Lucio. My lord, here comes the rascal I spoke of; here, with the provost.

Escal. In very good time:-speak not you to him, till we call upon you.

Lucio. Mum.

Escal. Come, sir. Did you set these women on to slander lord Angelo? they have confess'd you did. Duke. "Tis false.

Escal. How! know you where you are?

Duke. Respect to your great place! and let the devil

Be sometime honour'd for his burning throne.-
Where is the duke? 'tis he should hear me speak.
Escal. The duke's in us, and we will hear you
speak:

Look, you speak justly.

Duke.

Boldly, at least.-But, O, poor souls! Come you to seek the lamb here of the fox? Good night to your redress. Is the duke gone? Then is your cause gone too. The duke's unjust, Thus to retort your manifest appeal,

And put your trial in the villain's mouth,

Which here you come to accuse.

Lucio. This is the rascal: this is he I spoke of.
Escal. Why, thou unreverend and unhallow'd friar !
Is't not enough, thou hast suborn'd these women
To accuse this worthy man, but, in foul mouth,
And in the witness of his proper ear,

To call him villain 10? And then to glance from him
To the duke himself, to tax him with injustice?—
Take him hence; to the rack with him:-We'll touze

you

10 To call him villain?] This is printed by Malone, and Steevens, as a hemistich, but by restoring the regulation of the metre, as in the old copies, for the next five or six lines, it will be seen that they run at least as regularly as Shakespeare, probably, intended in a scene of this description. At all events, the modern editors effected no improvement by their change.

3

Joint by joint, but we will know his purpose '.-
What! unjust?

Duke. Be not so hot; the duke dare

No more stretch this finger of mine, than he
Dare rack his own: his subject am I not,
Nor here provincial2. My business in this state
Made me a looker-on here in Vienna,

Where I have seen corruption boil and bubble,
Till it o'er-run the stew: laws for all faults,

But faults so countenanc'd, that the strong statutes
Stand like the forfeits in a barber's shop3,

As much in mock as mark.

Escal. Slander to the state! Away with him to prison.

Ang. What can you vouch against him, signior Lucio?

Is this the man that you did tell us of?

Lucio. 'Tis he, my lord.-Come hither, goodman bald-pate do you know me?

Duke. I remember you, sir, by the sound of your voice: I met you at the prison, in the absence of the duke.

Lucio. O! did you so? And do you remember what you said of the duke?

Duke. Most notedly, sir.

1 But we will know His purpose.] Malone substituted this for "his" without necessity.

2 Nor here PROVINCIAL.] "The different orders of monks (says Monck Mason) have a chief, who is called the General of the order; and they have also Superiors, subordinate to the General, in the several provinces through which the order may be dispersed. The friar therefore means to say, that the duke dares not touch a finger of his; for he could not punish him by his own authority, as he was not his subject, nor through that of the Superior, as he was not of that province."

* Stand like the forfeits in a barber's shop,] "Formerly with us (observes Warburton), the better sort of people went to the barber's shop to be trimmed, who then practised the under parts of surgery: so that he had occasion for numerous instruments, which lay there ready for use; and the idle people, with whom his shop was generally crowded, would be perpetually handling and misusing them. To remedy which, I suppose, there was placed up against the wall a table of forfeitures, adapted to every offence of this kind; which, it is not likely, would long preserve its authority." This may be true, but it wants proof.

Lucio. Do you so, sir? And was the duke a fleshmonger, a fool, and a coward, as you then reported him to be?

Duke. You must, sir, change persons with me, ere you make that my report: you, indeed, spoke so of him; and much more, much worse.

Lucio. O, thou damnable fellow! Did not I pluck thee by the nose, for thy speeches?

Duke. I protest, I love the duke as I love myself. Ang. Hark how the villain would close now, after his treasonable abuses.

Escal. Such a fellow is not to be talk'd withal:Away with him to prison.-Where is the provost ?— Away with him to prison. Lay bolts enough upon him, let him speak no more.-Away with those giglots too, and with the other confederate companion.

