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That we remember: There is our commiffion, From which we would not have you warp.-Call

hither,

I fay, bid come before us Angelo.

[Exit an Attendant.
What figure of us think you he will bear?
For you must know, we have with special foul
Elected him our abfence to supply;"

Lent him our terror, dreft him with our love;
And given his deputation all the organs
Of our own power: What think you of it?
ESCAL. If any in Vienna be of worth
To undergo fuch ample grace and honour,
It is lord Angelo.

Enter ANGELO.

DUKE.

Look, where he comes.

ANG. Always obedient to your grace's will, I come to know your pleasure.

7 For you must know, we have with special foul

Elected him our abfence to fupply;] By the words with Special foul elected him, I believe, the poet meant no more than that he was the immediate choice of his heart.

A fimilar expreffion occurs in Troilus and Creffida:

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with private foul,

"Did in great Ilion thus tranflate him to me."

Again, more appofitely, in The Tempest:

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for feveral virtues

"Have I lik'd several women, never any

"With fo full foul, but some defect," &c. STEEVENS. Steevens has hit upon the true explanation of the paffage; and might have found a further confirmation of it in Troilus and Creffida, where, fpeaking of himself, Troilus fays,

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ne'er did young man fancy
"With fo eternal, and to fix'd a foul."

To do a thing with all one's foul, is a common expreffion.

M. MASON.

DUKE.
Angelo,
There is a kind of character in thy life,
That, to the obferver, doth thy history
Fully unfold: Thyfelf and thy belongings"
Are not thine own fo proper, as to wafte
Thyfelf upon thy virtues, them on thee.'
Heaven doth with us, as we with torches do;

2

we have with fpecial foul-] This feems to be only a translation of the ufual formal words inferted in all royal grants :De gratia noftra speciali, et ex mero motu-." MALONE. 8 There is a kind of character in thy life,

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That, to the obferver, &c.] Either this introduction has more folemnity than meaning, or it has a meaning which I cannot difcover. What is there peculiar in this, that a man's life informs the obferver of his biftory? Might it be fuppofed that Shakspeare wrote

this?

There is a kind of character in thy look.

Hiftory may be taken in a more diffufe and licentious meaning, for future occurrences, or the part of life yet to come. If this fenfe be received, the paffage is clear and proper. JOHNSON.

Shakspeare muft, I believe, be anfwerable for the unneceffary pomp of this introduction. He has the fame thought in Henry IV. P. II. which affords fome comment on this paffage before us: "There is a history in all men's lives,

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Figuring the nature of the times deceas'd:

"The which obferv'd, a man may prophecy

"With a near aim, of the main chance of things
"As yet not come to life," &c. STEEVENS.

On confidering this paffage, I am induced to think that the words character and history have been misplaced, and that it was originally written thus:

There is a kind of history in thy life,

That to the obferver doth thy character
Fully unfold.

This tranfpofition feems to be juftified by the paffage quoted by Steevens from the Second Part of Henry IV. M. MASON,

9thy belongings-] i. e. endowments. MALONE.

2 Are not thine own so proper,] i. c. are not fo much thy own property. STEEVENS.

3 them on thee.] The old copy reads-they on thee. The emendation was made by Sir T. Hanmer. STEEVENS.

Not light them for themselves: for, if our virtues Did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike

As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touch'd,

But to fine iffues: nor nature never lends
The smallest fcruple of her excellence,
But, like a thrifty goddefs, fhe determines
Herself the glory of a creditor,

Both thanks and ufe. But I do bend my fpeech
To one that can my part in him advértise;

4 -for if our virtues, &c.]
"Paulum fepulta diflat inertia

"Celata virtus.".

HOR. THEOBALD.

Again, in Maffinger's Maid of Honour:

"Virtue, if not in action, is a vice,

"And, when we move not forward, we go backward.” Thus, in the Latin adage-Non progredi eft regredi. STEEVENS. 5 to fine iffues:] To great confequences; for high purpofes. JOHNSON.

6 — nor nature never lends -] Two negatives, not employed to make an affirmative, are common in our author.

