Be your Renouncement an Immortal Spirit,
And to be talk'd with in Sincerity,

As with a Saint.

Ifab. You do blafpheme the Good, in mocking me.
Lucio. Do not believe it. Fewness, and Truth; 'tis thus;
Your Brother and his Lover having embrac❜d,

As those that feed grow full, as bloffoming time
That from the Seednefs the bare Fallow brings
To teeming Foyfon; even fo her plenteous Womb
Expreffeth his full Tilth and Husbandry.

Ifab. Some one with Child by him? My Cozen Juliet ?
Lucio. Is fhe your Cozen?

Ifab. Adoptedly, as School-Maids change their Names, By vain, tho' apt Affection.

Lucio. She it is.

Ifab. Let him marry her.

Lucio. This is the Point.

The Duke is very ftrangely gone from hence;
Bore many Gentlemen, my felf 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 Defign. Upon his Place,
And with full Line of his Authority,
Governs Lord Angelo; a Man whole 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 Faft.
He, to give Fear to Ufe and Liberty,
Which have for long run up the hideous Law,
As Mice by Lyons, hath pickt out an Act,
Under whofe heavy Senfe your Brother's Life
Falls into Forfeit; he arrefts him on it,
And follows close the Rigor of the Statute,
To make him an Example; all Hope is gone,
Unless you have the Grace by your fair Prayer
To foften Angelo; and that's my Pith of Business
'Twixt
you, and
your poor Brother.

Ifab. Doth he fo

Seek his Life?

Lucio. Has cenfur'd him already,

And, as I hear, the Provoft hath a Warrant
For's Execution.

Ifab. Alas! what poor

Ability's in me, to do him good?
Lucio. Affay the Power you have.
Ifab. My Power? Alas! I doubt.
Lucio. Our Doubts are Traitors,

And makes us lofe the Good we oft might win,
By fearing to attempt. Go to Lord Angelo,
And let him learn to know, when Maidens fue,
Men give like Gods; but when they weep and kneel,
All their Petitions are as truly theirs,

As they themselves would owe them.
Ifab. I'll fee what I can do.
Lucio. But fpeedily.

Ifab. I will about it ftrait;

No longer ftaying, but to give the Mother
Notice of my Affair. I humbly thank you;
Commend me to my Brother: Soon at Night
I'll fend you certain word of my Success.
Lucio. I take my Leave of you.
Ifab. Good Sir, adieu.

ACT II.

[Exeunt.

SCENE I.

Ang.

SCENE the Palace.

Enter Angelo, Efcalus, Juftice and Attendants.

WE muft not make a Scar-crow of the Law,
Setting it up to fear the Birds of prey,

And let it keep one Shape, 'till Cuftom make it
Their Perch, and not their Terror.

Efcal. Ay, but yet

Let us be keen, and rather cut a little,

Than fall, and bruife to Death. Alas! this Gentleman,
Whom I would fave, had a moft noble Father 3

Let but your Honour know,

Whom I believe to be moft ftrait in Virtue,

That

That in the working of your own Affections,
Had Time coheer'd with Place, or Place with Wishing,
Or that the refolute acting of your Blood,

Could have attain'd th'Effect of your own Purpose,
Whether you had not fometime in your Life
Err'd in this Point, which now you cenfure him,
And pull'd the Law upon you.

Ang. 'Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus,
Another thing to fall. I not deny

The Jury paffing on the Prifoner's Life,

May in the fworn Twelve have a Thief or two,
Guiltier than him they try; what's open made to Juftice,
That Juftice fiezes. What knows the Laws
That Thieves do pafs on Thieves? 'Tis very pregnant,
The Jewel that we find, we ftoop and take't,
Because we fee it; but what we do not fee,
We tread upon, and never think of it.
You may not fo extenuate his Offence,
For I have had fuch Faults; but rather tell me
When I, that cenfure him, do so offend,

Let mine own Judgment pattern out my Death,
And nothing come in partial. Sir, he muft die.
Enter Provost.

Efcal. Be it as your Wifdom will.
Ang. Where is the Provoft?

Prov. Here, if it like your Honour.
Ang. See that Claudio

Be executed by nine to Morrow Morning.

Bring him his Confeffor, let him be prepar'd,

For that's the utmost of his Pilgrimage.

