SCENE III. Another room in the same. Measure for Measure  Shakespeare homepage  |  Measure for Measure  | Act 4, Scene 3 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE III. Another room in the same. 

 Enter POMPEY  POMPEY  I am as well acquainted here as I was in our house 

 of profession: one would think it were Mistress 

 Overdone's own house, for here be many of her old 

 customers. First, here's young Master Rash; he's in 

 for a commodity of brown paper and old ginger, 

 ninescore and seventeen pounds; of which he made 

 five marks, ready money: marry, then ginger was not 

 much in request, for the old women were all dead. 

 Then is there here one Master Caper, at the suit of 

 Master Three-pile the mercer, for some four suits of 

 peach-coloured satin, which now peaches him a 

 beggar. Then have we here young Dizy, and young 

 Master Deep-vow, and Master Copperspur, and Master 

 Starve-lackey the rapier and dagger man, and young 

 Drop-heir that killed lusty Pudding, and Master 

 Forthlight the tilter, and brave Master Shooty the 

 great traveller, and wild Half-can that stabbed 

 Pots, and, I think, forty more; all great doers in 

 our trade, and are now 'for the Lord's sake.' 



 Enter ABHORSON  ABHORSON  Sirrah, bring Barnardine hither. 

 POMPEY  Master Barnardine! you must rise and be hanged. 

 Master Barnardine! 

 ABHORSON  What, ho, Barnardine! 

 BARNARDINE  [Within]  A pox o' your throats! Who makes that 

 noise there? What are you? 

 POMPEY  Your friends, sir; the hangman. You must be so 

 good, sir, to rise and be put to death. 

 BARNARDINE  [Within]  Away, you rogue, away! I am sleepy. 

 ABHORSON  Tell him he must awake, and that quickly too. 

 POMPEY  Pray, Master Barnardine, awake till you are 

 executed, and sleep afterwards. 

 ABHORSON  Go in to him, and fetch him out. 

 POMPEY  He is coming, sir, he is coming; I hear his straw rustle. 

 ABHORSON  Is the axe upon the block, sirrah? 

 POMPEY  Very ready, sir. 



 Enter BARNARDINE  BARNARDINE  How now, Abhorson? what's the news with you? 

 ABHORSON  Truly, sir, I would desire you to clap into your 

 prayers; for, look you, the warrant's come. 

 BARNARDINE  You rogue, I have been drinking all night; I am not 

 fitted for 't. 

 POMPEY  O, the better, sir; for he that drinks all night, 

 and is hanged betimes in the morning, may sleep the 

 sounder all the next day. 

 ABHORSON  Look you, sir; here comes your ghostly father: do 

 we jest now, think you? 



 Enter DUKE VINCENTIO disguised as before  DUKE VINCENTIO  Sir, induced by my charity, and hearing how hastily 

 you are to depart, I am come to advise you, comfort 

 you and pray with you. 

 BARNARDINE  Friar, not I	I have been drinking hard all night, 

 and I will have more time to prepare me, or they 

 shall beat out my brains with billets: I will not 

 consent to die this day, that's certain. 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  O, sir, you must: and therefore I beseech you 

 Look forward on the journey you shall go. 

 BARNARDINE  I swear I will not die to-day for any man's 

 persuasion. 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  But hear you. 

 BARNARDINE  Not a word: if you have any thing to say to me, 

 come to my ward; for thence will not I to-day. 



 Exit  DUKE VINCENTIO  Unfit to live or die: O gravel heart! 

 After him, fellows; bring him to the block. 



 Exeunt ABHORSON and POMPEY 

 Re-enter Provost  Provost  Now, sir, how do you find the prisoner? 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  A creature unprepared, unmeet for death; 

 And to transport him in the mind he is 

 Were damnable. 

 Provost  Here in the prison, father, 

 There died this morning of a cruel fever 

 One Ragozine, a most notorious pirate, 

 A man of Claudio's years; his beard and head 

 Just of his colour. What if we do omit 

 This reprobate till he were well inclined; 

 And satisfy the deputy with the visage 

 Of Ragozine, more like to Claudio? 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  O, 'tis an accident that heaven provides! 

 Dispatch it presently; the hour draws on 

 Prefix'd by Angelo: see this be done, 

 And sent according to command; whiles I 

 Persuade this rude wretch willingly to die. 

 Provost  This shall be done, good father, presently. 

 But Barnardine must die this afternoon: 

 And how shall we continue Claudio, 

 To save me from the danger that might come 

 If he were known alive? 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  Let this be done. 

