258 REMARKS ON THE PHILOSOPHY 



These phenomena Shakspeare seems perfectly, though wonder- 

 fully, to have observed. How philosophical, how beautiful, how 

 true ! — * Rein up the organs of her fantasy," shut out the busy 

 world, close up sensation, quiet as an infant's sleep. 



There is so much humour and good-nature in the catastrophe of 

 this play, that we feel no pain for the penalty of poor Sir John, who, 

 indeed feels no pain for himself; but retires, Parthian-like, with his 

 face to the enemy ; while poor Sir Hugh " makes fritters of the 

 King's English." Caius, Slender, Page, all are done, " their arrow 

 hath glanced" and struck home. 



IV.— MEASURE FOR MEASURE. 



" This play," says Johnson, *• is particularly darkened by the pe- 

 culiarities of its author." Then is the " darkness visible," other- 

 wise the remark arose from the Doctor's candour that it was a 

 darkness that was felt, and which many others have felt, without 

 the honesty to confess as much. Though, as a whole, the play is 

 less compact, there are few more interesting, and none which con- 

 tain more sublime passages. The plot is said to have been taken 

 from an old tragedy of Promas and Cassandra, 1573. 



The Duke yields his power to Angelo for the ostensible purpose of 

 enforcing certain laws which were unwhipped, abused. That the 

 Duke suspected the character of Angelo, and knew of the injuries 

 of Mariana, appears evident. The disguise was assumed, the bet- 

 ter to restore the one and punish the other. 



u Duke Angelo, there is a kind of character in thy life 



That, to the observer, doth thy history 

 Fully unfold : thyself and thy belongings 

 Are not thine own so proper as to waste 

 Thyself upon thy virtues, them on thee. 

 Heaven doth with us as we with torches do, 

 Not light them for themselves. 

 Spirits are not finely touched 

 But to fine issues." 



This is a fine comment on that kind of character which repudi- 

 ating nature sets up a stern morality against all appetite, and 

 which is secure until tempted. Goethe remarks that " he hated the 

 man that had not the heart to commit some absurdity ;" and never 

 was there a more profound philosophical remark. From infancy 

 to age we are puppets to opinion, victims to the worst of all 

 evils — the evil of propriety, that spy of conventional rule, which 



