though the smelt brown bread and garlick: 5 fay, that I faid fo. Farewell. Duke. No might nor greatnefs in mortality Enter ESCALUS, Provoft, Bawd, and Officers. [Exit Bawd. Good my lord, be good to me; your honour is accounted a merciful man: good my lord. Efcal. Double and treble admonition, and still forfeit 6 in the fame kind? This would make mercy fwear, and play the tyrant.7 Prov. A bawd of eleven years continuance, may it pleast your honour. Bawd. My lord, this is one Lucio's information against me: miftrefs 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 was received in the former edition, but feems not neceffary. It were to be wifhed, that we all explained more, and amended lefs. JOHNSON. If Johnfon understood the paffage as it stands, I wish he had explained it. To me, Hanmer's amendment appears abfolutely necessary. M. MASON. I have inferted Mr. M. Mafon's remark: and yet the old reading is, in my opinion, too intelligible to need explanation. STEEVENS. 5 This was the phrafeology of our author's time. In The Merry Wives of Windfor, Mafter Fenton is faid to "fmell April and May," not "to Imell of" &c. MALONE. The com i. e. tranfgrefs, offend; from the French for faire. STLEVENS. 7 We should read fwerve, i. e. deviate from her nature. mon reading gives us the idea of a ranting whore. WARBURTON. There is furely no need of emendation. We fay at prefent, Such a thing is enough to make a parfon fwear, i. e. deviate from a proper refpect to decency, and the fanctity of his character. The idea of fwearing agrees very well with that of a tyrant in our ancient myfteries. STEEVENS. I do not much like mercy fwear, the old reading; or mercy fwerve, Dr. Warburton's correction. I believe it fhould be, this would make mercy fevere. FARMER. We ftill fay, to fwear like an emperor; and from fome old book, of which I unfortunately neglected to copy the title, I have noted-to fwear like a #yrant. To fwear like a termagant is quoted elsewhere. RITSON. * quarter old, come Philip and Jacob; I have kept it myself and fee how he goes about to abuse me. Efcal. That fellow is a fellow of much licence :-let him be called before us.-Away with her to prifon : Go to; no more words. [Exeunt Bawd and Officers.] Provost, my brother Angelo will not be alter'd, Claudio muft die to-mor row: let him be furnished with divines, and have all charit able preparation if my brother wrought by my pity, it fhould not be fo with him. Prov. So pleafe you, this friar hath been with him, and advised him for the entertainment of death. Efcal. Good even, good father. Duke. Blifs and goodnefs on you! Efcal. Of whence are you? Duke. Not of this country, though my chance is now Of gracious order, late come from the fee, Efcal. What news abroad i' the world? Duke. None, but that there is fo great a fever on goodness, that the diffolution of it must cure it: novelty is only in requeft; and it is as dangerous to be aged in any kind of courfe, as it is virtuous to be conftant in any undertaking. There is fcarce truth enough alive, to make focieties fecure; but fecurity enough, to make fellowships accurs'd: 9 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, fir, of what difpofition was the duke? Efcal. One, that, above all other ftrifes, contended efpecially to know himself. - from the fee,] The folio reads: -- from the fea. JOHNSON. Duke The emendation, which is undoubtedly right, was made by Mr. Theobald. In Hall's Chronicle, fea is often written for fee. MALONE. 9 The speaker here alludes to thofe legal fecurities into which "fellowhip" leads men to enter for each other. MALONE. The fenfe is," There fcarcely exists sufficient honefty in the world to make focial life fecure; but there are occafions enough where a man may be drawn in to become furety, which will make him pay dearly for his friendships." In excufe of this quibble, Shakspeare may plead high au thority. He that hateth furetiship is fure. Prov. xi. 15. HOLT WHITE Duke. What pleasure was he given to? Efcal. Rather rejoicing to fee another merry, than merry at any thing which profefs'd to make him rejoice: a gentle man of all temperance. But leave we him to his events, with a prayer they may prove profperous; and let me defire to know how you find Claudio prepared. I am made to underftand, that you have lent him vifitation. Duke. He profeffes to have received no finifter measure from his judge, but most willingly humbles himself to the determination of juftice: yet had he framed to himself, by the inftruction of his frailty, many deceiving promifes of life, which I, by my good leifure, have difcredited to him, and now is he refolved to die. 3 