Duke. It may be right; but you are in the wrong To speak before your time.-Proceed.

Ijab. I went

To this pernicious caitiff deputy.

Duke. That's fomewhat madly fpoken.
Ijab. Pardon it;

The phrafe is to the matter.

Duke. Mended again: the matter;-Proceed.
Ifab. In brief,-to fet the needless process by,
How I perfwaded, how I pray'd, and kneel'd,
How he refell'd me, and how I reply'd ;
(For this was of much length,) the vile conclufion
I now begin with grief and fhame to utter:
He would not, but by gift of my chafte body.
To his concupifcible intemperate luft,

Release my brother; and, after much debatement,
My fifterly remorfe confutes mine honour,

And I did yield to him: But the next morn betimes,
His purpofe furfeiting, he fends a warrant
brother's head.

For my poor

Duke. This is most likely!

Ifab. O, that it were as like, as it is true 3!
Duke. By heaven, fond wretch 4, thou know'ft not what
thou speak'ft;

Or elfe thou art fuborn'd against his honour,
In hateful practice: First, his integrity

Stands without blemish :-next, it imports no reason,
That with fuch vehemency he fhould purfue

Faults proper to himself: if he had fo offended,
He would have weigh'd thy brother by himself,
And not have cut him off: Some one hath fet you on;

9 How be refell'd me,] To refel is to refute. STEEVENS.

1 My fifterly remorfe- i. e. pity. STEEVENS.

2 His purpofe furfeiting,] So, in Othello:

my hopes, not furfeited to death." STEEVENS.

30, that it were as like, as it is true!] The meaning, I think, is: O, that it had as much of the appearance, as it has of the reality, of truth! MALONE.

4-fond zuretch,] Fond wretch is foolish wretch. STEEVENS.

5 In bateful practice:] Practice was uted by the old writers for any unlawful or infidious ftratagem. JOHNSON.

Confefs

Confefs the truth, and fay by whofe advice
Thou cam'ft here to complain.

Ifab. And is this all?

Then, oh, you bleffed minifters above,

Keep me in patience; and, with ripen'd time,
Unfold the evil which is here wrapt up

6

In countenance !-Heaven fhield your grace from woe, As I, thus wrong'd, hence unbelieved go!

Duke. I know, you'd fain be gone :-An officer ! To prifon with her :-Shall we thus permit

A blafting and a scandalous breath to fall·

On him fo near us? This needs must be a practice 7.-
Who knew of your intent, and coming hither?

Ifab. One that I would were here, friar Lodowick.
Duke. A ghoftly father, belike :-Who knows that
Lodowick?

Lucio. My lord, I know him; 'tis a medling friar;
I do not like the man had he been lay, my lord,
For certain words he fpake against your grace
In your retirement, I had fwing'd him foundly.
Duke. Words againft me? This' a good friar, belike!
And to fet on this wretched woman here

Against our fubftitute!-Let this friar be found.

Lucio. But yefternight, my lord, she and that friar
I faw them at the prifon : a fawcy friar,
A very fcurvy fellow.

Friar P. Bleffed be your royal grace!
I have ftood by, my lord, and I have heard
Your royal ear abus'd: First, hath this woman
Moft wrongfully accus'd your fubftitute;
Who is as free from touch or foil with her,
As fhe from one ungot.

Duke. We did believe no lefs.

Know you that friar Lodowick, that fhe fpeaks of?
Friar P. I know him for a man divine and holy;

6 In countenance !] i. e in partial favour. WARBURTON. Perhaps rather, in fair appearance, in the external fanctity of this outward-fainted Angelo. MALONE.

7-practice.] Practice, in Shakspeare, very often means shameful artifice, unjustifiable ftratagem. STEEVENS,

VOL. II.

Not

Not fcurvy, nor a temporary medler,
As he's reported by this gentleman;
And, on my trust, a man that never yet
Did, as he vouches, mifreport your grace.

Lucio. My lord, moft villainously; believe it.

Friar P. Well, he in time may come to clear himself; But at this inftant he is fick, my lord,

Of a strange fever: Upon his mere request",
(Being come to knowledge that there was complaint
Intended 'gainst lord Angelo,) came I hither,
To fpeak, as from his mouth, what he doth know
Is true, and falfe; and what he with his oath,
And all probation, will make up full clear,
Whenfoever he's convented'. First, for this woman;
(To juftify this worthy nobleman,

So vulgarly and perfonally accus'd,)

Her shall you hear difpreved to her eyes,
Till the herfelf confefs it.

Duke. Good friar, let's hear it.

ISABELLA is carried off, guarded; and
MARIANA Comes forward.

Do you not fmile at this, lord Angelo?-
O heaven! the vanity of wretched fools!
Give us fome feats. Come, coufin Angelo;
In this I'll be impartial 3; be you judge

Of your own caufe.Is this the witness, friar?

