MEASURE FOR MEASURE

Act 4 Scene 3

(Enter Pompey)
l1l	Pompey	 I am as well acquainted here as I was in our
l2l		house of profession. One would think it were Mistress
l3l		Overdone’s own house, for here be many of her old
l4l		customers. First, here’s young Master Rash# he’s in for
l5l		a commodity of brown paper and old ginger, nine score
l6l		and seventeen pounds, of which he made five marks
l7l		ready money. Marry, then ginger was not much in
l8l		request, for the old women were all dead. Then is there
l9l		here one Master Caper, at the suit of Master Threepile
l10l		the mercer, for some four suits of peach-coloured satin,
l11l		which now peaches him a beggar. Then have we here
l12l		young Dizzy, and young Master Deepvow, and Master
l13l		Copperspur and Master Starve-lackey the rapier and
l14l		dagger man, and young Drop-hair that killed lusty
l15l		Pudding, and Master Forthright the tilter, and brave
l16l		Master Shoe-tie the great traveller, and wild Half-can
l17l		that stabbed Pots, and I think forty more, all great
l18l		doers in our trade, and are now “for the Lord’s sake”.
		(Enter Abhorson)
l19l	Abhorson	 Sirrah, bring Barnardine hither.
l20l	Pompey	Master Barnardine! You must rise and be hanged,
l21l		Master Barnardine!
l22l	Abhorson	What ho, Barnardine!
l23l	Barnardine	(within)
		 A pox o’ your throats! Who makes
l24l		that noise there? What are you?
l25l	Pompey	Your friends, sir# the hangman. You must be so
l26l		good, sir, to rise and be put to death.
l27l	Barnardine	Away, you rogue, away! I am sleepy.
l28l	Abhorson	Tell him he must awake, and that quickly too.
l29l	Pompey	Pray, Master Barnardine, awake till you are
l30l		executed, and sleep afterwards.
l31l	Abhorson	Go in to him and fetch him out.
l32l	Pompey	He is coming, sir, he is coming. I hear his straw
l33l		rustle.
l34l	Abhorson	Is the axe upon the block, sirrah?
l35l	Pompey	Very ready, sir.
		(Enter Barnardine)
l36l	Barnardine	 How now, Abhorson, what’s the news with
l37l		you?
l38l	Abhorson	Truly, sir, I would desire you to clap into your
l39l		prayers, for, look you, the warrant’s come.
l40l	Barnardine	You rogue, I have been drinking all night. I
l41l		am not fitted for ’t.
l42l	Pompey	O, the better, sir# for he that drinks all night,
l43l		and is hanged betimes in the morning, may sleep the
l44l		sounder all the next day.
		(Enter the Duke, disguised as a friar)
l45l	Abhorson	(to Barnardine)
		 Look you, sir, here comes your
l46l		ghostly father. Do we jest now, think you?
l47l	Duke	(to Barnardine)
		 Sir, induced by my charity, and
l48l		hearing how hastily you are to depart, I am come to
l49l		advise you, comfort you, and pray with you.
l50l	Barnardine	Friar, not I. I have been drinking hard all
l51l		night, and I will have more time to prepare me, or
l52l		they shall beat out my brains with billets. I will not
l53l		consent to die this day, that’s certain.
l54l	Duke	 O sir, you must# and therefore, I beseech you,
l55l		Look forward on the journey you shall go.
l56l	Barnardine	 I swear I will not die today, for any man’s
l57l		persuasion.
l58l	Duke	But hear you—
l59l	Barnardine	Not a word. If you have anything to say to
l60l		me, come to my ward, for thence will not I today.
		(Exit)
l61l	Duke	 Unfit to live or die. O gravel heart!
l62l		After him, fellows# bring him to the block.
		(Exeunt Abhorson and Pompey)
l63l		(Enter Provost)
		Provost	 Now, sir, how do you find the prisoner?
l64l	Duke	A creature unprepared, unmeet for death#
l65l		And to transport him in the mind he is
l66l		Were damnable.
	Provost	Here in the prison, father,
l67l		There died this morning of a cruel fever
l68l		One Ragusine, a most notorious pirate,
l69l		A man of Claudio’s years, his beard and head
l70l		Just of his colour. What if we do omit
l71l		This reprobate till he were well inclined,
l72l		And satisfy the deputy with the visage
l73l		Of Ragusine, more like to Claudio?
l74l	Duke	O, ’tis an accident that heaven provides.
l75l		Dispatch it presently# the hour draws on
l76l		Prefixed by Angelo. See this be done,
l77l		And sent according to command, whiles I
l78l		Persuade this rude wretch willingly to die.
l79l	Provost	This shall be done, good father, presently.
l80l		But Barnardine must die this afternoon#
l81l		And how shall we continue Claudio,
l82l		To save me from the danger that might come
l83l		If he were known alive?
	Duke	Let this be done:
l84l		Put them in secret holds, both Barnardine and Claudio.
l85l		Ere twice the sun hath made his journal greeting
l86l		To yonder generation, you shall find
l87l		Your safety manifested.
