And by an eminent body, that enforc'd

The law against it! -but that her tender fhame Will not proclaim against her maiden lofs,

How might the tongue me? yet reafon dares her No. (9) For my authority bears a credent bulk; (1)

That no particular fcandal once can touch,

But it confounds the breather. He should have liv'd,,
Save that his riotous youth, with dangerous fenfe,
Might in the times to come have ta'en revenge;
For fo receiving a dishonour'd life,

With ranfom of fuch fhame. 'Would yet, he had liv'd !

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

(و)

(Exit

yet reafon dires ber- -] The old impreffions read,

yet reafon dares ber No.

And this is right. The meaning is the circumftances of our cafe are fuch, that he will never venture to contradict me: daves her to reply No to me, whatever I fay. WARBURTON,

Mr. Theobald reads, yet reafon dares ber, note. Sir Th. Hanmer, yet reafon dares her: No. Mr. Upton, yet reafon dares her-No,. which he explains thus: yer, fays Angelo, reafon will give her couNo, that is, it will not. I am afraid dare has no such figI have nothing to offer worth infertion

rage nification.

(1)

my authority hears a credent bulk ;

Which no particular flander, &c.] Credent is creditable, inforcing credit, not questionable. The old English writers often confound the active and paffive adjectives. So Shakespeare, and Milton after him, ule inexpreffive for inexpreffible.

Particular is private, a French sense. No fcandal from any privater mouth can reach a man in my authority.

(2) we would, and we would not.] Here undoubtedly the act: fhould end, and was ended by the poet ; for here is properly a ceff:tion 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,

SCENE

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.

TH

[Giving letters.
The Provost knows our purpofe 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 cause doth minifter. Go, call at Flavius' house,
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.

Enter Varrius.

[Exit Friar.

Duke. I thank thee, Varrius; thou haft made good

hafte :

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

SCENE XIV.

Enter Ifabella and Mariana.

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

[Exeunt.

Mari.

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

(3) He fays, to vail full purpose.] Thus the old Copies, I don't know, what Idea our Editors form'd to themfelves, of vailing full purpofe; but, I'm perfuaded, the Poet meint, as I have reftor'd; viz. to a Puipofe that will ftand us in Read, that will profit us. THEOBALD.

He

Mari. Be rul'd by him.

Ifab. Befides, he tells me, that if peradventure
He fpeak against me on the adverse fide,

I fhould not think it ftrange; for 'tis a phyfick,
That's bitter to fweet end.

Mari. I would, Friar Peter

Ifab. Oh, peace; the Friar is come.

Enter Peter. (4)

Peter. Come, I have found you out a stand moft

fit,

Where you may have fuch vantage on the Duke,
He fhall not pass you.

founded ;

Twice have the trumpets

The generous and graveft citizens

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

[Exeunt.

He fays, to vail full purpose.] Mr. Theobald alters it to, He says, t'availful purpose; because he has no idea of the common reading. A good reafon! Yet the common reading is right. Full is ufed for beneficial; and the meaning is, He fays, it is to bide a beneficial purpose, that must not yet be revealed. · WARBURTON,

To vail full purpose, may, with very little force on the words, mean to bide the whole extent of our defign, and therefore the reading may ftand; yet I cannot but think Mr. Theobald's alteration either lucky or 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 first act, might be changed without any harm, to Friar Peter; for why fhould the Duke unneceffarily truft two in an affair which required only one. The name of Friar Thomas is never mentioned in the dialogue, and therefore seems arbitrarily placed at the head of the scene.

(5) Have hent the gates,] Have taken poffeffion of the gates.

ACT

ACT V. SCENE I.

A publick Place near the City.

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

M

DUKE.

Y very worthy coufin, fairly met;

Our old and faithful friend, we're glad to fee 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 public 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 subjects fee, to make them know
That outward courtefies would fain proclaim
Favours that keep within. Come, Escalus;
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 Tfabella.

Peter. Now is your time: fpeak loud, and kneel be

fore him.

Ifab. Juftice, O royal Duke! * vail your regard
Upon a wrong'd, I'd fain have faid, a maid.
Oh, worthy Prince, dishonour not your eye
By throwing it on any other object,

"Till you have heard me in my true complaint,
And giv'n me juftice, juftice, juftice, juftice.

Duke. Relate your wrongs; in what, by whom? be brief:

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

Ifab. Oh, worthy Duke,

You bid me feek redemption of the devil :
Hear me your felf, for that which I must speak
Muft either punish me, not being believ❜d,

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

Cut off by courfe of justice.

Ifab, By Course of justice!

Ang. And the will speak most bitterly and ftrange. Ifab. Moft ftrange, but yet most truly, will I fpeak. That Angelo's forfworn, is it not trange?

That Angelo's a murth'rer, is't not ftrange?

That Angelo is an adult'rous thief,

An hypocrite, a virgin-violater

Is it not strange, and strange?

;

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 ; for truth is truth (6)

To th' end of reck'ning.

Vail your regard-] That is, withdraw your thoughts from higher things; let your notice defcend upon a wronged woman is to lower.

- To vail,

To th' end of reck'ning.] 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 strange thing, and a thing more frange, but if a propofition be true there can be none more true.

Duke.