The rather, for I now must make you know

I am that Isabella, and his sister.

Lucio. Gentle and fair, your brother kindly greets you: Not to be weary with you, he's in prison.

Isab. Woe me! For what?

Lucio. For that, which, if myself might be his judge, He should receive his punishment in thanks:

He hath got his friend with child.

Isab. Sir, make me not your story.*
Lucio. It is true.

I would not-though 'tis my familiar sin
With maids to seem the lapwing, and to jest,

Tongue far from heart,-play with all virgins so:
I hold you as a thing enskied, and sainted;

By your renouncement, an immortal spirit;
And to be talk'd with in sincerity,

As with a saint.

Isab. You do blaspheme the good, in mocking me. Lucio. Do not believe it. Fewness and truth,† 'tis thus: Your brother and his lover have embraced:

As those that feed grow full; as blossoming time,

That from the seedness the bare fallow brings

To teeming foison; even so her plenteous womb

Expresseth his full tilth§ and husbandry.

İsab. Some one with child by him?-My cousin Juliet ? Lucio. Is she your cousin?

Isab. Adoptedly; as school-maids change their names, By vain though apt affection.

Lucio. She it is.

Isab. O, let him marry her!

Lucio. This is the point.

The duke is very strangely gone from hence;
Bore many gentlemen, myself being one,
In hand, and hope of action: but we do learn
By those that know the very nerves of state,
His givings out were of an infinite distance
From his true meant design. Upon his place,
And with full line of his authority,
Governs lord Angelo; a man, whose blood
Is very snow-broth; one who never feels
The wanton stings and motions of the sense;
But doth rebate and blunt his natural edge
With profits of the mind, study and fast.
He (to give fear to use and liberty,
Which have, for long, run by the hideous law,
As mice by lions) hath pick'd out an act,
Under whose heavy sense your brother's life
Falls into forfeit: he arrests him on it;
And follows close the rigour of the statute,
To make him an example: all hope is gone,

* Do not make a jest of me.
Breeding plenty.

Unless you have the grace* by your fair prayer
To soften Angelo: And that's my pith

Of business 'twixt you and your poor brother.
Isab. Doth he so seek his life?

Lucio. Has censured† him

Already; and, as I hear, the provost hath
A warrant for his execution.

Isab. Alas! what poor ability's in me

To do him good?

Lucio. Assay the power you have.
Isab. My power! Alas! I doubt,-
Lucio. Our doubts are traitors,

And make us lose the good we oft might win,

By fearing to attempt: Go to lord Angelo,

And let him learn to know, when maidens sue,

Men give like gods; but when they weep and kneel,
All their petitions are as freely theirs

As they themselves would owe them.
Isab. I'll see what I can do.
Lucio. But speedily.

Isab. I will about it straight;

No longer staying but to give the mother§
Notice of my affair. I humbly thank you :
Commend me to my brother: soon at night
I'll send him certain word of my success.
Lucio. I take my leave of you.
Isab. Good sir, adieu.

[Exeunt.

АСТ II.

SCENE I-A Hall in ANGELO'S House.

Enter ANGELO, ESCALUS, a JUSTICE, PROVOST, Officers, and

other Attendants.

Ang. We must not make a scare-crow of the law,

Setting it up to fear|| the birds of prey,

And let it keep one shape, till custom make it

Their perch, and not their terror.

Escal. Ay, but yet

Let us be keen, and rather cut a little,

Than fall, and bruise to death: Alas! this gentleman,

Whom I would save, had a most noble father.

Let but your honour know

(Whom I believe to be most strait in virtue),

That, in the working of your own affections,

Had time cohered** with place, or place with wishing,

Or that the resolute acting of your blood

Could have attain'd the effect of your own purpose,
Whether you had not sometime in your life
Err'd in this point which now you censure him,
And pull'd the law upon you.

*Power of gaining favour. ♦ Abbess.

Scare.

† Sentenced.

Examine.

+ Have. ** Suited.

Ang. "Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus, Another thing to fall. I not deny,

The jury, passing on the prisoner's life,

May, in the sworn twelve, have a thief or two

Guiltier than him they try: What's open made to justice,
That justice seizes. What know the laws,

That thieves do pass on thieves? "Tis very pregnant,†
The jewel that we find, we stoop and take it,

Because we see it; but what we do not see,
We tread upon, and never think of it.
You may not so extenuate his offence,

Fort I have had such faults; but rather tell me,
When I, that censure§ him do so offend,

Let mine own judgment pattern out my death,
And nothing come in partial. Sir, he must die.
Escal. Be it as your wisdom will.

Ang. Where is the provost ?

Prov. Here, if it like your honour.
Ang. See that Claudio

Be executed by nine to-morrow morning:

Bring him his confessor, let him be prepared;

For that's the utmost of his pilgrimage.

[Exit PROVOST.

Escal. Well, heaven forgive him; and forgive us all!

Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall:

Some run from brakes of vice, and answer none:

And some condemn'd for a fault alone.

Enter ELBOW, FROTH, CLOWN, Officers, &c. Elb. Come, bring them away: if these be good people in a common-weal, that do nothing but use their abuses in common houses, I know no law; bring them away.

Ang. How now, Sir! What's your name? and what's the matter?

Elb. If it please your honour, I am the poor duke's constable, and my name is Elbow; I do lean upon justice, Sir, and do bring in here before your good honour two notorious benefactors. Ang. Benefactors ? Well; what benefactors are they? are they not malefactors?

