Draw with idle fpiders' ftrings
Moft pond'rous and fubftantial things!
Craft againit vice I muft apply.
With Angelo to-night fhall lye
His old betrothed, but defpis'd;
So difguife fhall by th' disguis'd (9)
Pay with falfhood falfe exacting,
And perform an old contracting.

ACT IV.

[Exit.

SCENE I.

A GRANGE,

Enter Mariana, and Boy finging.

SONG.

TAKE, ob take those lips away, (1)

That fo fweetly were forfarn;

And thofe eyes, the break of day,
Lights that do mif-lead the morn;

The Reifal reads thus,

How may fuch likeness trade in crimes,
Making practice on the times,

To draw with idle fpider's firings

Moft pond'rous and fubftantial things;

meaning by ponderous and fubftantial things, pleasure and wealth. (9) So difguife shall by th' difguis'd.] So difguife fhall by means of a perfon difguifed, return an injurious demand with a counterfeit perfon.

(1) Take, ob take, &c.] This is part of a little fong of SbakeSpear's own writing, confifting of two Stanzas, and fo extremely fweet, that the reader won't be displeased to have the other.

Hide, oh, bide thofe hills of Snow,
Which thy frozen bofom bears,
On whofe tops, the pinks that grow,

Are of thofe that April wears.

But my poor heart first fet free.

Bound in thofe icy chains by thee.

WARBURTON.

This fong is entire in BEAUMONT's Bloody Brother, and in ShakeSpear's poems. The latter Stanza is omitted by Mariana, as not fuiting a female character.

THEOBALD.

But

But my kifles bring again,

Seals of love, but Jeal'd in vain.

Enter Duke.

Mari. Break off thy fong, and hafte thee quick away!

Here comes a man of comfort, whofe advice
Hath often still'd my brawling discontent.
I cry you mercy, Sir, and well could wish,
You had not found me here so mufical;
Let me excufe me, and believe me fo,

My mirth is much difpleas'd, but pleas'd my woe. (2) Duke. 'Tis good; tho' mufick oft hath fuch a charm

To make bad, good; and good provoke to harm.

I pray you tell me, hath any body enquir'd for me here

to day? much upon this time, have I promis'd here to

Mari. You have not been enquir'd after: I have fate here all day.

Duke. I do constantly (3) believe you :

Enter Ifabel.

the time is come, even now. I fhall crave your forbearance a little; may be, I will call upon you anon for some advantage to yourself.

Mari. I am always bound to you.

Duke. Very well met, and welcome. What is the news from this good deputy?

[Exit.

Ifab. He hath a garden circummur'd with brick, (4)

(2) My mirth is much difpleas'd, but pleas'd my woe.] Though the mufick foothed my forrows, it had no tendency to produce light merriment.

(3) Conftantly-] Certainly, without fluctuation of mind. (4) Circummured with brick.] Circummured, walled round. He caufed the doors to be mured and cafed up.

PAINTER'S Palace of Pleasure.

Whofe

3

Whose western fide is with a vineyard backt
And to that vineyard is a planched gate,
That makes his opening with this bigger key;
This other doth command a little door,
Which from the vineyard to the garden leads;
There, on the heavy middle of the night,
Have I my promise made to call upon him.

Duke. But fhall you on your knowledge find this way?

Ifab. I've ta'en a due and wary note upon't.
With whifp'ring and most guilty diligence,
In action all of precept, (5) he did shew me
The way twice o'er.

Duke. Are there no other tokens

Between you 'greed, concerning her observance ?

:

fab. No none, but only a repair i' th' dark
And that I have poffeft him, (6) my most stay
Can be but brief; for I have made him know,
I have a fervant comes with me along,
That ftays upon me; whose persuasion is,
I come about my brother.

Duke. 'Tis well born up.

I have not yet made known to Mariana

A word of this. What, hoa! within! come forth!

I pray you be acquainted with this maid;

She comes to do you good.

Ifab. I do defire the like.

