Elb. Oh thou caitiff! Oh thou varlet! Oh 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' th' 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 shall do with this wicked caitiff?

Escal. Truly, officer, because he hath some offences in him, that thou wouldst discover if thou couldst, let him continue in his courses, till thou know'st what they are.

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

Escal. Where were you born, friend?

Froth. Here in Vienna, sir.

Escal. Are you of fourscore pounds a year?

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

Escal. So.--What trade are you of, sir?

Clo. A tapster; a poor widow's tapster.
Escal. Your mistress' name?

Clo. Mistress Over-done.

Escal. Hath she had any more than one husband?

Clo. Nine, sir; Over-done by the last.

Master

Escal. Nine!-Come hither to me, master Froth. Froth, I would not have you acquainted with tapsters; they will draw you, master Froth, and you will hang them: get you gone, and let me hear no more of you.

Froth. I thank your worship. For mine own part, I never come into any room in a taphouse, but I am drawn in. Escal. Well; no more of it, master Froth: farewell. [Exit FROTH.]-Come you hither to me, master tapster. What's your name, master tapster?

Clo. Pompey.

Escal. What else?

Clo. Bum, sir.

Escal. 'Troth, and your bum is the greatest thing about

character, for in "Histriomastix," 1610, the following stage-direction occurs: "Enter a roaring Devil with the Vice on his back, Iniquity in one hand, and Juventus in the other." Juventus was the hero of "Lusty Juventus," by R. Wever.

you; so that, in the beastliest sense, you are Pompey the great. Pompey, you are partly a bawd, Pompey, howsoever you colour it in being a tapster. Are you not? not? come, tell me true: it shall be the better for you.

Clo. Truly, sir, I am a poor fellow that would live.

Escal. How would you live, Pompey? by being a bawd? What do you think of the trade, Pompey? is it a lawful trade?

Clo. If the law would allow it, sir.

Escal. But the law will not allow it, Pompey; nor it shall not be allowed in Vienna.

Clo. Does your worship mean to geld and spay all the youth of the city?

Escal. No, Pompey.

Clo. Truly, sir, in my poor opinion, they will to't then. If your worship will take order for the drabs and the knaves, you need not to fear the bawds.

Escal. There are pretty orders beginning, I can tell you: it is but heading and hanging.

Clo. If you head and hang all that offend that way but for ten year together, you'll be glad to give out a commission for more heads. If this law hold in Vienna ten year, I'll rent the fairest house in it after threepence a bay *. If you live to see this come to pass, say, Pompey told

you so.

Escal. Thank you, good Pompey; and, in requital of your prophecy, hark you :-I advise you, let me not find you before me again upon any complaint whatsoever; no, not for dwelling where you do: if I do, Pompey, I shall beat you to your tent, and prove a shrewd Cæsar to you. In plain dealing, Pompey, I shall have you whipt. So, for this time, Pompey, fare you well.

Clo. I thank your worship for your good counsel, but I shall follow it, as the flesh and fortune shall better determine.

Whip me? No, no; let carman whip his jade;

The valiant heart's not whipt out of his trade. [Exit. Escal. Come hither to me, master Elbow; come hither,

• Threepence a BAY.] Johnson and Steevens were both puzzled by this expression, though the former admits that he has heard of "a bay of building" in many parts of England. Coles' Dictionary, 1677, explains it thus:-" a bay of building-mensura viginti quatuor pedum," referring, no doubt, to the frontage. We make no change on account of this explanation; but the corr. fo. 1632 has "threepence a day," and Pompey may be thinking of hiring houses, in the same way that his mistress's customers hired rooms.

master constable. How long have you been in this place of constable ?

Elb. Seven year and a half, sir.

Escal. I thought, by your readiness in the office, you had continued in it some time. You say, seven years together?

Elb. And a half, sir.

Escal. Alas! it hath been great pains to you: they do you wrong to put you so oft upon't. Are there not men in your ward sufficient to serve it?

As they

Elb. Faith, sir, few of any wit in such matters. are chosen, they are glad to choose me for them: I do it for some piece of money, and go through with all.

Escal. Look you; bring me in the names of some six or seven, the most sufficient of your parish.

