Lucio. Gentle and fair, your brother kindly greets you: Not to be weary with you, he's in prison. Isab. Woe me! for what? Lucio. For that which, if myself might be his judge, He should receive his punishment in thanks: Isab. Sir, make me not your story. It is true. 30 I would not-though 'tis my familiar sin As with a saint. Isab. You do blaspheme the good in mocking me. Lucio. Do not believe it. Fewness and truth, 'tis thus: 40 Your brother and his lover have embraced: Lucio. Is she your cousin? names By vain though apt affection. O, let him marry her. She it is. Lucio. Isab. 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 do learn By those that know the very nerves of state, His givings-out were of an infinite distance From his true-meant design. Upon his place, And with full line of his authority, Governs Lord Angelo; a man whose blood Is very snow-broth; one who never feels 50 The wanton stings and motions of the sense, 61 Which have for long run by the hideous law, Isab. Doth he so seek his life? 71 Lucio. Has censured him Already; and, as I hear, the provost hath A warrant for his execution. Isab. Alas! what poor ability's in me To do him good? Lucio. Assay* the power you have. *Attempt. Isab. My power? Afas, I doubt Lucio. Our doubts are traitors And make us lose the good we oft might win By fearing to attempt. Go to Lord Angelo, And let him learn to know, when maidens sue, 80 Men give like gods; but when they weep and kneel, All their petitions are as freely theirs As they themselves would owe them. Isab. I'll see what I can do. Lucio. ACT II. Good sir, adieu. 90 [Exeunt. SCENE I. A hall in ANGELO's house. Enter ANGELO, ESCALUS, and a Justice, Provost, Officers, and other Attendants, behind. 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 Escal. 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, IO Whom I believe to be most strait in virtue, Or that the resolute acting of your blood Could have attain'd the effect of your own purpose, 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. Ang. 'Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus, Another thing to fall. I not deny, 20 The jury, passing on the prisoner's life, That justice seizes: what know the laws *Plain. That thieves do pass on thieves? 'Tis very pregnant,† †Obvious. The jewel that we find, we stoop and take't For I have had such faults; but rather tell me, Let mine own judgement pattern out my death, Ang. Where is the provost ? Prov. Here, if it like your honour. See that Claudio Be executed by nine to-morrow morning: Bring him his confessor, let him be prepared; [Exit Provost. Escal. [Aside] Well, heaven forgive him! and forgive us all! 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. 40 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. 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 constable, and my name is Elbow: I do lean upon justice, sir, and do bring in here before your good honour two notorious benefactors. 50 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. Ang. What are you, sir? *Rank. 62 Elb. 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 professes a hot-house,* which, I think, is a very ill house too. Escal. How know you that? *Brothel. Elb. My wife, sir, whom I detest before heaven and your honour, Escal. How? thy wife? 70 Elb. Ay, sir; whom, I thank heaven, is an honest woman, ད 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 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 accused in fornication, adultery, and all uncleanliness there. Escal. By the woman's means? Elb. Ay, sir, by Mistress Overdone's means: but as she spit in his face, so she defied him. Pom. Sir, if it please your honour, this is not so. Elb. Prove it before these varlets here, thou honourable man; prove it. Escal. Do you hear how he misplaces? 90 Pom. 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 such dishes; they are not China dishes, but very good dishes,— Escal. Go to, go to: no matter for the dish, sir. Pom. No, indeed, sir, not of a pin; you are therein in the right: but to the point. As I say, this 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 honestly; for, as you know, Master Froth, I could not give you three-pence again. Froth. No, indeed. Pom. Very well; you being then, if you be remembered, cracking the stones of the foresaid prunes, Froth. Ay, so I did indeed. ΙΙΙ Pom. Why, very well; I telling you then, if |