Efcalus, an old Lord, very much beloved by the Duke, and who had been deputed by him to bear a fubordinate Part in the Adminiftration, endeavours to prevail with Angelo to foften the Severity of this Sentence, but in

vain.

The Sifter of Claudio, a beautiful young Virgin, and a Novice in the Convent of St. Clair, folicits Angelo for her Brother's Pardon; he denies her; but afterwards being enamoured of her Beauty, promifes to grant her Requeft, upon Condition, fhe gives him Poffeffion of her Perfon.

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Ifabella with great Difdain, refuses to purchafe her Brother's Life upon these fhameful Terms; goes to the Prifon and acquaints. Claudio with her ill Succefs; the Youth, fond of Life, intreats her to fave him, and comply with the Deputy's Requeft: She, after reproaching him feverely for his Bafenefs, quits him in great Rage.

The Duke, who, in the Difguife of a Friar, was come to vifit and exhort the Prifoners, having overheard all that had paffed between Ifabella and her Brother, intreats fome private Discourse with her; fhe confents; and he informs her, that Angelo, fome Years before, had been contracted in Marriage to a young Lady, named Mariana, whom he forfook becaufe her Fortune was loft at Sea; and to colour his Perfidy, gave out, that he left her on Account of her Unchastity; he then advifes her, in order to fave her Brother's Life, to go to the Deputy, and tell him that she will confent to the Conditions he had proposed to her;

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and in the mean Time he would prevail upon Mariana, who ftill loved Angelo, fecretly to fupply her Place, by which Means her Brother's Pardon would be obtained, without the Lofs of her Honour.

This Contrivance is put in Execution; but Angelo, notwithstanding his Promise to the contrary, fends a new Order to the Provost of the City for the Execution of Claudio, and commands him to bring him his Head.

The Duke, wholly taken up with the Affairs of the Prifon, is foon informed of this unexpected Event; he prevails with the Provost to delay the Execution of Claudio, and to deceive the Deputy, by cutting off the Head of a Pirate who died in the Prison, and prefenting it to him for Claudio's.

Ifabella coming to the Prifon, to know if her Brother's Pardon had been fent, is told by the disguised Duke, that he was executed early that Morning, pursuant to a new Order from Angelo,

Ifabella raves and threatens; the counterfeit. Friar advises her to complain of Angelo to the Duke, who was that Day expected to return to Vienna.

The Duke then, fhifting his Drefs, enters the City, attended by Angelo and Efcalus, whom he had commanded to meet him; Ifabella falling on her Knees, demands Justice on Angelo, for having deluded her of her Honour, under Pretence of faving her Brother's Life, and afterwards caufing him to be executed.

The Friar, who was in the Secret, declares, Ifabella fpoke an Untruth, for that she was abfolutely unviolated by Angelo. Mariana

Mariana is then introduced, who, in an enigmatical Manner, declares herself to have been the Perfon who fupplied Isabella's Place with Angelo, and claims him for her Husband. Angelo denies all.

The Duke then flipping away, resumes the Habit of a Friar, and, after fome Reflexions on the Government, he is ordered by the Deputy to be carried to Prifon, and being feized by a wild young Fellow, his Hood falls off, and he is discovered to be the Duke.

Angelo hereupon confeffes his Crime; the Duke orders him to marry Mariana immediately, which being done, he condemns him to Death. At the Interceffion of Mariana and Ifabella he is pardoned; and the Duke, charmed with the Virtue and Beauty of Ijabella, offers himself to her for a Hufband.

The reft is all Epifode, made up of the ex-. travagant Behaviour of a wild Rake, the Blunders of a drunken Clown, and the Abfurdities of an ignorant Conftable.

'There are a greater Diverfity of Characters, and more Intrigues in the Fable of the Play, than the Novel of Cinthio; yet I think, whereever Shakespear has invented, he is greatly below the Novelift; fince the Incidents he has added, are neither neceffary nor probable.

The Story of Juriste and Epitia, of itself, afforded a very affecting Fable for a Play; it is only faulty in the Catastrophe. The Reader, who cannot but be extremely enraged at the Deceit and Cruelty of Juriste, and very defirous of his meeting with a Punishment due to his Crime, is greatly difappointed, to find him

in the End, not only pardoned, but made happy in the Poffeffion of the beautiful Epitia. Shakespear, though he has altered and added a good deal, yet has not mended the Moral; for he alfo fhews Vice not only pardoned, but left in Tranquility.

The cruel, the vicious and hypocritical Angelo, marries a fair and virtuous Woman, who tenderly loved him, and is restored to the Favour of his Prince.

I faid before, that the Story of Juriste and Epitia afforded an affecting Subject for a Play; and it is to be wifhed, fince Shakespear thought proper to found one upon it, that he had left the Fable fimple and entire as it was, without loading it with ufelefs Incidents, unneceffary Characters, and abfurd and improbable Intrigue.

Thus it would have ftood by keeping close, to the Novelift: A young Gentleman, vanquifhed by the Force of a too violent Paffion, ravishes a Virgin, whom he is afterwards. willing to marry, but is feiz'd and condemn'd to die for his Crime; his Sifter a beautiful Maid, who tenderly loves the unfortunate Youth, folicits the rigid Governor for his Pardon, which he refufes, unlefs fhe facrifices her Honour to him. The Lady rejects his Propofal with Difdain, but fubdued by the affecting Tears and Prayers of a Brother, whofe Life is dearer to her than her own, fhe reluctantly confents to the Governor's Propofal, on Condition, that he fhould give her Borther a free Pardon, and repair her Honour hereafter by Marriage.

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The Governor binds himfelf by Oath, to perform both thefe Conditions; which Oath he breaks; after the unfortunate Lady had paid the Price of them, and fends an immediate Order for her Brother's Execution.

The Lady in the violence of her Grief and Rage, refolves to murder him with her own Hands, but reflecting that she could not take this Revenge on him, without fubjecting herself to a fecond Violation, the complains of her Wrongs to her Sovereign, and demands Juftice on the impious Perpetrator of them.

The Emperor in order to repair her Honour, obliges the perfidious Governor to marry her, and then commands him to be led to Execution, which fhe by an exalted Piece of Generofity oppofes, and as his Wife kneels and folicits ardently for his Pardon; which the Emperor at laft grants.

Here the Novelift fhould be dropt, and the Cataftrophe, according to poetical Juftice, might be thus wound up.

The Lady having performed her Duty, in faving the Life of a Man, who, however unworthy, was ftill her Hufband, fhould devote herself to a Cloifter, for the remainder of her Life; and the wretched Juriste, deprived of his Dignity, in Difgrace with his Prince, and the Object of Univerfal Contempt and Hatred, to compleat his Miseries, he fhould feel all his former Violence of Paffion for Epitia renewed, and falling into an Excess of Grief, for her Lofs, (fince the Practice is allowed by Chriftian Authors) ftab himself in De pair.

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