William Shakespeare - The Complete Works

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MEASURE FOR MEASURE Act 2 Scene 1 (Enter Angelo, Escalus, and servants l1l Angelo We must not make a scarecrow of the law, l2l Setting it up to fear the birds of prey, l3l And let it keep one shape till custom make it l4l Their perch, and not their terror. Escalus Ay, but yet l5l Let us be keen, and rather cut a little l6l Than fall and bruise to death. Alas, this gentleman l7l Whom I would save had a most noble father. l8l Let but your honour knowù l9l Whom I believe to be most strait in virtueù l10l That in the working of your own affections, l11l Had time cohered with place, or place with wishing, l12l Or that the resolute acting of your blood l13l Could have attained thÆ effect of your own purposeù l14l Whether you had not sometime in your life l15l Erred in this point which now you censure him, l16l And pulled the law upon you. l17l Angelo ÆTis one thing to be tempted, Escalus, l18l Another thing to fall. I not deny l19l The jury passing on the prisonerÆs life l20l May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two l21l Guiltier than him they try. What knows the law l22l That thieves do pass on thieves? WhatÆs open made to justice, l23l That justice seizes. ÆTis very pregnant: l24l The jewel that we find, we stoop and take Æt l25l Because we see it, but what we do not see l26l We tread upon and never think of it. l27l You may not so extenuate his offence l28l For I have had such faults; but rather tell me, l29l When I that censure him do so offend, l30l Let mine own judgement pattern out my death, l31l And nothing come in partial. Sir, he must die. l32l Escalus Be it as your wisdom will. Angelo Where is the Provost? (Enter Provost) l33l Provost Here, if it like your honour. Angelo See that Claudio l34l Be execute by nine tomorrow morning. l35l Bring him his confessor, let him be prepared, l36l For thatÆs the utmost of his pilgrimage. (Exit Provost) l37l Escalus Well, heaven forgive him, and forgive us all! l38l Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall. l39l Some run from brakes of vice, and answer none; l40l And some condemnΦd for a fault alone. (Enter Elbow, Froth, Pompey, and officers) l41l Elbow Come, bring them away. If these be good people l42l in a commonweal, that do nothing but use their abuses l43l in common houses, I know no law. Bring them away. l44l Angelo How now, sir? WhatÆs your name? And whatÆs the matter? l45l Elbow If it please your honour, I am the poor DukeÆs l46l constable, and my name is Elbow. I do lean upon l47l justice, sir; and do bring in here before your good l48l honour two notorious benefactors. l49l Angelo Benefactors? Well! What benefactors are they? l50l Are they not malefactors? l51l Elbow If it please your honour, I know not well what l52l they are; but precise villains they are, that I am sure l53l of, and void of all profanation in the world that good l54l Christians ought to have. l55l Escalus (to Angelo) This comes off well; hereÆs a wise officer! l56l Angelo Go to, what quality are they of? Elbow is your l57l name? Why dost thou not speak, Elbow? l58l Pompey He cannot, sir; heÆs out at elbow. l59l Angelo What are you, sir? l60l Elbow He, sir? A tapster, sir, parcel bawd; one that l61l serves a bad woman whose house, sir, was, as they l62l say, plucked down in the suburbs; and now she l63l professes a hot-house, which I think is a very ill house l64l too. l65l Escalus How know you that? l66l Elbow My wife, sir, whom I detest before heaven and l67l your honourù l68l Escalus How, thy wife? l69l Elbow Ay, sir, whom I thank heaven is an honest l70l womanù l71l Escalus Dost thou detest her therefor? l72l Elbow I say, sir, I will detest myself also, as well as she, l73l that this house, if it be not a bawdÆs house, it is pity l74l of her life, for it is a naughty house. l75l Escalus How dost thou know that, constable? l76l Elbow Marry, sir, by my wife, who, if she had been a l77l woman cardinally given, might have been accused in l78l fornication, adultery, and all uncleanliness there. l79l Escalus By the womanÆs means? l80l Elbow Ay, sir, by Mistress OverdoneÆs means. But as she l81l spit in his face, so she defied him. l82l Pompey (to Escalus) Sir, if it please your honour, this is l83l not so. l84l Elbow Prove it before these varlets here, thou honourable l85l man, prove it. l86l Escalus (to Angelo) Do you hear how he misplaces? l87l Pompey Sir, she came in great with child, and longingù l88l saving your honourÆs reverenceùfor stewed prunes. l89l Sir, we had but two in the house, which at that very l90l