Mari. My lord, I do confess I ne'er was mar- Let me in safety raise me from my knees;

Duke. Ay, with my heart;

And punish them unto your height of pleasure.
Thou foolish friar; and thou pernicious woman,
Compact with her that's gone! think'st thou,
thy oaths,

Though they would swear down each particular
saint,

Were testimonies against his worth and credit,
That's seal'd in approbation?-You, lord Es-
calus,

Sit with my cousin; lend him your kind pains
To find out this abuse, whence 'tis deriv'd.-
There is another friar that set them on;
Let him be sent for.

F. Peter. Would he were here, my lord; for
he, indeed,

Hath set the women on to this complaint:
Your provost knows the place where he abides,
And he may fetch him.

Duke. Go, do it instantly.- [Exit Provost.
And you, my noble and well-warranted cousin,
Whom it concerns to hear this matter forth,
Do with your injuries as seems you best,
In any chastisement: I for a while

Will leave you; but stir not you, till you have
well

Determined upon these slanderers.

Escal. My lord, we'll do it thoroughly.[Exit Duke. Signior Lucio, did not you say, you knew that friar Lodowick to be a dishonest person?

Lucio. Cucullus non facit monachum: honest in nothing, but in his clothes; and one that hath spoke most villainous speeches of the duke. Escal. We shall entreat you to abide here till he come, and enforce them against him: we shall find this friar a notable fellow.

Lucio. As any in Vienna, on my word.
Escal. Call that same Isabel here once again;
[To an Attendant. I would speak with her:
Pray you, my lord, give me leave to question;
you
shall see how I'll handle her.

Lucio. Not better than he, by her own report.
Escal. Say you?

Lucio. Marry, sir, I think, if you handled her privately, she would sooner confess; perchance, publickly she'll be ashamed.

Re-enter Officers, with ISABELLA; the Duke in the Friar's habit, and Provost.

Escal. I will go darkly to work with her. Lucio. That's the way; for women are light at midnight.

Escal. Come on, mistress: To Isabella.] here's a gentlewoman denies all that you have said.

Lucio. My lord, here comes the rascal I spoke of; here with the provost.

Escal. In very good time: speak not you to him, till we call upon you. Lucio. Mum.

Be sometime honour'd for his burning throne:Where is the duke? 'tis he should hear me speak.

Escal. The duke's in us; and we will hear you speak:

Look, you speak justly.

Duke. Boldly, at least:-But, O, poor souls,
Come you to seek the lamb here of the fox?
Good night to your redress. Is the duke gone?
Then is your cause gone too. The duke's unjust,
Thus to retort your manifest appeal,
And put your trial in the villain's mouth,
Which here you come to accuse.

Lucio. This is the rascal; this is he I spoke of.
Escal. Why, thou unreverend and unhallow'd
friar!

Is't not enough, thou hast suborn'd these women
To accuse this worthy man; but, in foul mouth,
And in the witness of his proper ear,

To call him villain?

And then to glance from him to the duke himself;
To tax him with injustice?-Take him hence;
To the rack with him:-We'll touze you joint
by joint,

But we will know this purpose:-What! unjust?
Duke. Be not so hot; the duke
Dare no more stretch this finger of mine, than he
Dare rack his own; his subject am I not,
Nor here provincial: My business in this state
Made me a looker-on here in Vienna,
Where I have seen corruption boil and bubble,
Till it o'er-run the stew: laws, for all faults;
But faults so countenanc'd, that the strong sta-

tutes

Stand like the forfeits in a barber's shop,
As much in mock as mark.

Escal. Slander to the state! Away with him
to prison.

Ang. What can you vouch against him, signior Lucio?

Is this the man that you did tell us of?

Lucio. 'Tis he, my lord.-Come hither, goodman bald-pate: Do you know me?

Duke. I remember you, sir, by the sound of your voice: I met you at the prison, in the absence of the duke.

Lucio. O, did you so? And do you remember what you said of the duke?

Duke. Most notedly, sir.

Lucio. Do you so, sir? And was the duke a flesh-monger, a fool, and a coward, as you then reported him to be?

Duke. You must, sir, change persons with me, ere you make that my report: you, indeed, spoke so of him; and much more, much worse. Lucio. O thou damnable fellow! Did not I

Escal. Come, sir: Did you set these women pluck thee by the nose, for thy specches?

