interlude; one sir Topas, sir; but that's all one:-By the Lord, jool, I am not mud;— But do you remember? Madam, why laugh you at such a barrén rascal? an you smile not, he's gagg'd: And thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges. Mal. I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you. [Exit. Uli. He hath been most notoriously abus'd. Duke. Pursue him, and entreat him to a peace: He hath not told us of the captain yet; When that is known and golden time convents*, A solemn combination shall be made Of our dear souls-Mean time, sweet sister, [Exeunt. Clo. SONG. When that I was and a little tiny boy, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain, A foolish thing was but a toy, For the rain it raineth every day. -But when I came to man's estate, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain, Gainst knave and thief men shut their gate, For the rain it ruineth every day. But when I came, alas! to wive, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain, By swaggering could I never thrive, For the rain it raineth every day.' But when I came unto my bed, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain, With toss-pots still had drunken head, For the rain it raineth every day. A great while ago the world begun, With hey, ho, the wind and the rain, But that's all one, our play is done, And we'll strive to please you every day. [Exit. Shall serve. This play is in the graver part elegant and easy, and in some of the lighter scenes exquisitely humorous. Ague-cheek is drawn with great propriety, but his character is, in a great measure, that of natural fatuity, and is therefore not the proper prey of a satirist. The soliloquy of Malvolio is truly comic; he is betrayed to ridicule merely by his pride. The marriage of Olivia, and the succeeding perplexity, though well enough contrived to divert on the stage, wants credibility, and fails to produce the proper instruction required in the drama, as it exhibits no just picture of life.-JOHNSON, 2 MEASURE FOR MEASURE. Persons represented. VINCENTIO, duke of Vienna. Two other like gentlemen. A JUSTICE. ELBOW, a simple constable. BARNARDINE, a dissolute prisoner. VARRIUS, a gentleman, servant to the duke. MARIANA, betrothed to Angelo. PROVOST. THOMAS, two friars. PETER, JULIET, beloved by Claudio. MISTRESS OVER-DONE, a bawd. Lords, Gentlemen, Guards, Officers, and other Attendants. Duke. Escalus,Escal. My lord. Duke. Of government the properties to unfold, [course; Would seem in me to affect speech and dis Since I am put to know, that your own science, Exceeds, in that, the lists of all advice My strength can give you: Then no more remains [able, But that to your sufficiency, as your worth is And let them work. The nature of our people Our city's institutions, and the terms For common justice, you are as pregnant † in, As art and practice hath enriched any That we remember: There is our commission, From which we would not have you warp. I say,bid come before us Angelo.-[Call hither, [Exit an Attendant. What figure of us think you he will bear? For you must know, we have with special soul Elected him our absence to supply; Lent him our terror, drest him with our love; And given his deputation all the organs Of our own power: What think you of it? Escal. If any in Vienna be of worth To undergo such ample grace and honour, It is lord Angelo. Enter ANGELO. There is a kind of character in thy life, But to fine issues: nor nature never lends In our remove, be thou at full ourself; Duke. No more evasion: We have with a leaven'd and prepared choice Proceeded to you; therefore take your honours. Our haste from hence is of so quick condition, That it prefers itself, and leaves unquestion'd Matters of needful value. We shall write to you, As time and our concernings shall impórtune, How it goes with us; and do look to know What doth befall you here. So, fare you well: To the hopeful execution do I leave you Of your commissions. Endowments. So much thy own property. ¶ Interest. Ang. Yet, give leave, my lord, That we may bring you something on the way. Duke. My haste may not admit it; Nor need you, on mine honour, have to do With any scruple: your scope is as mine So to enforce, or qualify the laws, [own; As to your soul seems good. Give me your I'll privily away: I love the people, [hand; But do not like to stage me to their eyes: Though it do well, I do not relish well Their loud applause, and avest vehement; Nor do I think the man of safe discretion, That does affect it. Once more, fare you well, Ang. The heavens give safety to your [happiness. Escal. Lead forth, and bring you back in Duke. I thank you: Fare you well. [Exit. Escal. I shall desire you, sir, to give me leave [me To have free speech with you; and it concerns To look into the bottom of my place: [nature A power I have; but of what strength and I am not yet instructed. [together, Ang. 'Tis so with me:-Let us withdraw And we may soon our satisfaction have Touching that point. Escal. purposes! I'll wait upon your honour, [Exeunt. SCENE II. A Street. Enter Lucio and two Gentlemen. Lucio. If the duke, with the other dukes, come not to composition 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. 