tion, and the prisoner the very debt of your calling. I have laboured for the poor gentleman to the extremest shore of my modesty: but my brother justice have I found so severe, that he hath forced me to tell him he is indeed Justice.

Duke. If his own life answer the straitness of his proceeding, it shall become him well; wherein if he chance to fail, he hath sentenced himself. Escal. I am going to visit the prisoner. Fare you well.

Duke. Peace be with you!

[Exeunt Escalus and Provost.

He who the sword of heaven will bear

Should be as holy as severe;

Pattern in himself to know,
Grace to stand, and virtue go;
More nor less to others paying
Than by self-offences weighing.
Shame to him whose cruel striking
Kills for faults of his own liking!
Twice treble shame on Angelo,
To weed my vice and let his grow!
O, what may man within him hide,
Though angel on the outward side!
How may likeness made in crimes,
Making practice on the times,
To draw with idle spiders' strings

275-296. These lines are harshly expressed, in parts corrupt, and probably, as a whole, spurious.

278. 'Grace to resist evil, and virtue to be active in good.'

284. my vice. The duke speaks as a representative of men at large, not in his own person.

:)

270

280

287 f. How may likeness made in crimes, etc. The thought intended is clearly: 'How hypocrisy succeeds!' But neither syntax nor expression is satisfactory. Malone proposed wade for made: How may hypocrisy ('seeming') wade in crimes, playing tricks upon the world, so as to attract to itself substantial advantages by empty pretence!'

Most ponderous and substantial things!
Craft against vice I must apply :
With Angelo to-night shall lie
His old betrothed but despised;
So disguise shall, by the disguised,
Pay with falsehood false exacting,
And perform an old contracting.

[Exit.

290

ACT IV

SCENE I. The moated grange at ST LUKE's.

Enter MARIANA and a Boy.
Boy sings.

Take, O, take those lips away,

That so sweetly were forsworn ; And those eyes, the break of day,

Lights that do mislead the morn :

But my kisses bring again, bring again;

Seals of love, but seal'd in vain, seal'd in vain.
Mari. Break off thy song, and haste thee quick

away:

Here comes a man of comfort, whose advice

Hath often still'd my brawling discontent.

[Exit Boy.

Enter DUKE disguised as before.

I cry you mercy, sir; and well could wish

294. by the disguised, i.e. Mariana.

Song. This song is found in Fletcher's The Bloody Brother, followed by a second and much inferior stanza :

Hide, oh hide, those hills of snow
Which thy frozen bosom bears,
On whose tops the pinks that glow
Are of those that April wears,
But first set my poor heart free,
Bound in those icy chains by thee.

10

You had not found me here so musical:
Let me excuse me, and believe me so,

My mirth it much displeased, but pleased my woe.
Duke. 'Tis good; though music oft hath such
a charm

To make bad good, and good provoke to harm.
I pray you, tell me, hath any body inquired for
me here to-day? much upon this time have I
promised here to meet.

Mari. You have not been inquired after: I have sat here all day.

Enter ISABELLA.

Duke. I do constantly believe you. The time is come even now. I shall crave your forbearance a little may be I will call upon you anon, for some advantage to yourself.

Mari. I am always bound to you.

Duke. Very well met, and well come. What is the news from this good deputy?

[Exit.

Isab. He hath a garden circummured with brick, Whose western side is with a vineyard back'd; And to that vineyard is a planched gate, That makes his opening with this bigger key: This other doth command a little door Which from the vineyard to the garden leads; There have I made my promise

Upon the heavy middle of the night

To call upon him.

Duke. But shall you on your knowledge find

this way?

13. My mirth it much dis

20

30

21. constantly, unhesitatingly,

Isab. I have ta'en a due and wary note upon 't : With whispering and most guilty diligence,

In action all of precept, he did show me

The way twice o'er.

Duke.
Are there no other tokens
Between you 'greed concerning her observance ?
Isab. No, none, but only a repair i' the dark;
And that I have possess'd him my most stay
Can be but brief; for I have made him know
I have a servant comes with me along,
That stays upon me, whose persuasion is
I come about my brother.

Duke.

'Tis well borne up.

I have not yet made known to Mariana

A word of this. What, ho! within! come forth!

Re-enter MARIANA.

I pray you, be acquainted with this maid;

She comes to do you good.

Isab.

I do desire the like.

Duke. Do you persuade yourself that I respect

you?

Mari. Good friar, I know you do, and have found it.

Duke. Take, then, this your companion by the hand,

Who hath a story ready for your ear.

I shall attend your leisure: but make haste;

The vaporous night approaches.

Mari. Will't please you walk aside?

[Exeunt Mariana and Isabella.

Duke. O place and greatness! millions of false

eyes

Are stuck upon thee: volumes of report

40

50

60

44. possess'd, informed.
44. most, utmost.
48. borne up, supported.

Run with these false and most contrarious quests
Upon thy doings: thousand escapes of wit
Make thee the father of their idle dreams,

And rack thee in their fancies.

Re-enter MARIANA and ISABELLA.

Welcome, how agreed?

When you depart from him, but, soft and low 'Remember now my brother.'

Mari.

Fear me not.

Duke. Nor, gentle daughter, fear you not at all.

He is your husband on a pre-contract:
To bring you thus together, 'tis no sin,

70

Sith that the justice of your title to him

Doth flourish the deceit. Come, let us go:

Our corn's to reap, for yet our tithe's to sow.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II. A room in the prison.

Enter PROVOST and POMPEY.

Prov. Come hither, sirrah. Can you cut off a man's head?

Pom. If the man be a bachelor, sir, I can;

62. quests, inquiries.

75. flourish, colour, varnish. 76. tithe. So Ff. This may possibly be explained (with Knight) as the seed to be sown

-the tenth of the harvest; but this usage has not been proved. Warburton very plausibly substituted tilth, i.e. land to be sown, as in Temp. ii. 1. 152.