 Put them in secret holds, both Barnardine and Claudio: 

 Ere twice the sun hath made his journal greeting 

 To the under generation, you shall find 

 Your safety manifested. 

 Provost  I am your free dependant. 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  Quick, dispatch, and send the head to Angelo. 



 Exit Provost  Now will I write letters to Angelo,-- 

 The provost, he shall bear them, whose contents 

 Shall witness to him I am near at home, 

 And that, by great injunctions, I am bound 

 To enter publicly: him I'll desire 

 To meet me at the consecrated fount 

 A league below the city; and from thence, 

 By cold gradation and well-balanced form, 

 We shall proceed with Angelo. 



 Re-enter Provost  Provost  Here is the head; I'll carry it myself. 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  Convenient is it. Make a swift return; 

 For I would commune with you of such things 

 That want no ear but yours. 

 Provost  I'll make all speed. 



 Exit  ISABELLA  [Within]  Peace, ho, be here! 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  The tongue of Isabel. She's come to know 

 If yet her brother's pardon be come hither: 

 But I will keep her ignorant of her good, 

 To make her heavenly comforts of despair, 

 When it is least expected. 



 Enter ISABELLA  ISABELLA  Ho, by your leave! 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  Good morning to you, fair and gracious daughter. 

 ISABELLA  The better, given me by so holy a man. 

 Hath yet the deputy sent my brother's pardon? 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  He hath released him, Isabel, from the world: 

 His head is off and sent to Angelo. 

 ISABELLA  Nay, but it is not so. 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  It is no other: show your wisdom, daughter, 

 In your close patience. 

 ISABELLA  O, I will to him and pluck out his eyes! 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  You shall not be admitted to his sight. 

 ISABELLA  Unhappy Claudio! wretched Isabel! 

 Injurious world! most damned Angelo! 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  This nor hurts him nor profits you a jot; 

 Forbear it therefore; give your cause to heaven. 

 Mark what I say, which you shall find 

 By every syllable a faithful verity: 

 The duke comes home to-morrow; nay, dry your eyes; 

 One of our convent, and his confessor, 

 Gives me this instance: already he hath carried 

 Notice to Escalus and Angelo, 

 Who do prepare to meet him at the gates, 

 There to give up their power. If you can, pace your wisdom 

 In that good path that I would wish it go, 

 And you shall have your bosom on this wretch, 

 Grace of the duke, revenges to your heart, 

 And general honour. 

 ISABELLA  I am directed by you. 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  This letter, then, to Friar Peter give; 

 'Tis that he sent me of the duke's return: 

 Say, by this token, I desire his company 

 At Mariana's house to-night. Her cause and yours 

 I'll perfect him withal, and he shall bring you 

 Before the duke, and to the head of Angelo 

 Accuse him home and home. For my poor self, 

 I am combined by a sacred vow 

 And shall be absent. Wend you with this letter: 

 Command these fretting waters from your eyes 

 With a light heart; trust not my holy order, 

 If I pervert your course. Who's here? 



 Enter LUCIO  LUCIO  Good even. Friar, where's the provost? 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  Not within, sir. 

 LUCIO  O pretty Isabella, I am pale at mine heart to see 

 thine eyes so red: thou must be patient. I am fain 

 to dine and sup with water and bran; I dare not for 

 my head fill my belly; one fruitful meal would set 

 me to 't. But they say the duke will be here 

 to-morrow. By my troth, Isabel, I loved thy brother: 

 if the old fantastical duke of dark corners had been 

 at home, he had lived. 



 Exit ISABELLA  DUKE VINCENTIO  Sir, the duke is marvellous little beholding to your 

 reports; but the best is, he lives not in them. 

 LUCIO  Friar, thou knowest not the duke so well as I do: 

 he's a better woodman than thou takest him for. 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  Well, you'll answer this one day. Fare ye well. 

 LUCIO  Nay, tarry; I'll go along with thee 

 I can tell thee pretty tales of the duke. 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  You have told me too many of him already, sir, if 

 they be true; if not true, none were enough. 

 LUCIO  I was once before him for getting a wench with child. 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  Did you such a thing? 

 LUCIO  Yes, marry, did I	but I was fain to forswear it; 

 they would else have married me to the rotten medlar. 

 DUKE VINCENTIO  Sir, your company is fairer than honest. Rest you well. 

 LUCIO  By my troth, I'll go with thee to the lane's end: 

 if bawdy talk offend you, we'll have very little of 

 it. Nay, friar, I am a kind of burr; I shall stick. 



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