Elb. If it please your honour, I know not well what they are: but precise villains they are, that I am sure of; and void of all profanation in the world, that good Christians ought to have.

Escal. This comes off well;** here's a wise officer.

Ang. Go to: What quality are they of? Elbow is your name? Why dost thou not speak, Elbow?

Clo. He cannot, Sir; he's out at elbow.

Ang. What are you, Sir?

Elb. He, Sir? a tapster, Sir; parcel+t-bawd; one that serves a bad woman; whose house, Sir, was, as they say, pluck'd down in the suburbs; and now she professes‡‡ a hot-house, which, I think, is a very ill house too.

Elb. My wife, Sir, whom I detest* before heaven and your honour,

Escal. How, thy wife?

Elb. Ay, Sir; whom, I thank heaven, is an honest woman,Escal. Dost thou detest her therefore?

Elb. I say, Sir, I will detest myself also, as well as she, that this house, if it be not a bawd's house, it is pity of her life, for it is a naughty house.

Escal. How dost thou know that, constable ?

Elb. Marry, Sir, by my wife; who, if she had been a woman cardinally given, might have been accused in fornication, adultery, and all uncleanliness there.

Escal. By the woman's means?

Elb. Ay, Sir, by mistress Over-done's means: but as she spit in his face, so she defied him.

Clo. Sir, if it please your honour, this is not so.

Elb. Prove it before these varlets here, thou honourable man, prove it.

Escal. Do you hear how he misplaces ? [TO ANGELO. Clo. Sir, she came in great with child; and longing (saving your honour's reverence) for stew'd prunes; Sir, we had but two in the house, which at that very distant time stood, as it were, in a fruit-dish, a dish of some three-pence; your honours have seen such dishes; they are not China dishes, but very good dishes. Escal. Go to, go to: no matter for the dish, Sir.

Clo. No, indeed, Sir, not of a pin; you are therein in the right: but, to the point; As I say, this mistress Elbow, being, as I say, with child, and being great belly'd, and longing, as I said, for prunes; and having but two in the dish, as said, master Froth here, this very man, having eaten the rest, as I said, and, as I say, paying for them very honestly,-for, as you know, master Froth, I could not give you threepence again. Ί

Froth. No, indeed.

Clo. Very well: you being then, if you be remember'd, cracking the stones of the foresaid prunes.

Froth. Ay, so I did, indeed.

Clo. Why, very well: I telling you then, if you be remember'd, that such a one, and such a one, were past cure of the thing you wot of, unless they kept very good diet, as I told you.

Froth. All this is true.

Clo. Why, very well then.

Escal. Come, you are a tedious fool: to the purpose.-What was done to Elbow's wife, that he hath cause to complain of? Come me to what was done to her.

Clo. Sir, your honour cannot come to that yet.

Escal. No, Sir, nor I mean it not.

Clo. Sir, but you shall come to it, by your honour's leave: And I beseech you, look into master Froth here, Sir; a man of fourscore pound a year; whose father died at Hallowmass :-Was't not at Hallowmas, master Froth?

Froth. All-hollond† eve.

* For protest.

Eve of All Saints' Day.

Clo. Why, very well; I hope here be truths: He, Sir, sitting, as I say, in a lower chair, Sir;-'twas in the Bunch of Grapes, where, indeed, you have a delight to sit: Have you not?

Froth. I have so; because it is an open room, and good for winter.

Clo. Why, very well, then;-I hope here be truths.

Ang. This will last out a night in Russia,

When nights are longest there: I'll take my leave,
And leave you to the hearing of the cause;

Hoping, you'll find good cause to whip them all.

Escal. I think no less: Good morrow to your lordship.

[Exit ANGELO. Now, Sir, come on: What was done to Elbow's wife, once more? Clo. Once, Sir? there was nothing done to her once.

Elb. I beseech you, Sir, ask him what this man did to my wife. Clo. I beseech your honour, ask me.

Escal. Well, Sir: What did this gentleman to her?

Clo. I beseech you, Sir, look in this gentleman's face:Good master Froth, look upon his honour; 'tis for a good purpose: Doth your honour mark his face?

Escal. Ay, Sir, very well.

Clo. Nay, I beseech you, mark it well.

Escal. Well, I do so.

Clo. Doth your honour see any harm in his face?

Escal. Why, no.

Clo. I'll be supposed* upon a book, his face is the worst thing about him: Good then; if his face be the worst thing about him, how could master Froth do the constable's wife any harm? I would know that of your honour.

Escal. He's in the right: Constable, what say you to it?

Elb. First, an it like you, the house is a respected house; next, this is a respected fellow; and his mistress is a respected woman. Clo. By this hand, Sir, his wife is a more respected person than any of us all.

Elb. Varlet, thou liest; thou liest, wicked varlet: the time is yet to come, that she was ever respected with man, woman, or child.

Clo. Sir, she was respected with him before he married with her.

Escal. Which is the wiser here? Justice, or Iniquity ?+ Is this true?

Elb. O thou caitiff! O thou varlet! O thou wicked Hannibal! I respected with her, before I was married to her? If ever I was respected with her, or she with me, let not your worship think me the poor duke's officer:-Prove this, thou wicked Hannibal, or I'll have mine action of battery on thee.

Escal. If he took you a box o' the ear, you might have your action of slander too.

Elb. Marry, I thank your good worship for it: What is't your worship's pleasure I should do with this wicked caitiff?

Escal. Truly, officer, because he hath some offences in him,

* Deposed, sworn.

Constable or clown.

For cannibal.