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ANG. My lord, her wits, I fear me, are not firm: She hath been a fuitor to me for her brother,

Cut off by course of justice.

ISAB.

By course of justice!
ANG. And she will speak moft bitterly, and strange.
ISAB. Most strange, but yet moft truly, will speak:
That Angelo's forfworn; is it not strange?
That Angelo's a murderer; is't not strange?
That Angelo is an adulterous thief,

An hypocrite, a virgin-violator;
Is it not ftrange, and ftrange?
DUKE.

Nay, it is ten times ftrange.

ISAB. It is not truer he is Angelo,
Than this is all as true as it is ftrange:
Nay, it is ten times true; for truth is truth
To the end of reckoning. 8

DUKE.

Away with her:-Poor foul, She fpeaks this in the infirmity of sense.

ISAB. O prince, I conjure thee, as thou believ'ft There is another comfort than this world,

That thou neglect me not, with that opinion That I am touch'd with madness: make not impof

fible

That which but feems unlike: 'tis not impoffible, But one, the wicked'ft caitiff on the ground, May feem as fhy, as grave, as juft, as abfolute,

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To the end of reckoning.] That is, truth, has no gradations; nothing which admits of encrease can be fo much what it is, as truth is truth. There may be a strange thing, and a thing more Strange, but if a propofition be true, there can be none more true. JOHNSON.

as fhy, as grave, as juft, as abfolute,] As fhy; as referved, as abftra&ted: as juft; as nice, as exact: as abfolute; as complete in all the round of duty. JOHNSON.

As Angelo; even fo may Angelo,

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In all his dreffings, characts,' titles, forms,
Be an arch-villain: believe it, royal prince,
If he be lefs, he's nothing; but he's more,
Had I more name for badness.

DUKE.

By mine honefty,

If fhe be mad, (as I believe no other,)
Her madness hath the oddeft frame of sense,
Such a dependency of thing on thing,

As e'er I heard in madnefs. 4

ISAB. O, gracious duke, Harp not on that; nor do not banish reason For inequality: but let your reafon ferve

In all his dreffings, &c.] In all his femblance of virtue, in all his habiliments of office. JOHNSON.

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characs,] i. e. characters. See Dugdale, Orig. Jurid. p. 81: "That he use, ne hide, no charme, ne careƐte.

So, in Gower, De Confeffione Amantis, B. I:

"With his carečte would him enchaunt. "

Again, B. V. fol. 103:

"And read his carece in the wife.

Again, B. VI. fol. 140:

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TYRWHITT.

Chara& fignifies an inscription. The ftat. 1 Edward VI. c. 2. directed the feals of office of every bishop to have "certain charads under the king's arms, for the knowledge of the diocefe. Characters are the letters in which the infcription is written. racery is the materials of which characters are compofed. "Fairies ufe flowers for their characlery.

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Cha

Merry Wives of Windfor. BLACKSTONE.

4 As e'er I heard, &c.] I fuppofe Shakspeare wrote:

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As ne'er I heard in madness.

do not banish reafon

Malone.

For inequality:] Let not the high quality of my adversary prejudice you against me. JOHNSON.

To make the truth appear, where it seems hid; And hide the falfe, feems true. 6

DUKE.

Many that are not mad,

Have, sure, more lack of reason.-What would you

fay?

ISAB. I am the fifter of one Claudio,
Condemn'd upon the act of fornication
To lofe his head; condemn'd by Angelo:
I, in probation of a fifterhood,

Was fent to by my brother: One Lucio.
As then the meffenger; -

LUCIO.

That's I, an't like your grace:

I came to her from Claudio, and defir'd her
To try her gracious fortune with lord Angelo,
For her poor brother's pardon.

ISAB.

That's he, indeed.

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Pray you, take note of it: and when you have

Inequality appears to me to mean, in this place, apparent inconfiftency; and to have no reference to the high rank of Angelo, as Johnfon fuppofes. M. MASON.