distant time stood, as it were, in a fruit dishùa dish l91l of some threepence; your honours have seen such l92l dishes; they are not china dishes, but very good dishes. l93l Escalus Go to, go to, no matter for the dish, sir. l94l Pompey No, indeed, sir, not of a pin; you are therein in l95l the right. But to the point. As I say, this Mistress Elbow, l96l being, as I say, with child, and being great-bellied, and l97l longing, as I said, for prunes; and having but two in l98l the dish, as I said, Master Froth here, this very man, l99l having eaten the rest, as I said, and, as I say, paying l100l for them very honestly; for, as you know, Master Froth, l101l I could not give you threepence again. l102l Froth No, indeed. l103l Pompey Very well. You being, then, if you be remembered, l104l cracking the stones of the foresaid prunesù l105l Froth Ay, so I did indeed. l106l Pompey Why, very well.ùI telling you then, if you be l107l remembered, that such a one and such a one were past l108l cure of the thing you wot of, unless they kept very l109l good diet, as I told youù l110l Froth All this is true. l111l Pompey Why, very well thenù l112l Escalus Come, you are a tedious fool. To the purpose. l113l What was done to ElbowÆs wife that he hath cause to l114l complain of? Come me to what was done to her. l115l Pompey Sir, your honour cannot come to that yet. l116l Escalus No, sir, nor I mean it not. l117l Pompey Sir, but you shall come to it, by your honourÆs l118l leave. And I beseech you, look into Master Froth here, l119l sir, a man of fourscore pound a year, whose father died l120l at Hallowmasùwas Æt not at Hallowmas, Master Froth? l121l Froth All Hallow Eve. l122l Pompey Why, very well. I hope here be truths. He, sir, l123l sitting, as I say, in a lower chair, sirùÆtwas in the l124l Bunch of Grapes, where indeed you have a delight to l125l sit, have you not? l126l Froth I have so, because it is an open room, and good l127l for winter. l128l Pompey Why, very well then. I hope here be truths. l129l Angelo This will last out a night in Russia, l130l When nights are longest there. (To Escalus) IÆll take my leave, l131l And leave you to the hearing of the cause, l132l Hoping youÆll find good cause to whip them all. l133l Escalus I think no less. Good morrow to your lordship. (Exit Angelo) l134l Now, sir, come on, what was done to ElbowÆs wife, l135l once more? l136l Pompey Once, sir? There was nothing done to her once. l137l Elbow I beseech you, sir, ask him what this man did to l138l my wife. l139l Pompey I beseech your honour, ask me. l140l Escalus Well, sir, what did this gentleman to her? l141l Pompey I beseech you, sir, look in this gentlemanÆs face. l142l Good Master Froth, look upon his honour. ÆTis for a l143l good purpose. Doth your honour mark his face? l144l Escalus Ay, sir, very well. l145l Pompey Nay, I beseech you, mark it well. l146l Escalus Well, I do so. l147l Pompey Doth your honour see any harm in his face? l148l Escalus Why, no. l149l Pompey IÆll be supposed upon a book his face is the worst l150l thing about him. Good, thenùif his face be the worst l151l thing about him, how could Master Froth do the l152l constableÆs wife any harm? I would know that of your l153l honour. l154l Escalus HeÆs in the right, constable; what say you to it? l155l Elbow First, an it like you, the house is a respected l156l house; next, this is a respected fellow; and his mistress l157l is a respected woman. l158l Pompey (to Escalus) By this hand, sir, his wife is a more l159l respected person than any of us all. l160l Elbow Varlet, thou liest; thou liest, wicked varlet. The l161l time is yet to come that she was ever respected with l162l man, woman, or child. l163l Pompey Sir, she was respected with him before he married l164l with her. l165l Escalus Which is the wiser here, justice or iniquity? l166l (To Elbow) Is this true? l167l Elbow (to Pompey) O thou caitiff, O thou varlet, O thou l168l wicked Hannibal! I respected with her before I was l169l married to her? (To Escalus) If ever I was respected l170l with her, or she with me, let not your worship think l171l me the poor DukeÆs officer. (To Pompey) Prove this, l172l thou wicked Hannibal, or IÆll have mine action of l173l battery on thee. l174l Escalus If he took you a box oÆ thÆ ear you might have l175l your action of slander too. l176l Elbow Marry, I thank your good worship for it. What l177l is Æt your worshipÆs pleasure I shall do with this wicked l178l caitiff? l179l Escalus Truly, officer, because he hath some offences in l180l him that thou wouldst discover if thou couldst, let him l181l continue in his courses till thou knowest what they l182l are. l183l Elbow Marry, I thank your worship for it.