SCENE, the Palace.

Enter Angelo, Efcalus, a Justice, and Attendants.
ANGELO.

WE

prey,

E muft not make a scare-crow of the law,
Setting it up to fear the birds of
And let it keep one shape, 'till custom make it
Their perch, and not their terror.

Efcal. Ay, but yet

Let us be keen, and rather cut a little,

Than fall, and bruise to death. Alas! this gentleman, Whom I would fave, 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 coher'd with place, or place with wishing,
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, 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 juftice feizes on. What know the laws,

That thieves do pafs on thieves? 'tis very pregnant,
The jewel that we find, we ftoop 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 so offend,
Let mine own judgment pattern out my death,
And nothing come in partial. Sir, he must die.

Enter

Enter Provoft.

Efcal. Be't, as your wisdom will.

Ang. Where is the Provoft?

Prov. Here, if it like your honour.
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.-[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 answer none;
And fome condemned for a fault alone.

Enter Elbow, Froth, Clown, and Officers.

Elb. Come, bring them away; if thefe 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 juftice, 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 fure of; and void of all profanation in the world, that good christians 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 dost thou not speak, Elbow? Clown. He cannot, Sir; he's out at elbow. Ang. What are you, Sir?

Elb. He, Sir? a tapfter, Sir; parcel-bawd; one that ferves a bad woman; whofe houfe, Sir, was, as they fay, pluckt down in the fuburbs; and now fhe profeffcs a hot-houfe; which, I think, is a very ill houfe too.

Efcal

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;

Ejcal. Doft thou deteft her therefore?

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

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

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

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

Efcal. Do you hear, how he mifplaces?

Clown. Sir, fhe came in great with child; and longing (faving your honour's reverence) for stew'd prewns Sir, we had but two in the house, which at that very diftant time stood, as it were, in a fruit-dish, a dish 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 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 fay, 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, as I fay, paying for them very honeftly; for, as you know, mafter Froth, I could not give you three pence again. Froth. No, indeed.

Clown. Very well; you being then, if you be remembered, cracking the ftones of the forefaid prewns. Frith. Ay, fo I did, indeed.

Clown.

1

Clown. Why, very well; I telling you then, if you be remembered, that fuch a one, and fuch a one, were paft cure of the thing you wot of, unless they kept very 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. No, Sir, nor I mean it not.

Clown. Sir, but you fhall 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 dy'd at Hallowmas, Was't not at Hallowmas, mafter Froth?

Froth. All-holland eve.

Clown. Why, very well; I hope here be truths. He, Sir, fitting, as I fay, in a lower chair, Sir; '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, good for winter.

and

Clown. Why, very well then; I hope, here be truths.
Ang. This will last out a night in Ruffia,

When nights are longeft 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.
Efcal. I think no lefs. Good morrow to your Lord-
fhip.
[Exit Angelo.
Now, Sir, come on: what was done to Elbow's wife,
once more?

Clown. Once, Sir? there was nothing done to her

once.

Elb. I beseech you, Sir, afk him what this man did to my wife.

Clown. I beseech your honour, ask me.

Efcal. Well, Sir, what did this gentleman to her? Clown. I befeech you, Sir, look in this gentleman's face; good mafter Froth, look upon his honour; 'tis

for

for a good purpose: doth your honour mark his face? Efcal. Ay, Sir, very well.

Clown. Nay, I befeech you, mark it well.
Ejcal. Well, I do fo.

Clown. Doth your honour see any harm in his face?
Efcal. 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 harm? I would know that of your honour.

Efcal. He's in the right; conftable, what fay you to it ?

Elb. First, an it like you, the house is a refpected houfe; next, this is a refpected fellow; and his mistrefs is a respected woman.

Clown. By this hand, Sir, his wife is a more respected perfon than any of us all.

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

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

Efcal. Which is the wifer here? Juftice, or Iniquity ?Is this true?

Elb. O thou caitiff! O thou varlet! O thou wicked Hannibal! I refpected with her, before I was marry'd to her? If ever I was refpected 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't: what is't your worship's pleasure I fhould 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 courfes, 'till thou know'ft what they are.

Elb