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6 And hide the falfe, feems true.] And for ever hide, i. e. plunge into eternal darknefs, the falfe one, i. e. Angelo, who now seems honeft. Many other words would have expreffed our poet's, meaning better than hide; but he feems to have chofen it merely for the fake of oppofition to the preceding line. Mr. Theobald unneceffarily reads Not hide the false, which has been followed by the

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fubfequent editors. MALONE.

I do not profefs to understand thefe words; nor can I perceive how the meaning fuggefted by Mr. Malone is to be deduced from them. STEEVENS.

A business for yourself, pray heaven, you then Be perfect.

LUCIO. I warrant your honour.

DUKE. The warrant's for yourfelf; take heed to it. ISAB. This gentleman told somewhat of my tale. LUCIO. Right.

DUKE. It may be right; but you are in the wrong To fpeak before your time.-Proceed.

ISAB.

To this pernicious caitiff deputy.

DUKE. That's fomewhat madly fpoken.
ISAB.

The phrafe is to the matter.

I went

Pardon it;

DUKE. Mended again: the matter; - Proceed. ISAB. In brief,-to fet the needlefs procefs by, How I perfuaded, how I pray'd, and kneel'd, How he refell'd me, and how I reply'd;

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(For this was of much length,) the vile conclufion
I now begin with grief and fhame to utter:
He would not, but by gift of my chafte body
To his concupifcible intemperate lust, '

Release my brother; and, after much debatement,
My fifterly remorse confutes mine honour,

7 How he refell'd me,] To refel is to refute.

"

"Refellere coarguere mendacium. Cicero pro Ligario. Ben Jonfon ufes the word:

Friends not to refel you,

"Or any way quell you.

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Again, in The Second Part of Robert Earl of Huntington, 1601: Therefore go on, young Bruce, proceed, refell

"The allegation.

The modern editors changed the word to repel. STEEVENS.

To his concupifcible, &c.] Such is the old reading. The modern editors unauthoritatively fubftitute concupifcent. STEEVENS. 9 My Sisterly remorse i. e. pity. So, in King Richard III: "And gentle, kind, effeminate remorse. STEEVENS.

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But the next morn betimes, he fends a warrant

And I did yield to him:
His purpose furfeiting,
For my poor brother's head.

DUKE.

This is most likely!

ISAB. O, that it were as like,
DUKE. By heaven, fond wretch,

what thou speak'st;

as it is true! 3

thou know'ft not

Or else thou art fuborn'd against his honour,
In hateful practice: Firft, his integrity

Stands without blemish:-next, it imports no reason,
That with fuch vehemency he should pursue
Faults proper to himself; if he had fo offended,
He would have weigh'd thy brother by himself,

His purpofe furfeiting, ] Thus the old copy. We might read forfeiting, but the former word is too much in the manner of Shakspeare to be rejected. So, in Othello:

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my hopes not furfeited to death. STEEVENS. 30, that it were as like, as it is true!] Like is not here ufed for probable, but for feemly She catches at the Duke's word, and turns it into another fenfe; of which there are a great many examples in Shakspeare, and the writers of that time. WARBURTON.

I do not fee why like may not ftand here for probable, or why the lady should not wifh, that fince her tale is true, it may obtain belief. If Dr. Warburton's explication be right, we fhould read: O! that it were as likely, as 'tis true!

Likely I have never found for feemly. JOHNSON.

Though I concur in Dr. Johnfon's explanation, I cannot help obferving that likely is ufed by Shakspeare himself for feemly. So, in King Henry IV. Part II. A& III. fc. ii: "Sir John, they are your likelieft men. STEEVENS.

The meaning, I think, is: O that it had as much of the appearance, as it has of the reality, of truth! MALONE.

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fond wretch, Fond wretch is foolish wretch. So, in Coriolanus. A& IV. fc. i:

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'Tis fond to wail inevitable ftrokes.' STEEVENS.

In hateful pra&ice: ] Practice was used by the old writers for any unlawful or infidious ftratagem. So again:

"This must needs be practice.

And again:

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Let me have way to find this pradice out.

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