Measure for Measure

Measure for Measure

ACT II SCENE I	A hall In ANGELO's house.
	Enter ANGELO, ESCALUS, and a Justice, Provost,Officers, and other Attendants, behind
ANGELO	We must not make a scarecrow of the law,
	Setting it up to fear the birds of prey,
	And let it keep one shape, till custom make it
	Their perch and not their terror.	5
ESCALUS	Ay, but yet
	Let us be keen, and rather cut a little,
	Than fall, and bruise to death. Alas, this gentleman
	Whom I would save, had a most noble father!
	Let but your honour know,	10
	Whom I believe to be most strait in virtue,
	That, in the working of your own affections,
	Had time cohered with place or place with wishing,
	Or that the resolute acting of your blood
	Could have attain'd the effect of your own purpose,	15
	Whether you had not sometime in your life
	Err'd in this point which now you censure him,
	And pull'd the law upon you.
ANGELO	'Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus,
	Another thing to fall. I not deny,	20
	The jury, passing on the prisoner's life,
	May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two
	Guiltier than him they try. What's open made to justice,
	That justice seizes: what know the laws
	That thieves do pass on thieves? 'Tis very pregnant,	25
	The jewel that we find, we stoop and take't
	Because we see it; but what we do not see
	We tread upon, and never think of it.
	You may not so extenuate his offence
	For I have had such faults; but rather tell me,	30
	When I, that censure him, do so offend,
	Let mine own judgment pattern out my death,
	And nothing come in partial. Sir, he must die.
ESCALUS	Be it as your wisdom will.
ANGELO	Where is the provost?	35
Provost	Here, if it like your honour.
ANGELO	See that Claudio
	Be executed by nine to-morrow morning:
	Bring him his confessor, let him be prepared;
	For that's the utmost of his pilgrimage.	40
	Exit Provost
ESCALUS	Aside
	Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall:
	Some run from brakes of ice, and answer none:
	And some condemned for a fault alone.
	Enter ELBOW, and Officers with FROTH and POMPEY
ELBOW	Come, bring them away: if these be good people in
	a commonweal that do nothing but use their abuses in	45
	common houses, I know no law: bring them away.
ANGELO	How now, sir! What's your name? and what's the matter?
ELBOW	If it Please your honour, I am the poor duke's
	constable, and my name is Elbow: I do lean upon
	justice, sir, and do bring in here before your good	50
	honour two notorious benefactors.
ANGELO	Benefactors? Well; what benefactors are they? are
	they not malefactors?
ELBOW	If it? please your honour, I know not well what they
	are: but precise villains they are, that I am sure	55
	of; and void of all profanation in the world that
	good Christians ought to have.
ESCALUS	This comes off well; here's a wise officer.
ANGELO	Go to: what quality are they of? Elbow is your
	name? why dost thou not speak, Elbow?	60
POMPEY	He cannot, sir; he's out at elbow.
ANGELO	What are you, sir?
ELBOW	He, sir! a tapster, sir; parcel-bawd; one that
	serves a bad woman; whose house, sir, was, as they
	say, plucked down in the suburbs; and now she	65
	professes a hot-house, which, I think, is a very ill house too.
ESCALUS	How know you that?
ELBOW	My wife, sir, whom I detest before heaven and your honour,--
ESCALUS	How? thy wife?
ELBOW	Ay, sir; whom, I thank heaven, is an honest woman,--	70
ESCALUS	Dost thou detest her therefore?
ELBOW	I say, sir, I will detest myself also, as well as
	she, that this house, if it be not a bawd's house,
	it is pity of her life, for it is a naughty house.
ESCALUS	How dost thou know that, constable?	75
ELBOW	Marry, sir, by my wife; who, if she had been a woman
	cardinally given, might have been accused in
	fornication, adultery, and all uncleanliness there.
ESCALUS	By the woman's means?
ELBOW	Ay, sir, by Mistress Overdone's means: but as she	80
	spit in his face, so she defied him.
POMPEY	Sir, if it please your honour, this is not so.
ELBOW	Prove it before these varlets here, thou honourable
	man; prove it.
