50: _is_] _who's_ Collier MS.

52: _and_] _with_ Johnson conj.

_do_] om. Pope.

54: _givings-out_] Rowe. _giving-out_ Ff.

60: _his_] _it's_ Capell.

63: _for long_] _long time_ Pope.

68: _hope is_] _hope's_ Pope.

70: _pith of business 'Twixt_] _pith Of business betwixt_ Hanmer.

See note (VI).

_pith of_] om. Pope.

72: _so seek_] _so, Seeke_ Ff. _so? seek_ Edd. conj.

_Has_] _H'as_ Theobald.

71-75: Ff end the lines thus:-- _so,--already--warrant--poor--good._ Capell first gave the arrangement in the text.

73: _as_] om. Hanmer.

74: _A warrant for his_] _a warrant For's_ Ff.

78: _make_] Pope. _makes_ Ff.

82: _freely_] F1. _truely_ F2 F3 F4.

Enter _Provost_ inserted by Capell.

ACT II.

SCENE I. _A hall in ANGELO'S house._

_Enter ANGELO, ESCALUS, and a _Justice, Provost, Officers_, and other _Attendants_, behind._

_Ang._ 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.

_Escal._ Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, 5 Than fall, and bruise to death. Alas, this gentleman, Whom I would save, had a most n.o.ble father!

Let but your honour know, Whom I believe to be most strait in virtue, That, in the working of your own affections, 10 Had time cohered with place or place with wishing, Or that the resolute acting of your blood Could have attain'd the effect of your own purpose, Whether you had not sometime in your life Err'd in this point which now you censure him, 15 And pull'd the law upon you.

_Ang._ 'Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus, Another thing to fall. I not deny, The jury, pa.s.sing on the prisoner's life, May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two 20 Guiltier than him they try. What's open made to justice, That justice seizes: what know the laws That theives do pa.s.s on thieves? 'Tis very pregnant, The jewel that we find, we stoop and take't, Because we see it; but what we do not see 25 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, 30 And nothing come in partial. Sir, he must die.

_Escal._ Be it as your wisdom will.

_Ang._ Where is the provost?

_Prov._ Here, if it like your honour.

_Ang._ See that Claudio Be executed by nine to-morrow morning: Bring him his confessor, let him be prepared; 35 For that's the utmost of his pilgrimage. [_Exit Provost._

_Escal._ [_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. 40

_Enter ELBOW, and _Officers_ with FROTH and POMPEY._

_Elb._ 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.

_Ang._ How now, sir! What's your name? and what's the matter? 45

_Elb._ 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.

_Ang._ Benefactors? Well; what benefactors are they? 50 are they not malefactors?

_Elb._ 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. 55

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

_Ang._ Go to: what quality are they of? Elbow is your name? why dost thou not speak, Elbow?

_Pom._ He cannot, sir; he's out at elbow.

_Ang._ What are you, sir? 60

_Elb._ 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.

_Escal._ How know you that? 65

_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,-- 70

_Escal._ Dost thou detest her therefore?

_Elb._ 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.

_Escal._ How dost thou know that, constable? 75

_Elb._ 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.

_Escal._ By the woman's means?

_Elb._ Ay, sir, by Mistress Overdone's means: but as she 80 spit in his face, so she defied him.

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

_Elb._ Prove it before these varlets here, thou honourable man; prove it.

_Escal._ Do you hear how he misplaces? 85

_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 honours have seen such dishes; they are not China 90 dishes, but very good dishes,--

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