Which here you come to accuse. Lucio. This is the rascal : this is he I spoke of. Escal. Why, thou unreverend and unhallow'd friar! ? Duke. Be not so hot; the duke dare Escal. Slander to the state !--Away with him to prison. 1 • To call him villain ?] This is printed by Malone, and Steevens, as a hemistich, but by restoring the regulation of the metre, as in the old copies, for the next five or six lines, it will be seen that they run at least as regularly as Shakespeare, probably, intended in a scene of this description. At all events, modern editors have effected no improvement by their change. but we will know your purpose.] We formerly printed “his purpose," because it so stood in the old copies; but the words " we'll touze you " are ad. dressed to the Duke, and the reference to his purpose, which forms the conclusion of the same sentence, ought surely to be addressed to the same person : it is so, according to an emendation in the corr. fo. 1632. Malone printed this for his, but the poet's word must have been “your.” 2 Nor here ProVINCIAL.] “ The different orders of monks (says Mason) hare a chief, who is called the General of the order; and they have also Superiors, subordinate to the General, in the several provinces through which the order may be dispersed. The friar therefore means to say, that the Duke dares not touch a finger of his; for he could not punish him by his own authority, as he was not his subject, nor through that of the Superior, as he was not of that province.” 3 Stand like the forfeits in a barber's shop,] “Formerly with us (observes Warburton), the better sort of people went to the barber's shop to be trimmed, who then practised the under parts of surgery : so that he had occasion for numerous instruments, which lay there ready for use; and the idle people, with whom his shop was generally crowded, would be perpetually handling and misusing them. To remedy which, I suppose, there was placed up against the wall a table of forfeitures, adapted to every offence of this kind ; which, it is not likely, would long preserve its authority.” We have no direct information on the point, and War. burton's explanation may, in part at least, be doubted. Ang. What can you vouch against him, signior Lucio ? Is this the man that you did tell us of ? Lucio. 'Tis he, my lord.—Come hither, goodman bald-pate: do you know me ? Duke. I remember you, sir, by the sound of your voice: I met you at the prison, in the absence of the duke. Lucio. Oh! did you so ? And do you remember what you said of the duke? Duke. Most notedly, sir. Lucio. Do you so, sir? And was the duke a fleshmonger, a fool, and a coward, as you then reported him to be? Duke. You must, sir, change persons with me, ere you make that my report : you, indeed, spoke so of him; and much more, much worse. Lucio. Oh, thou damnable fellow! Did not I pluck thee by the nose, for thy speeches ? Duke. I protest, I love the duke as I love myself. Ang. Hark how the villain would gloze now', after his treasonable abuses. Escal. Such a fellow is not to be talk'd withal :- Away with him to prison.—Where is the provost ?--Away with him to prison. Lay bolts enough upon him, let him speak no more. -Away with those giglots too, and with the other confederate companion. [The Prorost lays hand on the DUKE. Duke. Stay, sir; stay a while. Ang. What! resists he? Help him, Lucio. Lucio. Come, sir; come, sir; come, sir ; foh! sir. Why, you bald-pated, lying rascal! you must be hooded, must you ? show your knave's visage, with a pox to you! show your sheep-biting face, and be hang'd an hour, Will't not off? [Pulls off the Friar's hood, and discorers the DUKE”. Duke. Thou art the first knave, that e'er made a duke. 4 Hark how the villain would Gloze now,] Here we have a small and irresistible emendation from the corr. fo. 1632, viz. “gloze” for close of every edition since the play was first printed. Mr. Singer could not reject “gloze," and could not allege that close was altered to “gloze” in his own amended folio, 1632; but he could avail himself of the improvement of the text in our corr. fo. 1632, merely observing, in his note, that close “must have been a mistake of the old printer." He could not however bring himself to admit where he found the mistake pointed out for the first time, but left his readers to conclude, as they might, that the change of close to “gloze” was prompted by his own unaided sagacity. 5 - and discovers the Duke.] " All stand and start are words here added in the margin of the corr. fo. 1632. The reason for inserting them is obvious, viz. that when the incident occurred on the stage, care should be taken that all the performers expressed due astonishment. First, provost, let me bail these gentle three.- Lucio. This may prove worse than hanging. [To ESCALUS. We'll borrow place of him :-Sir, by your leave. [To ANGELO. Oh, my dread lord ! Come hither, Mariana.- Ang. I was, my lord. Duke. Go take her hence, and marry her instantly.- [Exeunt ANGELO, MARIANA, PETER, and Prorost. Come hither, Isabel. Oh! give me pardon, You are pardon’d, Isabel : Make rash demonstrance of my hidden power", Make it your comfort, Re-enter ANGELO, MARIANA, PETER, and Provost. I do, my lord. 6 Make rash DEMONSTRANCE of my hidden power,] It is remonstrance in the folios, but unquestionably the printer's error for “demonstrance :” he used the wrong preposition. Shakespeare elsewhere has " demonstration” and “demon. strate," but this is the only place where “demonstrance' occurs: remonstrance is not found in any other of his plays or poems. Malone suggested “demonstrance;" but if we were to be governed by the same misprint in other writers, (too often the case, see Vol. iii. p. 245, &c.) we might quote the following from Shirley's “ Hyde Park" (edit. Gifford and Dyce, ii. p. 416), where Trier speaks of the proof that Mrs. Bonavent's husband has been lost during a voyage : Having seven years expected, and so much Demonstrance of her husband's loss at sea.” Here “demonstrance,” (meaning proof) as in “Measure for Measure," is misprinted remonstrance, the same carelessness of the old compositor, as to the preposition, having caused the error, in both instances. i – but, peace be with him !) “ But, all peace be with him " in the corr. fo. 1632. We do not introduce all, because though the line is defective, we think the expression, “but, peace be with him,” more solemn and emphatic. Perhaps the poet was of the same opinion. Possibly “purpose" ought to be plural. 66 Mari. Oh, my most gracious lord ! Duke. It is your husband mock'd you with a husband. Oh, my dear lord! Duke. Never crave him: we are definitive. [Kneeling. Duke. You do but lose your labour. Away with him to death. Now, sir, [To Lucio.] to you. Mari. Oh, my good lord !-Sweet Isabel, take my part : Duke. Against all sense you do importune her: Isabel, Duke. He dies for Claudio's death. Most bounteous sir, [K'neeling. Look, if it please you, on this man condemn'd, As if my brother liv’d. I partly think, A due sincerity govern’d his deeds, Till he did look on me: since it is so, Let him not die. My brother had but justice, In that he did the thing for which he died : a 8 Although by Confiscation they are our's;] This reading was furnished by the editor of the second folio. The original copy has confutation, an error of apparent carelessness on the part of the printer, which may seem to give more coun. tenance to demonstrance on the preceding page. |