Duke. A widow then?

Mari. Neither, my lord.

Duke. Why, are you nothing then? neither maid, widow, nor wife.

Lucio. My lord, fhe may be a punk; for many of them are neither maid, widow, or wife.

Duke. Silence that fellow: I would, he had fome caufe to prattle for himself.

Lucio. Well, my lord.

Mari. My lord, I do confefs, I ne'er was marry'd; And, I confefs, befides, I am no maid

;

I've known my husband; yet my husband knows not, That ever he knew me.

Lucio. He was drunk then, my lord, it can be no better. Duke. For the benefit of filence, would thou wert fo

too.

Lucio. Well, my lord.

Duke. This is no witnefs for lord Angelo.
Mari. Now I come to't, my lord.

She, that accufes hiin of fornication,
In felf-fame manner doth accuse my husband;
And charges him, my lord, with fuch a time,
When I'll depofe I had him in my arms,

With all th' effect of love.

Ang. Charges the more than me

Mari. Not that I know.

Duke. No? you fay, your husband. [To Mariana. Mari. Why, juft, my lord; and that is Angelo; Who thinks, he knows, that he ne'er knew my body; But knows, he thinks, that he knows Isabel's.

Ang. This is a ftrange abuse *-Let's fee thy face. Mari. My husband bids me; now I will unmask. [Unveiling.

This is that face, thou cruel Angelo,

Which, once thou fwor'ft, was worth the looking on : This is the hand, which, with a vow'd contract,

Was fast belock'd in thine: this is the body,

That took away the match from Isabel

;

And did fupply thee at thy garden-house

Abufe ftands in this place for deception, or puzzle. So in Mac beth, this frange and jelf abuse means this range deception of bimfelf.

In her imagin'd perfon.

Duke. Know you this woman?

Lucio Carnally, she says.

Duke. Sirra, no more..

Lucio Enough, my lord.

Ang. My lord, I must confefs, I know this woman; And five years fince there was fome fpeech of marriage Betwixt myself and her; which was broke off, Partly, for that her promised proportions (9) Came fhort of compofition; but, in chief, For that her Reputation was difvalu'd In levity; fince which time, of five years

I never fpake with her, faw her, nor heard from her, Upon my faith and honour.

Mari. Noble Prince,

As there comes light from heav'n, and words from breath,

As there is fenfe in truth, and truth in virtue,.

I am affianc'd this man's wife, as ftrongly

As words could make up vows; and, my good lord, But Tuesday night laft gone, in's garden-house,

'He knew me as a wife. As this is true,

Let me in safety raife me from my knees;

Or else for ever be confixed here,

A marble monument !

Ang. I did but fmile 'till now.

Now, good my lord, give me the scope of justice;
My patience here is touch'd; I do perceive,
(1) These poor informal women are no more
But inftruments of fome more mightier member,
That fets them on. Let me have way, my lord,
To find this practice out.

(9)

her promised proportions

Came foort of compofition ;- -]. Her fortune which was promised proportionate to mine, fell fhort of the compofition, that is, contract or barbain.

(1) Thefe poor informal women.] i. e. women who have ill concerted their ftory. Formal fignifies frequently, in our authour, a thing put into form or method: fo informal, out of method, ill concerted. How eafy is it to say, that Shakespeare might better have wrote informing, i. e. accufing. But he who (as the Oxford Editor) thinks he did write fo, knows nothing of the character of his ftile.

E 4

WARBURTON.

Duke.

Duke. Ay, with my heart;

And punish them unto your height of pleasure.
Thou foolish Friar, and thou pernicious woman,
Compact with her that's gone; think'ft thou, thy oaths,
Tho' they would fwear down each particular Saint,
Were teftimonies 'gainft his worth and credit,
That's feal'd in approbation? (2) You, lord Escalus,
Sit with my coufin; lend him your kind pains
To find out this abuse, whence 'tis deriv'd.
There is another Friar, that fet them on;
Let him be fent for.

Peter. Would he were here, my lord; for he, indeed, 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; (3)
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 thefe flanderers.

SCENE IV.

[Exit.

Efcal. My lord, we'll do it throughly. Signior Lucio, did not you fay, you knew that Friar Lodowick to be a difhoneft perfon?

Lucio. Cucullus non facit monachum; honeft in nothing, but in his cloaths; and one that has spoke most villainous fpeeches of the Duke,

Efcal. We fhall intreat you to abide here 'till he come,

I think, upon further enquiry, that informal fignifies incompetent, not qualified to give teftimony.

Of this ufe I think there are precedents to be found, though I cannot now recover them.

(2) That's feal'd in approbation ?] When any thing subject to counterfeits is tried by the proper officers and approved, a ftamp or feal is put upon it, as among us on plate, weights and measures. So the Duke fays that Angelo's faith has been tried, approved and feal'd in teftimony of that approbation, and, like other things fo fealed, is no more to be called in question.

(3)

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

and

and inforce them against him; we shall find this Friar. a notable fellow.

Lucio As any in Vienna, on my word.

Efcal. Call that fame Isabel here once again; I would fpeak with her pray you, my lord, give me leave to queftion; you fhall fee how I'll handle her.

Lucio. Not better than he, by her own report.
Escal. Say you?

Lucio. Marry, Sir, I think, if you handled her privately, the fhould fooner confefs; perchance, publickly. fhe'll be afham'd.

SCENE V.

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

Efcal. I will go darkly to work with her.

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 Provost

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

Lucio. Mum

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

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 fhould hear me fpeak.
Efcal. The Duke's in us; and we will hear you speak:
Look, you speak juftly

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 cause gone too. The Duke's unjust,
Thus to retort your manifest appeal ; (4)

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

E 5

And

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 unrev'rend and unhallow'd Friar,
Is't not enough thou haft fuborn'd these women
T'accufe this worthy man, but with foul mouth,
And in the witness of his proper ear,

To call him villain;

And then to glance from him to th' Duke himself,
To tax him with injustice? -Take him hence;
To th' 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 am I not,

Nor here provincial; (5) 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 stew: laws, for all faults
But faults fo countenanc'd, that the ftrong ftatutes
Stand like the forfeits in a barber's fhop, (6)

As much in mock as mark.

Efcal, Slander to th' ftate! away with him to prifon. Ang. What can you vouch against him, fignior Lucio.

(5) Nor here provincial;] Nor here accountable. The meaning feems to be, I am not one of his natural fubjects, nor of any dependent province.

(6) Stands like the forfeits in a barber's Jhop.] Barbers shops were,, at all times, the resort of idle people.

Tonfrina erat quædam : hic folebamas 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 trimm'd; who then practifed the under parts of Surgery: fo that he had occafion for numerous ir ftruments, which lay there ready for ufe; and the idle people, with whom his fhop was generally crowded, would be perpe. tually handling and mifafing them. To remedy which, I fuppose, 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 serve till a better is discovered. 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,