Note (2.)

Ib. Line 29,

"Angelo,

There is a kind of character in thy life,

That to th' observer doth thy heart's history
Fully unfold."

Compare 2 Hy. IV. iii. 1, 80,—

"There is a history in all men's lives,
Figuring the nature of the times deceas'd;
The which observ'd, a man may prophesy,
With a near aim, of the main chance of things
As yet to come to life."

Sonnet 93,

"In many's looks the false heart's history

Is writ in moods and frowns and wrinkles strange;
But heaven in thy creation did decree

That in thy face sweet love should ever dwell; Whate'er thy thoughts or thy heart's workings be, Thy looks should nothing thence but sweetness tell.” The folio has "thy history." It is evident some word is wanting to express the Duke's meaning. As the nature of times past prefigures the main chances in the lives of living men, as the expression of the features proclaims what store the heart is made of,—so Angelo's heart's history was written, for the observer, in his daily life. All the compared eds. retain the old text.

Note (3.) Act I. Scene 2, Line 126,

"Thus can the demigod Authority

Make us pay down for our offence by weight.-
The sword of heaven,-on whom it will, it will;
On whom it will not, so; yet still 'tis just."

So Act iii. 2, 275,

"He who the sword of heaven will bear;"

Act ii. 2, 60,

"Not the king's crown, nor the deputed sword."

D

The sword of heaven and the deputed sword are the same things all kings claimed to be heaven's deputies. Thus, Rich. II. i. 2, 37,—

:

"God's substitute,

His deputy anointed in his sight."

Compare also Hy. V. iv. 1, 278,—

""Tis not the balm, the sceptre, and the ball,

The sword, the mace, the crown imperial."

The sword is the civil sword, the sword of justice. Thus, 2 Hy. IV. v. 2, 103,—

"You are right, justice, and you weigh this well;

Therefore still bear the balance and the sword."

Compare Romans xiii. 4, "for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God." In the older play, Promos and Cassandra, on which M. for M. is partly founded, occurs (sc. 1, 1),—

"Both swoorde and keies, unto my princes use,

I doo receyve and gladlie take my chardge."

The folio has "The words of heauen." The correction is by Roberts, and is adopted by Dyce and Staunton. The other compared eds. retain "words."

Note (4.) Act I. Scene 3, Line 42,—

"Therefore,

I have on Angelo imposed the office;

Who may, in the ambush of my name, strike home,
And yet my name be never in the fight,

To do it slander."

i.e. Angelo acts as the Duke's deputy, in the ambush of, under the cover of his name; but in the execution of justice, in the conflict between the administered law and crime, the Duke's name will not appear. Personally he escapes all slander; and though his motives were

higher, yet, in fact, he acts like Antony (J. C. iv. 1, 20),

"And though we lay these honours on this man,

To ease ourselves of divers slanderous loads."

The folio has,

“And yet, my nature never in the fight
To do in slander."

Hanmer changed "in" to it; and so Dyce and Delius print. Dyce also prints "in the sight," after Pope. The other compared eds. retain the old text, the Camb. eds. marking it as corrupt.

Note (5.)

Act I. Scene 4, Line 41,

"As those that feed grow full; as blossoming-time,

That from the seedness the bare fallow brings

To teeming foison; even so," &c.

"As"

like as. Compare Spenser, Ruins of Rome,

Stanza 30,

"Like as the seeded field green grass first shows,
Then from green grass into a stalk doth spring,
And from a stalk into an ear forth grows,
Which ear the fruitful grain doth shortly bring;
And as in season due the husband mows

The waving locks of those fair yellow hairs;
So grew the Roman empire by degree."

Note (6.)

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Act II. Scene 2, Line 55,

Angelo. Look, what I will not, that I cannot do.

Isab. But might you do 't, and do the world no wrong,

If so your heart were touch'd with that remorse

As mine is to him."

"But might you do 't," an inversion for But you might

do't. The folio has "As mine is to him?" and so all the

66

compared eds., with the exception of Dyce, who prints "But you might do 't." Such inversions, however, are far from uncommon in Shakespeare. Thus, L. L. L. iv. 3, 41, "O queen of queens! how far dost thou excel," altered by Dyce and Singer to "thou dost;" A. L. I. ii. 6, 15, "I will here be with thee presently," altered by Dyce to "be here;" 1 Hy. IV. i. 3, 146, "By Richard that dead is," altered by Dyce to is dead;" T. S. ii. 1, 160, “ As had she studied to misuse me so," altered by Dyce, Singer, and Staunton to "As she had;" T. S. iv. 1, 43, "and as much news as wilt thou" (folio)-here the compared eds. print "thou wilt" (after quarto, 1631), except the Camb. eds., who print "will thaw." John iii. 3, 8, "imprison'd angels Set at liberty," altered by Dyce to "set at liberty Imprison'd angels." These alterations may seem necessary to some, and unimportant to others; but they are mischievous, as ignoring Shakespeare's manner; so that when a passage occurs whose only obscurity consists in the inversion of a few words, it becomes a real difficulty to those who may be unaware of Shakespeare's frequent use of inversions.

Note (7.) Ib. Line 126,

"Isab. We cannot weigh our brother with yourself:
Great men may jest with saints; 'tis wit in them,-&c.
Ang. Why do you put these sayings upon me?
Isab. Because Authority, though it err like others,
Hath yet a kind of medicine in itself,

That skins the vice o' the top. Go to your bosom ;

Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know
That's like my brother's fault."

Compare Act v. 1, 110,

"It imports no reason

That with such vehemency he should pursue
Faults proper to himself; if he had so offended,
He would have weigh'd thy brother by himself."

The folio has "We cannot weigh our brother with ourself." In the corrupt text of this play we have, Act v. 1, 168, "First let her show your face," where all editors read "her;" and, Act ii. 1, 12, "the resolute acting of our blood," where all eds. read "your.” In the present passage, all the compared eds. retain "ourself." The correction is by Warburton.

Note (8.) Act II. Scene 3, Line 11,—

"A gentlewoman of mine,

Who, falling in the flaws of her own youth,
Hath blister'd her report.”

Compare W. T. i. 2, 322,—

"I cannot

Believe this crack to be in my dread mistress."

L. L. L. v. 2, 415,

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My love to thee is sound, sans crack or flaw."

W. T. ii. 1, 143,—

"Be she honour-flaw'd."

“Flaw" or crack imperfection, something which mars the perfect nature. Here "flaws of her own youth" her own youthful imperfections. Davenant in his Law against Lovers (founded on this play, and Much Ado about Nothing), prints in the corresponding passage "flames." This is more after the manner of his age than Shakespeare's; it is, however, commended by Warburton, and is adopted by all the