good old Escalus, who thought Angelo had
been falsely accused, said to the supposed friar, "Come, sir, did you
set these women on to slander Lord Angelo?" He replied, "Where is the
duke? It is he who should hear me speak." Escalus said, "The duke is in
us, and we will hear you. Speak justly."--"Boldly at least," retorted
the friar; and then he blamed the duke for leaving the cause of Isabel
in the hands of him she had accused, and spoke so freely of many corrupt
practices he had observed, while, as he said, he had been a looker-on in
Vienna, that Escalus threatened him with the torture for speaking words
against the state, and for censuring the conduct of the duke, and
ordered him to be taken away to prison. Then, to the amazement of all
present, and to the utter confusion of Angelo, the supposed friar threw
off his disguise, and they saw it was the duke himself.

The duke first addressed Isabel. He said to her, "Come hither, Isabel.
Your friar is now your prince, but with my habit I have not changed my
heart. I am still devoted to your service." "O give me pardon," said
Isabel, "that I, your vassal, have employed and troubled your unknown
sovereignty." He answered that he had most need of forgiveness from her,
for not having prevented the death of her brother--for not yet would he
tell her that Claudio was living; meaning first to make a further trial
of her goodness. Angelo now knew the duke had been a secret witness of
his bad deeds, and he said, "O my dread lord, I should be guiltier than
my guiltiness, to think I can be undiscernible, when I perceive your
grace, like power divine, has looked upon my actions. Then, good prince,
no longer prolong my shame, but let my trial be my own confession.
Immediate sentence and death is all the grace I beg." The duke replied,
"Angelo, thy faults are manifest. We do condemn thee to the very block
where Claudio stooped to death; and with like haste away with him; and
for his possessions, Mariana, we do instate and widow you withal, to buy
you a better husband."--"O my dear lord," said Mariana, "I crave no
other, nor no better man:" and then on her knees, even as Isabel had
begged the life of Claudio, did this kind wife of an ungrateful husband
beg the life of Angelo; and she said, "Gentle my liege, O good my lord!
Sweet Isabel, take my part! Lend me your knees, and all my life to come
I will lend you all my life, to do you service!" The duke said, "Against
all sense you importune