8

Firft,

nor a temporary medler,] It is hard to know what is meant by a temporary medler. In its ufual fenfe, as oppofed to perpetual, it cannot be used here. It may ftand for temporal: the fenfe will then be, I know him for a boly man, one that meddles not with secular affairs. It may mean temporising: I know him to be a boly man, one rubo would not temporife, or take the opportunity of your abfence to defame you. JOHNSON. 9 bis mere requeft,] Solely, entirely upon his request. MALONE. 1 Whenfoever be's convented.] To convent and to convene are derived from the fame Latin verb, and have exactly the fame meaning. STEEV 2 So vulgarly-] Meaning either fo grossly, with fuch indecency of invective, or by fo mean and inadequate witnelles. JOHNSON. Vulgarly, I believe, means publickly. The vulgar are the common pesple. Daniel ufes vulgarly for among the common people :

and which pleafes vulgarly. STEEVENS.

3 In this I'll be impartial ;] Impartial was fometimes used in the fenfe

of

First, let her fhew her face; and, after, fpeak.

Mari. Pardon, my lord; I will not fhew my face, Until husband bid me.

my

Duke. What, are you marry'd?

Mari. No, my lord.

Duke. Are you a maid?

Mari. No, my lord.

Duke. A widow then?

Mari. Neither, my lord.

Duke. Why, you are nothing then :-neither maid, widow, nor wife *?

Lucio. My lord, fhe may be a punk; for many of them are neither maid, widow, nor wife.

Duke. Silence that fellow: I would he had fome caufe. To prattle for himself.

Lucio. Well, my lord.

Mari. My lord, I do confefs, I ne'er was marry'd; And I confefs, befides, I am no maid:

I have known my husband; yet my husband knows not, That ever he knew me.

ter.

Lucio. He was drunk then, my lord; it can be no bet

Duke. For the benefit of filence, 'would thou wert fo

too.

Lucio. Well, my lord.

of partial. In the old play of Swetnam the Woman-bater, Atlanta cries out, when the judges decree against the women:

"You are impartial, and we do appeal

"From you to judges more indifferent." FARMER.

So, in Marfton's Antonio and Mellida, 2d part, 1602:
-There's not a beauty lives,

"Hath that impartial predominance

"O'er my affects, as your enchanting graces."

Again, in Romeo and Juliet, 1597:

Again:

"Cruel, unjust, impartial deftinies !"

ck

this day, this unjuft, impartial day."

In the language of our author's time im was frequently used as an augmentative or intenfive particle. MALONE.

4- her face;] The original copy reads your face. The emendation was made by the editor of the fecond folio. MALONE.

Neither maid, widow, nor wife?] This is a proverbial phrafe to

be found in Ray's Collection. STEEVENS.

I z

Duke.

Duke. This is no witnefs for lord Angelo.
Mari. Now I come to't, my lord:

She, that accufes him of fornication,

In felf-fame manner doth accufe my husband;
And charges him, my lord, with fuch a time,
When I'll depofe I had him in mine arms,
With all the effect of love.

Ang. Charges fhe more than me?
Mari. Not that I know.

Duke. No? you fay, your hufband.

Mari. Why, juft, my lord, and that is Angelo, Who thinks, he knows, that he ne'er knew my body, But knows, he thinks, that he knows Ifabel's.

Ang. This is a ftrange abuse :-Let's fee thy face.
Mari. My hufband bids me; now I will unmask.
[unveiling.

This is that face, thou cruel Angelo,
Which, once thou fwor'ft, was worth the looking on:
This is the hand, which, with a vow'd contract,
Was faft belock'd in thine: this is the body,

That took away the match from Ifabel,

And did fupply thee at thy garden-house,

In her imagin'd perfon.

Duke. Know you this woman?

Lucio. Carnally, the fays.

Duke. Sirrah, no more.

Lucio. Enough, my lord.

Ang. My lord, I must confefs, I know this woman; And, five years fince, there was fome fpeech of marriage

5 This is a frange abufe:] Abufe ftands in this place for deception, or puzzle. So, in Macbeth, " my frange and felf abuse," means, this frange deception of myself. JOHNSON.

6 And did fupply thee at thy garden-houfe,] A garden-boufe in the time of our author was ufually appropriated to purposes of intrigue. So, in SKIALETHIA, or a fhadow of truth, in certain Epigrams and Satyres, 1598:

"Who coming from The CURTAIN, fneaketh in
"To fome old garden noted boufe for fin."

Again, in the London Prodigal, a com. 1605: "Sweet lady, if you have any friend, or garden-boufe, where you may employ a poor gentleman as your friend, I am yours to command in all fecret fervice." MALONE.

Betwixt