In special business from his holiness.
ESCALUS What news abroad i’ the world?
DUKE VINCENTIO None, but that there is so great a fever on
goodness, that the dissolution of it must cure it:
novelty is only in request; and it is as dangerous
to be aged in any kind of course, as it is virtuous
to be constant in any undertaking. There is scarce
truth enough alive to make societies secure; but
security enough to make fellowships accurst: much
upon this riddle runs the wisdom of the world. This
news is old enough, yet it is every day’s news. I
pray you, sir, of what disposition was the duke?
ESCALUS One that, above all other strifes, contended
especially to know himself.
DUKE VINCENTIO What pleasure was he given to?
ESCALUS Rather rejoicing to see another merry, than merry at
any thing which professed to make him rejoice: a
gentleman of all temperance. But leave we him to
his events, with a prayer they may prove prosperous;
and let me desire to know how you find Claudio
prepared. I am made to understand that you have
lent him visitation.
DUKE VINCENTIO He professes to have received no sinister measure
from his judge, but most willingly humbles himself
to the determination of justice: yet had he framed
to himself, by the instruction of his frailty, many
deceiving promises of life; which I by my good
leisure have discredited to him, and now is he
resolved to die.
ESCALUS You have paid the heavens your function, and the
prisoner the very debt of your calling. I have
laboured for the poor gentleman to the extremest
shore of my modesty: but my brother justice have I
found so severe, that he hath forced me to tell him
he is indeed Justice.
DUKE VINCENTIO If his own life answer the straitness of his
proceeding, it shall become him well; wherein if he
chance to fail, he hath sentenced himself.
ESCALUS I am going to visit the prisoner. Fare you well.
DUKE VINCENTIO Peace be with you!
Exeunt ESCALUS and Provost
He who the sword of heaven will bear
Should be as holy as severe;
Pattern in himself to know,
Grace to stand, and virtue go;
More nor less to others paying
Than by self-offences weighing.
Shame to him whose cruel striking
Kills for faults of his own liking!
Twice treble shame on Angelo,
To weed my vice and let his grow!
O, what may man within him hide,
Though angel on the outward side!
How may likeness made in crimes,
Making practise on the times,
To draw with idle spiders’ strings
Most ponderous and substantial things!
Craft against vice I must apply:
With Angelo to-night shall lie
His old betrothed but despised;
So disguise shall, by the disguised,
Pay with falsehood false exacting,
And perform an old contracting.
Exit
Act 4
Scene 1
The moated grange at ST. LUKE’s.
Enter MARIANA and a Boy
Boy sings
Take, O, take those lips away,
That so sweetly were forsworn;
And those eyes, the break of day,
Lights that do mislead the morn:
But my kisses bring again, bring again;
Seals of love, but sealed in vain, sealed in vain.
MARIANA Break off thy song, and haste thee quick away:
Here comes a man of comfort, whose advice
Hath often still’d my brawling discontent.
Exit Boy
Enter DUKE VINCENTIO disguised as before
I cry you mercy, sir; and well could wish
You had not found me here so musical:
Let me excuse me, and believe me so,
My mirth it much displeased, but pleased my woe.
DUKE VINCENTIO ‘Tis good; though music oft hath such a charm
To make bad good, and good provoke to harm.
I pray, you, tell me, hath any body inquired
for me here to-day? much upon this time have
I promised here to meet.
MARIANA You have not been inquired after:
I have sat here all day.
Enter ISABELLA
DUKE VINCENTIO I do constantly believe you. The time is come even
now. I shall crave your forbearance a little: may
be I will call upon you anon, for some advantage to yourself.
MARIANA I am always bound to you.
Exit
DUKE VINCENTIO Very well met, and well come.
What is the news from this good deputy?
ISABELLA He hath a garden circummured with brick,
Whose western side is with a vineyard back’d;
And to that vineyard is a planched gate,
That makes his opening with this bigger key:
This other doth command a little door
Which from the vineyard to the garden leads;
There have I made my promise
Upon the heavy middle of the night
To call upon him.
