SCENE 1.-A public Place near the City Gate. MARIANA, veiled, ISABELLA, and Friar PETER, at a distance. Enter from one side, Duke, in his own habit, VARRIUS, Lords; from the other, ANGELO, ESCALUS, LUCIO, Provost, Officers, and Citizens.

Duke. My very worthy cousin, fairly met :Our old and faithful friend, we are glad to see you. Ang. and Escal. Happy return be to your royal grace!

Duke. Many and hearty thankings to you both. We have made inquiry of you; and we hear Such goodness of your justice, that our soul Cannot but yield you forth to public thanks, Forerunning more requital.

Ang.

You make my bonds still greater. Duke. O, your desert speaks loud; and I should wrong it,

To lock it in the wards of covert bosom,
When it deserves, with characters of brass,
A forted residence 'gainst the tooth of time,
And razure of oblivion. Give me your hand,
And let the subject see, to make them know
That outward courtesies would fain proclaim
Favours that keep within.-Come, Escalus;
You must walk by us on our other hand;—
And good supporters are you.

Friar PETER and ISABELLA come forward.

F. Peter. Now is your time: speak loud, and

kneel before him.

Isab. Justice, O royal duke! Vail your regard Upon a wrong'd, I would fain have said, a maid! O worthy prince, dishonour not your eye

By throwing it on any other object,
Till you have heard me in my true complaint,
And given me justice, justice, justice, justice!
Duke. Relate your wrongs! in what? by whom?
Be brief.

Here is lord Angelo shall give you justice:
Reveal yourself to him.

Isab.
O worthy duke,
You bid me seek redemption of the devil:
Hear me yourself; for that which I must speak,
Must either punish me, not being believ'd,

Or wring redress from you: hear me, O, hear me,

here!

Ang. My lord, her wits, I fear me, are not firm:

By mine honesty,

If she be mad, as I believe no other,-
Her madness hath the oddest frame of sense,
Such a dependency of thing on thing,
As e'er I heard in madness.
Isab.

O gracious duke,
Harp not on that; nor do not banish reason
For inequality; but let your reason serve
To make the truth appear where it seems hid,
And hide the false seems true.

Duke.
Many that are not mad,
Have, sure, more lack of reason.-What would you
Isab. I am the sister of one Claudio, [say?
Condemn'd upon the act of fornication
To lose his head; condemn'd by Angelo.
I, in probation of a sisterhood,

Was sent to by my brother; one Lucio
As then the messenger,-

Lucio.

That's I, an't like your grace:

I came to her from Claudio, and desir'd her
To try her gracious fortune with Lord Angelo,
For her poor brother's pardon.

Isab.

That's he, indeed.

Duke. That's somewhat madly spoken. Isab.

The phrase is to the matter.

Pardon it;

Duke. Mended again. The matter;-proceed. Isab. In brief,-to set the needless process by, How I persuaded, how I pray'd, and kneel'd, How he refell'd me, and how I replied,For this was of much length,-the vile conclusion I now begin with grief and shame to utter: He would not, but by gift of my chaste body To his concupiscible intemperate lust,

Release my brother; and, after much debatement,
My sisterly remorse confutes mine honour,

And I did yield to him: but the next morn betimes,
His purpose surfeiting, he sends a warrant
For my poor brother's head.

Duke.

This is most likely!

Isab. O, that it were as like as it is true!
Duke. By heaven, fond wretch! thou know'st not
what thou speak'st,

Or else thou art suborn'd against his honour
In hateful practice. First, his integrity
Stands without blemish: next, it imports no reason
That with such vehemency he should pursue
Faults proper to himself: if he had so offended,
He would have weigh'd thy brother by himself,
And not have cut him off. Some one hath set you
Confess the truth, and say by whose advice
Thou cam'st here to complain.

