William Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition (383 page)
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Authors: William Shakespeare
Tags: #Drama, #Literary Criticism, #Shakespeare
BOOK: William Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition
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ISABELLA
Sir,
make me not your story.
LUCIO
‘Tis true. I would not—though ’tis my familiar sin
With maids to seem the lapwing, and to jest
Tongue far from heart—play with all virgins so.
I hold you as a thing enskied and sainted
By your renouncement, an immortal spirit,
And to be talked with in sincerity
As with a saint.
With maids to seem the lapwing, and to jest
Tongue far from heart—play with all virgins so.
I hold you as a thing enskied and sainted
By your renouncement, an immortal spirit,
And to be talked with in sincerity
As with a saint.
ISABELLA
You do blaspheme the good in mocking me.
LUCIO
Do not believe it. Fewness and truth, ’tis thus:
Your brother and his lover have embraced.
As those that feed grow full, as blossoming time
That from the seedness the bare fallow brings
To teeming foison, even so her plenteous womb
Expresseth his full tilth and husbandry.
Your brother and his lover have embraced.
As those that feed grow full, as blossoming time
That from the seedness the bare fallow brings
To teeming foison, even so her plenteous womb
Expresseth his full tilth and husbandry.
ISABELLA
Someone with child by him? My cousin Juliet?
LUCIO Is she your cousin?
ISABELLA
Adoptedly, as schoolmaids change their names
By vain though apt affection.
By vain though apt affection.
LUCIO
She it is.
ISABELLA
O, let him marry her!
LUCIO
This is the point.
The Duke is very strangely gone from hence;
Bore many gentlemen—mysetf being one—
In hand and hope of action; but we do learn,
By those that know the very nerves of state,
His giving 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
The wanton stings and motions of the sense,
But doth rebate and blunt his natural edge
With profits of the mind, study, and fast.
He, to give fear to use and liberty,
Which have for long run by the hideous law
As mice by lions, hath picked out an act
Under whose heavy sense your brother’s life
Falls into forfeit. He arrests him on it,
And follows close the rigour of the statute
To make him an example. All hope is gone,
Unless you have the grace by your fair prayer
To soften Angelo. And that’s my pith
Of business ’twixt you and your poor brother.
Bore many gentlemen—mysetf being one—
In hand and hope of action; but we do learn,
By those that know the very nerves of state,
His giving 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
The wanton stings and motions of the sense,
But doth rebate and blunt his natural edge
With profits of the mind, study, and fast.
He, to give fear to use and liberty,
Which have for long run by the hideous law
As mice by lions, hath picked out an act
Under whose heavy sense your brother’s life
Falls into forfeit. He arrests him on it,
And follows close the rigour of the statute
To make him an example. All hope is gone,
Unless you have the grace by your fair prayer
To soften Angelo. And that’s my pith
Of business ’twixt you and your poor brother.
ISABELLA
Doth he so seek his life?
LUCIO
Has censured him already,
And, as I hear, the Provost hath a warrant
For’s execution.
For’s execution.
ISABELLA
Alas, what poor
Ability’s in me to do him good?
LUCIO Assay the power you have.
ISABELLA My power? Alas, I doubt.
LUCIO Our doubts are traitors,
And makes 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,
Men give like gods, but when they weep and kneel,
All their petitions are as freely theirs
As they themselves would owe them.
By fearing to attempt. Go to Lord Angelo;
And let him learn to know, when maidens sue,
Men give like gods, but when they weep and kneel,
All their petitions are as freely theirs
As they themselves would owe them.
ISABELLA
I’ll see what I can do.
LUCIO
But speedily.
ISABELLA 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.
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.
ISABELLA
Good sir, adieu.
Exeunt
⌈
Isabella and Francesca at one door,
Lucio at another door
⌉
⌈
Isabella and Francesca at one door,
Lucio at another door
⌉
Enter Angelo, Escalus, and servants; a Justice
ANGELO
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.
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.
ESCALUS
Ay, but yet
Let us be keen, and rather cut a little
Than fall and bruise to death. Alas, this gentleman
Whom I would save had a most noble father.
Let but your honour know—
Whom I believe to be most strait in virtue—
That in the working of your own affections,
Had time cohered with place, or place with wishing,
Or that the resolute acting of your blood
Could have attained th’effect of your own purpose—
Whether you had not sometime in your life
Erred in this point which now you censure him,
And pulled the law upon you.
Than fall and bruise to death. Alas, this gentleman
Whom I would save had a most noble father.
Let but your honour know—
Whom I believe to be most strait in virtue—
That in the working of your own affections,
Had time cohered with place, or place with wishing,
Or that the resolute acting of your blood
Could have attained th’effect of your own purpose—
Whether you had not sometime in your life
Erred in this point which now you censure him,
And pulled the law upon you.
ANGELO
’Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus,
Another thing to fall. I not deny
The jury passing on the prisoner’s life
May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two
Guiltier than him they try. What knows the law
That thieves do pass on thieves? What’s open made to
justice,
That justice seizes. ’Tis very pregnant:
The jewel that we find, we stoop and take’t
Because we see it, but what we do not see
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,
And nothing come in partial. Sir, he must die.
