To one that can my part in him advértise;" In our remove, be thou at full ourself; Live in thy tongue and heart: Old Efcalus, Take thy commiffion, 8 Ang. and extraordinary exertions in those whom she has thus favoured, by way Ufe in the phrafeology of our author's age, fignified intereft of money. 6 This is obfcure. The meaning is, I direct my fpeech to one who To one that can, in my part me advertise. A better expreffion indeed, but, for all that, none of Shakspeare's. I know not whether we may not better read, One that can, my part to bim advertise, WARBURTON One that can inform himself of that which it would be otherwife my part to To advertife is ufed in this fenfe, and with Shakspeare's accentuation, "Or, of my father, if thy royal ear "Hath been advértis'd STEEVENS. I believe, the meaning is, I am talking to one who is himself already fufficiently converfant with the nature and duties of my office ;-of that effice, which I bave now delegated to bim. MALONE. 7 That is, continue to be Angelo; bold as thou art. JOHNSON. I believe that Hold therefore, Angelo; are the words which the Duke utters on tendering his commiffion to him. He concludes with-Take thy commiffion. STEEVENS. If a full point be put after therefore, the Duke may be understood to fpeak of himself. Hold therefore, i. e. Let me therefore hold, or ftop. And the fenfe of the whole paffage may be this.- -The Duke, who has begun an exhortation to Angelo, checks himself thus: "But I am speaking to one, that can in bim [in or by himself] apprehend my part [all that I have to fay]: I will therefore fay no more [on that fubject]." Be then merely fignifies to Angelo his appointment. TYRWHITT. That is, firft called for ; first appointed. JOHNSON Escalus, as if h "The duke begins to address Angelo as he did thought it was his part or duty to make a set speech on the occasion; but, as he did in the former case, he checks himself as doing a mod thing to which ma undered needless by Angelo only adverting or Ang. Now, good my lord, Let there be fome more test made of my metal, Before fo noble and so great a figure Be ftamp'd upon it. Duke. Ang. Yet, give leave, my lord, Nor need you, on mine honour, have to do As to your foul feems good. Give me your hand Duke. 9 Leaven'd choice is one of Shakspeare's harsh metaphors. His train of ideas feems to be this: I bave proceeded to you with choice mature, concocted, fermented, leavened. When bread is leavened it is left to ferment: a leavened choice is therefore a choice not hafty, but confiderate; not declared as foon as it fell into the imagination, but fuffered to work long in the mind. Thus explained, it fuits better with prepared than levelled. JOHNSON. 2 i. e. accompany you. So, in A Woman kill'd with Kindness, by Heywood, 1617: "She went very lovingly to bring him on his way to horfe." And the fame mode of expreffion is to be found in almost every writer of the times: REED. 3 That is, your amplitude of power, JOHNSON. Duke. I thank you: Fare you well. Efcal. I fhall defire you, fir, to give me leave To have free fpeech with you; and it concerns me To look into the bottom of my place : A power I have; but of what ftrength and nature I am not yet inftructed. Ang. "Tis fo with me:-Let us withdraw together, And we may foon our fatisfaction have Touching that point. [Exit. SCENE II. A Street. Enter LUCIO, and two Gentlemen. Lucio. If the duke, with the other dukes, come not to compofition with the king of Hungary, why, then all the dukes fall upon the king. 1 Gent. Heaven grant us its peace, but not the king of Hungary's! 2 Gent. Amen. Lucio. Thou concludest like the fanctimonious pirate, that went to fea with the ten commandments, but fcraped one out of the table. 2 Gent. Thou shalt not steal? Lucio. Ay, that he razed. 1 Gent. Why, 'twas a commandment to command the сарtain and all the reft from their functions; they put forth to fteal: There's not a foldier of us all, that, in the thanksgiving before meat, doth relish the petition well that prays for peace. 2 Gent. I never heard any foldier dislike it. Lucio. I believe thee; for, I think, thou never waft where grace was faid. 2 Gent. No? a dozen times at least. 1 Gent. What? in metre? 