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great traveller, and wild Half-can that stabb'd Pots, and, I

think, forty more; all

great doers in our trade, and are now

for the Lord's fake."

Enter ABHORSON.

Abhor. Sirrah, bring Barnardine hither.

Clo. Mafter Barnardine! you must rife and be hang'd, mailer Barnardine!

Abhor. What, ho, Barnardine!

Barnar. [Within] A pox o' your throats! Who makes that noife there? What are you?

Clo. Your friends, fir; the hangman: You must be fo good, fir, to rife and be put to death.

Barnar. [Within] Away, you rogue, away; I am fleepy.

Abbor.

4 The old copy reads-Shorty; but as most of these are compound names, I fufpect that this was originally written as I have printed it. At this time Shoe-firings were generally worn. As the perfon defcribed was a traveller, it is not unlikely that he might be folicitous about the minutia of drefs; and the epithet brave, i. e. fhowy, feems to countenance the suppofition. STEEVENS.

The finery which induced our author to give his traveller the name of Shoe-tye, was ufed on the ftage in his time. "Would not this, fir, (fays Hamlet) and a forest of feathers, with two Provencial roses on my raz'd Jhoes, get me a fellowship in a cry of players, fir?" MALONE.

The rofes mentioned in the foregoing inftance, were not the ligatures of the fhoe, but the ornaments above them. STEEVENS.

5 The word doers is here used in a wanton fenfe. MALONE.

6 i. e. to beg for the reft of their lives. WARBURTON.

Irather think this expreffion intended to ridicule the Puritans, whofe turbulence and indecency often brought them to prison, and who confidered themselves as fuffering for religion.

It is not unlikely that men imprisoned for other crimes, might reprefent themfelves to cafual enquirers, as fuffering for puritanism, and that this might be the common cant of the prifons. In Donne's time, every prifoner was brought to jail by furetifhip. JOHNSON.

I believe Dr. Warburton's explanation is right. It appears from a poem entitled, Paper's Complaint, printed among Davies's epigrams, [about the year 1611] that this was the language in which prifoners who were confined for debt, addreffed paffengers:

"Good gentle writers, for the Lord's fake, for the Lord's fake,
"Like Ludgate prisoner, 10, 1, begging, make

"My mone.'

The meaning, however, may be, to beg or burrow for the reft of their lives. MALONE.

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Abhor. Tell him, he must awake, and that quickly too. Clo. Pray, mafter Barnardine, awake till you are executed, and fleep afterwards.

Abhor. Go in to him, and fetch him out.

Clo. He is coming, fir, he is coming; I hear his ftraw ruftle.

Enter BARNARDINE.

Abhor. Is the axe upon the block, firrah?
Clo. Very ready, fir.

Barnar. How now, Abhorfon? what's the news with you?

Abhor. Truly, fir, I would defire you to clap into your prayers; for, look you, the warrant's come.

Barnar. You rogue, I have been drinking all night, I am not fitted for't.

Clo. O, the better, fir; for he that drinks all night, and is hang'd betimes in the morning, may fleep the founder all the next day.

Enter DUKE.

Abbor. Look you, fir, here comes your ghoftly father; Do we jeft now, think you?

Duke. Sir, induced by my charity, and hearing how hastily you are to depart, I am come to advise you, comfort you, and pray with you,

Barnar. Friar, not I; I have been drinking hard all night, and I will have more time to prepare me, or they fhall beat out my brains with billets: I will not confent to die this day, that's certain.

Duke. O, fir, you must and therefore, I beseech you, Look forward on the journey you shall go.

Barnar. I fwear, I will not die to-day for any man's per fuafion.

Duke. But hear you,

Barnar. Not a word: if you have any thing to fay to me, come to my ward; for thence will not I to-day.

[Exit.

Enter

Enter Provoft.

Duke. Unfit to live, or die : O, gravel heart!After him, fellows; 7 bring him to the block.

[Exeunt ABHORSON and Clown. Prov. Now, fir, how do you find the prifoner? Duke. A creature unprepar'd, unmeet for death; And, to tranfport him in the mind he is,

Were damnable,

Prov.

Here in the prison, father,
There died this morning of a cruel fever

One Ragozine, a moft notorious pirate,
A man of Claudio's years; his beard, and head,
Juft of his colour: What if we do omit
This reprobate, till he were well inclin'd;
And fatisfy the deputy with the vifage
Of Ragozine, more like to Claudio?

