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MEASURE FOR MEASURE.'

ACT I, SCENE I.

E

The Duke's Palace."

Enter Duke, Efcalus, and Lords.

DUKE.

SCALU S,
Escal. My Lord.

Duke. Of government the properties to unfold,

Would seem in me to affect speech and discourse;

There is perhaps not one of Shakespeare's plays more darkened than this by the peculiarities of its authour, and the unfkilfulnefs of its editors, by distortions of phrase, or negligence of tran fcription. JOHNSON.

Shakespeare took the fable of this play from the Promos and Caf fandra of George Whetstone, published in 1598. See Theobald's note at the end.

A hint, like a feed, is more or lefs prolific, according to the qualities of the foil on which it is thrown. This ftory, which in the hands of Whetstone produced little more than barren infipidity, under the culture of Shakespeare became fertile of entertainment. The curious reader will find that the old play of Promos and Caf fandra exhibits an almost complete embryo of Meafure for Meafure; yet the hints on which it is formed are fo flight, that it is nearly as impoffible to detect them, as it is to point out in the acorn the future ramifications of the oak. STEEVENS.

2 The ftory is taken from Cinthio's Novels, Decad. 8. Novel 5.

B 2

POPE.

Since

Since I am put to know, that your own science,
Exceeds, in that, the lifts of all advice +

My strength can give you: Then no more remains,"

3 Since I am not to know,-] Old copy,

-put to know,

Perhaps rightly. JOHNSON.

I am put to know, may mean, I am obliged to acknowledge.

4-lits-] Bounds, limits. JOHNSON.

But

STEEVENS.

Then no more remains, &c.] This is a paffage which has exercifed the fagacity of the editors, and is now to employ

mine.

Then no more remains,

Put that to your fufficiency, as your worth is able,
And let them work.

I doubt not, but this paffage, either from the impertinence of the actors, or the negligence of the copyifts, has come maimed to us. In the first place, what an unmeafurable, inharmonious verfe have we here; and then, how lame is the sense! What was Escalus to put to his fufficiency? Why, his fcience. But his fcience and his fufficiency were but one and the fame thing. On what then does the relative them depend? The old editions read thus,

-Then no more remains,

But that to your fufficiency, as your worth is able,
And let them work.

Here, again, the fenfe is manifeftly lame and defective, and as the verfification is fo too, they concur to make me think, a line has accidentally been left out. Perhaps, fomething like this might fupply our author's meaning.

Then no more remains,

But that to your fufficiency you add

Due diligency, as your worth is able;
And let them work.

By fome fuch fupplement both the fenfe and measure would be cured. But as the conjecture is unfupported by any authorities, I have not pretended to thrust it into the text; but fubmit it to judgment. They, who are acquainted with books, know, that, where two words of a fimilar length and termination happen to lie under one another, nothing is more common than for tranfcribers to glance their eye at once from the first to the undermoft word, and so leave out the intermediate part of the fentence.

THEOBALD.

But that your fufficiency, as your worth is able,
And let them work. The nature of our people,

Since I am not to know, that your own science
Exceeds, in that, the lifts of all advice

My firength can give you: then no more remains :
Put that to your fufficiency, as your worth is able,
And let them work.

Our

To the integrity of this reading Mr. Theobald objects, and says, What was Efcalus to put to bis fufficiency? why his fcience: But his Science and fufficiency were but one and the fame thing. On what then does the relative them depend? He will have it, therefore, that a line has been accidentally dropp'd, which he attempts to reftore by due diligence. Nodum in feirpo quærit. And all for want of knowing, that by fufficiency is meant authority, the power delegated by the duke to Efcalus. The plain meaning of the word being this: Put your skill in governing (fays the duke) to the power which I give you to exercife it, and let them work together.

WARBURTON. Sir Tho. Hanmer, having caught from Mr. Theobald a hint that a line was loft, endeavours to fupply it thus.

Then no more remains,

But that to your fufficiency you join

A will to ferve us, as your worth is able.

He has by this bold conjecture undoubtedly obtained a meaning, but, perhaps not, even in his own opinion, the meaning of Shakespeare.

