The generous and gravest citizens Have hent the gates, and very near upon [Exe. ACT V. MARIANA SCENE I.-A public Place near the City Gate. (veil'd), ISABELLA, and PETER, at a distance. opposite doors, Duke, VARRIUS, Lords; ANGELO, ESCALUS, LUCIO, Provost, Officers, and Citizens. Duke. MY very worthy cousin, fairly met : Our old and faithful friend, we are glad to see you. Ang. You make my bonds still greater. Duke. O, your desert speaks loud; and I should wrong it, To lock it in the wards of covert bosom, PETER and ISABELLA come forward. Pet. Now is your time; speak loud, and kneel before him. Isab. Justice, O royal duke! Vail your regard1 Upon a wrong'd, I'd fain have said, a maid! O worthy prince, dishonour not your eye By throwing it on any other object, [8] i. e. the most noble, &c. Generous is here used in its Latin sense. et generosa et nobilis."-Cicero. STEEVENS. [9] Have seized or taken possession of the gates JOHNSON. "Firgo [1] That is, withdraw your thoughts from higher things, let your notice descend upon a wronged woman. To vail is to lower. JOHNSON. Till you have heard me in my true complaint, Duke. Relate your wrongs: In what? By whom? Be brief: Here is lord Angelo shall give you justice; Isab. O, worthy duke, You bid me seek redemption of the devil: Hear me yourself; for that which I must speak Must either punish me, not being believ'd, Or wring redress from you hear me, O, hear me, here. Cut off by course of justice. Isab. By course of justice! Ang. And she will speak most bitterly, and strange. Isab. Most strange, but yet most truly, will I speak : That Angelo's forsworn; 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 strange, and strange? Duke. Nay, ten times strange. Isab. It is not truer he is Angelo, Than this is all as true as it is strange : Nay, it is ten times true; for truth is truth To th' end of reckoning." Duke. Away with her :-Poor soul, She speaks this in th' infirmity of sense. Isab. O prince, I conjure thee, as thou believ'st There is another comfort than this world, That thou neglect me not, with that opinion That I am touch'd with madness: make not impossible That which but seems unlike: 'tis not impossible, But one, the wicked'st caitiff on the ground, In all his dressings, characts, titles, forms, [2] That is, truth has no gradations: nothing which admits of increase can be BO much what it is, as truth is truth. There may be a strange thing, and a thing more strange, but if a proposition be true, there can be none more true. JOHN. [3] As shy, as reserved, as abstracted: as just,-as nice, as exact: as absolute,-as complete in all the round of duty. JOHNSON. If he be less, he's nothing; but he's more, Duke. By mine honesty, If she be mad, (as I believe no other,) Isab. O, gracious duke, Harp not on that; nor do not banish reason Duke. Many that are not mad, Have, sure, more lack of reason.-What would you say? To lose his head; condemn'd by Angelo: Was sent to by my brother: One Lucio Lucio. That's I, an't like your grace: I came to her from Claudio, and desir'd her Isab. That's he, indeed. Duke. You were not bid to speak. Lucio. No, my good lord; Nor wish'd to hold my peace. Pray you, take note of it: and when you have Lucio. I warrant your honour. Duke. The warrant's for yourself; take heed to it. Duke. It may be right; but you are in the wrong Isab. I went To this pernicious caitiff deputy Duke. That's somewhat madly spoken. Isab. Pardon it; The phrase is to the matter. Duke. Mended again: the matter ;-Proceed. Isab. In brief,-to set the needless process by, (For this was of much length,) the vile conclusion Release my brother; and, after much debatement, For my poor brother's head. Duke. This is most likely! Isab. O, that it were as like, as it is true! Duke. By heaven, fond wretch, thou know'st not what thou speak'st; Or else thou art suborn'd against his honour, Stands without blemish :-next, it imports no reason, Isab. And is this all?. Then, oh, you blessed ministers above, Keep me in patience; and, with ripen'd time, In countenance !-Heaven shield your grace from woe, On him so near us? This needs must be a practice." Isab. One that I would were here, friar Lodowick. Lucio. My lord, I know him; 'tis a meddling friar ; I do not like the man had he been lay, my lord, Fond wretch is foolish wretch. STEEVENS. Practice was used by the old writers for any unlawful or insidious stratagem. VOL. II. JOHNSON D For certain words he spake against your grace In your retirement, I had swing'd him soundly. Duke. Words against me? This' a good friar, belike! And to set on this wretched woman here Against our substitute !-Let this friar be found. Lucio. But yesternight, my lord, she and that friar I saw them at the prison: a sawcy friar, A very scurvy fellow. Peter. Blessed be your royal grace! I have stood by, my lord, and I have heard Duke. We did believe no less. Know you that friar Lodowick, that she speaks of? As he's reported by this gentleman ; And, on my trust, a man that never yet Did, as he vouches, misreport your grace. Lucio. My lord, most villanously; believe it. Of a strange fever: Upon his mere request, So vulgarly and personally accused,) Her shall you hear disproved to her eyes, Till she herself confess it. Duke. Good friar, let's hear it. [ISAB. is carried off [guarded: and MARIANA comes forward. Do you not smile at this, lord Angelo ? O heaven! the vanity of wretched fools! Of Mari. Pardon, my lord; I will not show my face, |