1 Gent. And thou the velvet: thon art good velvet; thou art a three-pil'd piece, I warrant thee: I had as lief be a list of an English kersey, as be pil'd, as thou art pil'd, for a French velvet. Do I speak feelingly now? Lucio. I think thou dost; and, indeed, with most painful feeling of thy speech: I will, out of thine own confession, learn to begin thy health; but, whilst I live, forget to drink after thee. I Gent. I think, I have done myself wrong; have I not? 2 Gent. Yes, that thou hast; whether thou art tainted, or free. Lucio. Behold, behold, where madam Mitigation comes! I have purchased as many diseases under her roof, as come to2 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 sound. Lucio. Nay, not as one would say, healthy; but so sound, 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 sciatica? Buwd. Well, well; there's one yonder arrested, and carried to prison, was worth five thousand of you all. 1 Gent. Who's that, I pray thee? Bawd. Marry, sir, that's Claudio, signior Lucio. Thou concludest like the sanctimo-Claudio. nious pirate, that went to sea with the ten commandments, but scraped 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 captain and all the rest from their functions; they put forth to steal: There's not a soldier of us all, that, in the thanksgiving before meat, doth relish the petition well that prays for peace. 2 Gent. I never heard any soldier dislike it, Lucio. I believe thee; for, I think, thou never wast where grace was said. 2 Gent. No? a dozen times at least.. 1 Gent. What? in metre? Lucio, In any proportion t, or in any language. 1 Gent. I think, or in any religion. Lucio. Ay! why not? Grace is grace, despite of all controversy: As for example; Thon thyself art a wicked villain, despite of all grace. Gent. Well, there went but a pair of sheers between us. Lucio, I grant; as there may between the lists and the velvet: Thou art the list. 1 Gent. Claudio to prison! 'tis not so. Bawd. Nay, but I know, 'tis so: I saw him arrested; saw 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 sure of this? Bawd. I am too sure of it; and it is for getting madam Julietta with child. Lucio. Believe me, this may be he promised to meet me two hours since; and be was ever precise in promise-keeping. 2 Gent. Besides, you know, it draws something near to the speech we had to such a purpose. 1 Gent. But most of all, agreeing with the proclamation. Lucio. Away; let's go learn the truth of it. [Exeunt Lucio and Gentlemen. Bawd. Thus, what with the war, what with the sweat **, what with the gallows, and what with poverty, I am custom-shrunk. How now? what's the news with you? Enter Clown. Clo. Yonder man is carried to prison. + Measure. A jest on the loss of hair by the French disease. ** The sweating sickness. A cut of the same cloth. Corona Veneris. Bawd. But what's his offence? Clo. Groping for trouts in a peculiar river. Bawd. What, is there a maid with child by him? Clo. No; but there's a woman with maid by him: You have not heard of the procla mation, have you? Bawd. What proclamation, man. Claud. One word, good friend :- Lució, a I got possession of Julietta's bed; Clo. All houses in the suburbs of Vienna Save that we do the denunciation lack must be pluck'd down. Bawd. And what shall become of those in the city? Clo. They shall stand for seed: they had gone down too, but that a wise burgher put in for them. Bawd. But shall all our houses of resort in the suburbs be pull'd down? Clo. To the ground, mistress. Bawd. Why, here's a change, indeed, in the commonwealth! What shall become of me? Clo. Come; fear not you; good counsellors lack no clients: though you change your place, you need not change your trade; I'll be your tapster still. Courage; there will be pity taken on you: you that have worn your eyes almost out in the service, you will be considered. Bawd. What's to do here, Thomas Tapster? Let's withdraw. Clo. Here comes signior Claudio, led by SCENE III. The same. Bear me to prison, where I am committed. Claud. From too much liberty, my Lacio, Lucio. If I could speak so wisely under an arrest, I would send for certain of my creditors: And yet, to say the truth, I had as lief have the foppery of freedom, as the morality of imprisonment.-What's thy offence, Claudio? Claud. What, but to speak of would offend [again. Of outward order: this we came not to, 4 Lucio. I warrant, it is; and thy head stands When she will play with reason and discourse, Lucio. I pray, she may as well for the encouragement of the like, which else would stand under grievous imposition; as for the enjoying of thy life, who I would be sorry should be thus foolishly lost at a game of tick-tack. I'll to her. Claud. I thank you, good friend Lucio." [Exeunt. SCENE IV. A Monastery. Enter DUKE and Friar THOMAS. Duke. No holý father; throw away that Yearly circles. Ticklish, Enter on her probation. To give me secret harbour, hath a purpose Which for these fourteen years we have let Fri. It rested in your grace To unloose this tied-up justice, when you pleas'd: And it in you more dreadful would have seem'd, Than in lord Angelo. Duke. I do fear, too dreadful: Sith 'twas my fault to give the people scope, Twould be my tyranny to strike, and gall them For what I bid them do: For we bid this be done, When evil deeds have their permissive pass, And not the punishment. Therefore, indeed, my father, Who may, I have on Angelo impos'd the office; be. Completely armed. On his defence. [Exeunt. SCENE V.A Nunnery,Ð ̧ Enter ISABELLA and FRANCISCA. 911 Isab. And have you nuns no further privileges? ་་། Fran. Are not these large enough? [more; Isab. Yes, truly: I speak not as desiring But rather wishing a more strict restraint Upon the sisterhood, the votarists of saint Clare. Lucio. Ho! Peace be in this place? [Within.] Isab. Who's that which calls? Fran. It is a man's voice: Gentle Isabella, Turn you the key, and know his business of him; You may, I may not; you are yet unsworn: When you have vow'd, you must not speak with But in the presence of the prioress: [men, Then, if you speak, you must not show your face; Or, if you show your face, you must not speak. He calls again; I pray you, answer him. Exit FRANCISCA. Isab. Peace and prosperity! Who is't that calls? Not to be weary with you, he's in prison. Isab. Sir, make me not your story **. I would not-though 'tis my familiar sin Isab. You do blaspheme the good, in mock- + Retired. Showy dress resides. ** Do not make a jest of me. Breeding plenty. §§ Tilling. |