ESCALUS	Do you hear how he misplaces?	85
POMPEY	Sir, she came in great with child; and longing,
	saving your honour's reverence, for stewed prunes;
	sir, we had but two in the house, which at that very
	distant time stood, as it were, in a fruit-dish, a
	dish of some three-pence; your honours have seen	90
	such dishes; they are not China dishes, but very
	good dishes,--
ESCALUS	Go to, go to: no matter for the dish, sir.
POMPEY	No, indeed, sir, not of a pin; you are therein in
	the right: but to the point. As I say, this	95
	Mistress Elbow, being, as I say, with child, and
	being great-bellied, and longing, as I said, for
	prunes; and having but two in the dish, as I said,
	Master Froth here, this very man, having eaten the
	rest, as I said, and, as I say, paying for them very	100
	honestly; for, as you know, Master Froth, I could
	not give you three-pence again.
FROTH	No, indeed.
POMPEY	Very well: you being then, if you be remembered,
	cracking the stones of the foresaid prunes,--	105
FROTH	Ay, so I did indeed.
POMPEY	Why, very well; I telling you then, if you be
	remembered, that such a one and such a one were past
	cure of the thing you wot of, unless they kept very
	good diet, as I told you,--	110
FROTH	All this is true.
POMPEY	Why, very well, then,--
ESCALUS	Come, you are a tedious fool: to the purpose. What
	was done to Elbow's wife, that he hath cause to
	complain of? Come me to what was done to her.	115
POMPEY	Sir, your honour cannot come to that yet.
ESCALUS	No, sir, nor I mean it not.
POMPEY	Sir, but you shall come to it, by your honour's
	leave. And, I beseech you, look into Master Froth
	here, sir; a man of four-score pound a year; whose	120
	father died at Hallowmas: was't not at Hallowmas,
	Master Froth?
FROTH	All-hallond eve.
POMPEY	Why, very well; I hope here be truths. He, sir,
	sitting, as I say, in a lower chair, sir; 'twas in	125
	the Bunch of Grapes, where indeed you have a delight
	to sit, have you not?
FROTH	I have so; because it is an open room and good for winter.
POMPEY	Why, very well, then; I hope here be truths.
ANGELO	This will last out a night in Russia,	130
	When nights are longest there: I'll take my leave.
	And leave you to the hearing of the cause;
	Hoping you'll find good cause to whip them all.
ESCALUS	I think no less. Good morrow to your lordship.
	Exit ANGELO
	Now, sir, come on: what was done to Elbow's wife, once more?	135
POMPEY	Once, sir? there was nothing done to her once.
ELBOW	I beseech you, sir, ask him what this man did to my wife.
POMPEY	I beseech your honour, ask me.
ESCALUS	Well, sir; what did this gentleman to her?
POMPEY	I beseech you, sir, look in this gentleman's face.	140
	Good Master Froth, look upon his honour; 'tis for a
	good purpose. Doth your honour mark his face?
ESCALUS	Ay, sir, very well.
POMPEY	Nay; I beseech you, mark it well.
ESCALUS	Well, I do so.	145
POMPEY	Doth your honour see any harm in his face?
ESCALUS	Why, no.
POMPEY	I'll be supposed upon a book, his face is the worst
	thing about him. Good, then; if his face be the
	worst thing about him, how could Master Froth do the	150
	constable's wife any harm? I would know that of
	your honour.
ESCALUS	He's in the right. Constable, what say you to it?
ELBOW	First, an it like you, the house is a respected
	house; next, this is a respected fellow; and his	155
	mistress is a respected woman.
POMPEY	By this hand, sir, his wife is a more respected
	person than any of us all.
ELBOW	Varlet, thou liest; thou liest, wicked varlet! the
	time has yet to come that she was ever respected	160
	with man, woman, or child.
POMPEY	Sir, she was respected with him before he married with her.
ESCALUS	Which is the wiser here? Justice or Iniquity? Is
	this true?
