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Lucio. No, indeed, will I not, Pompey; it is not the wear '. I will pray, Pompey, to increase your bondage: if you take it not patiently, why, your mettle is the more: Adieu, trufty Pompey.-Bless you, friar.

Duke. And you.

Lucio. Does Bridget paint ftill, Pompey? Ha?
Elb. Come your ways, fir; come.

Clown. You will not bail me then, fir?

Lucio. Then, Pompey, nor now 2.-What news abroad,

friar? What news?

Elb. Come your ways, fir, come.

Lucio. Go,-to kennel, Pompey, go3:

[Exeunt ELBOW, Clown, and Officers.

What news, friar, of the duke?

Duke. I know none: Can you tell me of any?

Lucio. Some fay, he is with the emperor of Ruffia; other fome, he is in Rome: But where is he, think you? Duke. I know not where: But wherefoever, I wish him well.

Lucio. It was a mad fantaftical trick of him, to fteal from the state, and ufurp the beggary he was never born to. Lord Angelo dukes it well in his abfence; he puts tranfgreffion to't.

Duke. He does well in't.

Lucio. A little more lenity to lechery would do no harm in him fomething too crabbed that way, friar.

Duke. It is too general a vice, and severity must cure it.

Lucio. Yes, in good footh, the vice is of a great kindred; it is well ally'd: But it is impoffible to extirp it quite, friar, till eating and drinking be put down. They

1-it is not the wear.] i. e. it is not the fashion. STEEVENS. 2 Then Pompey, nor now.] The meaning, I think, is, I will neither bail thee then, nor now. So again, in this play:

"More nor lefs to others paying."

MALONE.

3 Go, to kennel, Pompey,-go:] It fhould be remembered, that Pompey is the common name of a dog, to which allufion is made in the mention of a kennel. JOHNSON.

4 It is too general a vice,] Yes, replies Lucio, the vice is of great kindred; it is well ally'd, &c. As much as to fay, Yes, truly, it is general; for the greatest men have it as well as we little folks. lower he taxes the Duke perfonally with it. EDWARDS.

A little

fay,

78

MEASURE FOR MEASURE.

fay, this Angelo was not made by man and woman, after the downright way of creation: Is it true, think you? Duke. How fhould he be made then?

Lucio. Some report, a fea-maid spawn'd him :-Some, that he was begot between two flock-fifhes :-But it is certain, that when he makes water, his urine is congeal'd ice; that I know to be true: And he is a motion ungenerative, that's infallible".

Duke. You are pleafant, fir;

and fpeak apace.

Lucio. Why, what a ruthless thing is this in him, for the rebellion of a cod-piece, to take away the life of a man? Would the duke, that is abfent, have done this? Ere he would have hang'd a man for the getting a hundred baftards, he would have paid for the nurfing a thoufand: He had fome feeling of the fport; he knew the fervice, and that inftructed him to mercy.

Duke. I never heard the abfent duke much detected for women; he was not inclined that way. Lucio. O, fir, you are deceived. Duke. "Tis not poffible.

after the downright way-] Old copy-this downright. Corrected by Mr. Pope. MALONE.

and he is a motion ungenerative, that's infallible] In the former editions:-And be is a motion generative; that's infallible. This may be fenfe; and Lucio, perhaps, may mean, that though Angelo have the organs of generation, yet that he makes no more ufe of them, than But I rather think our author wrote, if he were an inanimate puppet.

and he is a motion ungenerative, becaufe Lucio again in this very fcene fays, this ungenitured agent will unpeople the province with continency. THEOBALD.

A motion generative certainly means a puppet of the masculine gend r ; a thing that appears to have thofe powers of which it is not in reality poffefled. STEEVENS.

See, however, p. 67, note 6. MALONE.

7-much detected for women ;] This appears fo like the language of Dogberry, that at first I thought the paffage corrupt, and wished to read fufpected. But perhaps detected had anciently the fame meaning. So, in an old collection of tales, entitled, Wits, Fits, and Fancies, 1595: "An officer whofe daughter was detected of dithoneftie, and generally fo reported. That detected is there ufed for fufpected, and not in the prefent fenfe of the word, appears, I think, from the words that follow-and generally fo reported, which feem to relate not to a known but fufpected fact. MALONE.

Lucio.

Lucio. Who? not the duke? yes, your beggar of fifty; -and his ufe was, to put a ducat in her clack-difh `; the duke had crochets in him: He would be drunk too; that let me inform you.

Duke. You do him wrong, furely.

Lucio. Sir, I was an inward of his : A fhy fellow was the duke: and, I believe, I know the cause of his withdrawing.

Duke. What, I pr'ythee, might be the caufe?

Lucio. No,-pardon; 'tis a fecret must be lock'd within the teeth and the lips: but this I can let you understand,―The greater file of the fubject held the duke to be wife.

Duke. Wife? why, no queftion but he was.

Lucio. A very fuperficial, ignorant, unweighing fellow. Duke, Either this is envy in you, folly, or mistaking; the very ftream of his life, and the bufinefs he hath helmed 2, muft, upon a warranted need, give him a better proclamation. Let him be but teftimonied in his own bringings forth, and he shall appear, to the envious, a fcholar, a statesman, and a foldier: Therefore, you speak unfkilfully; or, if your knowledge be more, it is much darken'd in your malice.

