Such goodness of your juftice, that our foul
Cannot but yield you forth to publick thanks,
Forerunning more requital.

Ang. You make my bonds ftill greater.

Duke. Oh, your defert speaks loud; and I should
wrong it,

To lock it in the wards of covert bosom,
When it deferves with characters of brass
A forted refidence, 'gainst the tooth of time
And razure of oblivion. Give me your hand,
And let the fubjects fee, to make them know
That outward courtefies would fain proclaim
Favours that keep within. Come, Efcalus;
You must walk by us on our other hand:
And good fupporters are you. [As the Duke is going out.

Peter. Now is your time: fpeak loud, and kneel
before him.

Ifab. Juftice, O royal Duke! vail your regard
Upon a wrong'd, I'd fain have faid, a maid :
Oh, worthy Prince, difhonour not your eye
By throwing it on any other object,

'Till you have heard me in my true complaint,
And given me juftice, juftice, juftice, juftice.

Duke. Relate your wrongs; in what, by whom? be brief:

Here is lord Angelo fhall give you justice;

Reveal yourself to him.

Ifab. Oh, worthy Duke,

You bid me feek redemption of the devil:

Hear me your felf, for that which I must speak
Muft either punish me, not being believ'd,

Or wring redrefs from you: oh, hear me, hear me.
Ang. My lord, her wits, I fear me, are not firm:
She hath been a fuitor to me for her brother,
Cut off by courfe of justice.

1

Ifab. Courfe of juftice!

Ang. And fhe will speak most bitterly, and ftrange.
Ifab Moft ftrange, but yet moft truly, will I fpeak;
That Angelo's forfworn, is it not strange?
That Angelo's a murth'rer, is't not strange?
That Angelo is an adult'rous thief,
An hypocrite, a virgin-violater;
Is it not strange, and strange?

Duke. Nay, it is ten times ftrange.
Ifab. It is not truer he is Angelo,
Than this is all as true, as it is strange:
Nay, it is ten times truer ; for truth is truth
To th' end of reckoning.

Duke. Away with her: poor foul,
She speaks this in th' infirmity of sense.

Ifab. 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 madnefs. Make not impoffible
That, which but feems unlike; 'tis not impoffible,
But one, the wicked'ft caitiff on the ground,
May seem as shy, as grave, as just, as absolute,
As Angelo; even fo may Angelo,

In all his dreffings, caracts, titles, forms,
Be an arch-villain: believe it, royal Prince,
If he be lefs, he's nothing; but he's more,
Had I more name for badness.

Duke. By mine honesty,

If fhe be mad, as I believe no other,
Her madness hath the oddeft frame of fenfe;
Such a dependency of thing on thing,
As e'er I heard in madness.

Ifab. Gracious Duke,

Harp not on That; nor do not banish reason
For inequality; but let your reafon serve

To make the truth appear, where it seems hid;
Not hide the falfe, feems true.

■ And hide the false, seems trus.] We should read Not hide.

Duke.

Duke. Many, that are not mad, Have, fure, more lack of reason. What would you say?

Ifab. I am the fifter of one Claudio,
Condemn'd upon the act of fornication
To lofe his head; condemn'd by Angelo:
I, in probation of a fifterhood,

Was fent to by my brother; one Lucio,
As then the meffenger,

Lucio. That's I, an't like your Grace:
I came to her from Claudio, and defir'd her
To try her gracious fortune with lord Angelo,
For her poor brother's pardon.

Ifab. That's he, indeed.

Duke. You were not bid to fpeak?

[To Lucio. Lucio. No, my good lord, nor wifh to hold my peace. Duke. I wish you now then;

Pray you, take note of it: and when you have

A business for your felf; pray heav'n, you then
Be perfect.

Lucio. I warrant your Honour.

Duke. The warrant's for your felf; take heed to't.
Ifab. This gentleman told somewhat of my tale.
Lucio. Right.

Duke. It may be right, but you are in the wrong
To speak before
your time. Proceed.