F. Peter. Well, he in time may come to clear
But at this instant he is sick, my lord, [himself;
Of a strange fever. Upon his mere request,-
Being come to knowledge that there was complaint
Intended 'gainst lord Angelo,-came I hither,
To speak, as from his mouth, what he doth know
Is true, and false; and what he, with his oath
And all probation, will make up full clear,
Whensoever he's convented. First, for this woman,—
To justify this worthy nobleman,

So vulgarly and personally accus'd,-
Her shall you hear disproved to her eyes,
Till she herself confess it.
Duke.

Good friar, let's hear it.
[ISABELLA is carried off guarded; and
MARIANA comes forward.

Do you not smile at this, lord Angelo?-
O heaven, the vanity of wretched fools!-
Give us some seats.-Come, cousin Angelo;
In this I'll be impartial: be you judge

Of your own cause.-Is this the witness, friar?
First, let her show her face, and after speak.
Mari. Pardon, my lord; I will not show my face,
Until my husband bid me.
Duke.

Mari. No, my lord.
Duke.
Mari.

What, are you married? Are you a maid?

[on:

Duke. A widow, then? Mari.

No, my lord. Neither, my lord.

Duke.

Why, you

In countenance!-Heaven shield your grace from

woe,

As I, thus wrong'd, hence unbelievèd go!

Duke. I know you'd fain be gone.-An officer! To prison with her!-Shall we thus permit A blasting and a scandalous breath to fall On him so near us? This needs must be a practice.—Who knew of your intent, and coming hither?

Isab. One that I would were here, friar Lodowick. Duke. A ghostly father, belike.-Who knows that Lodowick?

Lucio. My lord, I know him; 'tis a meddling friar;
I do not like the man: had he been lay, my lord,
For certain words he spake against your grace
In your retirement, I had swing'd him soundly.
Duke. Words against me! This' a good friar,
belike!

And to set on this wretched woman here
Against our substitute!-Let this friar be found.
Lucio. But yesternight, my lord, she and that
I saw them at the prison: a saucy friar,
A very scurvy fellow.

F. Peter.

[friar

Bless'd be your royal grace! I have stood by, my lord, and I have heard Your royal ear abus'd. First, hath this woman Most wrongfully accus'd your substitute, Who is as free from touch or soil with her, As she from one ungot.

We did believe no less.

Duke. Know you that friar Lodowick, that she speaks of? F. Peter. I know him for a man divine and holy: Not scurvy, nor a temporary meddler, As he's reported by this gentleman; And, on my trust, a man that never yet Did, as he vouches, misreport your grace.

Lucio. My lord, most villainously; believe it.

Are nothing, then :-neither maid, widow, nor wife? Lucio. My lord, she may be a punk; for many of them are neither maid, widow, nor wife.

Duke. Silence that fellow: I would he had some To prattle for himself.

Lucio. Well, my lord.

[cause

Mari. My lord, I do confess I ne'er was married; And I confess, besides, I am no maid:

I have known my husband; yet my husband knows That ever he knew me. [not

Lucio. He was drunk, then, my lord: it can be no better.

Duke. For the benefit of silence, 'would thou wert so too!

Lucio. Well, my lord.

Duke. This is no witness for lord Angelo.
Mari. Now I come to 't, my lord:

She that accuses him of fornication,
In self-same manner doth accuse my husband;
And charges him, my lord, with such a time,
When, I'll depose, I had him in mine arms,
With all th' effect of love.
Ang.

Charges she more than me?

Mari. Not that I know. Duke.

No? you say, your husband.
Mari. Why, just, my lord, and that is Angelo,
Who thinks he knows that he ne'er knew my body;
But knows he thinks that he knows Isabel's.
Ang. This is a strange abuse.-Let's see thy face.
Mari. My husband bids me; now I will unmask.
[Unveiling.

This is that face, thou cruel Angelo,
Which once thou swor'st was worth the looking on
This is the hand, which, with a vow'd contract,
Was fast belock'd in thine; this is the body

That took away the match from Isabel,
And did supply thee at thy garden-house
In her imagin'd person.

