Duke. The tongue of Ifabel.-She's come to know, If yet her brother's pardon be come hither: But I will keep her ignorant of her good, To make her heavenly comforts of despair, When leaft it is expected. ' Enter Ifabel. Ifab. Ho, by your leave. Duke. Good morning to you, fair and gracious daughter. Ifab. The better, given me by fo holy a man. Hath yet the deputy fent my brother's pardon? Duke. He hath releas'd him, Ifabel, from the world s His head is off, and fent to Angelo. Ifab. Nay, but it is not fo. Duke. It is no other : Shew your wifdom, daughter, in your clofeft patience. Duke. This nor hurts him, nor profits you a jot: Forbear it therefore; give your caufe to heaven. Mark, what I fay; which you fhall find By every fyllable a faithful verity. The duke comes home to-morrow; nay, dry your eyes; One of out convent, and his confeffor, Gave me this inftance: already he hath carry'd Who do prepare to meet him at the gates, There to give up their power. If you can, pace your wifdom In that good path, that I would wish it go; When it is leaft exped.] A better reafon might have been given. It was neceffary to keep Ifabella in ignorance, that the might with more keenuess accuse the deputy. JOHNSON. And 2 And you fhall have your bofom on this wretch, Ifab. I am directed by you. Duke. This letter then to friar Peter give; And fhall be abfent. Wend you with this letter: Lucio. Oh, pretty Ifabella, I am pale at mine heart, to fee thine eyes fo red: thou must be patient; I am fain to dine and fup with water and bran; I dare not for my head fill my belly: one fruitful meal would fet me to't. But they fay the duke will be here tomorrow. By my troth, Ifabel, I lov'd thy brother i if the old fantaftical duke of dark corners had been at home, he had liv'd. [Exit Ifabella. your bosom―] Your wish; your heart's defire. JOHNSON. 3 I am combined by a facred vow. w.] I once thought this should be confined, but Shakespeare ufes combine for to bind by a pact or agreement, fo he calls Angelo the combinate husband of Mariana. JOHNSON. If the old, &c.] Sir Thomas Hanmer reads, the odd fantaftical duke, but old is a common word of aggravation in ludicrous language, as, there was old revelling. JOHNSON. VOL. II. D..ke. Duke. Sir, the duke is marvellous little beholden to your reports; but the best is, he lives not in them. Lucio. Friar, thou knoweft not the duke fo well as I do he's a better woodman,' than thou tak'ft him for. Duke. Well, you'll answer this one day. Fare ye well. Lucio. Nay, tarry; I'll go along with thee: I can tell thee pretty tales of the duke. Duke. You have told me too many of him already, fir, if they be true; if not true, none were enough. Lucio. I was once before him for getting a wench with child. Duke. Did you fuch a thing? Lucio. Yes, marry, did I: but I was fain to forfwear it; they would elfe have marry'd me to the rotten medlar. Duke. Sir, your company is fairer than honeft: reft you well. Lucio. By my troth, I'll go with thee to the lane's end. If bawdy talk offend you, we'll have very little of it: Nay, friar I am a kind of bur, I fhall stick. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. Changes to the Palace. Enter Angelo and Efcalus. Efcal. Every letter he hath writ, hath difvouch'd other. His Ang. In most uneven and distracted manner. actions fhew much like to madness; pray heaven, his wifdom be not tainted. And why meet him at the gates, and re-deliver our authorities there? savoodman,] That is, buntfman, here taken for a buster of girls Efcal. I guess not. Ang. And why should we proclaim it in an hour be fore his entring, that if any crave redress of injustice, they should exhibit their petitions in the street? Efcal. He fhews his reafon for that: to have a dif patch of complaints; and to deliver us from devices. hereafter, which fhall then have no power to ftand against us. Ang. Well, I befeech you, let it be proclaim'd: Betimes i' the morn, I'll call you at your house: Give notice to fuch men of fort and fuit," As are to meet him. Efcal. I fhall, fir: fare you well. Ang. Good night. [Exit. This deed unfhapes me quite, makes me unpregnant, The law against it !-But that her tender fhame How might the tongue me? Yet reafon dares her 7 No; 7 -fort and fuit,] Figure and rank. JOHNSON. For -Yet reafon dares her :] The old folio impreffions read, -Yet reafon dares her No. And this is right. The meaning is, the circumstances of our cafe are fuch, that she will never venture to contradict me: dares her to reply No to me, whatever I fay. WARBURTON. Mr. Theobald reads, -Yet reafon dares her-No, which he explains thus: Yet, fays Angelo, reafon will give her courage-No, that is, it will not. I am afraid dare has no fuch fignification. I have nothing to offer worth infertion. I 2 JOHNSON. ΤΟ For my authority bears a credent bulk;" But it confounds the breather. He fhould have liv'd, 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." [Exit. To dare has two fignifications; to terrify, as in The Maid's Tragedy, -thofe mad mifchiefs "Would dare a woman." and to challenge, as in K. Herny IV. Part. I. "Unless a brother fhould a brother dare It is poffible, that dare may fignify to call forth or incite. STEEVENS. Credent is creditable, inforcing credit, not queflionable. The old English writers often confound the active and paffive adjectives. So Shakespeare, and Milton after him, ufe inexpreffive from inexpreffible. 9 "Particular is private, a French fenfe. No fcandal from any private mouth can reach a man in my authority. JOHNSON. we would, and we would not.] Here undoubtedly the act should end, and was ended by the poet; for here is properly a ceffation 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. JOHNSON. SCENE |