Lend me your knees, and all my life to come
I'll lend you, all my life to do you service.

Duke. Against all sense you do importune her:
Should she kneel down, in mercy of this fact,
Her brother's ghost his paved bed would break,
And take her hence in horror.

Mari. Isabel,

Sweet Isabel, do yet but kneel by me;

Hold up your hands, say nothing, I'll speak all.
They say, best men are moulded out of faults;
And, for the most, become much more the better
For being a little bad: so may my husband.
0, Isabel! will you not lend a knee?
Duke. He dies for Claudio's death.
Isab. Most bounteous sir,

[Kneeling. Look, if it please you, on this man condemn'd, As if my brother liv'd: I partly think,

A due sincerity govern'd his deeds,

Till he did look on me; since it is so,

Let him not die: My brother had but justice,
In that he did the thing for which he died:
For Angelo,

His act did not o'ertake his bad intent,

And must be buried but as an intent,

Re-enter Provost, BARNARDINE, CLAUDIO, and
JULIET.

Duke. Which is that Barnardine?
Prov. This, my lord.

Duke. There was a friar told me of this man :-
Sirrah, thou art said to have a stubborn soul,
That apprehends no further than this world,
And squar'st thy life according. Thou'rt con-
demn'd;

But, for those earthly faults, I quit them all;
And pray thee, take this mercy to provide
For better times to come:-Friar, advise him;
I leave him to your hand.-What muffled fel-
low's that?

Prov. This is another prisoner, that I sav'd,
That should have died when Claudio lost his head,
As like almost to Claudio, as himself.

[Unmuffles Claudio. Duke. If he be like your brother, [To Isabella.] for his sake

Is he pardon'd; And, for your lovely sake,
Give me your hand, and say you will be mine,
He is my brother too: But fitter time for that.

That perish'd by the way: thoughts are no sub- By this, lord Angelo perceives he's safe;

jects;

Intents but merely thoughts.

Mari. Merely, my lord.

Duke. Your suit's unprofitable; stand up, I

Give up your keys.

Prov. Pardon me, noble lord:

I thought it was a fault, but knew it not;
Yet did repent me, after more advice:
For testimony whereof, one in the prison,
That should by private order else have died,
I have reserv'd alive.

Duke. What's he?

Prov. His name is Barnardine.

Duke. I would thou had'st done so by Clau-
dio.-

Go, fetch him hither; let me look upon him.
[Exit Provost.
Escal. I am sorry, one so learned and so wise
As you, lord Angelo, have still appear'd,
Should slip so grossly, both in the heat of blood,
And lack of temper'd judgment afterward.

Ang, I am sorry, that such sorrow I procure:
And so deep sticks it in my penitent heart,
That I crave death more willingly than mercy:
"Tis
my deserving, and I do entreat it.

Methinks, I see a quick'ning in his eye :—
Well, Angelo, your evil quits you well:
Look, that you love your wife; her worth,
worth yours.

I find an apt remission in myself:
And yet here's one in place I cannot pardon ;-
You, sirrah, [To Lucio.] that knew me for a
fool, a coward,

One all of luxury, an ass, a madman ;
Wherein have I so deserved of you,
That you extol me thus?

Lucio. 'Faith, my lord, I spoke it but according to the trick: If you will hang me for it, you may, but I had rather it would please you, I might be whipp'd.

Duke. Whipp'd first, sir, and hang'd after.-
Proclaim it, provost, round about the city;
If any woman's wrong'd by this lewd fellow,
(As I have heard him swear himself, there's one
Whom he begot with child,) let her appear,
And he shall marry her: the nuptial finish'd,
Let him be whipp'd and hang'd."

Lucio. I beseech your highness, do not marry me to a whore! Your highness said even now, I made you a duke; good my lord, do not recompense me in making me a cuckold.

Duke. Upon mine honour, thou shalt marry her
Thy slanders I forgive; and therewithal
Remit thy other forfeits :-Take him to prison:
And see our pleasure herein executed.

Lucio. Marrying a punk, my lord, is pressing to death, whipping, and hanging.

Duke. Sland'ring a prince deserves it.-
She, Claudio, that you wrong'd, look you re-

store.