Measure for Measure — Act 2, Scene 1 · Shakespeare for Bharat

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 itTheir perch and not their terror.

ESCALUS

Ay, but yetLet us be keen, and rather cut a little,Than fall, and bruise to death. Alas, this gentlemanWhom 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 bloodCould have attain'd the effect of your own purpose,Whether you had not sometime in your lifeErr'd in this point which now you censure him,And pull'd 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 twoGuiltier than him they try. What's open made to justice,That justice seizes: what know the lawsThat thieves do pass on thieves? 'Tis very pregnant,The jewel that we find, we stoop and take'tBecause we see it; but what we do not seeWe tread upon, and never think of it.You may not so extenuate his offenceFor I have had such faults; but rather tell me,When I, that censure him, do so offend,Let mine own judgment 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?

Provost

Here, if it like your honour.

ANGELO

See that ClaudioBe executed by nine to-morrow morning:Bring him his confessor, let him be prepared;For that's the utmost of his pilgrimage.

ESCALUS

[Aside] Well, heaven forgive him! and forgive us all!Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall:Some run from brakes of ice, and answer none:And some condemned for a fault alone.

ELBOW

Come, bring them away: if these be good people ina commonweal that do nothing but use their abuses incommon houses, I know no law: bring them away.

ANGELO

How now, sir! What's your name? and what's the matter?

ELBOW

If it Please your honour, I am the poor duke'sconstable, and my name is Elbow: I do lean uponjustice, sir, and do bring in here before your goodhonour two notorious benefactors.

ANGELO

Benefactors? Well; what benefactors are they? arethey not malefactors?

ELBOW

If it? please your honour, I know not well what theyare: but precise villains they are, that I am sureof; and void of all profanation in the world thatgood Christians ought to have.

ESCALUS

This comes off well; here's a wise officer.

ANGELO

Go to: what quality are they of? Elbow is yourname? 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 thatserves a bad woman; whose house, sir, was, as theysay, plucked down in the suburbs; and now sheprofesses 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 therefore?

ELBOW

I say, sir, I will detest myself also, as well asshe, 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 womancardinally given, might have been accused infornication, adultery, and all uncleanliness there.

ESCALUS

By the woman's means?

ELBOW

Ay, sir, by Mistress Overdone's means: but as shespit in his face, so she defied him.

POMPEY

Sir, if it please your honour, this is not so.

ELBOW

Prove it before these varlets here, thou honourableman; prove it.

ESCALUS

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 verydistant time stood, as it were, in a fruit-dish, adish of some three-pence; your honours have seensuch dishes; they are not China dishes, but verygood dishes,--

ESCALUS

Go to, go to: no matter for the dish, sir.

POMPEY

No, indeed, sir, not of a pin; you are therein inthe right: but to the point. As I say, thisMistress Elbow, being, as I say, with child, andbeing great-bellied, and longing, as I said, forprunes; and having but two in the dish, as I said,Master Froth here, this very man, having eaten therest, as I said, and, as I say, paying for them veryhonestly; for, as you know, Master Froth, I couldnot give you three-pence 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 beremembered, that such a one and such a one were pastcure of the thing you wot of, unless they kept verygood diet, as I told you,--

FROTH

All this is true.

POMPEY

Why, very well, then,--

ESCALUS

Come, you are a tedious fool: to the purpose. Whatwas done to Elbow's wife, that he hath cause tocomplain 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'sleave. And, I beseech you, look into Master Frothhere, sir; a man of four-score pound a year; whosefather died at Hallowmas: was't not at Hallowmas,Master Froth?

FROTH

All-hallond eve.

POMPEY

Why, very well; I hope here be truths. He, sir,sitting, as I say, in a lower chair, sir; 'twas inthe Bunch of Grapes, where indeed you have a delightto 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: 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.

ESCALUS

Now, sir, come on: what was done to Elbow's wife, 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 agood 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 worstthing about him. Good, then; if his face be theworst thing about him, how could Master Froth do theconstable's wife any harm? I would know that ofyour honour.

ESCALUS

He's in the right. Constable, what say you to it?

ELBOW

First, an it like you, the house is a respectedhouse; next, this is a respected fellow; and hismistress is a respected woman.

POMPEY

By this hand, sir, his wife is a more respectedperson than any of us all.

ELBOW

Varlet, thou liest; thou liest, wicked varlet! thetime has yet to come that she was ever respectedwith man, woman, or child.

POMPEY

Sir, she was respected with him before he married with her.

ESCALUS

Which is the wiser here? Justice or Iniquity? Isthis true?

ELBOW

O thou caitiff! O thou varlet! O thou wickedHannibal! I respected with her before I was marriedto her! If ever I was respected with her, or shewith me, let not your worship think me the poorduke's officer. Prove this, thou wicked Hannibal, orI'll have mine action of battery on thee.

