To undergo such ample grace and honour, It is lord Angelo. Enter LEOPOLD, and ANGELO. Duke. Look, where he comes. Ang. Always obedient to your grace's will, I come to know your pleasure. Duke. Angelo, There is a kind of character in thy life, In our remove, be thou at full ourself; Live in thy tongue and heart: Old Escalus, Ang. Now, good my lord, Let there be some more test made of my metal, Be stamp'd upon it. Duke. We have with a leaven'd and prepared choice Proceeded to you; therefore take your honours. [ANGELO kneels, and receives his commission.] We shall write to you, As time and our concernings shall importune, Ang. Yet, give leave, my lord, you That we may bring you something on the way. I'll privily away. [Exeunt LEOPOLD, and FREDERICK. Nor need you, on mine honour, have to do With any scruple: your scope is as mine own, So to enforce, or qualify the laws, As to your soul seems good. Once more, fare you well. Ang. The heavens give safety to your purposes ! Escal. Lead forth, and bring you back in happiness! Duke. I thank you :-Fare you well. [Exit Duke. A power I have; but of what strength and naturé Ang. "T is so with me:-Let us withdraw together, And we may soon our satisfaction have Touching that point. Escal. I'll wait upon your honour. [Exeunt ANGELO, and ESCALUS. SCENE II. The Garden of a Monastery. Enter Friar PETER, and the Duke. Duke. No, holy father; throw away that thought; Believe not that the dribbling dart of love Can pierce a complete bosom: why I desire thee To give me secret harbour, hath a purpose More grave and wrinkled than the aims and ends Of burning youth. Peter. May your grace speak of it? Duke. My holy sir, none better knows than you How I have ever lov'd the life remov'd; And held in idle price to haunt assemblies, (A man of stricture, and firm abstinence,) And he supposes me travel'd to Poland; For so I have strew'd it in the common ear, Duke. We have strict statutes, and most biting laws, (The needful bits and curbs to headstrong steeds,) Having bound up the threatening twigs of birch, For terror, not to use,)—in time the rod And liberty plucks justice by the nose; Peter. It rested in your grace To unloose this tied-up justice, when you pleas'd: And it in you more dreadful would have seem'd, Than in lord Angelo. Duke. I do fear, too dreadful: Sith 't was my fault, to give the people scope, Who may, in the ambush of my name, strike home: I will, as 't were a brother of your order, Visit both prince and people: therefore, I pr'ythee, Is more to bread than stone: Hence shall we sce, [Exeunt the Duke, and Friar PETER. SCENE III. The Street. Enter LEOPOLD, LUCIO, and FREDERICK. Lucio. If the duke, with the other dukes, come not to composition with the king of Hungary, why, then all the dukes fall upon the king. Fred. Heaven grant us its peace, but not the king of Hungary's! Leo. Amen. Lucio. Thou conclud'st like the sanctimonious pirate, that went to sea with the ten commandments, but scrap'd one out of the table. Leo. Thou shalt not steal? Lucio. Ay, that he raz'd. Fred. Why, 't was a commandment to command the captain and all the rest from their functions; they put forth to steal: There's not a soldier of us all, that, in the thanksgiving before meat, doth relish the petition well that prays for peace. Leo. I never heard any soldier dislike it. Lucio. I believe thee; for, I think, thou never wast where grace was said. Enter Mrs. OVERDONE. Fred. How now? Which of your hips has the most profound sciatica ? Over. Well, well; there's one yonder arrested, and carry'd to prison, was worth five thousand of you all. Lucio. Who's that, I pray thee? Over. Marry, sir, that's Claudio, signior Claudio. Over. Nay, but I know, 't is so: I saw him arrested; saw him carry'd away: and, which is more, within these three days his head is to be chopp'd off. Lucio. But, after all this fooling, I would not have it so. Art thou sure of this? Over. I am too sure of it: and, they say, it is for getting madam Julietta with child. Lucio. Believe me, this may be: he promis'd to meet me two hours since; and he was ever precise in promise-keeping. Away; let's go learn the truth of it. Exeunt Lucio, LEOPOLD, and FREDERICK. Over. Thus, what with the war, what with the gallows, and what with poverty, I am custom-shrunk. Enter POMPEY. How now? What's the news with you ? Over. What, is there a maid with child by him? Pom. No; but there's a woman with maid by him: You have not heard of the proclamation, have you? Over. What proclamation, man? Pom. All houses in the suburbs of Vienna must be pluck'd down. Over. Why, here's a change, indeed, in the commonwealth!--What's to do here? Pon. Here comes signior Claudio, led by the provost to prison. Over. Let's withdraw. [Exeunt Mrs. OVERDONE, and POMPEY. Enter Provost, CLAUDIO, and two Apparitors. Claud. Fellow, why dost thou show me thus to the world? Bear me to prison, where I am committed. Prov. I do it not in evil disposition, But from lord Angelo by special charge. Claud. Thus can the demi-god, Authority, Make us pay down for our offence by weight: The words of heaven ;-on whom it will, it will; On whom it will not, so; yet still 't is just. Enter Lucio, FREDERICK, and LEOPOLD. Lucio. Why, how now, Claudio? whence comes this restraint? Claud. From too much liberty, my Lucio, liberty: As surfeit is the father of much fast, So every scope by the immoderate use |