Mari. Be rul'd by him. Isab. Besides, he tells me, that, if peradventure I should not think it strange; for 'tis a physick, Mari. I would, friar Peter Isab. O, peace; the friar is come. Enter Friar PETER. F. Peter. Come, I have found you out a stand most fit, Where you may have such vantage on the duke, He shall not pass you; Twice have the trumpets sounded: The generous' and gravest citizens Have hent the gates, and very near upon ACT V. SCENE I-A publick place near the City Gate. MARIANA (veil'd), ISABELLA, and PETER, at a distance. Enter at opposite doors, Duke, VARRIUS, Lords; ANGELO, ESCALUS, LUCIO, Provost, Officers, and Citizens. Duke. My very worthy cousin, fairly met :- We have made inquiry of you; and we hear 7 The generous, &c.] i. e. the most noble, &c. 8 Have hent the gates,] Have seized or taken possession of. Cannot but yield you forth to publick thanks, Ang. You make my bonds still greater. Duke. O, your desert speaks loud; and I should wrong it, To lock it in the wards of covert bosom, PETER and ISABELLA come forward. F. Peter. Now is your time; speak loud, and kneel before him. Isab. Justice, O royal duke! Vail your regard' Upon a wrong'd, I'd fain have said, a maid! O worthy prince, dishonour not your eye By throwing it on any other object, Till you have heard me in my true complaint, And given me justice, justice, justice, justice! Duke. Relate your wrongs: In what? By whom? Be brief: Here is lord Angelo shall give you justice! Reveal yourself to him. Isab. O, worthy duke, You bid me seek redemption of the devil: Hear me yourself; for that which I must speak Must either punish me, not being believ'd, Or wring redress from you: hear me, O, hear me, here. Ang. My lord, her wits, I fear me, are not firm: 9 Vail your regard —] i. e. condescend to look, from higher things, upon, &c. She hath been a suitor to me for her brother, Isab. By course of justice! Ang. And she will speak most bitterly, and strange. Isab. Most strange, but yet most truly, will I speak: That Angelo's forsworn; is it not strange? That Angelo's a murderer; is't not strange? That Angelo is an adulterous thief, An hypocrite, a virgin-violator; Is it not strange, and strange? Nay, ten times strange. Isab. It is not truer he is Angelo, Than this is all as true as it is strange: Nay, it is ten times true; for truth is truth Duke. Away with her ;-Poor soul, She speaks this in the infirmity of sense. 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 impossible But one, the wicked'st caitiff on the ground, In all his dressings, characts, titles, forms, Duke. By mine honesty, If she be mad, (as I believe no other,) Her madness hath the oddest frame of sense, As e'er I heard in madness. 1 as shy, as grave, as just, as absolute,] As shy; as reserved, as abstracted: as just; as nice, as exact: as absolute; as complete in all the round of duty. JOHNSON. Isab. Duke. Many that are not mad, Was sent to by my brother: One Lucio Lucio. That's I, an't like your grace: I came to her from Claudio, and desir'd her Isab. Duke. You were not bid to speak. Nor wish'd to hold my peace. Duke. That's he, indeed. No, my good lord; 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 somewhat of my tale. Lucio. Right. Duke. It may be right; but you are in the wrong To speak before your time.-Proceed. For inequality;] Do not suppose I am mad, because I speak passionately and unequally. MALONE. And hide the false, seems true.] i. e. which seems true. Isab. The phrase is to the matter. Pardon it; Duke. Mended again: the matter;-Proceed. (For this was of much length,) the vile conclusion Release my brother; and, after much debatement, My sisterly remorse' confutes mine honour, And I did yield to him: But the next morn betimes, His purpose surfeiting, he sends a warrant 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'st not what thou speak'st: Or else thou art suborn'd against his honour, In hateful practice': First, his integrity Stands without blemish :-next, it imports no reason, Thou cam'st here to complain. Isab. And is this all? Then, oh, you blessed ministers above, Keep me in patience; and, with ripen'd time, How he refell'd me,] To refell is to refute. 5 My sisterly remorse —] i. e. pity. 6 fond wretch,] Fond wretch is foolish wretch. 7 In hateful practice:] Practice was used by the old writers for any unlawful or insidious stratagem. |