Enter VARRIUS.

Duke. I thank thee, Varrius; thou hast made good haste : Come, we will walk. There's other of our friends Will greet us here anon, my gentle Varrius.

Enter ISABELLA and MARIANA.

Isab. To speak so indirectly2 I am loth: I'd say the truth; but to accuse him so, That is your part: yet I'm advised to do it ; He says, to 'vailful purpose.

Mari.

Be ruled by him.
Isab. Besides, he tells me that, if peradventure
He speak against me on the adverse side,

I should not think it strange; for 'tis a physic
That's bitter to sweet end.

Mari. I would Friar Peter

Isab.

[Exeunt.

O, peace! the friar is come.

Enter Friar PETER.

Fri. P. Come, I have found you out a stand most fit, Where you may have such vantage on the Duke,

He shall not pass you. Twice have the trumpets sounded; The generous and gravest3 citizens

Have hent the gates, and very near upon

The Duke is entering: therefore, hence, away!

[Exeunt.

1 To speak indirectly here means to speak falsely or untruly. Indirection bears the same sense in Hamlet, ii. 1: “And thus do we by indirections find directions out."

* The force of the superlative in gravest here is meant to retroact on generous, which is used withal in its Latin sense, well-born: noblest and gravest. The Poet has many instances of like construction. So in The Merchant, "The best condition'd and unwearied spirit." Here the superlative in best is continued over unwearied in the sense of most.

iii. 2:

4 To hent is to seize or take possession of.

MARIANA veiled, ISABELLA, and Friar PETER, behind. Enter, from one side, the DUKE in his own habit, VARRIUS, Lords; from the other, ANGELO, ESCALUS, LUCIO, the Provost, Officers, and Citizens.

Duke. My very worthy cousin, fairly met:

Our old and faithful friend, we're glad to see you.

Ang.

As Happy return be to your royal Grace !

Duke. Many and hearty thankings to you both.
We've made inquiry of you; and we hear
Such goodness of your justice, that our soul
Cannot but yield forth to you public thanks,
Forerunning more requital.

Ang. You make my bonds1 still greater.

Duke. O, your desert speaks loud; and I should wrong it, To lock it in the wards of covert bosom,

When it deserves, with characters of brass,
A forted residence 'gainst the tooth of time
And razure of oblivion. Give me your hand,
And let the subject see, to make them know
That outward courtesies would fain proclaim
Favours that keep within. - Come, Escalus;
You must walk by us on our other hand :—
And good supporters are you.

1 Bonds in the sense of obligations. Shakespeare repeatedly uses it thus.

Friar PETER and ISABELLA come forward.

Fri. P. Now is your time: speak loud, and kneel before him.

Isab. Justice, O royal Duke! Vail 2 your regard Upon a wrong'd, I'd fain have said, a maid!

O worthy Prince, dishonour not your eye

By throwing it on any other object

Till you

have heard me in my true complaint,

And given me justice, justice, justice, justice!

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
Must either punish me, not being believed,
Or wring redress from you: hear me, O, hear me !
Ang. My lord, her wits, I fear me, are not firm :
She hath been a suitor to me for her brother

Cut off by course of justice,

Isab.

By course of justice!

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-violater;

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 :

2 Vail is cast down or let fall. A common use of the word in the Poet's time.

Nay, it is ten times true; for truth is truth

To th' end of reckoning.

Duke.

Away with her !— Poor soul,

She speaks this in th' infirmity of sense.

Isab. O Prince, I cónjure 3 thee, as thou believest

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

That which but seems unlike: 'tis not impossible

But one, the wicked'st caitiff on the ground,
May seem as shy, as grave, as just, as absolute
As Angelo; even so may Angelo,

In all his dressings, characts,4 titles, forms,
Be an arch-villain; believe it, royal Prince:
If he be less, he's nothing; but he's more,
Had I more name for badness.

Duke.

By mine honesty,
If she be mad, as I believe no other,
Her madness hath the oddest frame of sense,
Such a dependency of thing on thing,

As ne'er I heard in madness.

Isab.

O gracious Duke,

Harp not on that; nor do not banish reason
For inequality; 5 but let your reason serve
To make the truth appear where it seems hid,
Not hide the false seems true.6

3 Conjure had the accent indifferently on the first or second syllable, whether used in the sense of earnestly entreat or of practising magic. See vol. i. page 196, note 1.

4 Characts is merely a shortened form of characters; here meaning badges or marks of honour

5 Here for has the force of because or on account of. See page 150, note 6.- Inequality refers, I think, to the different rank, or condition, of the persons concerned; though it is commonly explained otherwise, — apparent inconsistency of speech.

6 That is, the falsehood which seems true.

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 :
I, in probation of a sisterhood,

Was sent to by my brother; one Lucio

As then the messenger,

Lucio.

That's I, an't like your Grace :

I came to her from Claudio, and desired her
To try her gracious fortune with Lord Angelo
For her poor brother's pardon.

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.
Isab. 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.

Isab.

To this pernicious caitiff deputy,

Duke. That's somewhat madly spoken.

Isab.

The phrase is to the matter.

I went

Pardon it;

Duke. Mended again. The matter;—proceed.

7 Like for please; a frequent usage. See vol. i. page 222, note 3.