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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 those 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. İfab. Some one with child by him? Lucio. Is the your coufin?

2.

[Fuliet?

my coufin

Ifab. Adoptedly, as school-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 strangely gone from hence ;
Bore many gentlemen, myself 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 fast.
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

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1 That from the feedness- ] An old word for feed-time. So the lawyers tranflate femen byemale & quadragefimale, by winter feedness, and lent feedness.

2foyfon;] Harveй.

Mr. Pope.

Falls

Falls into forfeit; he arrests him on it;
And follows close the rigour of the ftatute,
To make him an example; all hope's gone,
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 Provost 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 fuccess.
Lucio. I take my leave of you.
Ifab. Good Sir, adieu.

[Exeunt,

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ACT II. SCENE 1.

The PALACE.

Enter Angelo, Efcalus, a Justice, and Attendants.

W

ANGELO.

E muft not make a scare-crow of the law,
Setting it up to fear the birds of 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 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 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 prisoner's life,

May in the fworn twelve have a thief or two, Guiltier than him they try; what's open made to juftice,

That justice seizes on.

What know the laws,

That thieves do pafs on thieves? 'tis very pregnant, The jewel that we find, we ftoop and take't,

I Than F ALL, and bruife to death.] I fhould rather read FELL,.e. ftrike down. So, in Timon of Athens,

All, fave thee, I FELL with curfes.

Becaufe

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 fo offend,

Let mine own judgment pattern out my death,
And nothing come in partial. Sir, he must die.
ede vro Enter. Provost.

Efcal. Be't, as your wifdom will.
Ang. Where is the Provost?

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,

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Enter Elbow, Froth, Clown, and Officers.

Elb. Come, bring them away; if these be good people in a common-weal, that do nothing but ufe their abuses 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?

Bb 3

Elb.

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 doft thou not fpeak, 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 the profeffes a hot-house; which, I think, is a very ill

houfe 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 honeft

woman;

Efcal. Doft thou deteft her therefore?

Elb. I fay, Sir, I will deteft my self alfo, as well as fhe, that this houfe, if it be not a bawd's house, it is pity of her life, for it is a naughty houfe.

Efcal. How doft thou know that, constable?

Elb. Marry, Sir, by my wife; who, if fhe 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-done's means, but as fhe fpit if his face, fo the defy'd him."

Clown. Sir, if it please your Honour, this is not fo. Elb. Prove it before these varlets here, thou honour. able man, prove it.

Efcal, Do you hear how he mifplaces?

Clown.

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