4 Lucio. In the primers there are metrical graces, fuch as, I fuppofe, were ufed in Shakspeare's time. JOHNSON. Lucio. In any proportion, or in any language. Lucio. Ay! why not? Grace is grace, defpite of all controverfy: As for example; Thou thyfelf art a wicked villain, defpite of all grace. 1 Gent. Well, there went but a pair of sheers between us.7 Lucio. I grant; as there may between the lifts and the velvet: Thou art the lift. 1 Gent. And thou the velvet: thou art good velvet; thou art a three-pil'd piece, I warrant thee: I had as lief be a lift of an English kerfey, as be pil'd, as thou art pil'd, for a French velvet. Do I fpeak feelingly now? Lucio. I think thou doft; and, indeed, with most painful feeling of thy fpeech: I will, out of thine own confefsion, learn to begin thy health; but, whilft I live, forget to drink after thee. 1 Gent. 5 Proportion fignifies measure; and refers to the question, What? in metre? WARBURTON. This fpeech is improperly given to Lucio. It clearly belongs to the fecond Gentleman, who had heard grace a dozen times at least." RITSON 6 Satirically infinuating, that the controverfies about grace were fo intricate and endlefs, that the difputants unfettled every thing but this, that grace was grace; which, however, in fpite of controverfy, ftill remained. certain. WARRURTON. I am in doubt whether Shakspeare's thoughts reached fo far into ecclefiaftical difputes. Every commentator is warped a little by the tract of his own profeffion. The question is, whether the fecond gentleman has ever heard grace. The first gentleman limits the question to grace in metre. Lucio enlarges it to grace in any form or language. The first gentleman, to go beyond him, fays, or in any religion, which Lucio allows, because the nature of things is unalterable; grace is as immutably grace, as his merry antagonist is a wicked villain. Difference in religion cannot make a grace not to be grace, a prayer not to be boly; as nothing can make a villain not to be a villain. This seems to be the meaning, fuch as it is. JOHNSON. 7 We are both of the fame piece. JOHNSON. 8 The jeft about the pile of a French velvet, alludes to the lofs of hair in the French disease, a very frequent topick of our author's jocularity. Lucio finding that the gentleman understands the distemper fo well, and mentions it fo feelingly, promises to remember to drink his bealth, but to forget to drink after him. It was the opinion of Shakspeare's time, that the cup of an infected perfon was contagious. JOHNSON. The jest lies between the fimilar found of the words pill'd and pil'd. This I have elsewhere explained, under a paffage in Henry VIII; · "Pill'd prieft thou lieft." STEEVENS › Gent. I think, I have done myself wrong; have I not? 2 Gent. Yes, that thou haft; whether thou art tainted, or free. Lucio. Behold, behold, where madam Mitigation comes ! I have purchased as many diseases under her roof, as come to 2 Gent. To what, I pray ? 1 Gent. Judge. 2 Gent. To three thousand dollars a year." 1 Gent. Ay, and more. Lucio. A French crown more. 1 Gent. Thou art always figuring diseases in me: but thou art full of error; I am found. Lucio. Nay, not as one would fay, healthy; but fo found, as things that are hollow: thy bones are hollow; impiety has made a feast of thee. Enter Bawd. 1 Gent. How now? Which of your hips has the most profound fciatica ? Bard. Well, well; there's one yonder arrefted, and carry'd to prifon, was worth five thousand of you all. 1 Gent. Who's that, I pray thee? Bawd. Marry, fir, that's Claudio, fignior Claudio. 1 Gent. Claudio to prifon! 'tis not fo. Bard. Nay, but I know, 'tis fo: I faw him arrefted; faw him carried away; and, which is more, within these three days his head's to be chopped off. Lucio. But, after all this fooling, I would not have it so : Art thou fure of this? Bawd. I am too fure of it: and it is for getting madam Julietta with child. Lucio. Believe me, this may be: he promised to meet me two hours fince; and he was ever precife in promife-keeping. 2 Gent. Befides, you know, it draws fomething near to the speech we had to fuch a purpose. 1 Gent. But most of all, agreeing with the proclamation. A quibble intended between dollars and dolours. HANMER. The fame jeft occurred before in The Tempeft. JOHNSON. Bard. & Alluding to the disease called corona veneris. W.T |