Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

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; But, for those earthly faults, I quit them all;

And pray thee, take this mercy to provide

For better times to come :- -Friar, advise him;

I leave him to your hand.-What muffled fellow's

that?

Prov. This is another prisoner, that I sav'd,

That should have died when Claudio lost his head; As like almost to Claudio, as himself.

[Unmuffles Claudio.

Duke. If he be like your brother, [To Isabella.] for

his sake

Is he pardon'd; And, for your lovely sake,
Give me your hand, and say you will be mine,
He is my brother too: But fitter time for that.

[ocr errors]

By this, lord Angelo perceives he's safe 70
Methinks, I see a quick'ning in his eye:-

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 whip'd.

Duke. Whip'd first, sir, and hang'd after.—
Proclaim it, provost, round about the city;
If any woman's wrong'd by this lewd fellow,
(As I have heard him swear himself, there's one
Whom he begot with child,) let her appear,
And he shall marry her: the nuptial finish'd,
Let him be whip'd and hang'd.

Lucio. I beseech your highness, do not marry me to a whore! Your highness said even now, I made a duke; good my lord, do not recompence me, in making me a cuckold.

you

Duke. Upon mine honour, thou shalt marry her.
Thy slanders I forgive; and therewithal

Remit thy other forfeits :-Take him to prison :
And see our pleasure herein executed.

Lucio. Marrying a punk, my lord, is pressing to death, whipping, and hanging.

Duke. Sland'ring a prince deserves it.

She, Claudio, that you wrong'd, look you restore.Joy to you, Mariana !-love her, Angelo;

I have confess'd her, and I know her virtue.

Thanks, good friend Escalus, for thy much goodness:

There's more behind, that is more gratulate.—
Thanks, Provost, for thy care, and secrecy ;
We shall employ thee in a worthier place :-
Forgive him, Angelo, that brought you home
The head of Ragozine for Claudio's ;
The offence pardons itself.—Dear Isabel,
I have a motion much imports your good;
Whereto if you'll a willing ear incline,

What's mine is yours, and what is yours is mine :So, bring us to our palace; where we'll show What's yet behind, that's meet you all should know.

[Exeunt.

UPON

MEASURE FOR MEASURE.

1 Since I am put to know,] I RATHER think the reading of the old copy is right, I am not to know,' i. e. I do not want knowledge or information of it. In the same sense we use at present 'I am not to learn,' 'I am not to be told.'

2 -Then no more remains,

But that your sufficiency as your worth is able,

And let them work.] Sir Thomas Hanmer, having caught from Mr. Theobald a hint that a line was lost, endeavours to supply it thus:

-Then no more remains,

But that to your sufficiency you join

A will to serve us, as your worth is able.

He has by this bold conjecture undoubtedly obtained a meaning, but perhaps not, even in his own opinion, the meaning of Shakspeare.

That the passage is more or less corrupt, I believe every reader will agree with the editors. I am not convinced that a line is lost, as Mr. Theobald conjectures, nor that the change of but to put, which Dr. Warburton has admitted after some other editor, will amend the fault. There was probably some

« ZurückWeiter »