DUKE. Why should 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 house-eaves, because they are lecherous. The duke yet would have dark deeds darkly answer'd; he would never bring them to light: would he were return'd! Marry, this Claudio is condemn'd for untrussing. Farewell, good friar; I pr'ythee, pray for me. The duke, I say to thee again, would eat mutton on Fridays'. He's now past it; yet, and 91 UNGENITUR'D agent-] This word seems to be formed from genitoirs, a word which occurs in Holland's Pliny, tom. ii. p. 321, 560, 589, and comes from the French genitoires, the genitals. TOLLET. I eat MUTTON on Fridays.] A wench was called a laced mutton. THEOBALD. So also in the famous Satire on Cardinal Wolsey. See notes on King Henry VIII. Act II. Sc. IV. and Act III. Sc. II. : 66 And namly one that is the chefe, "Which is not fedd so ofte with rost befe, "As with rawe motten, so God helpe me." Again in Doctor Faustus, 1604, Lechery says: I am one that loves an inch of raw mutton better than an ell of Friday stock-fish." STEEVENS. Lucio's words have certainly been rightly explained. The phrase, however, had its origin in times of popery. "In Queene Marye's daies, (says an Abbot of Westminster in a debate in the house of Lords, in 1559,) your honours do know right well, how the people of this realm did live in an order, and would not run before the lawes, nor openly disobey the queenes highnesses procedings and proclamations:- there was no open flesh-eatinge, nor shambles-keeping in the lent, and daies prohibited." Strype's Annals of the Reformation, vol. i. Append. p. 26. MALONE. 2 He's Now past it; yet,] Sir Thomas Hanmer reads-" He is not past it yet.' This emendation was received in the former edition, but seems not necessary. It were to be wished, that we all explained more, and amended less. JOHNSON. If Johnson understood the passage as it stands, I wish he had explained it. To me, Hanmer's amendment appears absolutely necessary. M. MASON. I say to thee, he would mouth with a beggar, though she smelt brown bread and garlick": say, that I said so. Farewell. [Exit. Enter EscALUS, Provost, Bawd, and Officers. BAWD. Good my lord, be good to me; your honour is accounted a merciful man: good my lord. ESCAL. Double and treble admonition, and still forfeit in the same kind? This would make mercy swear, and play the tyrant ". 4 I have inserted Mr. M. Mason's remark; and yet the old reading is, in my opinion, too intelligible to need explanation. 3 STEEVENS. though she SMELT BROWN BREAD AND GARLICK:] This was the phraseology of our author's time. In The Merry Wives of Windsor, Master Fenton is said to "smell April and May," not to smell of," &c. MALONE. 4-forfeit 66 faire. STEEVENS. i. e. transgress, offend; from the French for 5 mercy SWEAR, and play the tyrant.] We should read swerve, i. e. deviate from her nature. The common reading gives us the idea of a ranting whore. WARBURTON. There is surely no need of emendation. We say at present, Such a thing "is enough to make a parson swear," i. e. deviate from a proper respect to decency, and the sanctity of his character. The idea of swearing agrees very well with that of a tyrant in our ancient mysteries. STEEVENS. I do not much like mercy swear, the old reading; or mercy swerve, Dr. Warburton's correction. I believe it should be, this would make mercy severe.' FARMER. We still say, "to swear like an emperor;" and from some old book, of which I unfortunately neglected to copy the title, I have noted" to swear like a tyrant." "To swear like a termagant" is quoted elsewhere. RITSON. PROV. A bawd of eleven years continuance, may it please your honour. BAWD. My lord, this is one Lucio's information against me: mistress Kate Keep-down was with child by him in the duke's time, he promised her marriage; his child is a year and a quarter old, come Philip and Jacob: I have kept it myself, and see how he goes about to abuse me. ESCAL. That fellow is a fellow of much licence:let him be called before us.