me for it, you may, but I had rather it would please you I might be whipped. Duke. Whipp'd first, sir, and hang'd after. Proclaim it, provost, round about the city; If any woman's wrong'd by this lewd fellow, (As I have heard him swear himself there 's one Whom he begot with child,) let her appear, And he shall marry her: the nuptial finish'd, Let him be whipp'd and hang'd.

Lucio. I beseech your highness, do not marry me to a whore! Your highness said even now, I made you a

a Quits-requites.

b According to the trick-after the fashion of banter and exaggeration.

duke; good my lord, do not recompense me in making me a cuckold.

Duke. Upon mine honour, thou shalt marry her.
Thy slanders I forgive; and therewithal

Remit thy other forfeits :-Take him to prison :
And see our pleasure herein executed.

Lucio. Marrying a punk, my lord, is pressing to death, whipping, and hanging.

Duke. Slandering a prince deserves it.

She, Claudio, that you wrong'd, look you restore.
Joy to you, Mariana!-love her, Angelo;

I have confess'd her, and I know her virtue.
Thanks, good friend Escalus, for thy much goodness :
There's more behind that is more gratulate.a
Thanks, provost, for thy care and secresy;
We shall employ thee in a worthier place :-
Forgive him, Angelo, that brought you home
The head of Ragozine for Claudio's;
The offence pardons itself.-Dear Isabel,
I have a motion much imports your good;
Whereto if you 'll a willing ear incline,

What 's mine is yours and what is yours is mine:
So, bring us to our palace; where we 'll show

What's yet behind, that 's meet you all should know.

a More gratulate-more to be rejoiced in.

[Exeunt.

WORKS PUBLISHED

BY

C. KNIGHT AND Co., 22, LUDGATE STREET.

1. SKETCHES OF CHINA:

Partly during an Inland Journey of Four Mouths, between Peking, Nanking, and Canton.

By JOHN FRANCIS DAVIS, Esq., F.R.S., &c., late
His Majesty's Chief Superintendent in China.
In 2 vols. post 8vo., price Sixteen Shillings.

Whilst the partisans of the present and the late administrations are disputing for the honour of having suggested the ope rations which have led to the termination of the war in China, it has not been unnoticed that to the sagacity and experience of the author of this and the following work is to be traced the public announcement of the principle through which the Chinese goverument was to be most effectually contended against. The following is the conclusion of Mr. Davis's last work, published in 1841-"The cruise of the Conway and Algerine has established the most important fact, that the great Keang is navigable forty miles inwards from its mouth, and that a clear chanuel exists for vessels of any size, with a depth of five or six fathoms water. Whenever it shall be found necessary or expedient to make war' ou the Chinese government, in the sense which that term bears everywhere else, nothing can at once so severely distress and perplex it as the blockade of the Grand Canal at Kwa-chow; but this, to be completely effective, must commence before the grain and tribute junks begin their departure for the northward, in the month of May, or perhaps earlier. When it is considered that the food and clothing of Peking, the rice and tea, the silk and cotton, proceed almost entirely from the south of the great river, by what may really be called the alimentary canal of the empire, it is impossible not to acknowledge the importance of this point, so vulnerable to our steamers and ships of war, and at the same time so vital to the Chinese."

The next extract is from The Chinese,' the first edition of which was published as far back as 1836:-" When the pirate Kothinga ravaged the eastern coasts, he sailed easily up the mouth of the Keang to Nanking; and there is reason to suppose