So, in Julius Cæfar:

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"There is no harm intended to your perfon,

"Nor to no Roman elfe." STEEVENS.

-She determines

Herfelf the glory of a creditor,

Both thanks and use.] i. e. She (Nature) requires and allots to berfelf the fame advantages that creditors ufually enjoy, thanks for the endowments she has bestowed, and extraordinary exertions in those whom she hath thus favoured, by way of intereft for what fhe has lent.

Use in the phrafeology of our author's age, fignified interest of money. MALONE.

8 I do bend my speech,

To one that can my part in him advértife;] This is obfcure. 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. My part in him advertife; i. e. who knows what appertains to the character of a 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

Hold therefore, Angelo ;'

In our remove, be thou at full ourself;
Mortality and mercy in Vienna

Live in thy tongue and heart: Old Escalus,
Though firft in queftion, is thy fecondary :
Take thy commiffion.

fworn to extirpate; that is, to take away one of Shakspeare's characteristic marks; which, if not one of the comelieft, is yet one of the strongest. So he alters this to,

To one that can, in my part me advertise.

A better expreffion indeed, but, for all that, none of Shakspeare's.
WARBURTON.

I know not whether we may not better read,-
One that can, my part to him advertise.

One that can inform himself of that which it would be otherwife my part to tell him. JOHNSON.

To advertife is ufed in this fenfe, and with Shakspeare's accentuation, by Chapman, in his verfion of the 11th Book of the Odyffey:

"Or, of my father, if thy royal ear

"Hath been advértis'd.' STEEVENS.

I believe, the meaning is,-I am talking to one who is himself already fufficiently converfant with the nature and duties of my office; of that office, which I have now delegated to him.

So, in Timon of Athens:

"It is our part, and promife to the Athenians,

"To speak with Timon." MALONE.

Hold therefore, Angelo ;] That is, continue to be Angelo; bold as thou art. JOHNSON.

I believe that-Hold therefore, Angelo; are the words which the Duke utters on tendering his commiffion to him. He concludes with-Take thy commiffion. STEEVENS.

If a full point be put after therefore, the Duke may be underftood to fpeak of himfelf. Hold therefore, i. e. Let me therefore hold, or top. And the fenfe of the whole paffage may be this. -The Duke, who has begun an exhortation to Angelo, checks himfelf thus: "But I am fpeaking to one, that can in him [in or by himself] apprehend my part [all that I have to fay]: I will therefore fay no more [on that fubject]." He then merely fignifies to Angelo his appointment. TYRWHITT.

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— first in queftion,] That is, firft called for; first appointed,

JOHNSON.

ANG.

Now, good my lord, Let there be some more test made of my metal, Before so noble and fo great a figure

Be ftamp'd upon it.

No more evasion:

DUKE. We have with a leaven'd and prepared choice' Proceeded to you; therefore take your honours. Our hafte from hence is of fo quick condition, That it prefers itfelf, and leaves unqueftion'd Matters of needful value. We fhall write to you, As time and our concernings fhall impórtune, How it goes with us; and do look to know What doth befal you here. So, fare you well: To the hopeful execution do I leave you Of your commiffions.

ANG.

Yet, give leave, my lord, That we may bring you fomething on the way." DUKE. My hafte may not admit it;

Nor need you, on mine honour, have to do With any fcruple: your fcope is as mine own; s So to enforce, or qualify the laws,

As to your foul feems good. Give me your hand;

3 We have with a leaven'd and prepared choice-] Leaven'd choice is one of Shakspeare's harsh metaphors. His train of ideas feems to be this: I have proceeded to you with choice mature, concocted, fermented, leavened. When bread is leavened it is left to ferment: a leavened choice is therefore a choice not hafty, but confiderate; not declared as foon as it fell into the imagination, but suffered to work long in the mind. Thus explained, it fuits better with prepared than levelled. JOHNSON.

bring you fomething on the way.] i. e. accompany you. So, in A Woman kill'd with Kindness, by Heywood, 1617: She went very lovingly to bring him on his way to horfe." And the fame mode of expreffion is to be found in almost every writer of the times. REED.

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- your scope is as mine own;] That is, your amplitude of power. JOHNSON.

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