[The Provost lays hand on the DUKE.

Duke. Stay, sir; stay a while.

Ang. What! resists he? Help him, Lucio.

Lucio. Come, sir; come, sir; come, sir; foh! sir. Why, you bald-pated, lying rascal! you must be hooded, must you? show your knave's visage, with a pox to you! show your sheep-biting face, and be hang'd an hour. Will't not off?

[Pulls off the Friar's hood, and discovers

the DUKE.

Duke. Thou art the first knave, that e'er made a duke.

First, provost, let me bail these gentle three.

Sneak not away, sir; [To LUCIO.] for the friar and you Must have a word anon.-Lay hold on him.

Lucio. This may prove worse than hanging.

Duke. What you have spoke, I pardon; sit you

down.

We'll borrow place of him :-Sir, by your leave.

[TO ESCALUS.

[To ANGELO.

Hast thou or word, or wit, or impudence,

That yet can do thee office? If thou hast,
Rely upon it till my tale be heard,

And hold no longer out.

Ang.

O, my dread lord!

I should be guiltier than my guiltiness,

To think I can be undiscernible,

When I perceive your grace, like power divine,
Hath look'd upon my passes: Then, good prince,
No longer session hold upon my shame,

But let my trial be mine own confession:
Immediate sentence then, and sequent death,
Is all the grace I beg.

Duke.

Come hither, Mariana.

Say, wast thou e'er contracted to this woman?

Ang. I was, my lord.

Duke. Go take her hence, and marry her instantly.Do you the office, friar; which consummate,

Return him here again.-Go with him, provost.

[Exeunt ANGELO, MARIANA, PETER, and Provost.

Escal. My lord, I am more amaz'd at his dishonour, Than at the strangeness of it.

Duke.

Come hither, Isabel.

Your friar is now your prince: as I was then
Advertising and holy to your business,
Not changing heart with habit, I am still
Attorney'd at your service.

Isab.

O, give me pardon,

That I, your vassal, have employ'd and pain'd
Your unknown sovereignty!

Duke.

You are pardon'd, Isabel:

And now, dear maid, be you as free to us.
Your brother's death, I know, sits at your heart;
And you may marvel, why I obscur'd myself,
Labouring to save his life, and would not rather
Make rash remonstrance of my hidden power,
Than let him so be lost. O, most kind maid!

It was the swift celerity of his death,

Which I did think with slower foot came on,

That brain'd my purpose: but, peace be with him!
That life is better life, past fearing death,

Than that which lives to fear. Make it your comfort,
So happy is your brother.

Re-enter ANGELO, MARIANA, PETER, and Provost. Isab.

I do, my lord.

Duke. For this new-married man, approaching here, Whose salt imagination yet hath wrong'd

Your well-defended honour, you must pardon

For Mariana's sake. But, as he adjudg'd your brother, (Being criminal, in double violation

Of sacred chastity, and of promise-breach,
Thereon dependent, for your brother's life,)
The very mercy of the law cries out

Most audible, even from his proper tongue,

"An Angelo for Claudio, death for death!”
Haste still pays haste, and leisure answers leisure,
Like doth quit like, and Measure still for Measure.
Then, Angelo, thy fault's thus manifested,

Which, though thou would'st deny, denies thee vantage.
We do condemn thee to the very block

Where Claudio stoop'd to death, and with like haste.Away with him.

Mari.

O, my most gracious lord!

I hope you will not mock me with a husband.

Duke. It is your husband mock'd you with a husband. Consenting to the safeguard of your honour,

I thought your marriage fit; else imputation,
For that he knew you, might reproach your life,
And choke your good to come. For his possessions,
Although by confiscation they are ours 5;

We do instate and widow you withal,

4 Although by CONFISCATION they are ours,] This reading was furnished by the editor of the second folio. The original copy has confutation.