Lucio. Sir, I know him, and I love him.

Duke. Love talks with better knowledge, and knowledge with dearer love 3.

Lucio. Come, fir, I know what I know,

Duke. I can hardly believe that, fince you know not what you speak. But, if ever the duke return, (as our prayers are he may,) let me defire you to make your anfwer before him: If it be honeft you have spoke, you have

8 -clack-difp:] The beggars, two or three centuries ago, used to proclaim their want by a wooden-dish with a moveable cover, which they clacked, to shew that their veflel was empty. STEEVENS.

an inward of bis :] Inward is intimate. STEEVENS. 1 The greater file of the fubject] The larger lift, the greater number. JOHNSON. So, in Macbeth: "the valued file." STEEVENS. the business be bath belmed,] The difficulties be bath fear'd through. A metaphor from navigation. STEEVENS.

2

3

with dearer love.] Old copy-dear. Corrected by Sir T. Hanmer.

5

MALONE.

courage

courage to maintain it: I am bound to call upon you; and, I pray you, your name?

Lucio. Sir, my name is Lucio; well known to the duke. Duke. He fhall know you better, fir, if I may live to report you.

Lucio. I fear you not.

Duke. O, you hope the duke will return no more; or you imagine me too unhurtful an oppofite+. But, indeed, I can do you little harm: you'll forfwear this again.

Lucio. I'll be hang'd first thou art deceived in me, friar. But no more of this: Canft thou tell, if Claudio die to-morrow, or no?

Duke. Why fhould he die, fir?

Lucio. Why? for filling a bottle with a tun-dish. I would, the duke, we talk of, were return'd again: this ungenitur'd agents will unpeople the province with continency; fparrows muft not build in his houfe-eves, because they are lecherous. The duke yet would have dark deeds darkly anfwer'd; he would never bring them to light would he were return'd! Marry, this Claudio is condemn'd for untruffing. Farewell, good friar; I pr'ythee, pray for me. The duke, I fay to thee again, would eat mutton on Fridays". He's now paft it; yet, and I fay to thee, he would mouth with a beggar, though the fmelt brown bread and garlick': fay, that I faid fo. Farewell. [Exit.

Duke. No might nor greatnefs in mortality Can cenfure 'scape; back-wounding calumny The whiteft virtue ftrikes: What king fo ftrong, Can tie the gall up in the flanderous tongue? But who comes here?

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4-an oppofite.] In old language meant an adverfary. MALONE. 5 ungenitur'd agent] This word feems to be form'd from geniteirs, a word which occurs in Holland's Pliny, tom. ii. p. 321, 560, 589, and comes from the French genitoires, the genitals. TOLLET. mutton on Fridays.] A wench was called a laced mutton. THEOS. So, in Doctor Fauftus, 1604, Lechery fays: "I am one that loves an inch of raw mutton better than an ell of Friday ftockfish." STEEVENS. See the Two Gent. of Verona, p. 110, n. 9. 7-though he (melt brown bread and garlick:] This was the phrafeology of our author's time. In the M. W. of Windfor, Mafter Fenton is faid to "fmell April and May," not, "to fmell of, &c. MALONE.

MALONE.

Enter

Enter ESCALUs, Provoft, Bawd, and Officers. Efcal. Go, away with her to prifon.

Bawd. Good my lord, be good to me; your honour is accounted a merciful man: good my lord.

Efcal. Double and treble admonition, and ftill forfeit in the fame kind? This would make mercy fwear, and play the tyrant 3.

Prov. A bawd of eleven years continuance, may it please your honour.

Bawd. My lord, this is one Lucio's information against me: miftrefs Kate Keep-down was with child by him in the duke's time, he promised her marriage; his child is a year and a quarter old, come Philip and Jacob: I have kept it myself; and fee how he goes about to abuse me.

Efcal. That fellow is a fellow of much licence :- let him be called before us.-Away with her to prifon: Go to; no more words. [Exeunt Bawd and Officers.] Provoft, my brother Angelo will not be alter'd; Claudio must die to-morrow: let him be furnish'd with divines, and have all charitable preparation: if my brother wrought by my pity, it fhould not be fo with him.

Prov. So please you, this friar hath been with him, and advised him for the entertainment of death.

Efcal. Good even, good father.

Duke. Blifs and goodness on you!

Efcal. Of whence are you?

Duke. Not of this country, though my chance is now To ufe it for my time: I am a brother

Of gracious order, late come from the fee,

In fpecial bufinefs from his holiness.

8 -mercy fwear, and play the tyrant.] I do not much like mercy fwear, the old reading; or mercy ferve, Dr. Warburton's correction. I be lieve it should be,-This would make mercy fevere. FARMER.

There is furely no need of emendation. We fay at prefent, Such a thing is enough to make a parfon fwear, i. e. deviate from a proper reTpect to decency, and the fanctity of his character.

The idea of fwearing agrees very well with that of a tyrant in our an-, cient myfteries. STEEVENS.

9 from the fee,] The folio reads, from the fea. JOHNSON. The emendation, which is undoubtedly right, was made by Mr. Theobald. In Hall's Chronicle, fea is often written for fee. MALONE. VOL. II. G

Efcal.

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