Another thing to fall. I not deny
The jury passing on the prisoner’s life
May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two
Guiltier than him they try. What knows the law
That thieves do pass on thieves? What’s open made to
justice,
That justice seizes. ’Tis very pregnant:
The jewel that we find, we stoop and take’t
Because we see it, but what we do not see
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,
And nothing come in partial. Sir, he must die.
ESCALUS
Be it as your wisdom will.
ANGELO
Where is the Provost?
Enter Provost
PROVOST
Here, if it like your honour.
ANGELO
See that Claudio
Be execute by nine tomorrow morning.
Bring him his confessor, let him be prepared,
For that’s the utmost of his pilgrimage.
Bring him his confessor, let him be prepared,
For that’s the utmost of his pilgrimage.
Exit Provost
ESCALUS
Well, heaven forgive him, and forgive 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.
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, Pompey, and officers
ELBOW 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.
ANGELO
How now, sir? What’s your name? And what’s the
matter?
matter?
ELBOW 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.
ANGELO Benefactors? Welll What benefactors are they? Are they not malefactors?
ELBOW 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.
ESCALUS (to
Angelo)
This comes off well; here’s a wise officer!
Angelo)
This comes off well; here’s a wise officer!
ANGELO Go to, what quality are they of? Elbow is your name? Why dost thou not speak, Elbow?
POMPEY He cannot, sir; he’s out at elbow.
ANGELO What are you, sir?
ELBOW 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.
ESCALUS How know you that?
ELBOW My wife, sir, whom I detest before heaven and your honour—
ESCALUS How, thy wife?
ELBOW Ay, sir, whom I thank heaven is an honest woman—
ESCALUS Dost thou detest her therefor?
ELBOW 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.
ESCALUS How dost thou know that, constable?
ELBOW 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.
ESCALUS By the woman’s means?
ELBOW Ay, sir, by Mistress Overdone’s means. But as she spit in his face, so she defied him.
POMPEY (to Escalus) Sir, if it please your honour, this is not so.
ELBOW Prove it before these varlets here, thou honourable man, prove it.
ESCALUS (to
Angelo)
Do you hear how he misplaces?
Angelo)
Do you hear how he misplaces?
POMPEY 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 threepence; your honours have seen such dishes; they are not china dishes, but very good dishes.
ESCALUS Go to, go to, no matter for the dish, sir.
POMPEY 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 threepence again.
FROTH No, indeed.
POMPEY Very well. You being, then, if you be remembered, cracking the stones of the foresaid prunes—
FROTH Ay, so I did indeed.
POMPEY Why, very well.—I telling you then, if you be remembered, that such a one and such a one were past cure of the thing you wot of, unless they kept very good diet, as I told you—
FROTH All this is true. no
POMPEY Why, very well then—
ESCALUS Come, you are a tedious fool. To the purpose. What was done to Elbow’s wife that he hath cause to complain of? Come me to what was done to her.
POMPEY Sir, your honour cannot come to that yet.
ESCALUS No, sir, nor I mean it not.
POMPEY Sir, but you shall come to it, by your honour’s leave. And I beseech you, look into Master Froth here, sir, a man of fourscore pound a year, whose father died at Hallowmas—was’t not at Hallowmas, Master Froth?
FROTH All Hallow Eve.
POMPEY Why, very well. I hope here be truths. He, sir, sitting, as I say, in a lower chair, sir—’twas in the Bunch of Grapes, where indeed you have a delight to sit, have you not?
FROTH I have so, because it is an open room, and good for winter.
POMPEY Why, very well then. I hope here be truths.
ANGELO
This will last out a night in Russia,
When nights are longest there. (To
Escalus)
I’ll take
my leave,
And leave you to the hearing of the cause,
Hoping you’ll find good cause to whip them all.
When nights are longest there. (To
Escalus)
I’ll take
my leave,
And leave you to the hearing of the cause,
Hoping you’ll find good cause to whip them all.
ESCALUS
I think no less. Good morrow to your lordship.
Exit Angelo
Now, sir, come on, what was done to Elbow’s wife,
once more?
once more?
POMPEY Once, sir? There was nothing done to her once.
ELBOW I beseech you, sir, ask him what this man did to my wife.
POMPEY I beseech your honour, ask me.
ESCALUS Well, sir, what did this gentleman to her?
POMPEY I beseech you, sir, look in this gentleman’s face. Good Master Froth, look upon his honour. ’Tis for a good purpose. Doth your honour mark his face?
ESCALUS Ay, sir, very well.
POMPEY Nay, I beseech you, mark it well.
ESCALUS Well, I do so.
POMPEY Doth your honour see any harm in his face?
ESCALUS Why, no.
POMPEY I’ll be supposed upon a book his face is the worst thing about him. Good, then—if his face be the worst thing about him, how could Master Froth do the constable’s wife any harm? I would know that of your honour.
ESCALUS He’s in the right, constable; what say you to it?
ELBOW First, an it like you, the house is a respected house; next, this is a respected fellow; and his mistress is a respected woman.
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