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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 proclamation, have you?

BAWD. What proclamation, man?

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CLO. All houfes in the fuburbs of Vienna muft be pluck'd down.

BAWD. And what fhall become of those in the city?

CLO. They fhall ftand for feed: they had gone down too, but that a wife burgher put in for them. BAWD. But fhall all our houfes of refort in the fuburbs be pull'd down?3

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in a peculiar river.] i. e. a river belonging to an individual; 'not public property. MALONE.

2 All houfes in the fuburbs] This is furely too general an expreffion, unless we fuppofe, that all the houses in the furburbs were bawly-houfes. It appears too, from what the bawd fays below, "But fhall all our houfes of refort in the faburbs be pulled down?" that the Clown had been particular in his defcription of the houfes which were to be pulled down. I am therefore inclined to believe that we should read here, all bawdy-houfes, or all houses of refort in the fuburbs. TYRWHITT.

3 But fhall all our houses of refort in the fuburbs be pull'd down ?] This will be understood from the Scotch law of James's time, concerning kuires (whores): that comoun women be put at the utmost endes of townes, queire leaft perril of fire is." Hence Urfula the pig woman, in Bartholomew-Fair: «I, I, gamesters, mock a plain, plump, foft wench of the fuburbs, do!" FARMER.

So, in The Malcontent, 1604, when Altofront difmifles the various characters at the end of the play to different deftinations, he says to Macquerelle the bawd:

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thou unto the fuburbs.”

Again, in Ram-Alley, or Merry Tricks, 1611:

"Some fourteen bawds; he kept her in the fuburbs."

CLO. To the ground, mistress.

BAWD. Why, here's a change, indeed, in the commonwealth! What fhall 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 tapfter still. Courage; there will be pity taken on you: you that have worn your eyes almoft out in the fervice, you will be confidered.

BAWD. What's to do here, Thomas Tapfter? Let's withdraw.

CLO. Here comes fignior Claudio, led by the provost to prison: and there's madam Juliet.

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Enter Provoft, CLAUDIO, JULIET, and Officers; LUCIO, and two Gentlemen.

CLAUD. Fellow, why doft thou fhow me thus to the world?

Bear me to prifon, where I am committed.
PROV. I do it not in evil difpofition,
But from lord Angelo by special charge.

CLAUD. Thus can the demi-god, Authority,
Make us pay down for our offence by weight.-

See Martial, where fummaniana and Suburbana are applied to profitutes. STEEVENS.

The licenced houfes of refort at Vienna are at this time all in the fuburbs, under the permiffion of the Committee of Chastity. S. W.

The words of heaven; - on whom it will, it will; On whom it will not, fo; yet fill 'tis just.3

3 Thus can the demi-god, Authority,

Make us pay down for our offence by weight.

The words of heaven; on whom it will, it will;

On whom it will nol, fo; yet fill 'tis juft.] The fenfe of the whole is this: The demi-god Authority, makes us pay the full penalty of our offence, and its decrees are as little to be queftioned as the words of heaven, which pronounces its pleasure thus, I punish and remit punishment according to my own uncontroulable will; and yet who can fay, what doft thou? - Make us pay down for our offence by weight, is a fine expreffion to fignify paying the full penalty. The metaphor is taken from paying money by, weight, which is always exact; not fo by tale, on account of the practice of diminishing the fpecies. WARBURTON.

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I suspect that a line is loft. JOHNSON.

It may be read, The fword of heaven.

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Thus can the demi-god Authority,

Make us pay down for our offence, by weight;

The fword of heaven: on whom, &c.

Authority is then poetically called the fword of heaven, which will fpare or punifh, as it is commanded. The alteration is flight, being made only by taking a fingle letter from the end of the word, and placing it at the beginning.

This very ingenious and elegant emendation was fuggefted to me by the Reverend Dr. Roberts, Provoft of Eton; and it may be countenanced by the following paffage in The Cobler's Prophecy, 1594:

« In brief, they are the fwords of heaven to punish."

Sir W. D'Avenant, who incorporated this play of Shakspeare with Much ado about Nothing, and formed out of them a Tragicomedy called The Law against Lovers, omits the two laft lines of this fpeech; I fuppofe, on account of their feeming obfcurity.

