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To be most strait in virtue, whether in
The working of your own affections,

Had time coher'd with place, or place with wifhing,
Or that the refolute acting of your blood

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

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

The jury, paffing on the prifoner's life,
May in the fworn twelve have a thief or two,
Guiltier than him they try; what's open made
To juftice, that it feizes on. What know

The laws that thieves do pass on thieves? 'tis pregnant,
The jewel that we find, we stoop, and take't,
Because we fee it; but what we do not fee,
We tread upon, and never think of it.
You may not fo extenuate his offence,
For I have had fuch faults; but rather tell me
When I, that cenfure him, do fo offend,
Let mine own judgment pattern out my death,
And nothing come in partial. He must die.

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Be executed by nine to-morrow morning.

Bring him his confeffor, let him be prepar'd,

For that's the utmost of his pilgrimage.

[Exit Provoft. Efcal. Well, heav'n forgive him! and forgive us all!

Some rise by fin, and fome by virtue fall:

Some run through brakes of vice, and answer none;
And fome condemned for one fault alone.

SCENE

SCENE II.

Enter Elbow, Froth, Clown, and Officers.

Elb. Come, bring them away; if these be good people in a commonweal, that do nothing but use their abuses in common houses, I know no law; bring them away.

Ang. How now, fir, what's your name? and what's the matter?

Elb. If it please your honour, I am the poor duke's conftable, and my name is Elbow; I do lean upon justice, fir, 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 precife villains they are, that I am fure of, and void of all profanation in the world, that good chriftians ought to have.

Efcal. This comes off well; here's a wife officer.

Ang. Go to: what quality are you of? Elbow is your name? Why doft thou not speak, Elbow?

Clown. He cannot, fir; he's out at elbow.

Ang. What are you, fir?

Elb. He, fir? a tapfter, fir; parcel-bawd; one that serves a bad woman; whose house, fir, was, as they fay, pluck'd down in the suburbs; and now she profeffes a hot-house; which, I think, is as very ill house too.

Efcal. How know you that?

Elb. My wife, fir, whom I deteft before heav'n and your honour,

Efcal. How! thy wife?

Elb. Ay, fir; whom I thank heav'n is an honeft woman;
Efcal. Doft thou deteft her therefore?

Elb. I fay, fir, I will deteft myself alfo, as well as fhe, that this house, if it be not a bawd's house, it is pity of her life, for it is a naughty house.

Efcal. How doft thou know that, constable?

Elb.

1

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

Efcal. By that woman's means?

Elb. Ay, fir, by mistress Over-don's means; but as she spit in his face, so she defy'd him.

Clown. Sir, if it please your honour, this is not fo.

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

Efcal. Do you hear how he misplaces?

Clown. Sir, fhe came in great with child; and longing (faving your honour's reverence) for stew'd prunes; we had but two in the house, which at that very inftant time ftood, as it were, in a fruit-dish, a dish of fome three pence; (your honours have seen such dishes; they are not China difhes, but very good dishes.) Efcal. Go to, go to; no matter for the dish, fir.

Clown. No, indeed, fir, not of a pin; you are therein in the right: but to the point; as I fay, this mistress Elbow, being, as I fay, with child, and being great-belly'd, and longing, as I faid, for prunes; and having no more in the difh, as I faid; mafter Froth here, this very man, having eaten the rest, as I faid, and, as I say, paying for them very honeftly; for, as you know, master Froth, I could not give you three pence again.

Froth. No, indeed.

Clown. Very well; you being then, if you be remembred, cracking the ftones of the forefaid prunes.

Froth. Ay, fo I did, indeed.

Clown. Why, very well; I telling you then, if you be remembred, that such a one, and fuch a one, were past cure of the thing you wot of, unless they kept good diet, as I told you.

Froth. All this is true.

Clown. Why, very well then.

Efcal. Come, you are a tedious fool; to the purpose: what was done to Elbow's wife, that he hath cause to complain of? come to what was done to her.

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

Efcal.

Efcal. No, fir, I mean it not.

Clown. Sir, but you fhall come to it, by your honour's leave: and I beseech you, look into mafter Froth here, fir, a man of fourfcore pound a year; whose father dy'd at Hallowmas. Was't not at Hallowmas, mafter Froth?

Froth. All-bolland eve.

Clown. Why, very well; I hope, here be truths. He, fir, fitting, as I fay, in a lower chair, fir; 'twas in the bunch of grapes, where, indeed, you have a delight to fit, have you not? Froth. I have fo, because it is an open room, and good for winter. Clown. Why, very well then; I hope here be truths. Ang. This will last out a night in Ruffia,

When nights are longest there. I'll take my leave,
And leave you to the hearing of the cause,
Hoping you'll find good caufe to whip them all.

SCENE III.

[Exit.

Escal. I think no lefs. Good-morrow to your lordship. Now, fir, come on: what was done to Elbow's wife, once more? Clown. Once, fir? there was nothing done to her once. Elb. I beseech you, fir, ask him what this man did to my wife. Clown. I beseech your honour, ask me.

Efcal. Well, fir, what did this gentleman to her?

Clown. I beseech you, fir, look in this gentleman's face; good master Froth, look upon his honour; 'tis for a good purpose; doth your honour mark his face?

Efcal. Ay, fir, very well.

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

Efcal. Well, I do fo.

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

Escal. Why, no.

Clown. I'll be fuppos'd upon a book, his face is the worst thing about him: good then; if his face be the worst thing about him, how could mafter Froth do the conftable's wife any I would know that of your honour.

harm?

Efcal.

Efcal. He's in the right; conftable, what fay 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. Clown. By this hand, fir, his wife is a more respected person than any of us all.

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

Clown. Sir, fhe was respected with him before he marry'd with her.

Efcal. Which is the wiser here; Justice, or Iniquity? Is this

true?

a

Elb. O thou caitiff! o thou varlet! o thou wicked Hannibal! I respected with her, before I was marry'd to her? If ever I was respected with her, or fhe 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.

Efcal. If he took you a box o' th' ear, you might have your action of flander too.

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

Efcal. Truly, officer, because he hath fome offences in him, that thou wouldst discover if thou couldft, let him continue in his courses, 'till thou know'ft what they are.

Elb. Marry, I thank your worship for it; thou feeft, thou wicked varlet, now, what's come upon thee. Thou art to continue now, thou varlet; thou art to continue.

Efcal. Where were you born, friend?

Froth. Here in Vienna, fir.

Escal. Are you of fourscore pounds a year?

Froth. Yes, an't please you, fir.

Efcal. So. What trade are you of, sir?

Clown. A tapfter, a poor widow's tapfter.
Efcal. Your mistress's name?

Clown. Mistress Over-don.

[To Froth.

[To the clown.

VOL. I.

He means to fay animal.

Rr

Efcal.

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