ACT V. SCENE I.
The Street.

Enter Duke, Varrius, Lords, Angelo, Efcalus, Lucio, and Citizens, at feveral doors.

Duke.

Y very worthy coufin, fairly met;

M%

Our old and faithful friend, we're glad to fee

you.

Ang. and Efe. Happy return be to your royal Grace ! Duke. Many and hearty thanks be to you both: We've made enquiry of you, and we hear Such goodness of your juftice, that our foul Cannot but yield you forth to publick thanks, Forerunning more requital.

Ang. You make my bonds ftill greater.

Duke. Oh, your defert fpeaks loud, and I should wrong it To lock it in the wards of covert bofom, When it deferves with characters of brafs A forted refidence, 'gainst the tooth of time And razure of oblivion. Give me your hand And let the subjects fee, to make them know That outward courtefies would fain proclaim Favours that keep within. Come, Efcalus, You must walk by us on our other hand : And good fupporters are you.

SCENE II. Enter Peter and Ifabella. Peter. Now is your time: fpeak loud and kneel before

him.

Ifab. Juftice, O royal Duke! vail your regard
Upon a wrong'd, I'd fain have faid, a maid:

Oh worthy Prince, dishonour not your eye
By throwing it on any other object,

'Till you have heard me in my true complaint,

And give me justice, justice, justice, justice.

Duke, Relate your wrongs; in what, by whom? be brief:

Here is lord Angelo fhall give you justice;

Reveal your felf to him.

Ifab. Oh worthy Duke,

You bid me feek redemption of the devil :

Hear

Hear me your felf; for that which I must speak
Muft either punish me, not being believ'd,

Or wring redress from you: oh, hear me here!
Ang. My lord, her wits, I fear me, are not firm:
Sh' 'ath been a fuitor to me for her brother,
Cut off by courfe of justice.

Ifab. Courfe of juftice!

Ang. And he will speak moft bitterly, and ftrange.
Ifab. Moft ftrange but yet most truly will I speak;
That Angelo's forfworn: is it not ftrange?

That Angelo's a murth'rer: is't not strange?
That Angelo is an adult'rous thief,
An hypocrite, a virgin-violater :
is it not strange and strange ?
Duke. Nay, ten times ftrange.
Ifab. It is not truer he is Angelo,
Than this is all as true as it is fstrange :

Nay, it is ten times true; for truth is truth
To th'end of reckoning.

Duke. Away with her: poor foul,

She speaks this in th' infirmity of sense.

Ifab. Oh, I conjure thee, Prince, as thou believ'st There is another comfort than this world,

That thou neglect me not, with that opinion

That I am touch'd with madness. Make not impoffible
That which but feems unlike; 'tis not impoffible

But one, the wicked'ft caitiff on the ground,
May feem as fhy, as grave, as juft, as abfolute
As Angelo; ev'n fo may Angelo,

In all his dreffings, caracts, titles, forms,
Be an arch-villain: truft me, royal Prince,
If he be lefs, he's nothing; but he's more,
Had I more name for badneís.

Duke. By mine honour,

If fhe be mad, as I believe no other,
Her madness hath the oddeft frame of fenfe,
Such a dependency of thing on thing,
As e'er I heard in madness.

Ifab. Gracious Duke,,

Harp not on that; and do not banish reason

F 3

For

For inequality; but let your reafon

Serve to make truth appear where it seems hid,
Not hide the falfe feems true.

Duke. Many not mad

Have fure more lack of reason. What would you fay?
Ifab. I am the fifter of one Claudio,
Condemn'd upon the act of fornication,

To lofe his head; condemn'd by Angelo:
I, in probation of a fifterhood,

Was fent to by my brother; one Lucio being
As then the messenger,

Lucio. That's I, an't like your Grace :
I came to her from Claudio, and defir'd her
To try her gracious fortune with lord Angelo,
For her poor brother's pardon.

Ifab. That's he indeed.

Duke. You were not bid to fpeak.

[To Lucio.

Lucio. No, my good lord, nor with'd to hold my peace, Duke. I wish you now then;

Pray you,

:

take note of it and when you have A bufinefs for yourself, pray heav'n you then Be perfect.

Lucio, I warrant your honour, Sir.

Duke. The warrant's for your felf; be sure take heed to't. Jfab. This gentleman told fomething of my tale.

Lucio. Right.

Duke. It may be right, but you are in the wrong To fpeak before your time. Proceed.

Ifab. I went

To this pernicious caitiff Deputy.

Duke. That's fomewhat madly spoken.
Ijab. Pardon it:

The phrafe is to the matter.

Duke. Mended again: the matter then; proceed.
Ifab. In brief; (to fet the needlefs process by,
How I perfuaded, how I pray'd and kneel'd,
How he repell'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

He would not, but by gift of my chafte body
To his concupifcent intemp'rate luft,
Release my brother; after much debatement,
My fifterly remorfe confutes mine honour,
And I did yield to him: next morn betimes,
His purpose forfeiting, he fends a warrant
For my poor brother's head.

Duke. This is most likely!

Ifab. Oh that it were as like as it is true!

Duke. By heav'n, fond wretch, thou know't not what thou speak'ft;

Or else thou art suborn'd against his honour
In hateful practice. His integrity

Stands without blemish; it imports no reason,
That with fuch vehemence he should pursue
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, confefs the truth, and say
By whofe advice thou cam'ft here to complain.
Jab. 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

In countenance! Heav'n fhield your Grace from woe,
As I thus wrong'd, hence unbelieved go!

Duke. I know you'd fain be gone.
An officer i
To prifon with her. Shall we thus permit
A blafting and a fcandalous breath to fall
On him fo near us? this must be a practice.
Who knew of our intent, and coming hither?

Ijab. 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 spake against your Grace
In your retirement, I had fwing'd him foundly.
Duke. Words against me? this is a good Friar belike,
And to fet on this wretched woman here

Against our Substitute! let this Friar be found.

Lucio. But yefternight, my lord, fhe and that Friar, I faw them at the prison: a fawcy Friar, A very fcurvy fellow.

Peter. Blefs'd be your 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 Substitute,
Who is as free from touch or foil with her,
As the from one ungot.

Duke. We did believe

No lefs. Know you that Friar Lodowick ?
Peter. I know him for a man divine and holy;
Not fcurvy, nor a temporary medler,

As he's reported by this gentleman;

And, on my truft, a man that never yet

Did, as he vouches, mifreport your Grace.

Lucio. My lord, most villainously he did; believe it. Peter. Well; he in time may come to clear himself But at this inftant he is fick, my lord, Of a ftrange fever. On his meer request,

(Being come to knowledge that there was complaint
Intended 'gainft lord Angelo) came I hither

To fpeak as from his mouth, what he doth know
Is true or false, and he upon his oath

By all probation will make up full clear,
Whenever he's conven'd. First, for this woman;
To juftifie this worthy nobleman,

So vulgarly and perfonally accus'd,

Her fhall you hear difproved to her eyes, "Till fhe her felf confefs it.

Duke. Good Friar, let's hear it.

Do you not smile at this, lord Angelo ?
O heav'n! the vanity of wretched fools!
Give us fome feats; come, coufin Angelo,
In this I will be partial: be you judge
Of your own caufe. Is this the witness, Friar?

[lfabella is carried off, guarded. SCENE III. Enter Mariana veil'd.

Firft let her fhew her face, and after speak.
Mari. Pardon, my lord, I will not fhew my face