-Away with her to prison: Go to; no more words. [Exeunt Bawd and Officers.] Provost, my brother Angelo will not be alter'd, Claudio must die to-morrow: let him be furnished with divines, and have all charitable preparation if my brother wrought by my pity, it should not be so with him. PROV. So please you, this friar hath been with him, and advised him for the entertainment of death. ESCAL. Good even, good father. DUKE. Bliss and goodness on you! ESCAL. Of whence are you? DUKE. Not of this country, though my chance is now To use it for my time: I am a brother Of gracious order, late come from the see", ESCAL. What news abroad i' the world? DUKE. None, but that there is so great a fever on goodness, that the dissolution of it must cure it: novelty is only in request; and it is as dangerous to - from the SEE,] The folio reads: "from the sea." JOHNSON. The emendation, which is undoubtedly right, was made by Mr. Theobald. In Hall's Chronicle, sea is often written for see. MALONE. be aged in any kind of course, as it is virtuous to be constant in any undertaking. There is scarce truth enough alive, to make societies secure; but security enough, to make fellowships accurs'd': 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 disposition was the duke? ESCAL. One, that, above all other strifes, contended especially to know himself. DUKE. What pleasure was he given to? ESCAL. Rather rejoicing to see another merry, than merry at any thing which profess'd to make him rejoice: a gentleman of all temperance. But leave we him to his events, with a prayer they may prove prosperous; and let me desire to know how you find Claudio prepared. I am made to understand, that you have lent him visitation. DUKE. He professes to have received no sinister measure from his judge, but most willingly humbles himself to the determination of justice: yet had he framed to himself, by the instruction of his frailty, many deceiving promises of life; which I, by my good leisure, have discredited to him, and now is he resolved to die. 8 The 7 There is scarce truth enough alive, to make societies secure; but SECURITY enough, to make fellowships accurs'd:] speaker here alludes to those legal securities into which fellowship leads men to enter for each other. So, in King Henry IV. Part II: "He would not take his bond and yours; he liked not the security." Falstaff, in the same scene, plays, like the Duke, on the same word: "I had as lief they should put ratsbane in my mouth, as offer to stop it with security. I look'd he should have sent me two and twenty yards of sattin,-and he sends me security. Well, he may sleep in security," &c. MALONE. The sense is, "There scarcely exists sufficient honesty in the world to make social life secure; but there are occasions enough where a man may be drawn in to become surety, which will make him pay dearly for his friendships." In excuse of this quibble, Shakspeare may plead high authority: "He that hateth suretiship is sure." Prov. xi. 15. HOLT WHITE. ESCAL. You have paid the heavens your function, and the prisoner the very debt of your calling. I have labour'd for the poor gentleman, to the extremest shore of my modesty: but my brother justice have I found so severe, that he hath forced me to tell him, he is indeed-justice 9. DUKE. If his own life answer the straitness of his proceeding, it shall become him well; wherein, if he chance to fail, he hath sentenced himself. ESCAL. I am going to visit the prisoner: Fare you well. DUKE. Peace be with you! [Exeunt ESCALUS and Provost. He, who the sword of heaven will bear, Should be as holy as severe; Pattern in himself to know, Grace to stand, and virtue go1; 9 — resolved-] i. e. satisfied. So, in Middleton's More Dissemblers besides Women, Act I. Sc. III. : "The blessing of perfection to your thoughts, lady; 9 — he is indeed-JUSTICE.] Summum jus, summa injuria. Pattern in himself to know, STEEVENS. Grace to stand, and virtue go;] These lines I cannot understand, but believe that they should be read thus : "Patterning himself to know, "In grace to stand, in virtue go." To pattern is to work after a pattern, and, perhaps, in Shakspeare's licentious diction, simply to work. The sense is "he that bears the sword of heaven should be holy as well as severe; one that after good examples labours to know himself, to live with innocence, and to act with virtue." JOHNSON. This passage is very obscure, nor can be cleared without a more licentious paraphrase than any reader may be willing to allow. "He that bears the sword of heaven should be not less holy than severe should be able to discover in himself a pattern of such grace as can avoid temptation, together with such virtue as dares venture abroad into the world without danger of seduction." STEEVENS. "Grace to stand, and virtue go." This last line is not intelli |