We have made inquiry of you; and we hear 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 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 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 Or wring redress from you: hear me, O, hear me, here. 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? DUKE. Nay, it is ten times strange. 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 But one, the wicked'ft caitiff on the ground, In all his dreffings, characts, titles, forms, DUKE. By mine honesty, If the be mad, (as I believe no other,) Her madness hath the oddeft frame of fense, VOL. I. C c As e'er I heard in madness. ISAB. O, gracious duke, Harp not on that; nor do not banish reason DUKE. Many that are not mad, Have, fure, more lack of reason.-What would you fay? Was fent to by my brother: One Lucio LUCIO. That's I, an't like your grace: I came to her from Claudio, and defir'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 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. The phrafe is to the matter. DUKE. Mended again: the matter;-Proceed. 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'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, And not have cut him off: Some one hath fet you on ; 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! On him fo near us? This needs must be a practice. 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 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 |