Tongue far from heart) play with all virgins fo.
I hold you as a thing en-sky'd, and fainted;
By your renouncement, an immortal Spirit;
And to be talk'd with in fincerity,

As with a Saint.

Ifab. You do blafpheme the good, in mocking me. Lucio. Do not believe it. Fewness, and truth, 'tis thus;

Your brother and his lover having embrac'd,

As thofe that feed grow full, as bloffoming time
That from the feedness the bare fallow brings
To teeming foyfon; fo her plenteous womb
Expreffeth his full tilth and husbandry.

Ifab. Some one with child by him? my coufin
Juliet?

Lucio. Is the your coufin?

Ifab. Adoptedly, as fchool-maids change their names, By vain, tho' apt, affection.

Lucio. She it is.

Ifab. O, let him

marry her.

Lucio. This is the point.

The Duke is very ftrangely gone from hence;
Bore many gentlemen, my felf being one,
In hand and hope of action; but we learn,
By those that know the very nerves of State,
His Givings out were of an infinite distance
From his true-meant Defign. Upon his place,
And with full line of his authority,
Governs lord Angelo; a man whofe blood
Is very fnow-broth; one who never feels
The wanton ftings and motions of the sense;
But doth rebate and blunt his natural edge
With profits of the mind, ftudy and faft.
He, (to give fear to use and liberty,
Which have long time run by the hideous law,
As mice by lyons;) hath pickt out an Act,
Under whofe heavy fenfe your brother's life
Falls into forfeit; he arrefts him on it;
And follows close the rigor of the Statute,
To make him an example; all hope's gone,

Unless

Unless you have the grace by your fair prayer To foften Angelo; and that's my Pith of business 'Twixt you and your poor brother.

Ifab. Doth he fo

Seek for his life?

Lucio. H'as cenfur'd him already;

And, as I hear, the Provoft hath a Warrant
For's execution.

Ifab. Alas! what poor

Ability's in me, to do him good?
Lucio. Affay the power you have.
Ifab. My power? Alas! I doubt.
Lucio. Our doubts are traitors;

And make us lofe the good, we oft might win,
By fearing to attempt. Go to lord Angelo,
And let him learn to know, when maidens fue,
Men give like Gods; but when they weep and kneel,
All their petitions are as truly theirs,

As they themselves would owe them.
Ifab. I'll fee what I can do.
Lucio. But, fpeedily.

Ifab. I will about it ftrait;

No longer staying, but to give the mother
Notice of my affair. I humbly thank you;
Commend me to my brother: foon at night
I'll fend him certain word of my fuccefs,
Lucio. I take my leave of you.
Ifab. Good Sir, adieu.

[Exeunt.

A C T II.

SCENE, The PALACE.

Enter Angelo, Escalus, a Justice, and attendants.

ANGEL O.

E must not make a scare-crow of the law,
Setting it up to fear the birds of

W Setting it up

prey,

And let it keep one fhape, 'till custom

make it

Their pearch, and not their terror.

Efcal. Ay, but yet

Let us be keen, and rather cut a little,

Than fall, and bruife to death. Alas! this gentleman, Whom I would fave, had a moft noble father;

Let but your Honour know,

Whom I believe to be moft ftrait in virtue,

That, 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 fometime in your life

Err'd in this point, which now you cenfure him,
And pull'd the law upon you.

Ang. 'Tis one thing to be tempted, Efcalus,
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 justice,

That juftice feizes on. What know the laws,

That thieves do país on thieves? 'tis very pregnant,
The jewel that we find, we ftoop and take't,
Because we see it; but what we do not fee,
We tread upon, and never think of it.
You may not fo extenuate his offence,

For

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. Sir, he must die.
Enter Provoft.

Efcal. Be't, as your Wisdom will.

your

Honour.

Ang. Where is the Provoft?
Prov. Here, if it like
Ang. See, that Claudio

Be executed by nine to morrow morning.
Bring him his Confeffor, let him be prepar'd;
For that's the utmost of his pilgrimage.

11

Exit Prov.

Efcal. Well, heav'n forgive him! and forgive us all: Some rife by fin, and fome by virtue fall: Some run through brakes of vice, and anfwer none; And fome condemned for a fault alone.

Enter Elbow, Froth, Clown, and Officers.

Elb. Come, bring them away; if these be good people in a common-weal, that do nothing but use their abufes 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 conftable, 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 precife villains they are, that I am sure 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 they of? Elbow is your name? Why doft thou not fpeak, Elbow? Clown. He cannot, Sir; he's out at elbow.

Y 4

Ang.

Ang. What are you, Sir?

Elb. He, Sir? a tapfter, Sir; parcel-bawd; one that ferves a bad woman; whose house, Sir, was, as they fay, pluckt down in the fuburbs; and now the professes a hot-house; which, I think, is a very ill house too. Efcal. How know you that?

Elb. My wife, Sir, whom I deteft before heav'n and your Honour,

Efcal. How! thy wife?

Elb. Ay, Sir; whom, I thank heav'n, is an honest

woman;

Efcal. Doft thou deteft her therefore?

Elb. I fay, Sir, I will deteft my felf alfo, as well as he, that this houfe, 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, conftable?

Elb. Marry, Sir, by my wife; who, if she had been a woman cardinally given, might have been accufed in fornication, adultery, and all uncleannefs there. Efcal. By the woman's means?

Elb. Ay, Sir, by mistress Over-don's means, but as the fpit in his face, fo the defy'd him.

Clown. Sir, if it please your Honour, this is not so, Elb. Prove it before thefe varlets here, thou honou rable 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 ftew'd prewns; Sir, we had but two in the house, which at that very diftant time ftood, as it were, in a fruit-difh, a difh of fome three pence; (your Honours have feen fuch difhes; they are not China dishes, but very good dishes.)

Efcal. Go to, go to; no matter for the dish, Sir. Clown. No, indeed, Sir, not of a pin; you are there in in the right: but to the point; as I fay, this miftrefs Elbow, being, as I fay, with child, and being great belly'd, and longing, as I faid, for prewns; and having but Two in the difh, as I faid; mafter Froth here, this very man, having eaten the reft, as I faid,

and,