That the paffage is more or lefs corrupt, I believe every reader will agree with the editors. I am not convinced that a line is loft, as Mr. Theobald conjectures, nor that the change of hut to put, which Dr. Warburton has admitted after fome other editor, will amend the fault. There was probably fome original obfcurity in the expreffion, which gave occasion to mistake in repetition or transcription. I therefore fufpect that the authour wrote thus, -Then no more remains,

But that to your fufficiencies your worth is abled,
And let them work.

Then nothing remains more than to tell you, that your virtue is now invested with power equal to your knowledge and wisdom. Let therefore your knowledge and your virtue now work together. It may eafily be conceived how fufficiencies was, by an inarticulate speaker, or inattentive hearer, confounded with fufciency as, and how abled, a word very unusual, was changed into able. For abled, however, an authority is not wanting. Lear ufes it in the fame fenfe, or nearly

B 3

Our city's inftitutions, and the terms
For common juftice, you are as pregnant in,
As art and practice hath enriched any
That we remember. There is our commiffion,
From which we would not have you warp.
hither,

I fay, bid come before us Angelo.

What figure of us, think you, he will bear?

Call

nearly the fame, with the Duke. As for fufficiencies, D. Hamilton, in his dying speech, prays that Charles II. may exceed both the virtues and fufficiencies of his father. JOHNSON.

The uncommon redundancy, as well as obfcurity, of this verse may be confidered as fome evidence of its corruption Take away the three first words, and the fenfe joins well enough with what went before. Then (fays the duke) no more remains to say: "Your fufficiency as your worth is able,

And let them work."

1. e. Your skill in government is in ability to ferve me, equal to the inte grity of your heart, and let them co-operate in your future miniflry.

The verfification requires that either fomething fhould be added, or fomething retrenched. The latter is the eafier, as well as the fafer talk. I join in the belief, however, that a line is loft; and whoever is acquainted with the inaccuracy of the folio, (for of this play there is no other old edition) will find this opinion justified.

The deficiency may be thus fupplied.

-then no more remains,

But that to your fufficiency you put

A zeal as willing as your worth is able,
And let them work.

6

-the terms

T. T.

For common juftice, you are as pregnant in,]

The later editions all give it, without authority,

[blocks in formation]

STEEVENS.

and Dr. Warburton makes terms fignify bounds or limits. I rather think the Duke meant to fay, that Efcalus was pregnant, that is, ready and knowing in all the forms of law, and, among other things, in the terms or times jet apart for its administration.

JOHNSON.
For

For you must know, we have with special foul"
Elected him our abfence to fupply;

Lent him our terror, dreft him with our love;
And given his deputation all the organs
Of our own power: fay, what think you of it?
Escal. If any in Vienna be of worth

To undergo fuch ample grace and honour,
It is lord Angelo.

Enter Angelo.

Duke. Look, where he comes.

Ang. Always obedient to your grace's will, I come to know your pleasure.

7 For you must know, we have with special soul Elected him our abfence to fupply ;]

This nonfenfe must be corrected thus,

-with special roll

i. e. with a special commiffion. For it appears, from this fcene, that Efcalus had one commiffion, and Angelo another. The Duke had before delivered Efcalus his commiflion. He now declares that defigned for Angelo; and he fays, afterwards, to both,

To the hopeful execution do I leave you
Of your commiffions.

Why Angelo's was called the /pecial roll was, because he was in authority fuperior to Escalus.

-old Efcalus,

The first in question, is thy fecondary. WARBURTON. This editor is, I think, right in fuppofing a corruption, but le's happy in his emendation. I read,

we have with special feal

Elected him our abfence to jupply.

A fpecial feal is a very natural metonymy for a special commission.

JOHNSON.

By the words with special foul elected him, I believe, the poet meant no more than that be was the immediate choice of his heart. A fimilar expreffion occurs in Troilus and Creffida,

"with private foul

"Did in great Ilion thus tranflate him to me."

Again, more appofitely, in the Tempest,

"for feveral virtues

"Have I lik'd feveral women, never any

"With fo full feul, but fome defect," &c. STEEVENS.

B 4

Duke.

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