ELBOW	O thou caitiff! O thou varlet! O thou wicked	165
	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.	170
ESCALUS	If he took you a box o' the ear, you might have your
	action of slander too.
ELBOW	Marry, I thank your good worship for it. What is't
	your worship's pleasure I shall do with this wicked caitiff?
ESCALUS	Truly, officer, because he hath some offences in him	175
	that thou wouldst discover if thou couldst, let him
	continue in his courses till thou knowest what they
	are.
ELBOW	Marry, I thank your worship for it. Thou seest, thou
	wicked varlet, now, what's come upon thee: thou art	180
	to continue now, thou varlet; thou art to continue.
ESCALUS	Where were you born, friend?
FROTH	Here in Vienna, sir.
ESCALUS	Are you of fourscore pounds a year?
FROTH	Yes, an't please you, sir.	185
ESCALUS	So. What trade are you of, sir?
POMPHEY	Tapster; a poor widow's tapster.
ESCALUS	Your mistress' name?
POMPHEY	Mistress Overdone.
ESCALUS	Hath she had any more than one husband?	190
POMPEY	Nine, sir; Overdone by the last.
ESCALUS	Nine! Come hither to me, Master Froth. Master
	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	195
	more of you.
FROTH	I thank your worship. For mine own part, I never
	come into any room in a tap-house, but I am drawn
	in.
ESCALUS	Well, no more of it, Master Froth: farewell.	200
	Exit FROTH
	Come you hither to me, Master tapster. What's your
	name, Master tapster?
POMPEY	Pompey.
ESCALUS	What else?
POMPEY	Bum, sir.	205
ESCALUS	Troth, and your bum is the greatest thing about 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? come, tell me true: it shall be the better for you.	210
POMPEY	Truly, sir, I am a poor fellow that would live.
ESCALUS	How would you live, Pompey? by being a bawd? What
	do you think of the trade, Pompey? is it a lawful trade?
POMPEY	If the law would allow it, sir.
ESCALUS	But the law will not allow it, Pompey; nor it shall	215
	not be allowed in Vienna.
POMPEY	Does your worship mean to geld and splay all the
	youth of the city?
ESCALUS	No, Pompey.
POMPEY	Truly, sir, in my poor opinion, they will to't then.	220
	If your worship will take order for the drabs and
	the knaves, you need not to fear the bawds.
ESCALUS	There are pretty orders beginning, I can tell you:
	it is but heading and hanging.
POMPEY	If you head and hang all that offend that way but	225
	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 three-pence a bay: if you live to see this
	come to pass, say Pompey told you so.	230
ESCALUS	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	235
	Caesar to you; in plain dealing, Pompey, I shall
	have you whipt: so, for this time, Pompey, fare you well.
POMPEY	I thank your worship for your good counsel:
	Aside
	but I shall follow it as the flesh and fortune shall
	better determine.	240
	Whip me? No, no; let carman whip his jade:
	The valiant heart is not whipt out of his trade.
	Exit
ESCALUS	Come hither to me, Master Elbow; come hither, Master
	constable. How long have you been in this place of constable?
ELBOW	Seven year and a half, sir.	245
ESCALUS	I thought, by your readiness in the office, you had
	continued in it some time. You say, seven years together?
ELBOW	And a half, sir.
ESCALUS	Alas, it hath been great pains to you. They do you
	wrong to put you so oft upon 't: are there not men	250
	in your ward sufficient to serve it?
ELBOW	Faith, sir, few of any wit in such matters: as they
	are chosen, they are glad to choose me for them; I
	do it for some piece of money, and go through with
	all.	255
ESCALUS	Look you bring me in the names of some six or seven,
	the most sufficient of your parish.
ELBOW	To your worship's house, sir?
ESCALUS	To my house. Fare you well.
	Exit ELBOW
	What's o'clock, think you?	260
Justice	Eleven, sir.
ESCALUS	I pray you home to dinner with me.
Justice	I humbly thank you.
ESCALUS	It grieves me for the death of Claudio;
	But there's no remedy.	265
Justice	Lord Angelo is severe.
ESCALUS	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.	270
	Come, sir.
	Exeunt