SCENE I. A hall In ANGELO's house. Measure for Measure  Shakespeare homepage  |  Measure for Measure  | Act 2, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE I. A hall In ANGELO's house. 

 Enter ANGELO, ESCALUS, and a Justice, Provost, Officers, and other Attendants, behind  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 it 

 Their perch and not their terror. 

 ESCALUS  Ay, but yet 

 Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, 

 Than fall, and bruise to death. Alas, this gentleman 

 Whom 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 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, 

 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 two 

 Guiltier than him they try. What's open made to justice, 

 That justice seizes: what know the laws 

 That thieves do pass 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 

 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 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 Claudio 

 Be executed by nine to-morrow morning: 

 Bring him his confessor, let him be prepared; 

 For that's the utmost of his pilgrimage. 



 Exit Provost  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. 



 Enter ELBOW, and Officers with FROTH and POMPEY  ELBOW  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. 

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

 ELBOW  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. 

 ANGELO  Benefactors? Well; what benefactors are they? are 

 they not malefactors? 

 ELBOW  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. 

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

 ANGELO  Go to: what quality are they of? Elbow is your 

 name? 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 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. 

 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 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. 

 ESCALUS  How dost thou know that, constable? 

 ELBOW  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. 

 ESCALUS  By the woman's means? 

 ELBOW  Ay, sir, by Mistress Overdone's means: but as she 

 spit 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 honourable 

 man; 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 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 dishes, but very 

 good dishes,-- 

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

 POMPEY  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 

 being great-bellied, 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  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 be 

 remembered, that such a one and such a one were past 

 cure of the thing you wot of, unless they kept very 

 good 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. What 

 was done to Elbow's wife, that he hath cause to 

 complain 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's 

 leave. And, I beseech you, look into Master Froth 

 here, sir; a man of four-score pound a year; whose 

 father 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 in 

 the Bunch of Grapes, where indeed you have a delight 

 to 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. 



 Exit ANGELO  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 a 

 good 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 worst 

 thing about him. Good, then; if his face be the 

 worst thing about him, how could Master Froth do the 

 constable's wife any harm? I would know that of 

 your honour. 

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

 ELBOW  First, an it like you, the house is a respected 

 house; next, this is a respected fellow; and his 

 mistress is a respected woman. 

 POMPEY  By this hand, sir, his wife is a more respected 

 person than any of us all. 

 ELBOW  Varlet, thou liest; thou liest, wicked varlet! the 

 time has yet to come that she was ever respected 

 with 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? Is 

 this true? 

 ELBOW  O thou caitiff! O thou varlet! O thou wicked 

 Hannibal! I respected with her before I was married 

 to her! If ever I was respected with her, or she 

 with me, let not your worship think me the poor 

 duke's officer. Prove this, thou wicked Hannibal, or 

 I'll have mine action of battery on thee. 

 ESCALUS  If he took you a box o' the ear, you might have your 

 action of slander too. 

 ELBOW  Marry, I thank your good worship for it. What is't 

 your worship's pleasure I shall do with this wicked caitiff? 

 ESCALUS  Truly, officer, because he hath some offences in him 

 that thou wouldst discover if thou couldst, let him 

 continue in his courses till thou knowest what they 

 are. 

 ELBOW  Marry, I thank your worship for it. Thou seest, thou 

 wicked varlet, now, what's come upon thee: thou art 

 to 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. Master 

 Froth, I would not have you acquainted with 

 tapsters: they will draw you, Master Froth, and you 

 will hang them. Get you gone, and let me hear no 

 more of you. 

 FROTH  I thank your worship. For mine own part, I never 

 come into any room in a tap-house, but I am drawn 

 in. 

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



 Exit FROTH  Come you hither to me, Master tapster. What's your 

 name, 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 the 

 Great. Pompey, you are partly a bawd, Pompey, 

 howsoever you colour it in being a tapster, are you 

 not? 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? What 

 do 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 shall 

 not be allowed in Vienna. 

 POMPEY  Does your worship mean to geld and splay all the 

 youth 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 and 

 the 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 but 

 for ten year together, you'll be glad to give out a 

 commission for more heads: if this law hold in 

 Vienna ten year, I'll rent the fairest house in it 

 after three-pence a bay: if you live to see this 

 come to pass, say Pompey told you so. 

 ESCALUS  Thank you, good Pompey; and, in requital of your 

 prophecy, hark you: I advise you, let me not find 

 you 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 shrewd 

 Caesar to you; in plain dealing, Pompey, I shall 

 have you whipt: so, for this time, Pompey, fare you well. 

 POMPEY  I thank your worship for your good counsel: 



 Aside  but I shall follow it as the flesh and fortune shall 

 better determine. 

 Whip me? No, no; let carman whip his jade: 

 The valiant heart is not whipt out of his trade. 



 Exit  ESCALUS  Come hither to me, Master Elbow; come hither, Master 

 constable. 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 had 

 continued 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 you 

 wrong to put you so oft upon 't: are there not men 

 in your ward sufficient to serve it? 

 ELBOW  Faith, sir, few of any wit in such matters: as they 

 are chosen, they are glad to choose me for them; I 

 do it for some piece of money, and go through with 

 all. 

 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. 



 Exit ELBOW  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. 



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