Lucio. That's the way; for women are light at midnight. Efcal. Come on, miftrefs: here's a gentlewoman denies all that you have faid. Lucio. My lord, here comes the rascal I spoke of here with the Provost. Efcal. In very good time:-speak not you to him, 'till we call upon you. Lucio. Mum. Efcal. Come, fir, did you fet these women on to flander lord Angelo? they have confefs'd you did. Duke. 'Tis falfe. Efcal. How! know you where you are? Duke. Refpect to your great place !-and let the devil Be fometime honour'd for his burning throne. Where is the duke? 'tis he fhould hear me fpeak. Efcal. The duke's in us; and we will hear you fpeak: Look, you speak justly. Duke. Boldly, at least :-But, oh, poor fouls, Come you to feek the lamb here of the fox? Good night to your redress: is the duke gone? Then is your caufe gone too. The duke's unjust, Thus to retort your manifeft appeal; + 4 And put your trial in the villain's mouth, Lucio. This is the rafcal; this is he I spoke of. Is't not enough thou haft fuborn'd these women To retort your manifest appeal;] To refer back to Angelo the caufe in which you appealed from Angelo to the Duke. JOHNSON. Το To call him villain? And then to glance from him to the duke himself, joint, But we will know your purpofe :What? unjuft?· Dare no more stretch this finger of mine, than he Where I have seen corruption boil and bubble, As much in mock as mark. Efcal, Slander to the ftate! Away with him to prifon. Ang. What can you vouch against him, fignior Lucio? 3 Nor bere provincial.] Nor here accountable. The meaning feems to be, I am not one of his natural fubjects, nor of any dependent province. JOHNSON. • Stands like the forfeits in a barber's fhop.] Barber's fhops were, at all times, the refort of idle people. Tonftrina erat quædam: bic folebamus ferè Plerumque eam opperiri Which Donatus calls apta fedes otiofis. Formerly with us, the better fort of people went to the barber's fhop to be trimmed; who then practifed the under parts of furgery: fo that he had occafion for numerous inftruments, which lay there ready for use; and the idle people, with whom his fhop was generally crowded, would be perpetually handling and mifufing them. To remedy which, I fuppofe, there was placed up against the wall a table of forfeitures, adapted to every offence of this kind; which, it is not likely, would long preferve its authority. WARBURTON. This explanation may ferve till a better is difcovered. But whoever has feen the inftruments of a chirurgeon, knows that they may be very eafily kept out of improper hands in a very fmail box, or in his pocket. JOHNSON. Is this the man, that you did tell us of? Lucio. 'Tis he, my lord. Come hither, goodman bald-pate; Do you know me? Duke. I remember you, fir, by the found of your voice: I met you at the prifon, in the absence of the duke. Lucio. Oh, did you fo? what you faid of the duke? Duke. Moft notedly, fir, And do you remember Lucio. Do you fo, fir? And was the duke a fleshmonger, a fool, and a coward, as you then reported him to be? 7 fo Duke. You muft, fir, change perfons with me, ere you make that my report: you, indeed, spoke so of him; and much more, much worse. Lucio. O thou damnable fellow! Did not I pluck thee by the nose, for thy fpeeches ? Duke. I proteft, I love the duke, as I love myself. Ang. Hark! how the villain would close now, after his treasonable abuses. Efcal. Such a fellow is not to be talk'd withal; away with him to prifon :-Where is the provost? -Away with him to prifon; lay bolts enough upon him: let him fpeak no more:-away with those giglots too, and with the other confederate compa[The Provost lays hands on the Duke, nion. Duke. Stay, fir; ftay a while. Ang. What! refifts he? Help him, Lucio. 7 and a coward.] So again afterwards, You, firrah, that know me for a fool, a coward, One of all luxury But Lucio had not, in the former converfation, mentioned cowardice among the faults of the duke. Such failures of memory are incident to writers more diligent than this poet. JOHNSON, Why, Why, you bald-pated lying rafcal! you must be hooded, muft you? fhow your knave's visage, with a pox to you! fhow your fheep-biting face, and be hang'd an hour! Will't not off? [Pulls off the friar's hood, and difcovers the Duke. Duke. Thou art the firft knave that e'er mad'st a duke. First, provoft, let me bail these gentle three:- you down.-[To Efcalus. We'll borrow place of him.-Sir, by your leave: Haft thou or word, or wit, or impudence, Ang. O my dread lord, I fhould be guiltier than my guiltiness, [To Angelo, When I perceive your grace, like power divine, 8 Show your Sheep-biting face, and be hang'd an hour: wilt not. off?] This is intended to be the common language of vulgar indignation. Our phrafe on fuch occafions is fimply; show your Sheep-biting face, and be banged. The words an hour have no particular ufe here, nor are authorised by cuftom. I fuppofe it was written thus, how your sheep-biting face, and be hanged--an' how? wilt not off? In the midland counties, upon any unexpected ob ftruction or refiftance, it is common to exclaim an' hori? Duke. Come hither, Mariana : Say, waft thou e'er contracted to this woman? Duke. Go take her hence, and marry her inftantly. Do you the office, friar: which confummate, Return him here again :-go with him, provost. [Exeunt Angelo, Mariana, Peter, and Provost, Efcal. My lord, I am more amaz'd at his difho nour, Than at the strangeness of it. Duke. Come hither, Ifabel: Your friar is now your prince: As I was then Ifab. Oh, give me pardon, That I, your vaffal, have employ'd and pain'd Duke. You are pardon'd, Ifabel: And now, dear maid, be you as free to us,' • Advertising and holy.] Attentive and faithful. JOHNSON, -be you as free to us.] Be as generous to us, pardon us as we have pardoned you. JoHNSON. 2 That brain'd my purpose:~~ -] We now ufe in converfation a like phrafe. This it was that knocked my defign on the bead, Dr. Warburton reads, -baned my purpose. JOHNSON, That |