fearless of what's paft, prefent, or to come; infenfible of mortality, and defperately mortal. 7 Duke. He wants advice.. Prov. He will hear none; he hath evermore had the liberty of the prifon: give him leave to escape hence, he would not: drunk many times a day, if not many days entirely drunk. We have very often awak'd him, as if to carry him to execution, and fhew'd him a feeming warrant for it; it hath not mov'd him at all. Duke. More of him anon. There is written in your brow, Proveft, honefty and conftancy, if I read it not truly, my ancient skill beguiles me; but in the boldness of my cunning, I will lay myfelf in hazard. Claudio, whom here you have a warrant to execute, is no greater forfeit to the law than Angelo, who hath fentenc'd him. To make you understand this in a manifefted effect, I. crave but four days refpite; for the which you are to do me both a prefent and a dangerous courtefy. Prov. Pray, Sir, in what? Duke. In the delaying death. Prov. Alack! how may I do it, having the hour limited, and an exprefs command, under penalty, to deliver his head in the view of Angelo? I may make my cafe as Claudio's, to cross this in the fmalieft. Duke. By the vow of mine Order, I warrant you, if my inftructions may be your guide. Let this Barnardine be this morning executed, and his head borne to Angelo. Prov. Angelo hath feen them both, and will discover the favour. Duke. Oh, death's a great difguifer, and you may 7 desperately mortal.] This expreffion is obfcure. Sir Thomas Hanmer reads mortally defperate. Mortally is in low converfation ufed in this fenfe, but I know not whether it was ever written, I am inclined to believe that defperately mortal means defperately mischievous. add add to it. Shave the head, and tie the beard, and fay it was the defire of the penitent to be fo barb'd before his death; you know the courfe is common. If any thing fall to you upon this, more than thanks and good fortune; by the Saint whom I profefs, I will plead against it with my life. Prov. Pardon me, good father; it is against my oath. Duke. Were you fworn to the Duke, or to the deputy? Prov. To him, and to his fubftitutes. Duke. You will think you have made no offence, if the Duke avouch the juftice of your dealing? Prov. But what likelihood is in that? Duke. Not a refemblance, but a certainty. Yet fince I fee you fearful, that neither my coat, integrity, nor my perfuafion, can with ease attempt you, I will go further than I meant, to pluck all fears out of you. Look you, Sir, here is the hand and feal of the Duke; you know the character, I doubt not; and the fignet is not strange to you. Prov. I know them both. . Duke. The contents of this is the return of the Duke; you shall anon over-read it at your pleasure 3 where you fhall find, within thefe two days he will be here. This is a thing, which Angelo knows not, for he this very day receives letters of ftrange tenor; perchance, of the Duke's death; perchance, of his entering into fome monaflery; but, by chance, nothing of what is writ. Look, the unfolding ftar calls up the fhepherd; put not yourself into amazement how thefe things fhould be; all difficulties are but eafy, when they are known. Call your executioner, and off with Barnardine's head: I will give him a prefent fhrift, and advise him for a better place. Yet you are 8 amaz'd, but this fhall abfolutely refolve you. Come away, it is almost clear dawn. [Exeunt. Clown. I am as well acquainted here, as I was in our house of profeffion; one would think, it were mistress Over-done's own houfe; for here be many of her old customers. Firft, here's young Mr. Rafh; he's in for a commodity of brown pepper and old ginger, ninefcore and feventeen pounds; of which he made five marks ready money: marry, then ginger was not much in requeft: for the old women were all dead. Then is there here one Mr. Caper, at the fuit of mafter Three-Pile the mercer; for fome four fuits of peach-colour'd fattin, which now peaches him a beggar. Then have we here young Dizzy, and young Mr. Deep-vow, and Mr. Copper-fpur, and master Starve-lackey the rapier and dagger-man, and young Drop-heir that kill'd lufty pudding, and Mr. Forthlight the tilter, and brave Mr. Shooty the great traveller, and wild Half-canne that ftabb'd Pots, and, I think, forty more; all great doers in our trade, and are now in for the Lord's fake. ' 9 Firft here's young Mr. Rah, &c.] i his enumeration of the inhabitants of the prifon affords a very ftriking view of the practices predominant in Shake Speare's age. Befides those whofe tellies are common to all times, we have four fighting men and a traveller. It is not unlikely that the originals of thefe pictures were then known. in for the Lord s fake.] i. e. to beg for the rest of their lives. WARBURTON. I rather think this expreffion intended to ridicule the puritans, who'e turbulence and indecency often brought them to prifon, and who confidered themfelves as fuffering for religion. It is not unlikely that men imprifoned for other crimes, might reprefent themselves to cafual enquirers, as fuffering for puritanifm, and that this might be the common cant of the prisons. In Donne's time every prifoner was brought to jail by furetiship. Enter Enter Abhorfon. Abbor. Sirrah, bring Barnardine hither. Clown. Mafter Barnardine, you must rise and be hang'd, master Barnardine. Abbor. What, họa, Barnardine! Barnar. [within.] A pox o'your throats; who makes that noife there? what are you ? Clown. Your friend, Sir, the hangman: you must be fo good, Sir, to rife, and be put to death. Barnar. [within.] Away, you rogue, away; I am fleepy. too. Abbor. Tell him, he must awake, and that quickly Clown. Pray, mafter Barnardine, awake 'till you are executed, and fleep afterwards. Abbor. Go in to him, and fetch him out. Clown. He is coming, Sir, he is coming; I hear the ftraw ruftle. Enter Barnardine. Abbor. Is the ax upon the block, Sirrah? Barnar. How now, Abborfon? what's the news with you? Abbor. Truly, Sir, I would defire you to clap into your prayers for, look you, the warrant's come. Barnar. You rogue, I have been drinking all night, I am not fitted for't. Clown. Oh, the better, Sir; for he that drinks all night, and is hang'd betimes in the morning, may fleep the founder all the next day. Enter Duke. Abhor. Look you, Sir, here comes your ghoftly father; do we jeft now, think you? · Duke. Sir, induced by my charity, and hearing how haftily you are to depart, I am come to advise you, comfort you, and pray with you. Barnar. Barnar. Friar, not I: I have been drinking hard all night, and will have more time to prepare me, or they fhall beat out my brains with billets: I will not confent to die this day, that's certain. Duke. Oh, Sir, you must; and therefore, I beseech you, look forward on the journey you fhall go. Barnar. I fwear, I will not die to day for any man's perfuafion. Duke. But hear you, Barnar. Not a word: if you have any thing to say to me, come to my ward; for thence will not I to [Exit. day. Duke. Unfit to live, or die : oh, gravel heart? After him, fellows: bring him to the block. [Exeunt Abhorfon and Clown. Prov. Now, Sir, how do you find the prisoner? Duke. A creature unprepar'd, unmeet for death; And, to transport him in the mind he is, Were damnable. 2 Prov. Here in the prison, father, A man of Claudio's years; his beard, and head, This reprobate, 'till he were well inclin'd; Of Ragozine, more like to Claudio? Duke. O, 'tis an accident, that heav'n provides: Dispatch it presently. The hour draws on Here is a line given to the Duke which belongs to the Provoft. The Provost, while the Duke is lamenting the obduracy of the prisoner, cries out, After him, fellows, &c. and, when they are gone out, turns again to the Duke. 2 to tranfport him] To remove him from one world to another. The French tripas af fords a kindred fense. Pre |