I did but smile till now:

Ang. Now, good my lord, give me the scope of justice; My patience here is touch'd. I do perceive, These poor informal women are no more But instruments of some more mightier member, That sets them on. Let me have way, my lord, To find this practice out.

Duke. Ay, with my heart; And punish them unto your height of pleasure.Thou foolish friar; and thou pernicious woman, Compact with her that's gone, think'st thou thy oaths, [saint, Though they would swear down each particular Were testimonies against his worth and credit, That's seal'd in approbation?--You, lord Escalus, Sit with my cousin; lend him your kind pains To find out this abuse, whence 'tis derived.There is another friar that set them on; Let him be sent for.

F. Peter. Would he were here, my lord! for he, Hath set the women on to this complaint. [indeed, Your provost knows the place where he abides, And he may fetch him.

Duke. Go do it instantly.

[Exit Provost.

And you, my noble and well-warranted cousin,
Whom it concerns to hear this matter forth,
Do with your injuries as seems you best,
In any chastisement: I for a while

Will leave you; but stir not you, till you have well
Determined upon these slanderers.

Escal. My lord, we'll do it thoroughly.[Exit Duke. Signior Lucio, did not you say you knew that friar Lodowick to be a dishonest person?

Lucio. Cucullus non facit monachum: honest in nothing, but in his clothes; and one that hath spoke most villainous speeches of the duke.

Escal. We shall entreat you to abide here till he come, and enforce them against him: we shall find this friar a notable fellow.

Lucio. As any in Vienna, on my word. Escal. [To an Attendant.] Call that same Isabel here once again: I would speak with her. [Exit Attendant.] Pray you, my lord, give me leave to question; you shall see how I'll handle her.

Lucio. Not better than he, by her own report.
Escal. Say you?

Lucio. Marry, Sir, I think, if you handled her privately, she would sooner confess: perchance, publicly she 'll be ashamed.

Escal. I will go darkly to work with her.

Lucio. That's the way; for women are light at midnight.

Re-enter Officers with ISABELLA.

Escal. [To ISAB.] Come on, mistress: here's a gentlewoman denies all that you have said.

Lucio. My lord, here comes the rascal I spoke of; here, with the provost.

Escal. In very good time :-speak not you to him, till we call upon you.

Lucio. Mum.

Re-enter Duke, disguised as a Friar, and Provost. Escal. Come, Sir; did you set these women on to slander lord Angelo? they have confessed you did.

Duke. 'Tis false.

[devil

Escal. How! know you where you are? Duke. Respect to your great place! and let the Be sometime honour'd for his burning throne!Where is the duke? 'tis he should hear me speak. Escal. The duke's in us; and we will hear you Look you speak justly. [speak:

Duke. Boldly, at least.-But, O, poor souls! Come you to seek the lamb here of the fox? Good night to your redress. Is the duke gone? Then is your cause gone too. The duke's unjust, Thus to retort your manifest appeal, And put your trial in the villain's mouth Which here you come to accuse.

Lucio. This is the rascal; this is he I spoke of. Escal. Why, thou unreverend and unhallow'd friar!

Is't not enough, thou hast suborn'd these women
To accuse this worthy man, but, in foul mouth,
And in the witness of his proper ear,

To call him villain? and then to glance from him
To the duke himself, to tax him with injustice?-
Take him hence; to the rack with him!—We'll
touze you

Joint by joint, but we will know his purpose.-
What! unjust?

Duke. Be not so hot; the duke dare
No more stretch this finger of mine, than he
Dare rack his own: his subject am I not,
Nor here provincial. My business in this state
Made me a looker-on here in Vienna,

Where I have seen corruption boil and bubble,
Till it o'er-run the stew: laws for all faults,
But faults so countenanc'd, that the strong statutes
Stand like the forfeits in a barber's shop,
As much in mock as mark.

Escal. Slander to the state!-Away with him to prison!

Ang. What can you vouch against him, signior

Lucio?