Elb. To your worship's house, sir?

Fare you well.

Escal. To my house.
house. Fare

What's o'clock, think you?

Just. Eleven, sir.

Escal. I pray you home to dinner with me.

Just. I humbly thank you.

Escal. It grieves me for the death of Claudio;

But there's no remedy.

Just. Lord Angelo is severe.

Escal.

[Exit ELBOW.

It is but needful:

Mercy is not itself, that oft looks so;
Pardon is still the nurse of second woe.
But yet, poor Claudio!-There is no remedy.
Come, sir.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.

Another Room in the Same.

Enter Provost, and a Servant.

Serv. He's hearing of a cause: he will come straight.

I'll tell him of you.

Prov.

Pray you, do. [Exit Servant.] I'll know

5 I thought, by YOUR readiness] The folios have the for "your," the last being Doubtless the compositor read the contraction

substituted in the corr. fo. 1632.

for "your," viz. y”, ye, i. e. the.

His pleasure; may be, he will relent. Alas!
He hath but as offended in a dream:
All sects, all ages smack of this vice, and he
To die for it!-

Ang.

Now, what's the matter, provost ?

Prov. Is it your will Claudio shall die to-morrow? Ang. Did I not tell thee, yea? hadst thou not order? Why dost thou ask again?

Lest I might be too rash.

Prov.
Under your good correction, I have seen,
When, after execution, judgment hath
Repented o'er his doom.

Do

Ang.

Go to; let that be mine:

I crave your honour's pardon.

you your office, or give up your place, And you shall well be spar'd.

Prov.

What shall be done, sir, with the groaning Juliet ?
She's very near her hour.

Ang.

Dispose of her

To some more fitter place, and that with speed.

Re-enter Servant.

Serv. Here is the sister of the man condemn'd Desires access to you.

Prov. Ay, my good lord; a very virtuous maid, And to be shortly of a sisterhood,

If not already.

Ang.

See

you

Well, let her be admitted. [Exit Servant. the fornicatress be remov'd:

Let her have needful, but not lavish, means;

There shall be order for it.

Enter LUCIO and ISABELLA.

Prov. Save your honour!

[Offering to retire.

Ang. Stay a little while-[To ISAB.] Y' are welcome:

what's your will?

Isab. I am a woful suitor to your honour,

Please but your honour hear me.

Ang.

Well; what's your suit?

Isab. There is a vice, that most I do abhor,
And most desire should meet the blow of justice,
For which I would not plead, but that I must;
For which I must not plead, but that I am
At war 'twixt will, and will not.

Ang.

Well; the matter?

Isab. I have a brother is condemn'd to die:

I do beseech you, let it be his fault,

And not my brother".

Prov. [Aside.] Heaven give thee moving graces! Ang. Condemn the fault, and not the actor of it? Why, every fault's condemn'd ere it be done.

Mine were the very cipher of a function,

To fine the faults, whose fine stands in record,

And let go by the actor.

Isab.

Oh just, but severe law!

I had a brother then.-Heaven keep your honour! [Retiring. Lucio. [To ISAB.] Give't not o'er so: to him again, intreat

him;

Kneel down before him, hang upon his gown.

You are too cold: if you should need a pin,

You could not with more tame a tongue desire it.

To him, I say.

Isab. Must he needs die ?

Ang.

Maiden, no remedy.

Isab. Yes; I do think that you might pardon him, And neither heaven, nor man, grieve at the mercy. Ang. I will not do't.

Isab.

But can you, if you would?

Ang. Look; what I will not, that I cannot do.
Isab. But might you do't, and do the world no wrong,

If so your heart were touch'd with that remorse

As mine is to him?

Ang.

He's sentenc'd: 'tis too late.

Lucio. [To ISAB.] You are too cold.

Isab. Too late? why, no; I, that do speak a word, May call it back again': Well believe this,

And not my brother.] The meaning is, "let it be my brother's fault that is to die, and not himself."

7 May call it BACK again:] The word "back" was inserted by the editor of the folio of 1632; and, perhaps, as the measure shows, it had accidentally dropped out in the original impression of 1623,- -a, frequent source of error, not unfre quently thus remedied.

VOL. I.

U