Mari. O, my dear lord, I crave no other, nor no better man. Mari. Gentle, my liege, Duke. [Kneeling. You do but lose your labour; Away with him to death.-Now, sir, [to LUCIO.] to you. Mari. O, my good lord!-Sweet Isabel, take my part; Lend me your knees, and all my life to come Duke. Against all sense you do impórtune her: Sweet Isabel, do yet but kneel by me; Most bounteous sir, Look, if it please you, on this man condemn'd, Let him not die: My brother had but justice, For Angelo, His act did not o'ertake his bad intent; And must be buried but as an intent [Kneeling. That perish'd by the way: thoughts are no subjects; Intents but merely thoughts. Mari. Merely, my lord. Duke. Your suit's unprofitable; stand up, I say. I have bethought me of another fault:- Prov. It was commanded so. Duke. Had you a special warrant for the deed? Prov. No, my good lord; it was by private message. Duke. For which I do discharge you of your office: Give up your keys. Prov. Pardon me, noble lord: I thought it was a fault, but knew it not; Duke. Prov. What's he? His name is Barnardine. Duke. I would thou had'st done so by Claudio.Go, fetch him hither; let me look upon him. [Exit Provost. Escal. I am sorry, one so learned and so wise As you, lord Angelo, have still appear'd, Should slip so grossly, both in the heat of blood, And lack of temper'd judgment afterward. procure : Ang. I am sorry, that such sorrow I That I crave death more willingly than mercy; Re-enter Provost, BARNARDINE, CLAUDIO, and JULIET. Duke. Which is that Barnardine ? Prov. This, my lord. Duke. There was a friar told me of this man :Sirrah, thou art said to have a stubborn soul, That apprehends no further than this world, And squar'st thy life according. Thou'rt condemn'd; 7 after more advice:] After more consideration. But, for those earthly faults, I quit them all; For better times to come : Friar, advise him; I leave him to your hand.-What muffled fellow's that? That should have died when Claudio lost his head; [Unmuffles CLAUDIO. Duke. If he be like your brother, [to ISABELLA.] for his sake Is he pardon'd; And, for your lovely sake, Well, Angelo, your evil quits you well: Look that you love your wife; her worth, worth yours.— I find an apt remission in myself: And yet here's one in place I cannot pardon : You, sirrah, [to LUCIO.] that knew me for a fool, a coward, One all of luxury, an ass, a madman; Wherein have I so deserved of you, That you extol me thus? Lucio. 'Faith, my lord, I spoke it but according to the trick: If you will hang me for it, you may, but I had rather it would please you, I might be whipp'd. Duke. Whipp'd first, sir, and hang'd after. Proclaim it, provost, round about the city; Lucio. I beseech your highness, do not marry me to a whore ! Your highness said even now, I made you a 8 according to the trick:] To the trick of the times. duke; good my lord, do not recompense me, in making me a cuckold. Duke. Upon mine honour, thou shalt marry her. Remit thy other forfeits:-Take him to prison: Lucio. Marrying a punk, my lord, is pressing to death, whipping, and hanging. Duke. Slandering a prince deserves it.— She, Claudio, that you wrong'd, look you restore.— I have confess'd her, and I know her virtue.— The offence pardons itself.-Dear Isabel, What's mine is your's, and what is your's is mine:-- 9 [Exeunt1. that is more gratulate.] Some other reward in store for him more acceptable than thanks. 1 Of this play, the light or comick part is very natural and pleasing, but the grave scenes, if a few passages be excepted, have more labour than elegance. The plot is rather intricate than artful. The time of the action is indefinite; some time, we know not how much, must have elapsed between the recess of the Duke and the imprisonment of Claudio; for he must have learned the story of Mariana in his disguise, or he delegated his power to a man already known to be corrupted. The unities of action and place are sufficiently preserved. JOHNSON. |