We have made inquiry of you; and we hear
Such goodness of your justice, that our foul
Cannot but yield you forth to public thanks,
Fore-running more requital.

ANG. You make my bonds ftill greater.

DUKE. O, your desert speaks loud; and I should wrong it, To lock it in the wards of covert bofom,

When it deferves with characters of brafs
A forted refidence, 'gainst the tooth of time,
And razure of oblivion: Give me your hand,
And let the fubject fee, to make them know
That outward courtefies would fain proclaim
Favours that keep within.-Come, Escalus;
You must walk by us on our other hand;-
And good fupporters are you.

PETER and ISABELLA come forward.

F. PETER. Now is your time; speak loud, and kneel before him.

ISAB. Juftice, O royal Duke! Vail your regard
Upon a wrong'd, I'd fain have faid, a maid!
O worthy prince, dishonour not your eye
By throwing it on any other object,

Till you have heard me in my true complaint,

And given me justice, justice, justice, justice!

[brief:

DUKE. Relate your wrongs: In what? By whom? Be

Here is lord Angelo fhall give you justice;

Reveal yourself to him.

ISAB. O, worthy duke,

You bid me feek redemption of the devil :

Hear me yourself; for that which I must speak
Muft 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 fuitor to me for her brother,

Cut off by course of justice.

ISAB. By courfe of juftice!

ANG. And fhe will speak moft bitterly, and strange. ISAB. Most strange, but yet most truly, will I speak: That Angelo's forfworn; is it not ftrange?

That Angelo's a murderer; is't not ftrange?
That Angelo is an adulterous thief,
An hypocrite, a virgin-violator;
Is it not ftrange, and strange?

DUKE. Nay, it is ten times strange.
ISAB. It is not truer he is Angelo,
Than this is all as true as it is ftrange:
Nay, it is ten times true; for truth is truth
To the end of reckoning.

DUKE. Away with her :-Poor foul,

She speaks this in the infirmity of fenfe.

ISAB. O prince, I cónjure 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 impoffible
That which but feems unlike: 'tis not impoffible,

But one, the wicked'ft caitiff on the ground,
May seem as fhy, as grave, as just, as absolute,
As Angelo; even fo may Angelo,

In all his dreffings, characts, titles, forms,
Be an arch-villain: believe it, royal prince,
If he be lefs, he's nothing; but he's more,
Had I more name for badnefs.

DUKE. By mine honesty,

If the be mad, (as I believe no other,)

Her madness hath the oddeft frame of fense,
Such a dependency of thing on thing,

VOL. I.

C c

As e'er I heard in madness.

ISAB. O, gracious duke,

Harp not on that; nor do not banish reason
For inequality: but let your reason serve
To make the truth appear, where it seems hid;
And hide the falfe, feems true.

DUKE. Many that are not mad,

Have, fure, more lack of reason.-What would you fay?
ISAB. I am the fifter of one Claudio,
Condemn'd upon the act of fornication
To lose his head; condemn'd by Angelo:
I, in probation of a fifterhood,

Was fent to by my brother: One Lucio
As then the messenger ;-

LUCIO. That's I, an't like your grace:

I came to her from Claudio, and defir'd her
To try her gracious fortune with lord Angelo,
For her poor brother's pardon.

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
Be perfect.

LUCIO. I warrant your honour.

DUKE. The warrant's for yourself; take heed to it. ISAB. This gentleman told fomewhat of my tale. LUCIO. Right.

DUKE. It may be right; but you are in the wrong To fpeak before your time.-Proceed.

ISAB. I went

To this pernicious caitiff deputy.

DUKE. That's fomewhat madly spoken.
ISAB. Pardon it;

The phrafe is to the matter.

DUKE. Mended again: the matter;-Proceed.
ISAB. In brief,—to set the needless process by,
How I perfuaded, how I pray'd, and kneel'd,
How he refell'd me, and how I reply'd;
(For this was of much length,) the vile conclufion
I now begin with grief and shame to utter:
He would not, but by gift of my chafte body
To his concupifcible intemperate luft,

Release my brother; and, after much debatement,
My fifterly remorse confutes mine honour,

And I did yield to him: But the next morn betimes,
His purpose furfeiting, he sends a warrant

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'ft not what thou speak'st;

Or else thou art fuborn'd against his honour,

In hateful practice: Firft, his integrity

Stands without blemish :-next, it imports no reason,
That with fuch vehemency he should pursue
Faults proper to himself: if he had fo offended,
He would have weigh'd thy brother by himself,

And not have cut him off: Some one hath fet you on ;
Confefs the truth, and fay by whofe advice

Thou cam'st here to complain.

ISAB. And is this all?

Then, oh, you bleffed minifters above,

Keep me in patience; and, with ripen'd time,

Unfold the evil which is here wrapt up

In countenance !-Heaven fhield your grace from woe, As I, thus wrong'd, hence unbelieved go!

DUKE. I know, you'd fain be gone :-An officer!
To prifon with her :-Shall we thus permit
A blafting and a fcandalous breath to fall

On him fo near us? This needs must be a practice.
-Who knew of your intent, and coming hither?

ISAB. One that I would were here, friar Lodowick. DUKE. A ghoftly father, belike:-Who knows that Lodowick?

LUCIO. My lord, I know him; 'tis a medling friar; I do not like the man: had he been lay, my lord, For certain words he fpake against your grace In your retirement, I had fwing'd him foundly. DUKE. Words against me? This a good friar belike! And to fet on this wretched woman here Against our substitute !-Let this friar be found. LUCIO. But yefternight, my lord, she and that friar I saw them at the prison: a fawcy friar, A very fcurvy fellow.

F. PETER. Bleffed be your royal grace!

I have ftood by, my lord, and I have heard
Your royal ear abus'd: First, hath this woman
Moft wrongfully accus'd your fubstitute;
Who is as free from touch or foil with her,
As fhe from one ungot.

DUKE. We did believe no lefs.

Know you that friar Lodowick, that fhe fpeaks of?

F. PETER. I know him for a man divine and holy; Not fcurvy, nor a temporary medler,

As he's reported by this gentleman;

And, on my truft, a man that never yet