Act V. Scene I.

Duke. Boldly, at least.-But, oh, poor souls! Come you to seek the lamb here of the fox? Good night to your redress. Is the duke gone? Then is your cause gone too. The duke's unjust, Thus to retort 29 your manifest appeal, And put your trial in the villain's mouth 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!

Is't not enough thou hast suborn'd these women To accuse this worthy man, but, in foul mouth, And in the witness of his proper ear,

To call him villain ? and then to glance from him To the duke himself, to tax him with injustice?Take him hence: to the rack with him :-We'll

touze you

Joint by joint, but we will know his purpose.30What! unjust?

30. His purpose. It has been proposed to substitute 'your,' or 'this,' for "his;" but Escalus, in his warmth, addresses his

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23

Escal. Slander to the state!-Away with him to prison!

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 baldpate: 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?

me,

Duke. You must, sir, change persons with ere you make that my report: you, indeed, spoke so of him; and much more, much worse.

Lucio. Oh, thou pernicious 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 close 33 now, after his treasonable abuses.

Escal. Such a fellow is not to be talked 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 PROVOST lays hands on the DUKE. Duke. Stay, sir; stay awhile.

Ang. What, resists he?-Help him, Lucio. Lucio. Come, sir; come, sir; come, sir; foh! sir. Why, you bald-pated, lying rascal, you must

speech first to the by-standers, then to the friar-duke, then again to the by-standers.

31. Nor here provincial. Nor accountable to the jurisdiction of this province.

32. Forfeits in a barber's shop. It was formerly the custom to have a list of regulations, with the forfeits (or fines) imposed for breaking them, hung up in barbers' shops, which were the resort of idlers; but being of a comic character, and there being no real authority to enforce them, these "forfeits" were held in little reverence, and stood "as much in mock as mark." 33. Close. This has been changed to 'gloze;' but Shake. speare here, and elsewhere, uses "close" to express agree with,' 'come round to the same opinion with.' 34 Giglots. Light women.

35. Sheep-biting. A cant term for petty thieving.

36. Be hanged an hour! "An hour," used thus, seems to have been a vulgar way of saying protractedly, or lingeringly;

be hooded, must you? Show your knave's visage, show your sheep-biting as face, and be hanged an hour! Will't not off?

[Pulls off the friar's hood, and discovers the DUKE. Duke. Thou art the first knave that e'er made

a duke.

First, provost, let me bail these gentle three.-
[To LUCIO.] Sneak not away, sir; for the friar and
you

Must have a word anon.-Lay hold on him.
Lucio. This may prove worse than hanging.
Duke. [To ESCALUS.] What you have spoke I

:

pardon sit you down :— We'll borrow place of him.-[To ANGELO.] Sir, by your leave.

Hast thou or word, or wit, or impudence,
That yet can do thee office? If thou hast,
Rely upon it till my tale be heard,
And hold no longer out.
Ang.

Oh, my dread lord,
I should be guiltier than my guiltiness,
To think I can be undiscernible,
When I perceive your grace, like power divine,
Hath look'd upon my passes." Then, good prince,
No longer session hold upon my shame,
But let my trial be mine own confession:
Immediate sentence then, and sequent death
Is all the grace I beg.

Duke.

Come hither, Mariana.Say, wast thou e'er contracted to this woman? Ang. I was, my lord.

Duke. Go take her hence, and marry her instantly.

Do you the office, friar; which consummate,
Return him here again.-Go with him, provost.
[Exeunt ANGELO, MARIANA, FRIAR
PETER, and PROVOST.
Escal. My lord, I am more amaz'd at his dis-
honour,
Than at the strangeness of it.
Duke.
Come hither, Isabel.
Your friar is now your prince: as I was then
Advertising and holy to your business,38
Not changing heart with habit, I am still

as now we say 'die by inches.' In Ben Jonson's "Alchemist"
there is mention of a man that had been strangled an hour.'
37. Passes. Seems to be employed here for 'passages of mis-
conduct,' 'evil courses.' Shakespeare elsewhere uses " pass"
for 'passage; and he uses "passages" precisely in the sense
here required, where the king says to his son-.

"Thou dost, in thy passages of life,
Make me believe that thou art only mark'd
For the hot vengeance and the rod of heaven,
To punish my mistreadings." Hen. IV., iii. 2.