DUKE VINCENTIO But shall you on your knowledge find this way?
ISABELLA I have ta’en a due and wary note upon’t:
With whispering and most guilty diligence,
In action all of precept, he did show me
The way twice o’er.
DUKE VINCENTIO Are there no other tokens
Between you ‘greed concerning her observance?
ISABELLA No, none, but only a repair i’ the dark;
And that I have possess’d him my most stay
Can be but brief; for I have made him know
I have a servant comes with me along,
That stays upon me, whose persuasion is
I come about my brother.
DUKE VINCENTIO ‘Tis well borne up.
I have not yet made known to Mariana
A word of this. What, ho! within! come forth!
Re-enter MARIANA
I pray you, be acquainted with this maid;
She comes to do you good.
ISABELLA I do desire the like.
DUKE VINCENTIO Do you persuade yourself that I respect you?
MARIANA Good friar, I know you do, and have found it.
DUKE VINCENTIO Take, then, this your companion by the hand,
Who hath a story ready for your ear.
I shall attend your leisure: but make haste;
The vaporous night approaches.
MARIANA Will’t please you walk aside?
Exeunt MARIANA and ISABELLA
DUKE VINCENTIO O place and greatness! millions of false eyes
Are stuck upon thee: volumes of report
Run with these false and most contrarious quests
Upon thy doings: thousand escapes of wit
Make thee the father of their idle dreams
And rack thee in their fancies.
Re-enter MARIANA and ISABELLA
Welcome, how agreed?
ISABELLA She’ll take the enterprise upon her, father,
If you advise it.
DUKE VINCENTIO It is not my consent,
But my entreaty too.
ISABELLA Little have you to say
When you depart from him, but, soft and low,
‘Remember now my brother.’
MARIANA Fear me not.
DUKE VINCENTIO Nor, gentle daughter, fear you not at all.
He is your husband on a pre-contract:
To bring you thus together, ’tis no sin,
Sith that the justice of your title to him
Doth flourish the deceit. Come, let us go:
Our corn’s to reap, for yet our tithe’s to sow.
Exeunt
Scene 2
A room in the prison.
Enter Provost and POMPEY
Provost Come hither, sirrah. Can you cut off a man’s head?
POMPEY If the man be a bachelor, sir, I can; but if he be a
married man, he’s his wife’s head, and I can never
cut off a woman’s head.
Provost Come, sir, leave me your snatches, and yield me a
direct answer. To-morrow morning are to die Claudio
and Barnardine. Here is in our prison a common
executioner, who in his office lacks a helper: if
you will take it on you to assist him, it shall
redeem you from your gyves; if not, you shall have
your full time of imprisonment and your deliverance
with an unpitied whipping, for you have been a
notorious bawd.
POMPEY Sir, I have been an unlawful bawd time out of mind;
but yet I will be content to be a lawful hangman. I
would be glad to receive some instruction from my
fellow partner.
Provost What, ho! Abhorson! Where’s Abhorson, there?
Enter ABHORSON
ABHORSON Do you call, sir?
Provost Sirrah, here’s a fellow will help you to-morrow in
your execution. If you think it meet, compound with
him by the year, and let him abide here with you; if
not, use him for the present and dismiss him. He
cannot plead his estimation with you; he hath been a bawd.
ABHORSON A bawd, sir? fie upon him! he will discredit our mystery.
Provost Go to, sir; you weigh equally; a feather will turn
the scale.
Exit
POMPEY Pray, sir, by your good favour,–for surely, sir, a
good favour you have, but that you have a hanging
look,–do you call, sir, your occupation a mystery?
ABHORSON Ay, sir; a mystery
POMPEY Painting, sir, I have heard say, is a mystery; and
your whores, sir, being members of my occupation,
using painting, do prove my occupation a mystery:
but what mystery there should be in hanging, if I
should be hanged, I cannot imagine.
ABHORSON Sir, it is a mystery.
POMPEY Proof?
ABHORSON Every true man’s apparel fits your thief: if it be
too little for your thief, your true man thinks it
big enough; if it be too big for your thief, your