poor maid from the world! What corruption in this life, that it will let this man live! But how out of this can fhe avail? Duke. It is a rupture that you may eafly heal and the cure of it not only faves your brother, but keeps you from difhonour in doing it. Ifab. Shew me how, good father. Duke. This fore-nam'd maid hath yet in her the continuance of her first affection; his unuft unkindnefs, (that in all reafon fhould have quenched her love) hath, like an impediment in the current, made. it more violent and unruly. Go you to Angelo, anfwer his requiring with a plaufible obedience; agree with his demands to the point; only refer yourself to this advantage: first, that your stay with him may not be long; that the time may have all shadow and filence in it; and the place anfwer to convenience. This being granted in courfe, now follows all. We fhall advife this wronged maid to ftead up your appointment, go in your place; if the encounter acknowledge itself hereafter, it may compel him to her recompence and here by this is your brother faved, your honour untainted, the poor Mariana advantaged, and the corrupt deputy fcaled. The maid will I frame, and make fit for his attempt. If you think well to carry this as you may, the doubleness only refer yourself to this advantage:] This is fcarcely to be reconciled to any established mode of fpeech. We may read, only referve yourself to, or only referve to yourself this advantage, JOHNSON. 2 the corrupt deputy fealed.] To fcale the deputy may be, to reach bim, notwithstanding the elevation of bis place; or it may be, to strip bim and discover his nakedness, though armed and concealed by the investments of authority. JOHNSON. An army To feale, as may be learn'd from a note to Coriolanus, a&t i. fc. 1. may mean, to diforder, to difconcert, to put to flight. routed is called by Holinfhed, an army fcaled. The word fometimes fignifies to diffuje or difperfe; at others, as I fuppofe in the prefent inftance, to put into confufion. STEEVENS. of of the benefit defends the deceit from reproof. What think you of it? Ifab. The image of it gives me content already; and, I truft, it will grow to a most profperous perfection. Duke. It les much in your holding up. Hafte you speedily to Angelo; if for this night he intreat you to his bed, give him promife of fatisfaction. I will prefenty to St. Luke's, there, at the moated grange refides this dejected Mariana: at that place call upon me; and difpatch with Angelo, that it may be quickly. Ifab. I thank you for this comfort. Fare you well, good father. [Exeunt feverally. Re-enter Duke as a Friar, Elbow, Clown, and Officers. Elb. Nay, if there be no remedy for it, but that you will needs buy and fell men and women like beafts, we fhall have all the world drink brown and white baftard. 3 Duke. Oh, heavens! what ftuff is here? Clown. 'Twas never merry world, fince, of two ufuries, the merrieft was put down, and the worfer allow'd 3 baftard.] A kind of fweet wine, then much in vogue, from the Italian, baftardo. WARBURTON. See a note on Hen. IV. p I. a&t ii. fc. 4. STEEVENS. 4 fince of two afuries, &c.] Here a fatire on ufury turns abruptly to a fatire on the perfon of the ufurer, without any kind of preparation. We may be affured then, that a line or two, at least have been loft. The fubject of which we may easily discover, a comparison between the two ufurers; as, before, between the two ufuries. So that, for the future, the paffage fhould be read with afterifks thus by order of law, * a furr'd gown, &c. WARBURTON. Sir Thomas Hanmer corrected this with lefs pomp, then fince of two ufurers the merrieft was put down, and the worfer allowed, by order of law, a furr'd gown, &c. His punctuation is right, but allow'd by order of law, a furr'd gown to keep him warm, and furr'd with fox and lamb-skins too, to fignify, that craft, being richer than innocency, ftands for the facing. Elb. Come your way, fir.-Bless you, good father friar. Duke. And you, good brother 'father: What offence hath this man made you, fir? Elb. Marry, fir, he hath offended the law; and, fir, we take him to be a thief too, fir; for we have found upon him, fir, a strange pick-lock, which we have fent to the deputy. Duke. Fie, firrah; a bawd, a wicked bawd! That is thy means to live. Do thou but think, So ftinkingly depending? Mend, go mend. but the alteration, fmall as it is, appears more than was wanted. Ufury may be used by an eafy licence for the profeffors of ufury. JOHNSON. 