38. Advertising and holy to your business. "Advertising," if derived from the Latin adverto, means regardful, observant; if from the French avertir, it means monitory, vigilant, to warn and give information; and this is the sense in which Shakespeare uses 'advertise and advertisement.' Probably the word advertising" is intended to convey somewhat of all the above meanings. Holy" here stands for 'devoted,' 'consecrated.'

Attorney'd at your service."

Isab. Oh, give me pardon, That I, your vassal, have employ'd and pain'd Your unknown sovereignty!

Duke.

You are pardon'd, Isabel:
And now, dear maid, be you as free to us.40
Your brother's death, I know, sits at your heart:
And you may marvel why I obscur'd myself,
Labouring to save his life, and would not rather
Make rash remonstrance" of my hidden power
Than let him so be lost. Oh, most kind maid,
It was the swift celerity of his death,

Which I did think with slower foot came on,
That brain'd my purpose :-but, peace be with him!
That life is better life, past fearing death,
Than that which lives to fear; make it your comfort,
So happy is your brother.

Isab.

I do, my lord.

Re-enter ANGELO, MARIANA, FRIAR PETER, and PROVOST.

Duke. For this new-married man approaching here,

Whose salt imagination yet hath wrong'd
Your well-defended honour, you must pardon

For Mariana's sake: but as he adjudg'd your brother,

Being criminal, in double violation

Of sacred chastity, and of promise-breach
Thereon dependent, for your brother's life,—
The very mercy of the law cries out
Most audible, even from his proper tongue,“
"An Angelo for Claudio, death for death!"
Haste still pays haste, and leisure answers leisure;
Like doth quit like," and Measure still for Measure.
Then, Angelo, thy fault thus manifested,—
Which, though thou would'st deny, denies thee
'vantage,

We do condemn thee to the very block
Where Claudio stoop'd to death, and with like

haste.Away with him!

Mari.

Oh, my most gracious lord! I hope you will not mock me with a husband. Duke. It is your husband mock'd you with a

husband.

Consenting to the safeguard of your honour,
I thought your marriage fit: else imputation,

39. I am still attorney'd at your service. I hold myself still engaged or retained to be employed for you.

40. Free. Used here for liberal, generous. 41. Remonstrance. Literally, 'showing again.' The duke

says Isabella

may

wonder that he did not make a sudden re

display of that power he had laid aside and concealed for a time, rather than let her brother be lost.

42 Salt. Shakespeare often uses this word, as here, for

'impure, immoral."

43. His proper tongue. His own tongue. French, propre. 44 Like doth quit like. Like doth requite like. Forbids thy deriving advantage

45. Denies the 'vantage.

from its confession.

Sense. Here used for both reason' and 'feeling.

For that he knew you, might reproach your life,
And choke your good to come.
For his posses-

sions,
Although by confiscation they are ours,
We do instate and widow you withal,
To buy you a better husband.

Mari.

Oh, my dear lord! I crave no other, nor no better man. Duke. Never crave him; we are definitive Mari. [Kneeling.] Gentle my liege,

Duke. You do but lose your labour.Away with him to death!-[To Lucio.] Now, sir, to you.

Mari. Oh my good lord!-Sweet Isabel, take my part;

Lend me your knees, and, all my life to come,
I'll lend you all my life to do you service.

Duke. Against all sense 46 you do impórtune her:
Should she kneel down in mercy of this fact,
Her brother's ghost his paved bed would break,
And take her hence in horror.

Isabel,

Mari. Sweet Isabel, do yet but kneel by me: Hold up your hands, say nothing,-I'll speak all. They say, best men are moulded out of faults; And, for the most, become much more the better For being a little bad: so may my husband. O Isabel, will you not lend a knee?

Duke. He dies for Claudio's death.
Isab. [Kneeling.]
Most bounteous sir,
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:
For Angelo,

His act did not o'ertake his bad intent;
And must be buried but as an intent

That perish'd by the way: thoughts are no subjects ;
Intents but merely thoughts."

