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Might in the times to come have ta'en revenge;
For fo receiving a dishonour'd life,

With ranfon of fuch fham. 'Would yet, he had liv'd!
Alack, when once our grace we have forgot,
Nothing goes right; we would, and we would not."

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[Exit.

Changes to the Fields without the Town.

Enter Duke in his own Habit, and Friar Peter.

*

Duke.THESE letters at fit time deliver me.

Duke. THES

[Giving letters.
The Provost knows our purpose 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 caufe doth minifter. Go, call at Flavius' house,
And tell him, where I ftay; give the like notice
Unto Valen ius, Rowland, and to Crafus,

And bid them bring the trumpets to the gate:
But fend me Flavius first.

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,

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my gentle Varrius. [Exeunt.

at beginning with the following fcene, proceeds without any interruption of time or change of place.

*Peter never delivers the letters, but tells his flory without any credentials. The poet forget the plot which he had formed.

SCENE

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

Mari. Be rul'd by him.

3

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

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

Mari. I would, Friar Peter

Ifab. Oh, peace; the Friar is come.

Enter Peter. 4

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

fit,

3 He fays to vail fuli purpose.] Thus the old Copies. I don't know, what Idea our Editors form'd to themselves, of vailing full purpose; but, I'm perfuaded, the Poet meant, as I have reflor'd; viz. to a Purpose that will fland us in ftead, that will profit us.

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

WARBURTON.

To vail full purpose, may, with

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Where you may have such vantage on the Duke,
He fhall not pass you. Twice have the trumpets

founded:

The generous and graveft citizens

Have hent the gates, and very near upon
The Duke is entring: therefore hence, away. [Exeunt.

ACT V.

SCENE I.

A publick Place near the City.

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

M

DUKE.

Y very worthy coufin, fairly met;

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Our old and faithful friend, we're glad to fee you.

Ang. and Efcal. Happy return be to you 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 publick thanks, Forerunning more requital.

Ang. You make by 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 brass
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

truft two in an affair which re-
quired only one. The name of
Friar Thomas is never mentioned
in the dialogue, and therefore

feems arbitrarily placed at the head of the scene.

5 Have bent the gates.] Have taken poffeffion of the gates.

That

That outward courtefies would fain proclaim
Favours that keep within. Come, Efcalus;
You must walk by us on our other hand:
And good fupporters are you. [As the Duke is going out.

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

Ifab. Juftice, O royal Duke!

vail your regard

Upon a wrong'd, I'd fain have faid, a maid.
Oh, worthy Prince, difhonour 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, justice.
Duke. Relate your wrongs; in what, by whom?
be brief.

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

Ifab. Oh, worthy Duke,

You bid me feek redemption of the devil.
Hear me yourself, for that which I must speak
Muft either punish me, not being believ'd,

Or wring redrefs from you

here.

hear me, oh, 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 course of justice.

Ifab. By courfe of juftice!

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

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

Vail your regard.] That is, withdraw your thoughts from higher things; let your notice

defcend upon a wronged woman. To vail, is to lower.

That

That Angelo is an adult'rous thief,
An hypocrite, a virgin-violater;
Is it not ftrange, 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 strange:
Nay, it is ten times truer; for truth is truth
To th' end of reck'ning.

Duke. Away with her, poor foul,

She speaks this in th' infirmity of sense.

6

Ifab. 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 impof

fible

That, which but feems unlike; 'tis not impoffible,
But one, the wicked'ft caitiff on the ground,
May feem as fhy, as grave, as juft, as abfolute,
As Angelo; even fo may Angelo,

8 In all his dreffings, caracts, titles, forms,
Be an arch-villain: believe it, royal Prince,
If he be lefs, he's nothing; but he's more,
Had I more name for badness.

Duke. By mine honefty,

If the be mad, as I believe no other,
Her madness hath the oddeft frame of sense:
Such a dependency of thing on thing,
As ne'er I heard in madness.

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