Who should have`dy'd when Claudio loft his head; As like almost to Claudio, as himself. Duke. If he be like your brother, for his fake 8 [To Ifab. Is he pardon'd; and for your lovely fake, 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 fafe; * Methinks, I fee á quickning in his eye:Well, Angelo, your evil quits you well: " Look, that you love your wife; her worth, worth yours.'- I find an apt remiffion in myself, 2 And yet here's one in place I cannot pardon. * One of all luxury, an afs, a mad-man ; That you extol me thus ? [To Lucie. Lucio. 'Faith, my lord, I fpoke it but according to the trick: if you will hang me for it, you may; but -perceives he's fafe;] It is fomewhat ftrange, that Isabel is not made to exprefs either gratitude, wonder or joy at the fight of her brother. JOHNSON.. 9 your evil quits you well.] Quits you, recompenfes, requites you. JOHNSON. 1ber worth, worth yours.] Sir T. Hanmer reads, Her worth works yours. This reading is adopted by Dr. Warburton, but for what reason? How does her worth work Angelo's worth? it has only contributed to work his pardon. The words are, as they are too frequently, an affected gingle, but the fenfe is plain. Her worth, worth yours; that is, her value is equal to your value, the match is not unworthy of you. JOHNSON. 2 here's one in place I cannot pardon.] After the pardon of two murderers, Lucio might be treated by the good duke with lefs harshness; but perhaps the poet intended to fhow, what is too often seen, that men eafily forgive wrongs which are not committed against themselves. JOHNSON. I I had I had rather it would please you, I might be whipt. Lucio. I befeech your highness, do not marry me to a whore! Your highnefs faid even now, I made you a duke; good my lord, do not recompence me, in making me a cuckold. Duke. Upon mine honour, thou fhalt marry her. Thy flanders 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 preffing to death, whipping, and hanging. Duke. Sland'ring a prince deferves it.' She, Claudio, that you wrong'd, look you restore.Joy to you, Mariana :-love her, Angelo; I have confefs'd her, and I know her virtue. Thanks, good friend Escalus, for thy much goodness: 3 according to the trick.] To my cuftom, my habitual practice. JOHNSON. 4-tby other forfeits.] Thy other punishments. JOHNSON. Thanks, good friend Efcalus, for thy much goodness.] I have always thought that there is great confufion in this concluding fpeech. If my criticism would not be cenfured as too licentious, Ihould regulate it thus, Thanks, good friend Efcalus, for thy much goodness. Ang. Th' offence pardons itself. That is more gratulate. Dear Ifabel, I have a motion, &c. JOHNSON. There's There's more behind, that is more gratulate. What's mine is yours, and what is yours is mine: [Exeunt." I cannot help taking notice with how much judgment Shakefpeare has given turns to this ftory from what he found it in Cyne thio Giraldi's novel. In the first place, the brother is there actually executed, and the governour fends his head in a bravado to the fifter, after he had debauched her on promife of marriage. A circumftance of too much horror and villainy for the stage. And, in the next place, the fifter afterwards is, to folder up her difgrace, married to the governour, and begs his life of the emperour, though he had unjustly been the death of her brother. Both which abfurdities the poet has avoided by the epifode of Mariana, a creature purely of his own invention. The duke's remaining incognito at home to fupervife the conduct of his deputy, is alfo entirely our authour's fiction. This story was attempted for the scene before our authour was fourteen years old, by one George Whetstone, in Two Comical Difcourfes, as they are called, containing the right excellent and famous hiftory of Promos and Caffandra. Printed with the black letter, 1578. The author going that year with Sir Humphry Gilbert to Norimbega, left them with his friends to publish. THEOBALD. The novel of Cynthio Giraldi, from which Shakespeare is fupposed to have borrowed this fable, may be read in Shakespeare illuftrated, elegantly tranflated, with remarks which will affift the enquirer to discover how much absurdity Shakespeare has admitted or avoided. I cannot but fufpect that fome other had new-modelled the novel of Cynthio, or written a story which in some particulars refembled it, and that Cynthio was not the authour whom Shakefpeare immediately followed. The emperour in Cynthio is named Maximine; the duke, in Shakespeare's enumeration of the perfons 2 of of the drama, is called Vincentio. This appears a very flight re mark; but fince the duke has no name in the play, nor is ever mentioned but by his title, why should he be called Vincentio among the perfons, but because the name was copied from the ftory, and placed fuperfluously at the head of the lift by the mere habit of transcription? It is therefore likely that there was then a story of Vincentio duke of Vienna, different from that of Maximine emperour of the Romans. Of this play the light or comick part is very natural and pleafing, but the grave scenes, if a few paffages be excepted, have more labour than elegance. The plot is rather intricate than artful. The time of the action is indefinite; fome time, we know not how much, must have elapfed between the recefs of the duke and the imprisonment of Claudio; for he must have learned the ftory of Mariana in his disguise, or he delegated his power to a man already known to be corrupted. The unities of action and place are fufficiently preferved. JOHNSON. THE |