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. & Escal. Happy return be to your royal grace! We have made inquiry of you; and we hear 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 regard' 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] . e. the most noble, &c. Generous is here used in its Latin sense. el generos et nobilis."-Cicero. STEEVENS JOHNSON. Virgo lave seized or taken possession of the gates scend upon a wronged woman. To vail is to lower. JOHNSON, Till you have heard me in my true complaint, And given me, justice, justice, justice, justice! Duke. Relate your wrongs: In what? By whom? Be brief: Here is lord Angelo shall give you justice; Reveal yourself to him. 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. Ang. My lord, her wits, I fear me, are not firm : She hath been a suitor to me for her brother, Cut off by course of justice. Isab. By course of justice! Ang. And she will speak most bitterly, and strange. 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, May seem as shy, as grave, as just, as absolute,' As Angelo; even so may Angelo, In all his dressings, characts, titles, forms, Be an arch-villain: believe it, royal prince, [2] That is, truth has no gradations; nothing which admits of increase can be so much what it is, as truth is truth. There may be a strange thing, and a thing more strange, but if a proposition he fru, there can be none more true. JOHN. [3] As shy, as reserved, as abstracted: as just,-as nice, as exact: as absolute,~ JOHNSON. as complete in all the round of duty. If he be less, he's nothing; but he's more, Duke. By mine honesty, If she be mad, (as I believe no other,) As e'er I heard in madness. Isab. O, gracious duke, Harp not on that; nor do not banish reason To make the truth appear, where it seems hid; And hide the false, seems true. 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 1, 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. Duke. I wish you now then; Pray you, take note of it: and when you have A business for yourself, pray heaven, you then Lucio. I warrant your honour. Duke. The warrant's for yourself; take heed to it. Isab. This gentleman told somewhat of my tale. Lucio. Right. Duke. It may be right; but you are in the wrong To speak before your time.-Proceed. Isab. I went To this pernicious caitiff deputy Duke. That's somewhat madly spoken. Isab. Pardon it; The phrase is to the matter. Dike. 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, And I did yield to him: But the next morn betimes, 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, As I, thus wrong'd, hence unbelieved go! Duke. I know, you'd fain be gone :-An officer! To prison with her :-Shall we thus permit A blasting and a scandalous breath to fall On him so near us? This needs must be a practice." Isub. 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, [4] Fond wretch is foolish wretch. STEEVENS, [5] 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 Duke. Words against me? This' a good friar, belike! And to set on this wretched woman bere Against our substitute !-Let this friar be found. 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, (Being come to knowledge that there was complaint To speak, as from his mouth, what he doth know And all probation, will make up full clear, So vulgarly and personally accused,) Her shall you hear disproved to her eyes, Till she herself confess it. Do Duke. Good friar, let's hear it. [ISAB. is carried off [guarded: and MARIANA comes forward. you not smile at this, lord Angelo ?— O heaven! the vanity of wretched fools!- Of your own cause. -Is this the witness, friar? Mari. Pardon, my lord; I will not show any face, |