Which was before barr'd up with ribs of iron! FRIAR. Hear me a little; LEON. FRIAR. Lady, what man is he you are accus'd of? * To burn the errors - The same idea occurs in Romeo and Juliet: 9 "Transparent hereticks be burnt for liars." STEEVENS. of my book;] i. e. of what I have read. MALONE. Friar. what man is he you are accus'd of?] The Friar had just before boasted his great skill in fishing out the truth. And, indeed, he appears by this question to be no fool. He was by, all the while at the accusation, and heard no name HERO. They know, that do accuse me; I know none: If I know more of any man alive, FRIAR. There is some strange misprision in the princes. BENE. Two of them have the very bent of honour; 2 And if their wisdoms be misled in this, LEON. I know not; If they speak but truth of her, These hands shall tear her; if they wrong her honour, The proudest of them shall well hear of it. mentioned. Why then should he ask her what man she was accused of? But in this lay the subtilty of his examination. For, had Hero been guilty, it was very probable that in that hurry and confusion of spirits, into which the terrible insult of her lover had thrown her, she would never have observed that the man's name was not mentioned; and so, on this question, have betrayed herself by naming the person she was conscious of an affair with. The Friar observed this, and so concluded, that were she guilty, she would probably fall into the trap he laid for her. I only take notice of this to show how admirably well Shakspeare knew how to sustain his characters. WARBURTON. * bent of honour ;) Bent is used by our author for the utmost degree of any passion, or mental quality. In this play before, Benedick says of Beatrice, her affection has its full bent. The expression is derived from archery; the bow has its bent, when it is drawn as far as it can be. JOHNSON, Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor fortune made such havock of my means, FRIAR. Pause a while, And let my counsel sway you in this case. LEON. What shall become of this? What will this do? FRIAR. Marry, this, well carried, shall on her behalf Change slander to remorse; that is some good: But not for that, dream I on this strange course, But on this travail look for greater birth. 3 Your daughter here the princes left for dead;] In former copies Your daughter here the princess (left for dead;) But how comes Hero to start up a princess here? We have no intimation of her father being a prince; and this is the first and only time she is complimented with this dignity. The remotion of a single letter, and of the parenthesis, will bring her to her own rank, and the place to its true meaning: Your daughter here the princes left for dead; i. e. Don Pedro, prince of Arragon; and his bastard brother, who is likewise called a prince. THEOBALD. - ostentation; Show, appearance. JOHNSON. 1 She dying, as it must be so maintain'd, That what we have we prize not to the worth, Shall come apparell'd in more precious habit, No, though he thought his accusation true. But if all aim but this be levell'd false, 5 - we rack the value;] i. e. we exaggerate the value. The allusion is to rack-rents. The same kind of thought occurs in Antony and Cleopatra: 6 "What our contempts do often hurl from us, died upon his words,] i. e, died by them. So, in A Midsummer Night's Dream: " To die upon the hand I love so well." STEevens. * (If ever love had interest in his liver,)] The liver, in conformity to ancient supposition, is frequently mentioned by Shakspeare as the seat of love. Thus Pistol represents Falstaff as loving Mrs. Ford-" with liver burning hot." STEEVENS. The supposition of the lady's death Out of all eyes, tongues, minds, and injuries. BENE. Signior Leonato, let the friar advise you: And though, you know, my inwardness and love Is very much unto the prince and Claudio, Yet, by mine honour, I will deal in this As secretly, and justly, as your soul Should with your body. Being that I flow in grief, LEON. FRIAR. 'Tis well consented; presently away; cure. Come, lady, die to live: this wedding day, Perhaps, is but prolong'd; have patience, and endure. [Exeunt Friar, HERO, and LEONATO. BENE. Lady Beatrice, have you wept all this while? my inwardness-] i. e. intimacy. Thus Lucio, in Measure for Measure, speaking of the Duke, says-" I was an inward of his." Again, in King Richard III: "Who is most inward with the noble duke?" STEEVENS. • The smallest twine may lead me.] This is one of our author's observations upon life. Men overpowered with distress, eagerly listen to the first offers of relief, close with every scheme, and believe every promise. He that has no longer any confidence in himself, is glad to repose his trust in any other that will undertake to guide him. JOHNSON. Lady Beatrice, &c.] The poet, in my opinion, has shown a great deal of address in this scene. Beatrice here engages her K2 |