Duke. Do you perfuade yourself that I refpect you ? Mari Good Friar, I know you do, and I have found it.

(5) In action all of precept,] i. e. fhewing the feveral turnings of the way with his hand; which action contained so many precepts, WARBURTON. being given for direction. I rather think we fhould read, in precept all of action; that is, in direction given not by words but by mute figns.

my

(6) I have pofft bim,] I have made him clearly and strongly comprehend.

Duke.

Duke. Take then this your companion by the hand, Who hath a story ready for your ear.

I shall attend your leifure; but make hafte;

The vaporous night approaches.

Mari. Wilt please you to walk afide?

[Exeunt Mar. and Ifab.

Duke. O place and greatness! (7) millions of falfe *

eyes

Are ftuck upon thee: volumes of report

Run with these false and moft contrarious quests +
Upon thy doings: thousand 'fcapes of wit
Make thee the father of their idle dreams,
And rack thee in their fancies!

Welcome; how agreed.

If

Ifab. She'll take the enterprize upon her, father,
you advise it.

Duke. 'Tis not my confent,

But my intreaty too.

Ifab. Little have you to fay,

(7) O place and greatness!] It plainly appears that this fine fpeech belongs to that which concludes the preceding Scene, between the Duke and Lucio. For they are abfolutely foreign to the fubject of this, and are the natural reflections arifing from that. Besides, the very words, Run with THESE false and most contrarious quests, evidently refer to Lucio's fcandals juft preceding: which the Oxford Editor, in his ufual way, has emended, by altering these to their.But that fome time might be given to the two women to confer together, the players, I fuppofe, took part of the fpeech, beginning at No might nor greatnefs, &c. and put it here, without troubling themfelves about its pertinency. However, we are obliged to them for not giving us their own impertinency, as they have frequently done in other places. WARBURTON.

I cannot agree that these lines are placed here by the players. The fentiments are common, and fuch as a Prince given to reflection, must have often prefent. There was a neceffity to fill up the time in which the Ladies converfe apart, and they must have quick tongues and ready apprehenfions, if they underflood each other while this fpeech was uttered.

*Falfe eyes-] That is, Eyes infidious and trayterous. + Contrarious quefts.] Different reports run counter to each other. When

D 2

When you depart from him, but foft and low,
"Remember now my brother."
Mari. Fear me not.

Duke. Nor, gentle daughter, fear you not at all:
He is your husband on a pre-contract;
To bring you thus together, 'tis no fin
Sith that the juftice of your title to him

;

Doth flourish the deceit. (8) Come, let us go;
Our corn's to reap; for yet our tithe's to fow. (9) [Exe.

Prov.

Changes to the Prifon.

Enter Provost and Clown.

YOME hither, firrah: can you cut off a man's head?

C

Clown. If the man be a bachelor, Sir, I can but if he be a marry'd man, he is his wife's head, and I can never cut off a woman's head.

Prov. Come, Sir, leave me your fnatches, and yield me a direct answer. To-morrow morning are to die Claudio and Barnardine. Here is in our prifon a common executioner, who in his office lacks a helper; if you will take it on you to affift him, it fhall redeem you from your gyves; if not, you shall have your full time of imprisonment, and your deliverance with an unpitied whipping; for you have been a notorious bawd.

Clown. Sir, I have been an unlawful bawd, time

(8) Doth flourish the deceit.] A metaphor taken from embroidery, where a coarse ground is filled up and covered with figures of rich materials and elegant workmanship. WARBUBTON.

(9) for yet our TITHE's to fow.] As before, the blundering Editors have made a prince of the priestly Angelo, fo here they have made a priest of the prince. We should read TILTH, i. e. our til lage is yet to make. The grain from which we expect our harveft, is not yet put into the ground. WARBURTON.

The reader is here attempted with a petty fophifm. We should read tilth, i. e. our tillage is to make. But in the text it is to fow; and who has ever faid that his tillage was to fow? I believe rithe is right, and that the expreffion is proverbial, in which tithe is taken, by an eafy metonymy, for harvest.

Out