Isab. I will about it straight,

No longer staying but to give the Mother
Notice of my affair. I humbly thank you.
Commend me to my brother. Soon at night
I'll send him certain word of my success.
Lucio. I take my leave of you.
Isab.

85

Good sir, adieu. 90

ACT SECOND

SCENE I

[A hall in Angelo's house.]

Enter Angelo, Escalus, a Justice, and Servants.

Ang. 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.

Escal.

5

Ay, but yet
Let us be keen, and rather cut a little,
Than fall, and bruise to death. Alas, this gentle-

man

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 coher'd with place or place with wish-
ing,

Or that the resolute acting of your blood

Could have attain'd the effect of your own pur

pose,

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.

22

16

Ang. 'Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus,
Another thing to fall. I not deny,

The jury, passing on the prisoner's life,

20

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 knows the laws

That thieves do pass on thieves? 'Tis very

pregnant,

The jewel that we find, we stoop and take't

Because we see it; but what we do not see 25
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,
When I, that censure him, do so offend,
Let mine own judgement pattern out my death, 30
And nothing come in partial. Sir, he must die.

Enter Provost.

Escal. Be it as your wisdom will.

Ang.

Where is the Provost ?

See that Claudio

Prov. Here, if it like your honour.
Ang.

Be executed by nine to-morrow morning.
Bring him his confessor, let him be prepar'd; 35

For that's the utmost of his pilgrimage.

[Exit Provost.]

Escal. [Aside.] Well, Heaven forgive him! and for

give us all!

Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.

Some run from brakes of vice, and answer none;
And some condemned for a fault alone.

Enter Elbow, Froth, Clown [Pompey, and] Officers.

Elb. Come, bring them away. If these be good

people in a commonweal that do nothing but
use their abuses in common houses, I know no
law. Bring them away.

40

Ang. How now, sir ! What's your name? and 45 what's the matter?

Elb. 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 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 precise villains they are,
that I am sure of; and void of all profanation
in the world that good Christians ought to
have.

Escal. This comes off well. Here's a wise officer.
Ang. Go to; what quality are they of? Elbow is

your name? Why dost thou not speak, Elbow ?

Pom. He cannot, sir; he's out at elbow.

59

50

55

60

Ang. What are you, sir?

Elb. He, sir! A tapster, sir; parcel-bawd; one that serves a bad woman, whose house, sir, was, as they say, pluck'd down in the suburbs ; and now she professes a hot-house, which, I think, is a very ill house too.

Escal. How know you that?

Elb. My wife, sir, whom I detest before Heaven and your honour,

Escal. How? Thy wife?

Elb. Ay, sir; whom, I thank Heaven, is an honest

Escal. Dost thou detest her therefore?

Elb. 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 a pity of her life, for it is a naughty
house.

Escal. How dost thou know that, constable?
Elb. Marry, sir, by my wife; who, if she had been
a woman cardinally given, might have been
accus'd in fornication, adultery, and all un-
cleanliness there.

Escal. By the woman's means?

65

70

75

80

Elb. Ay, sir, by Mistress Overdone's means; 85 but as she spit in his face, so she defi'd him. Pom. Sir, if it please your honour, this is not so. Elb. Prove it before these varlets here, thou honourable man; prove it.