Duke. Had you a special warrant for the deed? Prov. No, my good lord; it was by private mes sage. Duke. For which I do discharge you of your office: Give up your keys. Prov. Pardon me, noble lord: I thought it was a fault, but knew it not; Duke. Prov. What's he? His name is Barnardine. Duke. I would thou had'st done so by Claudio.Go, fetch him hither; let me look upon him. [Exit Provost. Escal. I am sorry, one so learned and so wise As you, lord Angelo, have still appear'd, Should slip so grossly, both in the heat of blood, And lack of temper'd judgment afterward. Ang. I am sorry, that such sorrow I procure: And so deep sticks it in my penitent heart, That I crave death more willingly than mercy; 'Tis my deserving, and I do entreat it. 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 à stubborn soul, That apprehends no further than this world, And squar'st thy life according. Thou'rt condemn'd; But, for those earthly 43 faults, I quit them all; 42 i. e. better consideration. K. Henry V. Act ii. Sc. 2. 43 i. e. so far as they are punishable on earth. And pray thee, take this mercy to provide -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 pardoned; And, for your lovely sake, 44 Look that you love your wife; her worth, worth 45 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 46, an ass, a madman ; That you extol me thus? you, Lucio. 'Faith, my lord, I spoke it but according to the trick 47: If you will hang me for it, you may, but I had rather it would please you, I might be whipp'd. Duke. Whipp'd first, sir, and hang'd after.- 44 Requites. 45 Her worth worth yours; that is, 'her value is equal to yours, the match is not unworthy of you.' 46 Incontinence. 47 Thoughtless practice. (As I have heard him swear himself, there's one Lucio. I beseech your highness, do not marry me to a whore! Your highness said even now, I made you a duke; good my lord, do not recompense me in making me a cuckold. Duke. Upon mine honour thou shalt marry her. Thy slanders I forgive: and therewithal Remit thy other forfeits 48:-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 good ness: There's more behind, that is more gratulate 49. 48 Remit thy other forfeits.' Dr. Johnson says, forfeits mean punishments, but is it not more likely to signify misdoings, transgressions, from the French forfait? Steevens's Note affords instances of the word in this sense. 49 i. e. more to be rejoiced in. As Steevens rightly explained it. Dr. Johnson's proposed arrangement of the text is very plausible; for it is evident, from the context, that this gratulation which is yet behind relates to Isabel, and not to Escalus, as Mason had imagined. In the Dedication to 'Lambarde's Archeion,' which is dated 1591, the word occurs in this sense: 'to gratulate unto you that honourable place whereunto you are right worthily advanced. Reward must be a very unusual meaning of the word, for gratulatio is explained in Hutton's Dictionary, 1583, Rejoysing in ones behalfe: gratulation, thankes giving.' The head of Ragozine for Claudio's; The offence pardons itself.—Dear Isabel, THE novel of Giraldi Cinthio, from which Shakspeare is supposed to have borrowed this fable, may be read in Shakspeare Illustrated, elegantly translated, with remarks, which will assist the inquirer to discover how much absurdity Shakspeare has admitted or avoided. I cannot but suspect that some other had new-modelled the novel of Cinthio, or written a story which in some particulars resembled it, and that Cinthio was not the author whom Shakspeare immediately followed. The Emperor in Cinthio is named Maximine: the Duke, in Shakspeare's enumeration of the persons of the drama, is called Vincentio. This appears a very slight remark; but since the Duke has no name in the play, nor is ever mentioned but by his title, why should he be called Vincentio among the persons, but because the name was copied from the story, and placed superfluously at the head of the list by the mere habit of transcription? It is therefore likely that there was then a story of Vincentio, Duke of Vienna, different from that of Maximine, Emperor of the Romans. Of this play, the light or comick part is very natural and pleasing, but the grave scenes, if a few passages be excepted, ha more labour than elegance. The plot is rather intricate than artful. The time of the action is indefinite; some time, we know not how much, must have elapsed between the recess of the Duke and the imprisonment of Claudio; for he must have learned the story of Mariana in his disguise, or he delegated his power to a man already known to be corrupted.* The unities of action and place are sufficiently preserved. JOHNSON. *The Duke probably had learnt the story of Mariana in some of his former retirements, having ever loved the life removed.' And he had a suspicion that Angelo was but a seemer, and therefore stays to watch him. BLACKSTONE. |