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SCENE II.

The Street.

Enter ELBOW, POMPEY, FROTH, and two Tipstaves. Elb. Come, bring them away: if these be good people in a common-weal, that do nothing but use their abuses in common houses, I know no law: bring them away.

Enter ESCALUS, and two Apparitors.

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

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.

Escal. Benefactors? Well; what benefactors are they? 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.

Escal. This comes off well; here's a wise officer. What are you, sir?.

Elb. He, sir? a tapster, sir; one that serves a bad woman; whose house, sir, was, as they say, pluck'd down in the suburbs; and now she professes a hothouse, which, I think, is a very ill house too.

Escal, How know you that?

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,

Escal. Dost thou detest her therefore?

Elb. I say, sir, I will detest myself also, as well

as she, that this house is a naughty house.

Escal. How dost thou know that, constable?

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Elb. Marry, sir, by my wife; who, if she had been a woman cardinally given, might have been accus'd in adultery, and all uncleanliness, there. Escal. By the woman's means?

Elb. Ay, sir, by mistress Overdone's means: but as she spit in his face, [Pointing at FROTH.] So she defy'd him.

Pom. Sir, if it please your honour, this is not so. Elb. Prove it before this varlet here, thou honourable man, prove it.

Pom. Sir, she came in, great with child, and longing, saving your honour's reverence, for stew'd 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 honour has seen such dishes; they are not China dishes, but very good dishes.

Escal. Go to, go to; no matter for the dish, sir.

Pom. 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 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.

Pom. Very well :-you being then,

Escal. 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 Elbow's wife, once more.

Pom. Once, sir! there was nothing done to her

once.

Elb. I beseech you, sir, ask him what this man did to my wife.

Escal. Well, sir;--What did this gentleman to her? Pom. I beseech you, sir, look in this gentleman's face:-Good master Froth, look upon his honour; 't is for a good purpose: Doth your honour mark his face?

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Escal. Ay, sir, very well.

Pom. Doth your honour see any harm in his face?
Escal. Why, no.

Pom. I'll be suppos'd 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.

Escal. Constable, what say you to it?

Elb. First, an it like you, the house is a respected house; next, this is a respected fellow; and his mistress is a respected woman.

Pom. By this hand, sir, his wife is a more respected person than any of us all.

Elb. Varlet, thou liest; thou liest, wicked varlet; the time is yet to come, that she was ever respected with man, woman, or child.

Pom. Sir, she was respected with him, before he married with her.

Escal. Which is the wiser here,-Justice or Iniquity? Is this true?

Elb. 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 L'll have mine action of battery on thee.

Escal. If he took you a box o' the ear, you might have your action of slander too.

Elb. Marry, I thank your good worship for it: What is't your worship's pleasure I shall do with this wicked caitiff?

Escal. Truely, officer, because he hath some offences in him, that thou would'st discover if thou could'st, let him continue in his courses, till thou know'st what they are.

Elb. 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.

Escal. 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.

Escal. Well; no more of it, master Froth: farewell.

[Exit FROTH. -Come you hither to me, master tapster; what's your name, master tapster?

Pom. Pompey.

Escal. I advise you, let me not find you before me again upon any complaint whatsoever; if I do, Pompey, I shall beat you to your tent, and prove a shrewd Cæsar to you; in plain dealing, Pompey, I shall have you whipp'd: so, for this time, Pompey, fare you well.

Pom. I thank your worship for your good counsel: -But I shall follow it, as the flesh and fortune shall better determine.

[Exit POMPEY.

Escal. Come hither to me, master Elbow; come hither, master constable. How long have you been in this place of constable?

Elb. Seven year and a half, sir.

Escal. I thought, by your readiness in the office, you had continued in it some time: You say, seven years together?

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Elb. And a half, sir.

Escal. Alas! it hath been great pains to you! They

you wrong to put you so oft upon't: Are there not men in your ward sufficient to serve it?

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Elb. '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.

Escal. Lock you, bring me in the names of some six or seven, the most sufficient of your parish.

Elb. To your worship's house, sir?
Escal. To my house: fare you well.

[Exeunt ESCALUS, Apparitors, ELBOW, and Tipstaves.

SCENE III.

Angelo's House.

Enter ANGELO.

Ang. When I would pray and think, I think and

pray

To several subjects: heaven hath my empty words;
Whilst my intention, hearing not my tongue,
Anchors on Isabel: Heaven in my mouth,
And in my heart, the strong and swelling evil
Of my conception.

Enter THOMAS.

How now, who's there?

Tho. One Isabel, a sister,

Desires access to you.

Ang. Teach her the way.

O heavens!

[Exit THOMAS,

Why does my blood thus muster to my heart,

Making both it unable for itself,

And dispossessing all my other parts

Of necessary fitness?

Enter ISABELLA.

How now, fair maid?

Isab. I am come to know your pleasure.

Ang. That you might know it, would much better

please me,

Than to demand what 't is. Your brother cannot live. Isab. Even so?-Heaven keep your honour!

[Retiring.] Ang. Yet may he live a while:and, it may be,

As long as you, or I:-Yet he must die.
Isab. Under your sentence?
Ang. Yea.

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