Isah. O just, but severe law! I had a brother then.-Heaven keep your honour! [Retiring, L. C. Lucio. (L.) Give't not o'er so: to him again, entreat him; Kneel down before him, hang upon his gown; You are too cold. Isab. Must he needs die? [Aside, to ISABELLA. [Advancing rapidly to ANG. Ang. Maiden, no remedy. Isab. (L. C.) Yes; I do think that you might pardon him, And neither heaven, nor man, grieve at the mercy. Isab. But can you, if you would? Ang. Look, what I will not, that I cannot do. Isab. But might you do't, and do the world no wrong, if so your heart were touch'd with that remorse As mine is to him? Ang. He's sentenc'd; 'tis too late.. Isab. Too late? why, no; I, that do speak a word, Not the king's crown, nor the deputed sword, If he had been as you, and you as he, You would have slipped, like him; but he, like you, Would not have been so stern. Ang. 'Pray you, be gone. Isab. I would to heaven I had your potency, And you were Isabel! should it then be thus? No; I would tell what 'twere to be a judge, And what a prisoner. Ang. Your brother is a forfeit of the law, And you but waste your words. Isab. Alas! alas! Why, all the souls that were, were forfeit once; Ang. Be you content, fair maid; It is the law, not I, condemns your brother: It should be thus with him; he must die to-morrow. Isab. To-morrow? O, that's sudden! Spare him, spare him; [Falls on her knees. He's not prepar'd for death! Good, good my lord, bethink you: Who is it that hath died for this offence? There's many have committed it. Ang. The law hath not been dead, though it hath slept: Those many had not dar'd to do that evil, If the first man that did infringe the edict Isab. Yet show some pity. Ang. I show it most of all, when I show justice; For then I pity those I do not know, Which a dismiss'd offence would after gall; And do him right that, answering one foul wrong, Your brother dies to-morrow; be content. [He raises her. Isab. So, you must be the first, that gives this sen tence; And he, that suffers: O, it is excellent To have a giant's strength; but it is tyrannous To use it like a giant. Lucio. That's well said. Isab. Could great men thunder [Crosses to L. [Aside. As Jove himself does, Jove would ne'er be quiet; For every pelting, petty officer, Would use his heaven for thunder; nothing but thun der. Merciful heaven! Thou rather, with thy sharp and sulphurous bolt, Than the soft myrtle :-O, but man, proud man- Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd, His glassy essence-like an angry ape, [ANGELO retires and sits R. c. Plays such fantastick tricks before high heaven, As make the angels weep! Lucio. O, to him, to him, wench: he will relent: He's coming; I perceive it. [Aside, to ISABELLA. Isab. We cannot weigh our brother with ourself: [ANGELO advances R. €. Great men may jest with saints: 'tis wit in them; But, in the less, foul profanation. Ang. Why do you put these sayings upon me? Isab. Because authority, though it err like others, Hath yet a kind of medicine in itself, That skins the vice o' the top: go to your bosom ; Knock there; and ask your heart, what it doth know That's like my brother's fault: if it confess A natural guiltiness, such as is his, Let it not sound a thought upon your tongue Ang. She speaks, and 'tis Such sense, that my sense breeds with it.-Fare you well. Isab. Gentle my lord, turn back. [Going, R. Ang. I will bethink me :-come again to-morrow. Isab. Hark, how I'll bribe you! Ang. How! bribe me? [Going close to R. [Returns to R. C. Isab. Ay, with such gifts, that heaven shall share with you. Lucio. You had marr'd all else. [Aside. Isab. Not with fond shekels of the tested gold, Or stones, whose rates are either rich or poor, As fancy values them: but with true prayers, That shall be up at heaven, and enter there, Ere sun-rise; prayers from preserved souls, From fasting maids, whose minds are dedicated To nothing temporal. Ang. Well, come to me to-morrow. Isab. Heaven keep your honour safe! [Retires, L. Ang. Amen!-for I Am that way going to temptation Where prayers cross. [ISABELLA, handed on by Lucio, returns, and re mains close to L. Isab. At what hour to-morrow Shall I attend your lordship? Isab. Save your honour! [Exit with LuCIO, L. Ang. From thee; even from thy virtue! What's this? what's this? Is this her fault, or mine? Can it be, That modesty may more betray our sense Than woman's lightness? Having waste ground enough, Shall we desire to raze the sanctuary? O, fie, fie, fie! What dost thou? or what art thou, Angelo? O, let her brother live: Thieves for their robbery have authority, When judges steal themselves. That I desire her to speak again, What! do I love her, And feast upon her eyes? This virtuous maid When men were fond, I smil'd, and wonder'd how. [Exit, R. SCENE II.-The Street. Enter ELBOW, with Spear or Halbert, and two Tipstaves, with Staves, having hold on POMPEY and FROTH, R. 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. Enter ESCALUS, and two Apparitors, L. who cross behind to R.-The Tipstaves quit FROTH and PoмPEY as ESCALUS enters, and cross behind to L. where they remain a little retired. Escal. How now, sir! What's your name? and what's the matter? Elb. (c.) 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. Escal. (L. c.) Benefactors! Well, what benefactors are they? Are they not malefactors? Elb. (R.) 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. Escul. This comes off well; here's a wise officer. What are you, sir? [Crosses to POMPEY. Elb. (L. c.) He, sir? a tapster, sir; 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. Escal. (c.) How know you that? Elb. My wife, sir, whom I detest before heaven and your honour Escal. How! thy wife? Elb. Ay, sir; whom, I thank heaven, is an honest woman Escal. Dost thou detest her therefore? Elb. I say, sir, I will detest myself also, as well as she, that this house is a naughty house. Escal. How dost thou know that, constable? Elb. Marry, sir, by my wife; who, if she had been a woman cardinally given, might have been accused in adultery, and all uncleanliness, there. Escal. By the woman's means? Elb. Ay, sir, by Mistress Overdone's means: but as she spit in his face, [Pointing to FROTH] So she defied him. so. Pom. (R. c.) Sir, if it please you honour, this is not Elb. Prove it before this varlet here, thou honourable man, prove it. Pom. 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 three-pence; your honour has seen such dishes; they are not China dishes, but very good dishes. Escal. Go to, go to; no matter for the dish, sir. Pom. 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 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 three-pence again. Froth. (R.) No, indeed. Pom. Very well :-you being then Escal. 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 Elbow's wife, once more. Pom. Once, sir! there was nothing done to her once. Elb. I beseech you, sir, ask him what this man did to my wife. Escal. Well, sir; what did this gentleman to her? |