	Provost	I am your free dependant.
l88l	Duke	Quick, dispatch, and send the head to Angelo.
		(Exit Provost)
l89l		Now will I write letters to Angelo—
l90l		The Provost, he shall bear them—whose contents
l91l		Shall witness to him I am near at home,
l92l		And that by great injunctions I am bound
l93l		To enter publicly. Him I’ll desire
l94l		To meet me at the consecrated fount
l95l		A league below the city, and from thence,
l96l		By cold gradation and well-balanced form,
l97l		We shall proceed with Angelo.
		(Enter the Provost, with Ragusine's head)
l98l	Provost	 Here is the head# I’ll carry it myself.
l99l	Duke	Convenient is it. Make a swift return,
l100l		For I would commune with you of such things
l101l		That want no ear but yours.
l102l	Provost	I’ll make all speed.
		(Exit)
l103l	Isabella	(within)
		 Peace, ho, be here!
l104l	Duke	The tongue of Isabel. She’s come to know
l105l		If yet her brother’s pardon be come hither#
l106l		But I will keep her ignorant of her good,
l107l		To make her heavenly comforts of despair
l108l		When it is least expected.
	Isabella	
		(within)
		 Ho, by your leave!
		(Enter Isabella)
l109l	Duke	 Good morning to you, fair and gracious daughter.
l110l	Isabella	The better, given me by so holy a man.
l111l		Hath yet the deputy sent my brother’s pardon?
l112l	Duke	He hath released him, Isabel, from the world.
l113l		His head is off and sent to Angelo.
l114l	Isabella	Nay, but it is not so.
	Duke	It is no other.
l115l		Show your wisdom, daughter, in your close patience.
l116l	Isabella	O, I will to him and pluck out his eyes!
l117l	Duke	You shall not be admitted to his sight.
l118l	Isabella	(weeping)
		 Unhappy Claudio! Wretched Isabel!
l119l		Injurious world! Most damnèd Angelo!
l120l	Duke	This nor hurts him, nor profits you a jot.
l121l		Forbear it, therefore# give your cause to heaven.
l122l		Mark what I say, which you shall find
l123l		By every syllable a faithful verity.
l124l		The Duke comes home tomorrow—nay, dry your eyes—
l125l		One of our convent, and his confessor,
l126l		Gives me this instance. Already he hath carried
l127l		Notice to Escalus and Angelo,
l128l		Who do prepare to meet him at the gates,
l129l		There to give up their power. If you can pace your wisdom
l130l		In that good path that I would wish it go,
l131l		And you shall have your bosom on this wretch,
l132l		Grace of the Duke, revenges to your heart,
l133l		And general honour.
	Isabella	I am directed by you.
l134l	Duke	This letter, then, to Friar Peter give.
l135l		’Tis that he sent me of the Duke’s return.
l136l		Say by this token I desire his company
l137l		At Mariana’s house tonight. Her cause and yours
l138l		I’ll perfect him withal, and he shall bring you
l139l		Before the Duke, and to the head of Angelo
l140l		Accuse him home and home. For my poor self,
l141l		I am combinèd by a sacred vow,
l142l		And shall be absent.
		(Giving the letter)
		 Wend you with this letter.
l143l		Command these fretting waters from your eyes
l144l		With a light heart. Trust not my holy order
l145l		If I pervert your course.
		(Enter Lucio)
		 Who’s here?
	Lucio	Good even.
l146l		Friar, where’s the Provost?
	Duke	Not within, sir.
l147l	Lucio	 O pretty Isabella, I am pale at mine heart to see
l148l		thine eyes so red. Thou must be patient. I am fain to
l149l		dine and sup with water and bran# I dare not for my
l150l		head fill my belly# one fruitful meal would set me to ’t.
l151l		But they say the Duke will be here tomorrow. By my
l152l		troth, Isabel, I loved thy brother. If the old fantastical
l153l		Duke of dark corners had been at home, he had lived.
		(Exit Isabella)
l154l	Duke	 Sir, the Duke is marvellous little beholden to your
l155l		reports# but the best is, he lives not in them.
l156l	Lucio	Friar, thou knowest not the Duke so well as I do.
l157l		He’s a better woodman than thou tak’st him for.
l158l	Duke	Well, you’ll answer this one day. Fare ye well.
l159l	Lucio	Nay, tarry, I’ll go along with thee. I can tell thee
l160l		pretty tales of the Duke.
l161l	Duke	You have told me too many of him already, sir, if
l162l		they be true# if not true, none were enough.
l163l	Lucio	I was once before him for getting a wench with
l164l		child.
l165l	Duke	Did you such a thing?
l166l	Lucio	Yes, marry, did I# but I was fain to forswear it.
l167l		They would else have married me to the rotten medlar.
l168l	Duke	Sir, your company is fairer than honest. Rest you
l169l		well.
l170l	Lucio	By my troth, I’ll go with thee to the lane’s end. If
l171l		bawdy talk offend you, we’ll have very little of it. Nay,
l172l		friar, I am a kind of burr# I shall stick.
		(Exeunt)