Mari. Wilt please you walk afide?

[Exeunt Mar. and Ifab. Duke. O place and greatnefs! millions of falfe eyes

• Are ftuck upon thee: volumes of report

If

Run with these falfe and moft contrarious quests
Upon thy doings: thoufand 'fcapes of wit
Make thee the father of their idle dreams,

And rack thee in their fancies! Welcome; how agreed?

SCENE IV. Re-enter Mariana, and Ifabel.

Ifab. She'll take the enterprise upon her, father, you advise it.

Duke. 'Tis not my confent,

But my intreaty too.

Ifab. Little have you to say,

When you depart from him, but foft and low, "Remember now my brother.

Mari. Fear me not.

Duke. Nor, gentle daughter, fear you not at all: He is your husband on a pre-contract;

To bring you thus together, 'tis no fin;

Sith that the juftice of your title to him

Doth flourish the deceit. Come, let us go;

Our corn's to reap; for yet our tilth's to fow. [Exeunt.

SCENE V. Changes to the prifon.

Enter Provost and Clown.

Prov. Come hither, firrah: can you cut off a man's head?

Clown. If the man be a bachelor, Sir, I can; but if he be a marry'd man, he is his wife's head; and I can never cut off a woman's head.

Prov. Come, Sir, leave me your fnatches, and yield me a direct answer. To-morrow morning are to die Claudio and Barnardine: here is in our prifon a common executioner, who in his office lacks a helper; if you will take it on you to affift him, it fhall redeem you from your gyves: if not, you fhall have your full time of imprisonment, and your deliverance with an unpitied whipping; for you have been a notorious bawd.

Clown. Sir, I have been an unlawful bawd time out of mind, but yet I will be content to be a lawful hangman. I would be glad to receive some instruction from my fellow-partner.

Prov. What hoa, Abhorfon! where's Abhorfon, there?

Enter Abhorfon.

Abhor. Do you call, Sir?

Prov. Sirrah, here's a fellow will help you to-morrow in your execution; if you think it meet, compound with him by the year, and let him abide here with you; if not, ufe him for the prefent, and difmifs him. He cannot plead his estimation with you, he hath been a

bawd.

Abhor. A bawd, Sir? fie upon him, he will difcredit our mistery *.

Prov. Go to, Sir, you weigh equally; a feather will turn the fcale.

[Exit. Clown. Pray, Sir, by your good favour; (for furely, Sir, a good favour you have, but that you have a hanging look): do you call, Sir, your occupation a miftery? Abhor. Ay, Sir; a mistery.

Clown. Painting, Sir, I have heard fay, is a mistery; and your whores, Sir, being members of my occupation, ufing painting, do prove my occupation a mistery; but what miftery there fhould be in hanging, if I fhould be hang'd I cannot imagine.

+ Abbor. Clown.

Sir, it is a mistery.

Abhor. Proof.

The word mistery, when used to fignify a trade or manual profeffion, should be spelt with an i, not a y; as being derived, not from the Greek vsngior, but from the French mefier. Mr. Warburton.

+ The text here is plainly maimed and deficient; the words by which Abhorfon fhould prove the hangman's trade a miítery are loft. But from what follows, the argument may be conjectured to have been this, That every man's apparel itted the hangman: to which we may fuppofe the Clown replied, that for the fame reafon the fame thing might be faid of the thief's trade Yes, Sir, it is a mistery, &c. and this connects the reft that follows.

VOL. I.

Q 9

Clown.

Clown. Every true man's apparel fits your thief. If it be too little for your thief, your true man thinks it big enough; if it be too big for your thief, your thief thinks it little enough: fo every true man's apparel fits your thief.

Re-enter Provost.

Prov. Are you agreed?

Clown. Sir, I will ferve him: for I do find your hangman is a more penitent trade than your bawd; he doth oftener afk forgiveness.

Prov. You, firrah, provide your block and your ax to-morrow, four o'clock.

Abhor. Come on, bawd, I will inftruct thee in my trade; follow.

you

Clown. I do defire to learn, Sir; and I hope, if have occafion to ufe me for your own turn, you fhall' find me yare: for truly, Sir, for your kindness I owe you a good turn.