5 father: This word fhould be expunged. JOHNSON. If father be retained, we may read thus, Duke. And you, good brother. Elb. Father "I drink, I eat, array myfelf, and live.] The old editions have, I drink, I eat away myself, and live. This is one very excellent inftance of the fagacity of our editors, and it were to be wifhed heartily, that they would have obliged us with their phyfical folution, how a man can eat away himself, and live. Mr. Bishop gave me that most certain emendation, which I have fubftituted in the room of the former foolish reading; by the help whereof, we have this easy fenfe; that the clown fed himself, and put cloaths on his back, by exercising the vile trade of a bawd. THEOBALD. Clown. Indeed, it doth flink in some fort, fir; but yet, fir, I would prove Duke. Nay, if the devil hath given thee proofs for fin, Thou wilt prove his. Take him to prifon, officer; Correction and inftruction must both work, Ere this rude beast will profit. Elb. He muft before the deputy, fir; he has given him warning: the deputy cannot abide a whore-mafter if he be a whore-monger, and comes before him, he were as good go a mile on his errand. Duke. That we were all, as fome would feem to be, Free from all faults, as faults from feeming free!? 7 That we were all, as fome would feem to be, Free from all faults, as faults from feeming free! i. e. as faults are deftitute of all comeliness or feeming. The first of these lines refers to the deputy's fan&ified hypocrify; the fecond to the clown's beastly occupation. But the latter part is thus ill expreffed for the fake of the rhime. WARBURTON. Sir T. Hanmer reads, Free from all faults, as from faults feeming free. In the interpretation of Dr. Warburton, the fenfe is trifling, and the expreffion harfh. To with that men were as free from faults, as faults are free from comeliness [inftead of void of com lines) is a very poor conceit. I once thought it fhould be read, Ó that all were, as all would seem to be, Free from all faults, or from falfe feeming free. So in this play, O place, O pozver-bew doft theu Wrench awe from fools, and tie the wiser fouls But now I believe that a lefs alteration will ferve the turn. Free from all faults, or faults from seeming free; that men were really good, or that their faults were known, that men were free from faults, or faults from bypocrify. So Ifabella call Angelo's hypocrify, feeming, feeming. JOHNSON. Enter Enter Lucio. 8 Elb. His neck will come to your waift, a cord, fir. Clown. I fpy comfort: I cry, bail: here's a gentleman, and a friend of mine. Lucio. How now, noble Pompey? what, at the heels of Cæfar? art thou led in triumph? What, is there none of Pigmalion's images, newly made woman,' to be had now, for putting the hand in the pocket, and extracting it clutch'd? what reply? ha? what fay'st thou to this tune, matter and method? His neck will come to your waift, a cord, fir.-] That is, his neck will be tied, like your waift, with a rope. The friars of the Francifcan order, perhaps of all others, wear a hempen cord for a girdle. Thus Buchanan, Fac gemant fuis, JOHNSON. 9 Pigmalion's images, newly made woman,] i. e. come out cured from a falivation. WARBURTON. Surely this expreffion is fuch as may authorise a more delicate explanation. By Pigmalion's images, newly made woman, I believe, Shakespeare meant no more than-Are there no virgins yet untoucha to be bad? This paffage may, however, contain fome allufion to a pamphlet printed in 1598, called-The Metamorphofis of Pigmalion's Images, and certain Images. I have never feen the book, but it is mentioned by Ames, page 568. STEEVENS. what fay'st thou to this tune, matter and method? Is't not drown'd in the last rain?] This nonfenfe fhould be thus corrected, It's not down i'the last reign, i. e. these are feverities unknown to the old duke's time. And this is to the purpose. WARBURTON. Dr. Warburton's emendation is ingenious, but I know not whether the fenfe may not be restored with lefs change. Let us confider it. Lucio, a prating fop, meets his old friend going to prifon, and pours out upon him his impertinent interrogatories, to which, when the poor fellow makes no anfwer, he adds, What reply? ba? what jay'st thou to this? tune, matter, and method,—-is't not? drown'd i' th' laft rain? ha? what fuy'ft thou, trot? &c. It is a common phrafe ufed in low raillery of a man creft-fallen and dejected, that he looks like a drown'd puppy. Lucio, therefore, afks him, whether he was drowned in the laft rain, and therefore cannot fpeak. JOHNSON. VOL. II. G Is't |