MEASURE FOR MEASURE

Act 1 Scene 2

(Enter Lucio, and two other Gentlemen)
l1l	Lucio	 If the Duke with the other dukes come not to
l2l		composition with the King of Hungary, why then, all
l3l		the dukes fall upon the King.
l4l	First Gentleman	Heaven grant us its peace, but not the
l5l		King of Hungary’s!
l6l	Second Gentleman	Amen.
l7l	Lucio	Thou concludest like the sanctimonious pirate, that
l8l		went to sea with the Ten Commandments, but scraped
l9l		one out of the table.
l10l	Second Gentleman	“Thou shalt not steal”?
l11l	Lucio	Ay, that he razed.
l12l	First Gentleman	Why, ’twas a commandment to command
l13l		the captain and all the rest from their functions:
l14l		they put forth to steal. There’s not a soldier of us all
l15l		that in the thanksgiving before meat do relish the
l16l		petition well that prays for peace.
l17l	Second Gentleman	I never heard any soldier dislike it.
l18l	Lucio	I believe thee, for I think thou never wast where
l19l		grace was said.
l20l	Second Gentleman	No? A dozen times at least.
l21l	First Gentleman	What, in metre?
l22l	Lucio	In any proportion, or in any language.
l23l	First Gentleman	I think, or in any religion.
l24l	Lucio	Ay, why not? Grace is grace despite of all
l25l		controversy# as for example, thou thyself art a wicked
l26l		villain despite of all grace.
l27l	First Gentleman	Well, there went but a pair of shears
l28l		between us.
l29l	Lucio	I grant—as there may between the lists and the
l30l		velvet. Thou art the list.
l31l	First Gentleman	And thou the velvet. Thou art good
l32l		velvet, thou’rt a three-piled piece, I warrant thee. I had
l33l		as lief be a list of an English kersey as be piled as thou
l34l		art pilled, for a French velvet. Do I speak feelingly now?
l35l	Lucio	I think thou dost, and indeed with most painful
l36l		feeling of thy speech. I will out of thine own confession
l37l		learn to begin thy health, but whilst I live forget to
l38l		drink after thee.
l39l	First Gentleman	I think I have done myself wrong, have
l40l		I not?
l41l	Second Gentleman	Yes, that thou hast, whether thou art
l42l		tainted or free.
		(Enter Mistress Overdone)
l43l	Lucio	 Behold, behold, where Madam Mitigation comes! I
l44l		have purchased as many diseases under her roof as
l45l		come to—
l46l	Second Gentleman	To what, I pray?
l47l	Lucio	Judge.
l48l	Second Gentleman	To three thousand dolours a year?
l49l	First Gentleman	Ay, and more.
l50l	Lucio	A French crown more.
l51l	First Gentleman	Thou art always figuring diseases in
l52l		me, but thou art full of error—I am sound.
l53l	Lucio	Nay not, as one would say, healthy, but so sound
l54l		as things that are hollow—thy bones are hollow,
l55l		impiety has made a feast of thee.
l56l	First Gentleman	(to Mistress Overdone)
		 How now, which
l57l		of your hips has the most profound sciatica?
l58l	Mistress Overdone	Well, well! There’s one yonder
l59l		arrested and carried to prison was worth five thousand
l60l		of you all.
l61l	Second Gentleman	Who’s that, I pray thee?
l62l	Mistress Overdone	Marry sir, that’s Claudio, Signor
l63l		Claudio.
l64l	First Gentleman	Claudio to prison? ’Tis not so.
l65l	Mistress Overdone	Nay, but I know ’tis so. I saw him
l66l		arrested, saw him carried away# and, which is more,
l67l		within these three days his head to be chopped off.
l68l	Lucio	But after all this fooling, I would not have it so.
l69l		Art thou sure of this?
l70l	Mistress Overdone	I am too sure of it, and it is for getting
l71l		Madame Julietta with child.
l72l	Lucio	Believe me, this may be. He promised to meet me
l73l		two hours since and he was ever precise in promise-
l74l		keeping.
l75l	Second Gentleman	Besides, you know, it draws something
l76l		near to the speech we had to such a purpose.
l77l	First Gentleman	But most of all agreeing with the
l78l		proclamation.
l79l	Lucio	Away# let’s go learn the truth of it.
		(Exeunt Lucio and Gentlemen)
l80l	Mistress Overdone	 Thus, what with the war, what with
l81l		the sweat, what with the gallows, and what with
l82l		poverty, I am custom-shrunk. AShakespeare> 
		(Enter Pompey)
l83l		How now, what’s the news with you?
l84l	Pompey	You have not heard of the proclamation, have
l85l		you?
l86l	Mistress Overdone	What proclamation, man?
l87l	Pompey	All houses in the suburbs of Vienna must be
l88l		plucked down.
l89l	Mistress Overdone	And what shall become of those in
l90l		the city?
l91l	Pompey	They shall stand for seed. They had gone down
l92l		too, but that a wise burgher put in for them.
l93l	Mistress Overdone	But shall all our houses of resort in
l94l		the suburbs be pulled down?
l95l	Pompey	To the ground, mistress.
l96l	Mistress Overdone	Why, here’s a change indeed in the
l97l		commonwealth. What shall become of me?
l98l	Pompey	Come, fear not you. Good counsellors lack no
l99l		clients. Though you change your place, you need not
l100l		change your trade. I’ll be your tapster still. Courage,
l101l		there will be pity taken on you. You that have worn
l102l		your eyes almost out in the service, you will be
l103l		considered.
