MEASURE for MEASURE. ACT I SCENE ·I. The Duke's PALACE. Enter Duke, Efcalus, and Lords. DUKE. SCALUS, Efcal. My Lord. Duke. Of Government the properties t'unfold, Would seem in me t'affect speech and difcourse. * Since I am not to know, that your own Science Exceeds, in that, the lifts of all advice My strength can give you: then no more remains: Put 1 The story is taken from Cinthio's Novels, December 8. November 5. Mr. Pope. 2 Since I am not to know, that your own Science Exceeds, in that, the lifts of all advice My firength can give you: then no more remains : And let them work. ] To the integrity of this reading Mr. Theobald objects, and fays, What was Elcalus to put to his Sufficiency! why his fcience: But his fcience and fufficiency were A a 2 but Put that to your fufficiency, as your worth is able, Of common juftice, y'are as pregnant in, That we remember. There is our Commiffion, What figure of us, think you, he will bear? For you must know, we have with special roll Lent him our Terror, dreft him with our Love; Of our own Power: fay, what think you of it? To undergo fuch ample grace and honour, but one and the fame thing. On what then does the relative them depend? He will have it, therefore, that a line has been accidentally dropt, which he attempts to reftore by due diligence. Nodum in feirpo quærit. And all for want of knowing, that by Jufficiency is meant authority, the power delegated by the Duke to Efcalus. The plain meaning of the words being this; Put your skill in governing (fays the Duke) to the power which I give you to exercife it, and let them work together. 3 limits. and the terms of common juftice,] i. e. bounds, 4. For you must know we have with special SOUL This nonsense must be corrected thus, with Special ROLL i. e. by a fpecial commiffion For it appears, from this fcene, that Efcalus had one commiffion, and Angelo another. The Duke had before delivered Escalus his commiffion. He now declares that defigned for Angelo: and he fays, afterwards, to both, To th' bopeful execution do I leave you Of your commiffions. Why Angelo's was called the special roll was, because he was in authority fuperior to Efcalus. old Efcalus, The firft in question, is thy fecondary. SCENE Duke. Look, where he comes. Ang. Always obedient to your Grace's will, I come to know your pleasure. Duke. Angelo, There is a kind of character in thy life, As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touch'd, The smallest scruple of her excellence, But, like a thrifty Goddefs, fhe determines 6 Both thanks and ufe. But I do bend my speech 7 5--for if our virtues, &c.] Paulum fepulta diftat inertia Celata virtus. 6- But I do bend my speech Horat. To one that can my part in him advertise; ] This is ob fcure. The meaning is, I direct my fpeech to one who is able to teach me how to govern: my part in him, fignifying my office, which I have delegated to him. 7- my part in him advertise;] i. e. who knows what appertains to the character of deputy or viceroy. Can advertise my part in him; that is, his reprefentation of my perfon. But all thefe quaintneffes of expreffion, the Oxford Editor feems fworn to extirpate; that is, to take away one of Shakespear's characte riflic marks; which, if not one of the comlieft, is yet one of the ftrongeft. So he alters this to To one that can, in my part, me advertise. A better expreffion indeed, but, for all that, none of Shakespear's. A a 3 Hold Hold therefore, Angelo: In our Remove, be thou at full our felf. Live in thy tongue and heart: old Efcalus, Ang. Now, good my lord, Let there be fome more test made of my metal, We have with a prepar'd and level'd choice Ang. Yet give me leave, my lord, That we may bring you fomething on the way. As to your foul feems good. Give me your 8 Come, no more evasion: hand 3 We have with a prepar'd and LEAVEN'D choice Proceeded to you;] leaven'd has no fenfe in this place: we fhould read LEVEL'D choice. The allufion is to archery, when a man has fixed upon his object, after taking good aim. Nor Nor do I think the man of fafe difcretion, A pow'r I have, but of what ftrength and nature Ang. 'Tis fo with me: let us withdraw together, Touching that point. Efcal. I'll wait upon your Honour. S [Exeunt. Enter Lucio, and two Gentlemen. Lacio. Ito compofition with the King of Hungary, why, then all the Dukes fall upon the King. F the Duke, with the other Dukes, come not I Gent. Heav'n grant us its peace, but not the King of Hungary's! 2 Gent. Amen. Lucio. Thou conclud'ft like the fanctimonious Pirate, that went to fea with the ten Commandments, but fcrap'd one out of the Table. 2 Gent. Thou shalt not steal.- I Gent. Why, 'twas a Commandment to command the captain and all the reft from their functions; they put forth to steal; there's not a foldier of us all, that, in the thanksgiving before meat, does relifh the petition well that prays for Peace. 2 Gent. I never heard any foldier diflike it. |