Sweet Isabel, do yet but kneel by me;
Hold up your hands, say nothing, I'll speak all.
They say, best men are moulded out of faults;
And, for the most, become much more the better
For being a little bad: so may my husband.
O, Isabel! will you not lend a knee?
DUKE. He dies for Claudio's death.
ISAB.

Most bounteous sir,

Look, if it please you, on this man condemn'd,
As if my brother liv'd; I partly think,
A due sincerity govern'd his deeds,

Till he did look on me; since it is so,

Let him not die: My brother had but justice
In that he did the thing for which he died:

For Angelo,

His act did not o'ertake his bad intent;

And must be buried but as an intent

[Kneeling,

That perish'd by the way: thoughts are no subjects;
Intents but merely thoughts.

MARI.

Merely, my lord.

DUKE. Your suit's unprofitable; stand up, I say.— I have bethought me of another fault:

Provost, how came it Claudio was beheaded

At an unusual hour?

PROV.

It was commanded so.

DUKE. Had you a special warrant for the deed?
PROV. No, my good lord; it was by private message.
DUKE. For which I do discharge you of your office:
Give up your keys.

PROV.
Pardon me, noble lord:
I thought it was a fault, but knew it not;
Yet did repent me, after more advice:
For testimony whereof, one in the prison,
That should by private order else have died,
I have reserv'd alive.

DUKE.

PROV.

What's he?

His name is Barnardine.

DUKE. I would thou hadst done so by Claudio.—

Go, fetch him hither: let me look upon him. [Exit Provost
ESCAL. I am sorry, one so learned and so wise
As you, lord Angelo, have still appear'd,
Should slip so grossly, both in the heat of blood,
And lack of temper'd judgment afterward.

ANG. I am sorry that such sorrow I procure:
And so deep sticks it in my penitent heart,
That I crave death more willingly than mercy;
"T is my deserving, and I do entreat it.

Re-enter Provost, BARNARDINE, CLAUDIO, and JULIET. DUKE. Which is this Barnardine?

PROV.

This, my lord.
DUKE. There was a friar told me of this man:-
Sirrah, thou art said to have a stubborn soul,
That apprehends no further than this world,

And squar❜st thy life according. Thou 'rt condemn'd;
But, for those earthly faults, I quit them all;
And pray thee, take this mercy to provide
For better times to come:-Friar, advise him;

I leave him to your hand.-What muffled fellow's that?
PROV. This is another prisoner that I sav'd,

That should have died when Claudio lost his head;
As like almost to Claudio, as himself. [Unmuffles CLAUDIO.
DUKE. If he be like your brother [to ISABELLA], for his
sake

Is he pardon'd: And, for your lovely sake,

Give me your hand, and say you will be mine;

He is my brother too: But fitter time for that.
By this, lord Angelo perceives he's safe;

Methinks, I see a quick'ning in his eye:—
Well, Angelo, your evil quits you well:

Look that you love your wife; her worth, worth yours.-
I find an apt remission in myself:

And yet here's one in place I cannot pardon:

You, sirrah [to LUCIO], th at knew me for a fool, a coward, One all of luxury, an ass, a madman;

Wherein have I so deserv'd of you,

LUCIO. 'Faith, my lord, I spoke it but according to the

trick: If you will hang me for it, you may, but I had rather it would please you I might be whipped.

DUKE. Whipp'd first, sir, and hang'd after.
Proclaim it, provost, round about the city;
If any woman's wrong'd by this lewd fellow,
(As I have heard him swear himself there's one
Whom he begot with child,) let her appear,
And he shall marry her: the nuptial finish'd,

Let him be whipp'd and hang'd.

LUCIO. I beseech your highness, do not marry me to a whore! Your highness said even now, I made you a duke; good my lord, do not recompense me in making me a cuckold.

DUKE. Upon mine honour, thou shalt marry her.

Thy slanders I forgive; and therewithal

Remit thy other forfeits:-Take him to prison:

And see our pleasure herein executed.

LUCIO. Marrying a punk, my lord, is pressing to death, whipping, and hanging.

restore.

DUKE. Slandering a prince deserves it.—
She, Claudio, that you wrong'd, look you
Joy to you, Mariana!—love her, Angelo;
I have confess'd her, and I know her virtue.
Thanks, good friend Escalus, for thy much goodness:
There's more behind that is more gratulate.

Thanks, provost, for thy care and secrecy;
We shall employ thee in a worthier place:-

Forgive him, Angelo, that brought you home
The head of Ragozine for Claudio's;
The offence pardons itself.-Dear Isabel,
I have a motion much imports your good;
Whereto if you 'll a willing ear incline,

What's mine is yours, and what is yours is mine:
So, bring us to our palace; where we 'll show
What's yet behind, that 's meet you all should know.

[Exeunt

VARIOUS READINGS.

"Then no more remains

But your sufficiency as your worth is able,

And let them work."

(ACT I., Sc. 1.) STEEVENS. "Then no more remains

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

"Then no more remains,

But add to your sufficiency your worth,
And let them work."

We have given above three readings, either of which may remove the obscurity of the original:

-"then, no more remains, But that, to your sufficiency, as

your worth is able, And let them work."

JOHNSON.

COLLIER, MS. Corrector. We have retained the original text, not from any belief that it is right, but from the difficulty of substituting a better. The change proposed by Steevens appears to us the best, and the least violent.

"She is fast my wife,

Save that we do the pronunciation lack
Of outward order: this we came not to,
Only for procuration of a dower."

(ACT I., Sc. 3.) COLLIER, MS. Corrector..

Mr. Collier says, แ two rather important words are altered in the corrected folio of 1632. Denunciation is changed to pronunciation; and propagation to procuration, meaning, of course, the procuring of the dower."

Why is denunciation changed to pronunciation? Because the corrector was modernizing. Let the reader turn to Mr. Richardson's excellent Dictionary, and he will find that Drayton uses denounce in the sense of announce; Holinshed denouncing in the sense of announcing; and Raleigh denunciation in the sense of annunciation. Why should we obliterate these traces of our language to make Shakspere easy? Again, propagation is obscure, but procuration is meau

"I have on Angelo impos'd the office,

Who may, in th' ambush of my name, strike home,
And yet my nature never in the sight

"Isab. Sir, make me not your scorn. Lucio. 'T is true."

H