Duke. You are pleasant, Sir, and fpeak apace.. Lucio. Why, what a ruthless thing is this in him, for the rebellion of a cod-piece to take away the life of a an? would the Duke, that is abfent, have done this? ere he would have hang'd a man for the getting a hundred baftards, he would have paid for the nurfing a thoufand. He had fome feeling of the fport, he knew the service, and that inftructed him to mercy. Duka. I never heard the abfent Duke much detected for women; he was not inclin'd that way. Lucio. Oh, Sir, you are deceiv'd. Duke. 'Tis not poffible. Lucio. Who, not the Duke yes, your beggar of fifty; and his ufe was, to put a ducket in her clackdish; the Duke had crotchets in him. He would be drunk too, that let me inform you. Duke. You do him wrong, furely.. Lucia. Sir, I was an inward of his a fhy fellow was the Duke; and, I believe, I know the cause of his withdrawing. Duke. What; pr'ythee, might be the caufe? Lucio. No: pardon: 'tis a fecret must be lockt within the teeth and the lips; but this I can let you underftand, the greater file of the fubje&t held the Duke to be wife. Duke. Wife? why, no question, but he was, Lucio. A very fuperficial, ignorant, unweighing. fellow. Dake. Either this is envy in you, folly, or miftaking:. the very stream of his life, and the bufnefs he hath helmed, muft upon a warranted need give him a better proclamation. Let him be but teftimonied in his own. bringings forth, and he fhall appear to the envious, a fcholar, a ftatefman, and a foldier. Therefore, you speak unfkilfully; or if your knowledge be more, it is much darken'd in your malice. than if he were an inanimate puppet. But I rather thin', our Au. thor wrote; and he is a motion ungenerative, - becaufe Lucia. again in this very Scene fays this ungenitur'd agent will unperple the province with continency. Lucio. Sir, I know him, and I love him. Duke. Love talks with better knowledge, and knowledge with dear love. Lucio. Come, Sir, I know what I know. Duke. I can hardly believe that, fince you know not what you speak. But if ever the Duke return, as our prayers are he may, let me defire you to make your anfwer before him: if it be honeft you have spoke, you have courage to maintain it; I am bound to call upon you, and, I pray you, your name? Lucio. Sir, my name is Lucio, well known to the Duke. Duke. He fhall know you better, Sir, if I may live to report you. Lucio. I fear you not. Duke. O, you hope, the Duke will return no more ; or you imagine me too unhurtful an oppofite; būt, indeed, I can do you little harm: you'll forfwear this again? Lucio. I'll be hang'd firft: thou art deceiv'd in me, Friar. But no more of this. Canft thou tell, if Claudio die to-morrow, or no? Duke. Why fhould he die, Sir? Lucio. Why for filling a bottle with a tun-dish: I would, the Duke, we talk of, were return'd again; this ungenitur'd agent will unpeople the province with continency. Sparrows must not build in his houfe eves, becaufe they are leacherous. The Duke yet would have dark deeds darkly anfwer'd; he would never bring them to light; would he were return'd! Marry, this Claudio is condemned for unruffing. Farewel, good Friar; I pry'thee, pray for me: (19) the Duke, I fay to thee again, would eat mutton on Fridays. He's now paft it; yet, and I fay to thee, he would mouth with (19) The Duke, I say to thee again, would eat mutton on Fridays.] This is not meant to impeach the Duke of being an ill Carbolic, as tranfgreffing the rules of abftinence in diet: But the joke, alluded to, will be explain'd by looking back to the third note on the Two Gentlemen of Verona. a beggar, a beggar, tho' fhe fmelt of brown bread and garlick: fay, that I faid fo, farewel. Duke. No might nor greatnefs in mortality. Enter Escalus, Provost, and Bawd. Efcal. Go, away with her to prison. [Exit. Bawd. Good my Lord, be good to me; your honour is accounted a merciful man: good my Lord. Efcal. Double and treble admonition, and ftill forfeit in the fame kind? this would make mercy fwear, and play the tyrant. Prov. Á bawd of eleven years continuance, may it please your honour. Bawd. Ly Lord, this is one Lucio's information against me: mistress Kate Keep-down was with child by him in the Duke's time; he promis'd her marriage; his child is a year and a quarter old, come Philip and Jacob: I have kept it myself; and fee, how he goes about to abuse me. Efcal. That fellow is a fellow of much licence; let him be call'd before us. Away with her to prison: go to; no more words. [Exeunt with the Bawd.] Provost, my brother Angelo will not be alter'd; Claudio muft die to-morrow: let him him be furnished with divines, and have all charitable preparation. If my brother wrought by my pity, it should not be fo with him. Pro. So please you, this Friar hath been with him, and advis'd him for the entertainment of death. Efcal. Good even, good father. Duke. Blifs and goodness on you! Efcal. Of whence are you? Duke. Not of this country, tho' my chance is now To use it for my time: I am a brother Of gracious order, late come from the fee, In fpecial bufinefs from his holiness. Duke. None, but that there is fo great a fever on goodness, that the diffolution of it muft cure it. Novelty is only in requeft; and it is as dangerous to be aged in any kind of course, as it is virtuous to be conftant in any undertaking. There is fcarce truth enough. alive, to make focieties fecure; but fecurity enough, to make fellowships accurft. Much upon this riddle runs the wisdom of the world; this news is old enough, yet it is every day's news. I pray you, Sir, of what difpofition was the Duke? Efcal. One, that, above all other ftrifes, Contended specially to know himself. Duke. What pleasure was he giv'n to? Efcal. Rather rejoicing to fee another merry, than merry at any thing which profeft to make him rejoices A gentleman of all temperance. But leave we him to his events, with a prayer they may prove profperous; and let me defire to know, how you find Claudio prepar'd? I am made to understand, that you have lent him vifitation. Duke. He profeffes to have received no finifter meafure from his judge, but moft willingly humbles himfelf to the determination of juftice; yet had he fram'd to himself, by the inftruction of his frailty, many deceiving promifes of life; which I by my good leifure have difcredited to him, and now is he refolved to die. Efcal. You have paid the heav'ns your function, and the prifoner the very debt of your calling. I have labour'd for the poor gentleman, to the extremest shore of my modefty; but my brother juftice have I found fo fevere, that he hath forc'd me to tell him, he is indeed Juftice. Duke. If his own life answer the ftraitness of his proceeding, it fhall become him well; wherein if he chance to fail, he hath sentenc'd himself. Efcal. I am going to vifit the prisoner; fare you well. [Exit. Duks. Duke. Peace be with you! He who the fword of heav'n will bear, How may that likenefs, made in crimes, (20) Draw with idle fpiders ftrings Moft pond'rous and fubftantial things! (20) How may likeness made in crimes, To draw with idle fpider's firings [Exh. Maft pond rous and fubftantial things? This obscure and ungrammatical paffage Mr. Warburton has reftor'd to its purity, only by adding one monofyllable, and throwing out another as he has likewife made it intelligible by the following comment. "How much wickedness may a man hide within, tho' he appears like an angel without! How may that likeness, made in crimes, i. e. by hypocrify; [a pretty paradoxical expreffion, of an angel made in crimes] by impofing on the world, [thus emphatically express'd, making practise on the times] draw with its falfe and empty pretences [which Shakespeare finely calls, Spiders ftrings;] the moft ponderous and fubftantial things of the world, as riches, honour, power, reputation, &c." ACT |