ùThou seest, l184l thou wicked varlet now, whatÆs come upon thee. Thou l185l art to continue now, thou varlet, thou art to continue. l186l Escalus (to Froth) Where were you born, friend? l187l Froth Here in Vienna, sir. l188l Escalus Are you of fourscore pounds a year? l189l Froth Yes, an Æt please you, sir. l190l Escalus So. (To Pompey) What trade are you of, sir? l191l Pompey A tapster, a poor widowÆs tapster. l192l Escalus Your mistressÆs name? l193l Pompey Mistress Overdone. l194l Escalus Hath she had any more than one husband? l195l Pompey Nine, sirùOverdone by the last. l196l Escalus Nine?ùCome hither to me, Master Froth. Master l197l Froth, I would not have you acquainted with tapsters. l198l They will draw you, Master Froth, and you will hang l199l them. Get you gone, and let me hear no more of you. l200l Froth I thank your worship. For mine own part, I never l201l come into any room in a tap-house but I am drawn in. l202l Escalus Well, no more of it, Master Froth. Farewell. (Exit Froth) l203l Come you hither to me, Master Tapster. WhatÆs your l204l name, Master Tapster? l205l Pompey Pompey. l206l Escalus What else? l207l Pompey Bum, sir. l208l Escalus Troth, and your bum is the greatest thing about l209l you; so that, in the beastliest sense, you are Pompey l210l the Great. Pompey, you are partly a bawd, Pompey, l211l howsoever you colour it in being a tapster, are you l212l not? Come, tell me true; it shall be the better for you. l213l Pompey Truly, sir, I am a poor fellow that would live. l214l Escalus How would you live, Pompey? By being a bawd? l215l What do you think of the trade, Pompey? Is it a lawful l216l trade? l217l Pompey If the law would allow it, sir. l218l Escalus But the law will not allow it, Pompey; nor it l219l shall not be allowed in Vienna. l220l Pompey Does your worship mean to geld and spay all the l221l youth of the city? l222l Escalus No, Pompey. l223l Pompey Truly, sir, in my poor opinion they will to Æt then. l224l If your worship will take order for the drabs and the l225l knaves, you need not to fear the bawds. l226l Escalus There is pretty orders beginning, I can tell you. l227l It is but heading and hanging. l228l Pompey If you head and hang all that offend that way l229l but for ten year together, youÆll be glad to give out a l230l commission for more heads. If this law hold in Vienna l231l ten year, IÆll rent the fairest house in it after threepence l232l a bay. If you live to see this come to pass, say Pompey l233l told you so. l234l Escalus Thank you, good Pompey; and in requital of l235l your prophecy, hark you. I advise you, let me not find l236l you before me again upon any complaint whatsoever; l237l no, not for dwelling where you do. If I do, Pompey, I l238l shall beat you to your tent, and prove a shrewd Caesar l239l to you; in plain dealing, Pompey, I shall have you l240l whipped. So for this time, Pompey, fare you well. l241l Pompey I thank your worship for your good counsel; l242l (aside) but I shall follow it as the flesh and fortune shall l243l better determine. l244l Whip me? No, no; let carman whip his jade. l245l The valiant heartÆs not whipped out of his trade. (Exit) l246l Escalus Come hither to me, Master Elbow; come hither, l247l Master Constable. How long have you been in this l248l place of constable? l249l Elbow Seven year and a half, sir. l250l Escalus I thought, by the readiness in the office, you had l251l continued in it some time. You say seven years l252l together? l253l Elbow And a half, sir. l254l Escalus Alas, it hath been great pains to you. They do l255l you wrong to put you so oft upon Æt. Are there not men l256l in your ward sufficient to serve it? l257l Elbow Faith, sir, few of any wit in such matters. As they l258l are chosen, they are glad to choose me for them. I do l259l it for some piece of money, and go through with all. l260l Escalus Look you bring me in the names of some six or l261l seven, the most sufficient of your parish. l262l Elbow To your worshipÆs house, sir? l263l Escalus To my house. Fare you well. (Exit Elbow with officers) l264l WhatÆs oÆclock, think you? l265l Justice Eleven, sir. l266l Escalus I pray you home to dinner with me. l267l Justice I humbly thank you. l268l Escalus It grieves me for the death of Claudio, l269l But thereÆs no remedy. l270l Justice Lord Angelo is severe. l271l Escalus It is but needful. l272l Mercy is not itself that oft looks so. l273l Pardon is still the nurse of second woe. l274l But yet, poor Claudio! There is no remedy. l275l Come, sir. (Exeunt)