47. Intents but merely thoughts. Even this nobly magnanimous speech of Isabella's has been misinterpreted by prejudiced critics, and turned against her. Yet surely the benign forbearance, the spirit of justice, the strictly equitable distinction between intention and act in guilt, that Shakespeare has here. put into her mouth who is the embodiment of virtue and purity in this play, might serve to enthrone her in our regard as one of the finest-souled women among his heroines. In so passing a point as that line of the provost's, “I thought it was a fault, but knew it not," the poet has carried on the moral he inculcates in this play, the nice shades of distinction between motive and act, thought and deed, error and guilt, mistake and sin, together with their due degrees of rebuke, retribution, and punish

ment.

Escal. I am sorry one so learned and so wise As Lord Angelo, have still appear'd, you, Should slip so grossly, both in the heat of blood, And lack of temper'd judgment afterward.

Ang. I am sorry that such sorrow I procure: And so deep sticks it in my penitent heart, That I crave death more willingly than mercy; 'Tis my deserving, and I do entreat it. Re-enter PROVOST, with BARNARDINE, CLAUDIO muffled, and JULIET.

Duke. Which is that Barnardine ?

Prov. This, my lord, Duke. There was a friar told me of this man.Sirrah, thou art said to have a stubborn soul, That apprehends no farther than this world, And squar'st thy life according. Thou'rt condemn'd:

48. Earthly faults. Faults committed against earthly laws. "I quit them all" means 'I acquit you of them all.' The duke's extension of mercy to provide for better times to come" to this hardened sinner, affords a grand lesson on the duty of sparing for repentance those who have been made criminals by gaolteaching and neglectful rulers.

49. Your evil quits you well. This sentence bears comprehensive interpretation: it is equivalent to 'your course of evil leaves you befittingly; the fear you have suffered acquits you of your misdeeds;' and 'you receive in requital good for evil.'

50. Trick. Thoughtless practice; idle fashion.

Well, Angelo, your evil quits you well: 49
Look that you love your wife; her worth, worth

yours.

I find an apt remission in myself;

And yet here's one in place I cannot pardon.—
[To Lucio.] You, sirrah, that knew me for a fool, a
coward,

One all of luxury, an ass, a madman;
Wherein have I so deserv'd of you,
That you extol me thus ?

Lucio. Faith, my lord, I spoke it but according to the trick.50 If you will hang me for it, you may; but I had rather it would please you I might be whipped.

Duke. Whipp'd first, sir, and hang'd after.—
Proclaim it, provost, round about the city,

If any woman's wrong'd by this lewd fellow,—
As I have heard him swear, himself, there's one,-
Let her appear,

And he shall marry her: the nuptial finish'd,
Let him be whipp'd and hang'd.

Lucio. I beseech your highness, do not marry me to a bad woman! Your highness said even now, I made you a duke: good my lord, do not recompense me in making me a gull.

Duke. Upon mine honour, thou shalt marry her. Thy slanders I forgive; and therewithal Remit thy other forfeits."-Take him to prison; And see our pleasure herein executed. Lucio. Marrying a slut, my lord, is pressing to death, whipping, and hanging.

Duke. Slandering a prince deserves it.—

[Exeunt Officers with Lucio. She, Claudio, that you wrong'd, look you restore.— Joy to you, Mariana!-Love her, Angelo:

I have confess'd her, and I know her virtue.— Thanks, good friend Escalus, for thy much good

ness:

There's more behind that is more gratulate.52____
Thanks, provost, for thy care and secrecy :
We shall employ thee in a worthier place.—
Forgive him, Angelo, that brought you home
The head of Ragozine for Claudio's:
The offence pardons itself.—Dear Isabel,
I have a motion much imports your good;
Whereto if you'll a willing ear incline,
What's mine is yours, and what is yours is mine.—
So, bring us to our palace; where we'll show
What's yet behind, that's meet you all should
know.
[Exeunt.

"Gratu

51. Forfeits. May here mean fines, penalties; or misdeeds, transgressions. French, forfaits. The context, "thy slanders I forgive," seems to warrant the latter interpretation. 52. There's more behind that is more gratulate. late" is here used for 'subject of congratulation.' We take this line to refer to the duke's intention of espousing Isabella; with which his mind is so much occupied, that he reverts to it three times in the course of this last speech ;-first, by the above line; second, by the words "Dear Isabel," &c.; third, by the concluding line of the play. Moreover, this iteration is a skilful resource of the dramatist to impress that intention of the duke's upon the audience, or readers.