Exter Angelo, Mariana, Peter, and Provost. Ijab. I do, my Lord.. Duke. For this new-marry'd man, approaching here, Whofe falt imagination yet hath wrong'd. Your well-defended honour, you must pardon Of facred chastity, and of promife-breach, Moft audible, even from his proper tongue, Hafte ftill pays hafte, and leifure anfwers, leifure; Which tho' thou would't deny, denies thee vantage.. Where Claudio ftoop'd to death; and with like hafte; Away with him. Mari. Oh, my moft gracious Lord, I hope, you will not mock me with a huband? We do enftate and widow you withal, Mari. Oh, my dear Lord, I crave no other, nor no better man. Duke. Never crave him; we are definitive. Duke. You do but lofe your labour: Away with him to death. Now, Sir, to you. Duks Duke. Against all fenfe you do importune her; Should the kneel down, in mercy of this fact, Her brother's ghost his paved bed would break, And take her hence in horror. Mari. Ifabel, Sweet Ifabel, do yet but kneel by me, Hold up your hands, fay nothing; I'll speak all. Duke. He dies for Claudio's death. Ifab. Moft bounteous Sir, [Kneeling Look, if it please you, on this man condemn'd, "Till he did look on me; fince it is fo, Let him not die. My brother had but justice, For Angelo, his act did not o'ertake his bad intent; That perish'd by the way: thoughts are no fubjects :Intents, but merely thoughts.. Mari. Merely, my Lord. Duke. Your fuit's unprofitable; ftand up, I fay: I have bethought me of another fault, Provoft, how came it, Claudio was beheaded Prov. It was commanded fo. Duke. Had you a fpecial warrant for the deed? Prov. No, my good Lord; it was by private meffage.. Duke. For which I do difcharge you of your office: Give up your keys. Prov. Pardon me, noble Lord. I thought, it was a fault, but knew it.not; For teftimony whereof, one in th' prifon, Duke Duke. What's he? Prov. His name is Barnardine. Duke. I would, thou had'ft done fo by Claudio : dng. I'm forry, that fuch forrow I procuré ; Enter Provoft, Barnardine, Claudio, and Julietta, Duke. Which is that Barnardine ? Prov. This, my Lord. Duke. There was a Friar told me of this man : Sirrah, thou'rt faid to have a ftubborn foul, That apprehends no further than this world; And fquar'ft thy life accordingly thou'rt condemn'd; But for thofe earthly faults, I quit them all: : I pray thee, take this mercy to provide For better times to come: Friar, advise him ; Who should have dy'd when, Claudio loft his head; Duke. If he be like your brother, for his fake (30) Go, fetch bim bither :- -] The introducing Barnardine here, is, feemingly a matter of no confequence; as he is no perfon concern'd in the action of the Play, nor directly aiding to the Denonement, as the French call it, of the plot: but, to our Poet's praife, let me obferve, that it is not done without double art; ie gives a handle for the discovery of Claudio being alive, and fo heightens the furprize; and, at the fame time, by the pardon of Barnardine, gives a fine opportunity of making the Duke's character more amiable, both, for mercy, and virtue. By By this, Lord Angelo perceives he's fafe; Look, that you love your wife; her worth, worth yours.. And yet here's one in place I cannot pardon. You, firrah, that knew me for a fool, a coward, One of all luxury, an afs, a mad-man ; [To Lucio. Lucio. 'Faith, my Lord, I fpoke it but according to the trick, if you will hang me for it, you may: but L had rather it would pleafe you, I might be whipt. Duke. Whipt firft, Sir, and hang'd after. Proclaim it, Proveft, round about the city; If any woman, 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 whipt and hang'd. Lucio. I befeech your Highness, do not marry me to a whore your Highnefs faid even now, I made you a Duke; good my Lord, do not recompence me, in making me a cuckold. Duke. Upon mine honour, thou shalt marry her: Thy flanders I forgive, and therewithal Remit thy other forfeits; take him to prison : And fee our pleasure herein executed. Lucio. Marrying a punk, my Lord, is preffing to death, whipping and hanging. Duke. Sland'ring a Prince deferves it. She, Claudio, that you wrong'd, look, you restore. (31) Joy to you, Mariana; love her Angelo:] I cannot help taking notice, with how much judgment Shakespeare has given turns to this ftory, from what he found it in Cinthio Giraldi's novel. In the first place, the brother, whom our Poet calls Claudio is there actually executed: And the ungrateful Governor fends his head in a bravado, I I have confefs'd her, and I know her virtue. What's mine is yours, and what is yours is mine : What's yet behind, that's meet you all should know. bravado, to his fifter; after he had debauch'd her, on promise of marriage. A circumftance of too much horror, and villainy, for the stage. And in the next place, this fifter afterwards is, to folder up her difgrace, marry'd to the Governor, and begs his life of the Emperor, tho' he had fo unjustly been the death of her brother. Both which abfurdities our Poet has avoided by the epifode of Mariana, a creature purely of his own invention. The Duke's remaining incognito at home, to fupervise the conduct of his Deputy, is alfo entirely our Author's fiction.- This flory was attempted for the scene by one George Whetstone (before our Author was fourteen years old,) in two Comical Difcourfes (as they are call'd) containing, the right, excellent and famous hiftory of Promos and Caffandra: and printed in the old black letter, in 1578. Neither of these dif courfes, I believe, were ever acted. The author left them with his friends, to publifh; for he, that very year, accompanied Sir Humphry Gilbert, Sir Walter Raleigh's brother, in his voyage to Norimbega in the Weft-Indies. I could prove to demonstration, that Shakespeare had perus'd thefe pieces; but whoever has feen, and knows what execrable mean ftuff they are; I am fure, will acquit him from all fufpicion of plagiarism. The End of the FIRST Volume. |