		(A noise within)
l104l	Mistress Overdone	 What’s to do here, Thomas Tapster?
l105l		Let’s withdraw!
		(Enter the Provost, Claudio, <A Middleton> Juliet, and officers; Lucio and the two Gentlemen)
l106l	> 
	Pompey	 Here comes Signor Claudio, led by the Provost to
l107l		prison# AMiddleton> and there’s Madame Juliet. AShakespeare> 
		(Exeunt Mistress Overdone and Pompey)
l108l	Claudio	(to the Provost)
		 Fellow, why dost thou show me thus to th’ world?
l109l		Bear me to prison, where I am committed.
l110l	Provost	I do it not in evil disposition,
l111l		But from Lord Angelo by special charge.
l112l	Claudio	Thus can the demigod Authority
l113l		Make us pay down for our offence, by weight,
l114l		The bonds of heaven. On whom it will, it will#
l115l		On whom it will not, so# yet still ’tis just.
l116l	Lucio	Why, how now, Claudio? Whence comes this restraint?
l117l	Claudio	From too much liberty, my Lucio, liberty.
l118l		As surfeit is the father of much fast,
l119l		So every scope, by the immoderate use,
l120l		Turns to restraint. Our natures do pursue,
l121l		Like rats that raven down their proper bane,
l122l		A thirsty evil# and when we drink, we die.
l123l	Lucio	 If I could speak so wisely under an arrest, I would
l124l		send for certain of my creditors. And yet, to say the
l125l		truth, I had as lief have the foppery of freedom as the
l126l		morality of imprisonment. What’s thy offence, Claudio?
l127l	Claudio	 What but to speak of would offend again.
l128l	Lucio	What, is ’t murder?
	Claudio	No.
	Lucio	Lechery? 
	Claudio	Call it so.
l129l	Provost	 Away, sir# you must go.
l130l	Claudio	 One word, good friend.
		(The Provost shows assent)
		 Lucio, a word with you.
l131l	Lucio	 A hundred, if they’ll do you any good.
		( 131 Claudio and Lucio speak apart)
l132l		Is lechery so looked after?
l133l	Claudio	 Thus stands it with me. Upon a true contract,
l134l		I got possession of Julietta’s bed.
l135l		You know the lady# she is fast my wife,
l136l		Save that we do the denunciation lack
l137l		Of outward order. This we came not to
l138l		Only for propagation of a dower
l139l		Remaining in the coffer of her friends,
l140l		From whom we thought it meet to hide our love
l141l		Till time had made them for us. But it chances
l142l		The stealth of our most mutual entertainment
l143l		With character too gross is writ on Juliet.
l144l	Lucio	With child, perhaps?
	Claudio	Unhapp’ly even so.
l145l		And the new deputy now for the Duke—
l146l		Whether it be the fault and glimpse of newness,
l147l		Or whether that the body public be
l148l		A horse whereon the governor doth ride,
l149l		Who, newly in the seat, that it may know
l150l		He can command, lets it straight feel the spur—
l151l		Whether the tyranny be in his place,
l152l		Or in his eminence that fills it up—
l153l		I stagger in. But this new governor
l154l		Awakes me all the enrollèd penalties
l155l		Which have, like unscoured armour, hung by th’ wall
l156l		So long that fourteen zodiacs have gone round,
l157l		And none of them been worn# and, for a name,
l158l		Now puts the drowsy and neglected act
l159l		Freshly on me. ’Tis surely for a name.
l160l	Lucio	 I warrant it is# and thy head stands so tickle on
l161l		thy shoulders that a milkmaid, if she be in love, may
l162l		sigh it off. Send after the Duke, and appeal to him.
l163l	Claudio	 I have done so, but he’s not to be found.
l164l		I prithee, Lucio, do me this kind service.
l165l		This day my sister should the cloister enter,
l166l		And there receive her approbation.
l167l		Acquaint her with the danger of my state.
l168l		Implore her in my voice that she make friends
l169l		To the strict deputy. Bid herself assay him.
l170l		I have great hope in that, for in her youth
l171l		There is a prone and speechless dialect
l172l		Such as move men# beside, she hath prosperous art
l173l		When she will play with reason and discourse,
l174l		And well she can persuade.
l175l	Lucio	 I pray she may—as well for the encouragement of
l176l		thy like, which else would stand under grievous
l177l		imposition, as for the enjoying of thy life, who I would
l178l		be sorry should be thus foolishly lost at a game of tick-
l179l		tack. I’ll to her.
l180l	Claudio	I thank you, good friend Lucio.
l181l	Lucio	Within two hours.
l182l	Claudio	Come, officer# away.
		(Exeunt Lucio and gentlemen at one door; Claudio, Juliet, Provost, and officers at another)