To bathe in fiery floods, or to refide To what we fear of death. made to correct it. The most plaufible is that which substitutes, -the benighted Spirit, alluding to the darkness always fuppofed in the place of future punishment. Perhaps we may read, the delinquent/pirit, a word eafily changed to delighted by a bad copier, or unskilful reader. Delinquent is propofed by Thirlby in his manufcript. JOHNSON. -lawless and incertain thoughts.] Conjecture fent out to wander without any certain direction, and ranging through all poffibilities of pain. JOHNSON. To what we fear of death.] Moft certainly the idea of the fpirit bathing in fiery floods," or of refiding "in thrilling regions of thick-ribbed ice," is not original to our poet; which is the whole that is wanted for the argument; but I am not fure that they came from the Platonick hell of Virgil. The monks alfo had their hot and their cold hell," the fyrite is fyre that ever brenneth, and never gyveth lighte," fays an old homily:-"The feconde is paffying colde, that yf a greate hylle of fyre were caft therin, it fhold torne to yce." One of their legends, well remembered in the time of Shakespeare, gives us a dialogue between a bishop and a foul tormented in a piece of ice. which was brought to cure a benning beate in his foot: take care, that you do not interpret this the gout, for I remember Menage quotes a canon upon us, "Si quis dixerit epifcopum podagra laborare, anathema fit." Another tells us of the foul of a monk faftened to a rock, which the winds were to blow about for a twelvemonth, and purge of its enor Ifab. Alas! alas! Claud. Sweet fifter, let me live: What fin you do to fave a brother's life, Ifab Oh, you beast ! Oh, faithlefs coward! oh, dishonest wretch ! From thine own fifter's fhame? What should I think? Heaven grant, my mother play'd my father fair! Ne'er iffu'd from his blood. Take my defiance: I'll Claud. Nay, hear me, Isabel, enormities. Indeed this doctrine was before now introduced into poetick fiction, as you may fee in a poem, "where the lover declareth his pains to exceed far the pains of hell," among the many mifcellaneous ones fubjoined to the works of Surrey of which you will foon have a beautiful edition from the able hand of my friend Mr. Percy. Nay, a very learned and inquiɓtive brother-antiquary hath obferved to me, on the authority of Blefkenius, that this was the ancient opinion of the inhabitants of Iceland, who were certainly very little read either in the poet or the philofopher. FARMER. 2 Is't not a kind of inceft,- ] In Ifabella's declamation there is fomething harth, and fomething forced and far-fetched. But her indignation cannot be thought violent, when we confider her not only as a virgin, but as a nun. JOHNSON. 3--a warped flip of wilderness] Wilderness is here ufed for wildness, the fate of being diforderly. The word, in this sense, is now obfolete, tho' employed by Milton. "The paths, and bowers, doubt not, but our joint hands Thy Thy fin's not accidental, but a trade : + To them, enter Duke and Provost. Duke. Vouchsafe a word, young fifter, but one word. Ifab. What is your will? Duke. Might you difpenfe with your leifure, I would by and by have fome fpeech with you: the fatisfaction I would require, is likewife your own benefit. Ifab. 1 have no fuperfluous leifure; my stay muft be stolen out of other affairs; but I will attend you a while. Duke. [To Claudio afide.] Son, I have over-heard what hath paft between you and your fifter. Angelo had never the purpose to corrupt her; only he hath made an affay of her virtue, to practife his judgment with the difpofition of natures. She, having the truth of honour in her, hath made him that gracious denial, which he is most glad to receive: I am confeffor to Angelo, and I know this to be true; therefore prepare yourself to death. Do not fatisfy your refolution with hopes that are fallible: to-morrow you must die; go to your knees, and make ready. Claud. 4-but a trade :] A cuftom; a practice; an established habit. So we fay of a man much addicted to any thing, he makes a trade of it. JOHNSON. 5 Do not fatisfy your refolution with hopes that are fallible :] A condemned man, whom his confeffor had brought to bear death with decency and refolution, began anew to entertain hopes of life. This occafioned the advice in the words above. But how did thefe hopes fatisfie his refolution? or what harm was there, if they did? We muft certainly read, Do not falfifie your refolution with hopes that are fallible. And then it becomes a reasonable ad Claud. Let me afk my fifter pardon. I am fo out of love with life, that I will fue to be rid of it. [Exit Claud. Duke. Hold you there: Farewel. Provost, a word with you. Prov. What's your will, father? Duke. That now you are come, you will be gone : Leave me a while with the maid: my mind promifes with my habit, no lofs fhall touch her by my com pany. Prov. In good time. [Exit Prov. Duke. The hand, that hath made you fair, hath made you good: the goodness, that is cheap in beauty, makes beauty brief in goodness; but grace, being the foul of your complexion, shall keep the body of it ever fair. The affault, that Angelo hath made on you, fortune hath convey'd to my understanding; and, but that frailty hath examples for his falling, I should wonder at Angelo. How will you do to content this fubftitute, and to fave your brother? Ifab. I am now going to refolve him. I had rather my brother die by the law, than my fon fhould be unlawfully born. But, oh, how much is the good duke deceived in Angelo? if ever he returns, and I can fpeak to him, I will open my lips in vain, or discover his government. Duke. That fhall not be much amifs: yet, as the admonition. For hopes of life, by drawing him back into the world, would naturally elude or weaken the virtue of that refolution which was raised only on motives of religion. And this his confeffor had reafon to warn him of. The term falfifie is taken from fencing, and fignifies the pretending to aim a ftroke in order to draw the adverfary off his guard. So Fairfax, Now ftrikes be out, and now he falfifieth. WARBURTON. The fenfe is this. Do not reft with fatisfaction on hopes that are fallible. STEEVENS. 6 Hold you there :] Continue in that refolution. JOHNSON. matter matter now ftancs, he will avoid your accufation.He made tryal of you only.-Therefore faften your ear on my advifings. To the love I have in doing good, a remedy prefents itself. I do make myself believe, that you may molt uprighteously do a poor wronged lady a merited benefit; redeem your brother from the angry law; do no ftain to your own gracious perion; and much please the abfent duke, if, peradventure, he shall ever return to have hearing of this bufines. Ifab. Let me hear you speak further. I have fpirit to do any thing, that appears not foul in the truth of my spirit. Duke. Virtue is bold, and goodness never fearful. Have you not heard fpeak of Mariana, the fifter of Frederick, the great foldier, who miscarried at fea? Ifab. I have heard of the lady, and good words went with her name. Duke. Her fould this Angelo have marry'd; was affianc'd to her by oath, and the nuptial appointed: between which time of the contract, and limit of the folemnity, her brother Frederick was wreck'd at fea, having in that perifh'd veffel the dowry of his fifter. But mark, how heavily this befel to the poor gentlewoman: there fhe loft a noble and renowned brother, in his love toward her ever moft kind and natural; with him the portion and finew of her fortune, her marriage-dowry; with both, her combinate husband, this well-feeming Angelo? Ifab. Can this be fo? Did Angelo fo leave her? Duke. Left her in her tears, and dry'd not one of them with his comfort; fwallow'd his vows whole, pretending, in her, difcoveries of difhonour: in few, beftow'd her on her own lamentation which yet the wears for his fake; and he, a marble to her tears, is washed with them, but relents not. • Isab. What a merit were it in death, to take this poor |