Prov. Call hither Barnardine and Claudio :

One has my pity; not a jot the other,

Being a murth'rer, though he were my brother.

SCENE VI. Enter Claudio.

[Exit.

Look, here's the warrant, Claudio, for thy death;
'Tis now dead midnight, and by eight to-morrow
Thou must be made immortal. Where's Barnardine?
Claud. As faft lock'd up in fleep, as guitlefs labour,
When it lies ftarkly in the traveller's bones;
He'll not awake.

Prov. Who can do good on him?

Well, go, prepare yourself. [Exit Claud.] But, hark, what noife?

[Knock within. Heav'n give your spirits comfort!—by and by; I hope it is fome pardon, or reprieve,

For the most gentle Claudio. Welcome, father.

Enter Duke.

Duke. The best and wholfom'ft fpirits of the night Invellop you, good Provoft! who call'd here of late? Prov None, fince the curfew rung.

Duke. Not Ifabel?

Prov. No.

Duke. They will then, ere't be long.
Prov. What comfort is for Claudio?
Duke. There is fome in hope.

Prov. It is a bitter deputy.

Duke. Not fo, not fo; his life is parallell'd Ev'n with the ftroak and line of his great justice; He doth with holy abftinence fubdue

That in himself, which he fpurs on his pow'r

To qualify in others. Were he meal'd

With that which he corrects, then were he tyrannous;

But this being fo, he's juft. Now they are come.

[Knock again. Provoft goes out.

This is a gentle Provost; feldom, when

The steeled gaoler is the friend of men.

How now? what noife? that fpirit's poffefs'd with hafte, That wounds th' unrefifting postern with these strokes.

Provost returns.

Prov. There he must stay, until the officer

Arife to let him in; he is call'd up.

Duke. Have you no countermand for Claudio yet, But he must die to-morrow?

Prov. None, Sir; none.

Duke. As near the dawning, Provost, as it is, You fhall hear more ere morning.

Prov. Happily

You fomething know; yet I believe there comes
No countermand; no fuch example have we ;
Befides, upon the very fiege of justice,

Lord Angelo hath to the public ear

Profefs'd the contrary.

SCENE VII. Enter a messenger.

Duke. This is his Lordship's man.

Prov. And here comes Claudio's pardon.

Me. My Lord hath fent you this note, and by me this further charge, that you fwerve not from the fmalleft article of it, neither in time, matter, or other circumftance. Good morrow; for as I take it, it is almoft day.

Prov. I fhall obey him.

[Exit Messenger.

Duke. This is his pardon purchas'd by fuch fin,
For which the pardoner himself is in:
Hence hath offence his quick celerity,
When it is borne in high authority;

When vice makes mercy, mercy's fo extended,
That, for the fault's love, is the offender friended.
Now, Sir, what news?

Prov. I told you: Lord Angelo, be-like, thinking me remifs in mine office, awakens me with this unwonted putting on; methinks ftrangely; for he hath not us'd it before.

Duke. Pray you let's hear.

Provost reads the letter.

Whatfoever you may hear to the contrary, let Claudio be executed by four of the clock, and in the afternoon Barnardine: for my better fatisfaction, let me have Claudio's head fent me by five. Let this be duly perform'd with a thought that more depends on it than we must yet deliver. Thus fail not to do your office, as you will anfwer it at your peril.

What fay you to this, Sir?

Duke. What is that Barnardine who is to be executed in the afternoon?

Prov. A Bohemian born, but here nurs'd up and· bred; one that is a prifoner nine years old.

Duke. How came it that the absent Duke had not either deliver'd him to his liberty, or executed him? I have heard it was ever his manner to do fo.

Prov. His friends ftill wrought reprieves for him; and indeed his fact, till now in the government of Lord Angelo, came not to an undoubtful proof.

Ďuke. Is it now apparent?

Prov. Moft manifeft, and not deny'd by himself. Duke. Hath he borne himfelf penitent in prifon? how feems he to be touch'd?

Prov. A man that apprehends death no more dreadfully, but as a drunken fleep; carelefs, reckless, and fearless of what's paft, prefent, or to come; infenfible of mortality, and defperately mortal.

Duke. He wants advice.

Prov. He will hear none; he hath evermore had the

liberty