Ifab. I went

To this pernicious caitiff Deputy.

Duke. That's fomewhat madly fpoken.
Ifab. Pardon it:

The phrafe is to the matter.

Duke. Mended again: the matter;-proceed.
Ifab. In brief; (to fet the needless Process by,
How I perfuaded, how I pray'd and kneel'd,
How he repell'd me, and how I reply'd;
For this was of much length) the vile conclufion
I now begin with grief and fhame to utter.
He would not, but by gift of my chafte body

To

To his concupifcent intemp❜rate luft,

Release my brother? and after much debatement,
My fifterly Remorfe confutes mine Honour,

And I did yield to him: But the next morn betimes,
His purpofe furfeiting, he fends a Warrant
For my poor brother's head.

Duke. This is most likely !

2

Ifab. Oh, that it were as like, as it is true!
Duke. By heav'n, fond wretch, thow know'ft not what
thou speak❜ft,

Or elfe thou art fuborn'd against his honour
In hateful practice. First, his integrity

Stands without blemish; next, it imports no reason,
That with fuch vehemence he should pursue
Faults proper to himself: if he had fo offended,
He would have weigh'd thy brother by himself,
And not have cut him off. Some one hath fet you on;
Confefs the truth, and fay, by whofe advice
Thou cam'ft here to complain.

Ifab. And is this all?

Then, oh, you bleffed minifters above!

Keep me in patience; and with ripen'd time,
Unfold the evil which is here wrapt up

3 In countenance: Heav'n fhield your Grace from woe, As I, thus wrong'd, hence unbelieved

go.

Duke. I know, you'd fain be gone. An officer;

To prison with her. Shall we thus permit
A blafting and a fcandalous breath to fall
On him fo near us? this needs must be a practice.
Who knew of your intent, and coming hither?
Ifab. One that I would were here, Friar Lodowick.
Duke. A ghoftly father, belike:

Who knows that Lodowick?

2 Oh, that it were as like, as it is true!] Like is not here used for probable, but for feemly. She catches at the Duke's word, and turns it to another fenfe; of which there are a great many examples in Shakespear, and the writers of that time.

3 In countenance:] i. e. in partial favour.

Lucio. My lord, I know him; 'tis a medling Friar; I do not like the man; had he been Lay, my lord, For certain words he fpake against your Grace In your retirement, I had fwing'd him foundly. Duke. Words against me? this is a good Friar, belike; And to fet on this wretched woman here Against our Substitute! let this Friar be found. Lucio. But yefternight, my lord, she and that Friar, I faw them at the prison: a sawcy Friar,

A very fcurvy fellow.

Peter. Bleffed be your royal Grace!

I have stood by, my lord, and I have heard
Your royal ear abus'd. First, hath this woman
Moft wrongfully accus'd your Substitute;
Who is as free from touch or foil with her,
As the from one ungot.

Duke. We did believe no lefs.

Know you that Friar Lodowick, which the speaks of? Peter. I know him for a man divine and holy; Not fcurvy, nor a temporary medler,

As he's reported by this gentleman;

And, on my Truft, a man that never yet

Did, as he vouches, mifreport your Grace.

Lucio. My lord, moft villainously; believe it.
Peter. Well, he in time may come to clear himself;
But at this inftant he is fick, my lord,
Of a strange fever. On his meer request,
(Being come to knowledge that there was Complaint
İntended 'gainst lord Angelo) came I hither

To speak as from his mouth, what he doth know
Is true, and falfe; and what he with his oath
By all Probation will make up full clear,

• Whenever he's convented. First, for this woman; Το

4 Whenever he's CONVEN'D.] The firft Folio reads CONVENTED, and this is right: for to convene fignifics to affemble; but convent, to cite, or fummons. Yet, because convented hurts the measure, the Oxford Editor sticks to conven'd, tho' it be nonsense, and fignifies, Whenever he is assembled together. But thus it will be, when

the