Peter. Would he were here, my lord; for he, in

deed,

Hath fet the women on to this complaint.

Your provost knows the place where he abides;
And he may fetch him.

Duke. Go, do it inftantly;

And you, my noble and well-warranted coufin,
Whom it concerns to hear this matter forth,"
Do with your injuries, as feems you best,
In any chaftifement: I for a while

Will leave you; ftir not you, till you have well
Determined upon these flanderers.

[Exit. Efcal. My lord, we'll do it throughly. Signior Lucio, did not you fay, you knew that friar Lodowick to be a dishonest person?

Lucio. Cucullus non facit monachum: honeft in nothing, but in his cloaths; and one that hath spoke moft villainous fpeeches of the duke.

Efcal. We hall intreat you to abide here till he come, and enforce them against him: We shall find this friar a notable fellow.

Lucio. As any in Vienna, on my word.

Efcal. Call that fame Ifabel here once again; I would fpeak with her: pray you, my lord, give me leave to question; you fhall fee how I'll handle her. Lucio. Not better than he, by her own report. Efcal. Say you?

Lucio. Marry, fir, I think, if you handled her pri vately, the fhould fooner confefs; perchance, publickly she'll be asham'd.

Enter Duke in the Friar's habit, and Provoft. Ifabella is brought in.

Efcal. I will go darkly to work with her.

to hear this matter forth,] To hear it to the end; to fearch

it to the bottom. JOHNSON.

K 2

Lucia.

Lucio. That's the way; for women are light at midnight.

Efcal. Come on, miftrefs: here's a gentlewoman denies all that you have faid.

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

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

Lucio. Mum.

Efcal. Come, fir, did you fet these women on to flander lord Angelo? they have confefs'd

Duke. 'Tis falfe.

you did. Efcal. How! know you where you are? Duke. Refpect to your great place!-and let the

devil

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

Look, you speak justly.

Duke. Boldly, at leaft:-But, oh, poor fouls,
Come you to feek the lamb here of the fox?
Good night to your redrefs: is the duke gone?
Then is your caufe gone too. The duke's unjuft,
Thus to retort your manifest appeal;

And put your trial in the villain's mouth,
Which here you come to accufe.

Lucio. This is the rafcal; this is he I spoke of. Efcal. Why, thou unreverend and unhallow'd friar!

Is't not enough thou haft fuborn'd these women
To accufe this worthy man, but in foul mouth,
And in the witnefs of his proper ear,

4 To retort your manifeft appeal;] To refer back to Angelo the cause in which you appealed from Angelo to the Duke.

JOHNSON.
Το

To call him villain?

And then to glance from him to the duke himself,
To tax him with injuftice?—Take him hence;

To the rack with him :-We'll touze you joint by

joint,

But we will know your purpose :-What? unjust?
Duke. Be not fo hot; the duke

Dare no more stretch this finger of mine, than he
Dare rack his own: his fubject I am not,
Nor here provincial: 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 ftew: laws, for all faults;
But faults fo countenanc'd, that the strong ftatutes
Stand like the forfeits in a barber's shop,

As much in mock as mark.

Efcal. Slander to the ftate! Away with him to prifon.

Ang. What can you vouch against him, fignior

Lucio?

5 Ner bere provincial.] Nor here accountable. The meaningfeems to be, I am not one of his natural subjects, nor of any dependent province. JOHNSON.

• Stands like the forfeits in a barber's shop.] Barber's shops were, at all times, the resort of idle people.

Tonftrina erat quædam : hic folebamus ferè

Plerumque eam opperiri

Which Donatus calls apta fedes otiofis. Formerly with us, the better fort of people went to the barber's fhop to be trimmed; who then practifed the under parts of furgery: fo that he had occafion for numerous inftruments, which lay there ready for ufe; and the idle people, with whom his fhop was generally crowded, would be perpetually handling and mifufing them. To remedy which, I fuppofe, 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 preferve its authority. WARBURTON.

This explanation may ferve till a better is difcovered. But whoever has feen the inftruments of a chirurgeon, knows that they may be very easily kept out of improper hands in a very small box, or in his pocket. JOHNSON.

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, fir, by the found of your voice: I met you at the prison, in the absence of the duke.

Lucio. Oh, did you fo? what you faid of the duke? Duke. Moft notedly, fir.

And do you remember

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

Duke. You muft, fir, change perfons with me, ere you make that my report: you, indeed, spoke fo of him; and much more, much worse.

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

Duke. I proteft, I love the duke, as I love myself. Ang. Hark! how the villain would clofe now, after his treasonable abuses.

Efcal. Such a fellow is not to be talk'd withal: away with him to prifon :-Where is the provoft? -Away with him to prifon, lay-bolts enough upon him: let him fpeak no more:-away with thofe giglots too, and with the other confederate compa[The Provost lays hands on the Duke.

nion.

Duke. Stay, fir, ftay a while.

Ang. What! refifts he? Help him, Lucio.
Lucio. Come, fir; come, fir; come, fir: foh, fir;

and a coward.] So again afterwards,

You, firrah, that know me for a fool, a coward,

One of al luxury

But Lucio had not, in the former converfation, mentioned cowardice among the faults of the duke.- -Such failures of memory are incident to writers more diligent than this poot. JOHNSON.

Why,

Why, you bald-pated lying rafcal! you must be hooded, muft you? fhow your knave's visage, with a pox to you! fhow your fheep-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 maďst a duke.

First, provoft, let me bail these gentle three:--
Sneak not away, fir; [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, fit you

down.-[To Efcalus.We'll borrow place of him.-Sir, by your leave:

Haft thou or word, or wit, or impudence,
That yet can do thee office? if thou haft,
Rely upon it 'till my tale be heard,
And hold no longer out.

Ang. O my dread lord,

I fhould be guiltier than my guiltinefs,
To think I can be undifcernable,

[To Angelo.

When I perceive your grace, like power divine,
Hath look'd upon my paffes: then, good prince,
No longer feffion hold upon my fhame,
But let my tryal be mine own confeffion :
Immediate sentence then, and fequent death,
Is all the grace I beg.

Show your Sheep-biting face, and be bang'd an hour: wilt not off?] This is intended to be the common language of vulgar indignation. Our phrafe on fuch occafions is fimply; how your Sheep-biting face, and be banged. The words an hour have no particular ufe here, nor are authorised by cuftom. I fuppofe it was written thus, how your sheep-biting face, and be banged-an' how? wilt not off? In the midland counties, upon any unexpected obftruction or refiftance, it is common to exclaim an' how?

JOHNSON.