Till you have heard me in my true complaint, 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 : Or wring redress from you hear me, O, hear me, Isab. By course of justice! here. 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? Duke. Nay, ten times strange. Isab. It is not truer he is Angelo, Than this is all as true as it is strange : To th' end of reckoning." Duke. Away with her :-Poor soul, She speaks this in th' infirmity of sense. Isab. O prince, I conjure 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, [2] That is, truth has no gradations; nothing which admits of increase can be so much what it is, as truth is truth. There may be a strange thing, and a thing more strange, but if a proposition be true, there can be none more true. JOHN [3] As shy, as reserved, as abstracted as just,-as nice, as exact: as absolute,~ as complete in all the round of duty. JOHNSON. If he be less, he's nothing; but he's more, Duke. By mine honesty, If she be mad, (as I believe no other,) Isab. O, gracious duke, Harp not on that; nor do not banish reason To make the truth appear, where it seems hid; Duke. Many that are not mad, Have, sure, more lack of reason.-What would you say Isab. I am the sister of one Claudio, Condemn'd upon the act of fornication To lose his head; condemn'd by Angelo: Was sent to by my brother: One Lucio Lucio. That's 1, an't like your grace: I came to her from Claudio, and desir'd her Isab. That's he, indeed. Duke. You were not bid to speak. Lucio. No, my good lord; Nor wish'd to hold my peace. Duke. I wish you now then; Pray you, take note of it: and when you have A business for yourself, pray heaven, you then Be perfect. Lucio. I warrant your honour. Duke. The warrant's for yourself; take heed to it. Lucio. Right. Duke. It may be right; but you are in the wrong To speak before your time.-Proceed. Isab. I went To this pernicious caitiff deputy Duke. That's somewhat madly spoken. Isab. Pardon it; The phrase is to the matter. Duke. Mended again: the matter;-Proceed. ? Isab. In brief,-to set the needless process by, (For this was of much length,) the vile conclusion Release my brother; and, after much debatement, For my poor 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, Stands without blemish :-next, it imports no reason, Isab. And is this all? Then, oh, you blessed ministers above, Keep me in patience; and, with ripen'd time, In countenance !-Heaven shield your grace from woe, Duke. I know, you'd fain be gone :-An officer! To prison with her :-Shall we thus permit A blasting and a scandalous breath to fall On him so near us? This needs must be a practice." Isab. One that I would were here, friar Lodowick. Lucio. My lord, I know him; 'tis a meddling friar; I do not like the man had he been lay, my lord, Fond wretch is foolish wretch. STEEVENS. Practice was used by the old writers for any unlawful or insidious stratagem JOHNSON. For certain words he spake against your grace Duke. Words against me? This' a good friar, belike! And to set on this wretched woman here Against our substitute Let this friar be found. Lucio. But yesternight, my lord, she and that friar I saw them at the prison: a sawcy friar, A very scurvy fellow. Peter. Blessed be your royal grace! I have stood by, my lord, and I have heard Duke. We did believe no less. Know you that friar Lodowick, that she speaks of? As he's reported by this gentleman; And, on my trust, a man that never yet Did, as he vouches, misreport your grace. Lucio. My lord, most villanously; believe it. Peter. Well, he in time may come to clear himself; Of a strange fever: Upon his mere request, To speak, as from his mouth, what he doth know So vulgarly and personally accused,) Her shall you hear disproved to her eyes, Till she herself confess it. Duke. Good friar, let's hear it. [ISAB. is carried off [guarded: and MARIANA comes forward, Do you not smile at this, lord Angelo ? O heaven! the vanity of wretched fools! Of your own cause.- -Is this the witness, friar? Mari. Pardon, my lord; I will not show my face, Until my husband bid me. Duke. What, are you married? Mari. No, my lord. Duke. Are you a maid? Mari. No, my lord. Duke. A widow then? Mari. Neither, my lord. Duke. Why, you are nothing then: Neither maid, widow, nor wife? Lucio. My lord, she may be a punk; for many of them are neither maid, widow, nor wife. Duke. Silence that fellow, I would, he had some cause To prattle for himself. Lucio. Well, my lord. Mari. My lord, I do confess I ne'er was married; And, I confess, besides, I am no maid : I have known my husband; yet my husband knows not, That ever he knew me. Lucio. He was drunk, then, my lord; it can be no better. Duke. This is no witness for lord Angelo. She, that accuses him of fornication, In self-same manner doth accuse my husband; Ang. Charges she more than me? Duke. No? you say, your husband. Mari. Why, just, my lord, and that is Angelo, Who thinks, he knows, that he ne'er knew my body, But knows, he thinks, that he knows Isabel's. Ang. This is a strange abuse :-Let's see thy face. Mari. My husband bids me; Now I will unmask. This is that face, thou cruel Angelo, [Unveiling Which, once thou swor'st, was worth the looking on: That took away the match from Isabel, And did supply thee at thy garden-house, VOL. I. 33 |