[Exit Povolt, Efcal. Well: Heav'n forgive him; and forgive us all ;

Some rife by Sin, and fome by Virtue fall:

Some run through Brakes of Vice, and answer none,

And fome condemned for a Fault alone.

Enter Elbow, Froth, Clown and Officers.

Elb. Come, bring them away; if these be good People in a Common-weal, 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?

VOL. I.

P

Elb.

Elb. If it please your Honour, I am the poor Duke's Conftable, and my Name is Elbow; I do lean upon Justice, Sir, and do bring in here before your good Honour, two notorious Benefactors.

Ang. Benefactors? Well; what Benefactors are they? Are they not Malefa&ors?

Elb. If it please your Honour, I know not well what they are; but precife Villains they are, that I am sure of, and void of all Profanation in the World, that good Chriftians ought to have.

Efcal. This comes off well; here's a wife Officer,

Ang. Go to: What Quality are you of? Elbow is your Name?

Why doft thou not fpeak, Elbow?

Clown. He cannot, Sir; he's out at Elbow.
Ang. What are you, Sir?

Elb. He, Sir? A Tapfter, Sir; parcel Bawd; one that ferves a bad Woman; whofe Houfe, Sir, was, as they say, pluckt down in the Suburbs; and now the professes a Hothouse; which, I think, is a very ill House too.

Efcal. How know you that?

Elb. My Wife, Sir, whom I deteft before Heav'n and your Honour.

Efcal. How? Thy Wife.

Elb. Ay, Sir; whom I think Heav'n is an honeft Woman.
Efc al. Doft thou deteft her therefore?

El. I fay, Sir, I will deteft my felfalfo, as well as the, that th's Houfe, if it be not a Bawd's Houfe, it is pity of her Life, for it is a naughty Houfe.

Efcal. How doft thou know that, Constable?

Elb. Marry, Sir, by my Wife, who, if he had been a Woman cardinally given, might have been accufed in Forni cation, Adultery, and all Uncleanness there.

Efcal. By the Woman's Means?

Elb. Ay, Sir, by Mistress Over-don's Means; but as the fpit in his Face, fo the defy'd him.

Clown. Sir, if it please your Honour, this is not fo. Elb. P.ove it before thefe Varlets here, thou honourable Man, prove it.

Efcal. Do you hear now he misplaces?

Clown. Sir, fhe came in great with Child; and longing, faving your Honour's Reverence, for ftew'd Prewns; we had but two in the Houfe, which at that very inftant time ftood, as it were, in a Fruit-difh, a Difh of fome three Pence ; your Honours having feen fuch Dishes, they are not China Dishes, but very good Dishes.

Efcal. Go too, go too; no matter for the Dish, Sir.

Clown. No indeed, Sir, not of a Pin; you are therein in the right: But to the Point; as I fay, this Miftrefs Elbow, being, as I fay, with Child, and being great belly'd, and longing, as I faid, for Prewns; and having no more in the Difh, as I faid; Mafter Froth here, this very Man, having eaten the reft, as I faid, and, as I fay, paying for them very honeftly; for, as you know, Mafter Froth, I could not give you three Pence again.

Froth. No indeed.

Clown. Very well; you being then, if you be remembred; cracking the Stones of the aforefaid Prewns.

Froth. Ay, fo I did indeed.

Clown. Why, very well; I telling you then, if you be remembred, that fuch a one, and fuch a one, were paft Cure of the thing you wo: of, unless they kept very good Diet, as I told you.

Froth. All this is true.

Clown. Why, very well then.

Efcal. 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.

Clown. Sir, your Honour cannot come to that yet.
Efcal. No Sir, nor I mean it not.

Clown. Sir, but you fhall come to it, by your Honour's leave: And I beseech you, look into Mafter Froth here, Sir, a Man of fourfcore Pound a Year; whofe Father dy'd at Hallowmas. Was't not at Hallowmas, Mafter Froth?

Froth. All-ballond Eve.

Clown. Why very well; I hope here be Truths. He, Sir, fitting, as I fay, in a lower Chair, Sir, 'twas in the Bunch of Grapes, where indeed you have a delight to fir, have

you not?

Froth. I have fe, because it is an open Room, and good for Winter.

P 2

Clown.