STEEVENS.

The very ingenious emendation propofed by Dr. Roberts, is yet more ftrongly fupported by another paffage in the play before us, where this phrafe occurs, (A& III. fc. laft):

He who the fword of heaven will bear, "Should be as holy, as fevere.".

Yet I believe the old copy is right. MALONE.

Notwithstanding Dr. Roberts's ingenious conjecture, the text is certainly right. Authority, being abfolute in Angelo, is finely filed by Claudio, the demi-god. To this uncontroulable power, the poet applies a paffage from St. Paul to the Romaus, ch. ix

Lucio. Why, how now, Claudio? whence comes this reftraint?

CLAUD. From too much liberty, my Lucio, liberty:

As furfeit is the father of much faft,
So every scope by the immoderate ufe
Turns to restraint: Our natures do purfue,
(Like rats that ravin down their proper bane,)
A thirty evil; and when we drink, we die. '-

LUCIO. If I could speak fo wifely under an arreft, I would fend for certain of my creditors: And yet, to fay the truth, I had as lief have the foppery of freedom, as the morality of imprifoninent. What's thy offence, Claudio?

" for

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v. 15. 18, which he properly. ftyles, the words of heaven: he faith to Mofes, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,' &c. And again: Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will HENLEY.

have mercy," &c.

It fhould be remembered, however, that the poet is here speaking not of mercy, but punishment. MALONE.

Mr. Malone might have fpared himself this remark, had he recollected that the words of St. Paul. immediately following, and to which the &c. referred, are and whom he will he hardeneth. See alfo the preceding verfe. HENLEY.

4 Like rats that ravin down their proper bane, ] To ravin was formerly used for eagerly or voraciously devouring any thing: fo in Wilfon's Epiftle to the Earl of Leicester, prefixed to his Difcourse upon Ufurye, 1572: « For thefe bee the greedie cormoraunte wolfes indeed, that ravyn up both beaste and man. REED.

Ravin is an ancient word for prey. So, in Noah's Flood, by Drayton :

Chapman :

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STEEVENS.

As well of ravine, as that chew the cud. '
when we drink, we die. ] So, in Revenge for Honour, by

Like poifon'd rats, which when they've fwallowed
The pleafing bane, reft not until they drink;
And can reft then much lefs, until they burft..

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STEEVENS.

6 as the morality] The old copy has mortality. It was corrected by Sir William D'Avenant. MALONE.

CIAUD. What, but to speak of would offend again, LUCIO. What is it? murder?

CLAUD. No.

LUCIO. Lechery?

CLAUD. Call it fo.

PROV. Away, fir; you moft go.

CLAUD. One word, good friend :-Lucio, aword

with you.

-[Takes him afide. LUCIO. A hundred, if they'll do you any good. Is lechery fo look'd after?

CLAUD. Thus ftands it with me: - Upon a true contract,

I got poffeffion of Julietta's bed;"
You know the lady; fhe is fast my wife,
Save that we do the denunciation lack
Of outward order: this we came not to,
Only for propagation of a dower
Remaining in the coffer of her friends;

I got poffeffion of Julietta's bed, &c.] This fpeech is furely too indelicate to be fpoken concerning Juliet, before her face; for the appears to be brought in with the reft, though she has nothing to fay. The Clown points her out as they enter; and yet, from Claudio's telling Lucio, that he knows the lady, &c. one would think he was not meant to have made her perfonal appearance on the scene. STEEVENS.

The little feeming impropriety there is, will be entirely removed, by fuppofing that when Claudio flops to speak to Lucio, the Provoft's officers depart with Julietta. RITSON.

Claudio may be fuppofed to speak to Lucio apart. MALONE.

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this we came not to,

Only for propagation of a dower.

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Remaining in the coffer of her friends;] This fingular mode of expreffion certainly demands fome eludication. The fenfe appears to be this. We did not think it proper publickly to celebrate our marriage; for this reafon, that there might be no hindrance to the payment of Julietta's portion which was then in the hands of her friends; from whom, therefore, we judged it expedient to conceal our

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