Efcal. You have paid the heavens your function, and the prifoner the very debt of your calling. I have labour'd for the poor gentleman, to the extremeft fhore of my modefty; but my brother juftice have I found fo fevere, that he hath forced me to tell him, he is indeed-juftice.3 Duke. If his own life anfwer the ftraitnefs of his proceeding, it fhall become him well; wherein if he chance to fail, he hath fentenced himself. Efeel. I am going to vifit the prifoner: Fare you well [Exeunt ESCALUS and Provoft. He, who the fword of heaven will bear, Should be as holy as fevere Pattern in himfelf to know, Grace to ftand, and virtue go; More refolved] i, e. fatisfied. REED. 3 Summum jus, fumma injuria. STEEVENS, Thefe lines I cannot understand, but believe that they should be read thus: Patterning himself to know. En grace to fland, in virtue go. To pattern is to work after a pattern, and, perhaps, in Shakspeare's licen tious diction, fimply to work. The fenfe is, be that bears the fiord of Leaven fhould be holy as well as fevere; one that after good examples tabours to know bimfelf, we live with innocence, and to a&t with virtue. JOHNSON. This pallage is very obfcure, nor can be cleared without a more licen. tious paraphrafe than any reader may be willing to allow. He that bears the fword of heaven bould be not lefs boly than fewere: fhould be able to discover More nor lefs to others paying, Moft pond'rous and fubftantial things! 7 Craft in himself a pattern of fuch grace as can avoid temptation, together with fuch virtue as dares venture abroad into the world without danger of feduction. STEEVENS. This last line is not intelligible as it ftands; but a very flight alteration, the addition of the word in, at the beginning of it, which may refer to virtue as well as grace, will render the fenfe of it clear. "Pattern in himself to know," is to feel in his own breast that virtue which he makes others practise. M. MASON, "Pattern in himself to know," is, to experience in his own bofom an original principle of action, which, instead of being borrowed or copied frona others, might ferve âŝ à pattern to them. MALONE. 5 je. to weed faults out of my dukedom, and yet indulge himself in his own private vices. STEEVENS. My, does not, I apprehend, relate to the Duke in particular, who had not been guilty of any vice, but to any indefinite perfon. The meaning feems to be-To deftroy by extirpation (as it is exprefled in another place) a fault that I have committed, and to fuffer his own vices to grow to a rank and luxuriant height. The fpeaker, for the fake of argument, puts himfelf in the cafe of an offending perfon. MALONE. The Duke is plainly speaking in his own perfon. What he here terms my vice," may be explained from his converfation in Act I. fc. iv. with Friar Thomas, and especially the following line : 'twas my fault to give the people fcope." The vice of Angelo requires no explanation HENLEY. Here we fee what induced our author to give the outward-fainted deputy, the name of Angelo. MALONE. 7 The fenfe is this. How much wickedness may a man hide within though he appear angel without. How may that likeness made in crimes, i. e. by hypocrify; [a pretty paradoxical expreflion, an angel made in crimes] by impofing upon the world [thus emphatically expreffed, making practice. on the times] draw with its falle and feeble pretences [finely called Spiders firings Craft against vice I must apply: [Exit, ACT IV. SCENE I. A Room in MARIANA's Houfe. SONG. Take, ob take thofe lips away, Lights that do mislead the morn But Atrings] the most pondrous and substantial matters of the world, as riches, honour, power, reputation, &c. WARBURTON. Likenefs may mean feemlinefs, fair appearance, as we say, a likely man. STEEVENS By made in crimes, the Duke means, trained in iniquity, and perfect in it. Thus we faya made horfe; a made pointer; meaning one welltrained. M. MASON. So difguife fhall by means of a perfon disguised, return an injurious demand with a counterfeit perfen. JOHNSON. 9 This is part of a little fong of Shakspeare's own writing, confifting. of two ftanzas, and fo extremely fweet, that the reader won't be dif pleased to have the other : Hide, ob hide thofe hills of snow, On whofe tops the pinks that grow, Are of thofe that April wears. Bound in thofe icy chains by thee. WARBURTON: Though Sewell and Gildon have printed this among Shakspeare's Poems, they have done the fame to fo many other pieces, of which the real authors are fince known, that their evidence is not to be depended on. It is not found in Jaggard's edition of our author's Sonnets, which was printed during his life-time. STEEVENS |