ESCALUS

If he took you a box o' the ear, you might have youraction of slander too.

ELBOW

Marry, I thank your good worship for it. What is'tyour worship's pleasure I shall do with this wicked caitiff?

ESCALUS

Truly, officer, because he hath some offences in himthat thou wouldst discover if thou couldst, let himcontinue in his courses till thou knowest what theyare.

ELBOW

Marry, I thank your worship for it. Thou seest, thouwicked varlet, now, what's come upon thee: thou artto continue now, thou varlet; thou art to continue.

ESCALUS

Where were you born, friend?

FROTH

Here in Vienna, sir.

ESCALUS

Are you of fourscore pounds a year?

FROTH

Yes, an't please you, sir.

ESCALUS

So. What trade are you of, sir?

POMPHEY

Tapster; a poor widow's tapster.

ESCALUS

Your mistress' name?

POMPHEY

Mistress Overdone.

ESCALUS

Hath she had any more than one husband?

POMPEY

Nine, sir; Overdone by the last.

ESCALUS

Nine! Come hither to me, Master Froth. MasterFroth, I would not have you acquainted withtapsters: they will draw you, Master Froth, and youwill hang them. Get you gone, and let me hear nomore of you.

FROTH

I thank your worship. For mine own part, I nevercome into any room in a tap-house, but I am drawnin.

ESCALUS

Well, no more of it, Master Froth: farewell.

ESCALUS

Come you hither to me, Master tapster. What's yourname, Master tapster?

POMPEY

Pompey.

ESCALUS

What else?

POMPEY

Bum, sir.

ESCALUS

Troth, and your bum is the greatest thing about you;so that in the beastliest sense you are Pompey theGreat. Pompey, you are partly a bawd, Pompey,howsoever you colour it in being a tapster, are younot? come, tell me true: it shall be the better for you.

POMPEY

Truly, sir, I am a poor fellow that would live.

ESCALUS

How would you live, Pompey? by being a bawd? Whatdo you think of the trade, Pompey? is it a lawful trade?

POMPEY

If the law would allow it, sir.

ESCALUS

But the law will not allow it, Pompey; nor it shallnot be allowed in Vienna.

POMPEY

Does your worship mean to geld and splay all theyouth of the city?

ESCALUS

No, Pompey.

POMPEY

Truly, sir, in my poor opinion, they will to't then.If your worship will take order for the drabs andthe knaves, you need not to fear the bawds.

ESCALUS

There are pretty orders beginning, I can tell you:it is but heading and hanging.

POMPEY

If you head and hang all that offend that way butfor ten year together, you'll be glad to give out acommission for more heads: if this law hold inVienna ten year, I'll rent the fairest house in itafter three-pence a bay: if you live to see thiscome to pass, say Pompey told you so.

ESCALUS

Thank you, good Pompey; and, in requital of yourprophecy, hark you: I advise you, let me not findyou before me again upon any complaint whatsoever;no, not for dwelling where you do: if I do, Pompey,I shall beat you to your tent, and prove a shrewdCaesar to you; in plain dealing, Pompey, I shallhave you whipt: so, for this time, Pompey, fare you well.

POMPEY

I thank your worship for your good counsel:

POMPEY

but I shall follow it as the flesh and fortune shallbetter determine.Whip me? No, no; let carman whip his jade:The valiant heart is not whipt out of his trade.

ESCALUS

Come hither to me, Master Elbow; come hither, Masterconstable. How long have you been in this place of constable?

ELBOW

Seven year and a half, sir.

ESCALUS

I thought, by your readiness in the office, you hadcontinued in it some time. You say, seven years together?

ELBOW

And a half, sir.

ESCALUS

Alas, it hath been great pains to you. They do youwrong to put you so oft upon 't: are there not menin your ward sufficient to serve it?

ELBOW

Faith, sir, few of any wit in such matters: as theyare chosen, they are glad to choose me for them; Ido it for some piece of money, and go through withall.

ESCALUS

Look you bring me in the names of some six or seven,the most sufficient of your parish.

ELBOW

To your worship's house, sir?

ESCALUS

To my house. Fare you well.

ESCALUS

What's o'clock, think you?

Justice

Eleven, sir.

ESCALUS

I pray you home to dinner with me.

Justice

I humbly thank you.

ESCALUS

It grieves me for the death of Claudio;But there's no remedy.

Justice

Lord Angelo is severe.

ESCALUS

It is but needful:Mercy is not itself, that oft looks so;Pardon is still the nurse of second woe:But yet,--poor Claudio! There is no remedy.Come, sir.