Duke. O, 'tis an accident that heaven provides!
Difpatch it prefently; the hour draws on
Prefix'd by Angelo: See, this be done,
And fent according to command; whiles I
Perfuade this rude wretch willingly to die.

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Prov. This fhall be done, good father, prefently. But Barnardine muft die this afternoon :

And how fhall we continue Claudio,

To fave me from the danger that might come,

If he were known alive?

Duke. Let this be done ;-Put them in fecret holds, Both Barnardine and Claudio: Ere twice

The fun hath made his journal greeting to

The

7 Here is a line given to the Duke, which belongs to the Provoft. The Provoft, while the Duke is lamenting the obduracy of the prisoner, cries

out:

After him, fellows, &c.

and when they are gone out, turns again to the Duke. JOHNSON.

I do not fee why this line fhould be taken from the Duke, and still lefs why it fhould be given to the Provost, who, by his question to the Duke in the next line, appears to be ignorant of every thing that has paffed between him and Barnardine. TYRWHITT.

To remove him from one world to another. The French treas affords a kindred fenfe. "JOHNSON.

The under generation," you fhall find

Your fafety manifefted.

Prov. I am your free dependant.
Duke.

And fend the head to Angelo.

Quick, defpatch,

[Exit Provoft

Now will I write letters to Angelo,

The provoft, he shall bear them,-whofe contents
Shall witnefs to him, I am near at home;
And that, by great injunctions, I am bound
To enter publicly: him I'll defire
To meet me at the confecrated fount,
A league below the city; and from thence,
By cold gradation and weal-balanced form, *
We shall proceed with Angelo.

Re-enter Provost.

Prov. Here is the head; I'll carry it myself. Duke. Convenient is it: Make a fwift return; For I would commune with you of such things, That want no ear but yours.

Prov.

I'll make all speed. Ifab. [Within.] Peace, ho, be here!

Duke. The tongue of Ifabel :-She's come to know,

If yet her brother's pardon be come hither:
But I will keep her ignorant of her good,
To make her heavenly comforts of defpair,
When it is leaft expected.3

Exit.

Enter

9 The under generation,] So Sir Thomas Hanmer, with true judgement. It was in all the former editions:

To yonder

y under and yonder were confounded. JOHNSON.

The old reading is not yonder but yond. STEEVENS.

Prifons are generally fo conftructed as not to admit the rays of the fun. Hence the Duke here fpeaks of its greeting only those without the doors of the jail, to which he must be fuppofed to point when he speaks these words. Sir T. Hanmer, I think without neceffity, reads-To the under generation, which has been followed by the fubfequent editors.

Journal, in the preceding line, is daily. Journalier, Fr. MALONE. 2 Thus the old copy. Mr. Heath thinks that well-balanced is the true reading; and Hanmer was of the fame opinion. STEEVENS.

3 A better reafon might have been given. It was neceffary to keep Ifabella

Enter ISABELLA.

Ifab. Ho, by your leave.

Duke. Good morning to you, fair and gracious daughter, Ifab. The better, given me by fo holy a man. Hath yet the deputy fent my brother's pardon?

Duke. He hath releas'd him, Ifabel, from the world; His head is off, and fent to Angelo.

fab Nay, but it is not fo.

Duke.
It is no other:
Show your wifdom, daughter, in your patience.
Ifab. O, I will to him, and pluck out his eyes.
Duke. You fhall not be admitted to his fight.
Ifab. Unhappy Claudio! Wretched Ifabel!
Injurious world! Moft damned Angelo!

Duke. This nor hurts him, nor profits you a jot;
Forbear it therefore; give your caufe to heaven.
Mark what I fay; which you fhall find

By every fyllable, a faithful verity:

The duke comes home to-morrow ;-nay, dry your eyes;

One of our convent, and his confeffor,

Gives me this inftance: Already he hath carried

Notice to Escalus and Angelo;

Who do prepare to meet him at the gates,

There to give up their power. If you can, pace your

wifdom

In that good path that I would with it go;

And you fhall have your bofom + on this wretch,
Grace of the duke, revenges to your heart,

And general honour.

Haba

I am directed by you.

Duke. This letter then to friar Peter give; "Tis he that fent me of the duke's return :

Say, by this token, I defire his company

At Mariana's houfe to-night. Her cause, and yours,
I'll perfect him withal; and he fhall bring you

Before the duke; and to the head of Angelo

Accufe

Ifabella in ignorance, that she might with more keennefs accufe the

deputy. JOHNSON.

4 Your wish; your heart's defire. JOHNSON.

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