Measure for Measure - Уильям Шекспир

  DUKE. Escalus!
  ESCALUS. My lord.
  DUKE. Of government the properties to unfold
    Would seem in me t' affect speech and discourse,
    Since I am put to know that your own science
    Exceeds, in that, the lists of all advice
    My strength can give you; then no more remains
    But that to your sufficiency- as your worth is able-
    And let them work. The nature of our people,
    Our city's institutions, and the terms
    For common justice, y'are as pregnant in
    As art and practice hath enriched any
    That we remember. There is our commission,
    From which we would not have you warp. Call hither,
    I say, bid come before us, Angelo. Exit an ATTENDANT
    What figure of us think you he will bear?
    For you must know we have with special soul
    Elected him our absence to supply;
    Lent him our terror, dress'd him with our love,
    And given his deputation all the organs
    Of our own power. What think you of it?
  ESCALUS. If any in Vienna be of worth
    To undergo such ample grace and honour,
    It is Lord Angelo.

  DUKE. Look where he comes.
  ANGELO. Always obedient to your Grace's will,
    I come to know your pleasure.
  DUKE. Angelo,
    There is a kind of character in thy life
    That to th' observer doth thy history
    Fully unfold. Thyself and thy belongings
    Are not thine own so proper as to waste
    Thyself upon thy virtues, they on thee.
    Heaven doth with us as we with torches do,
    Not light them for themselves; for if our virtues
    Did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike
    As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touch'd
    But to fine issues; nor Nature never lends
    The smallest scruple of her excellence
    But, like a thrifty goddess, she determines
    Herself the glory of a creditor,
    Both thanks and use. But I do bend my speech
    To one that can my part in him advertise.
    Hold, therefore, Angelo-
    In our remove be thou at full ourself;
    Mortality and mercy in Vienna
    Live in thy tongue and heart. Old Escalus,
    Though first in question, is thy secondary.
    Take thy commission.
  ANGELO. Now, good my lord,
    Let there be some more test made of my metal,
    Before so noble and so great a figure
    Be stamp'd upon it.
  DUKE. No more evasion!
    We have with a leaven'd and prepared choice
    Proceeded to you; therefore take your honours.
    Our haste from hence is of so quick condition
    That it prefers itself, and leaves unquestion'd
    Matters of needful value. We shall write to you,
    As time and our concernings shall importune,
    How it goes with us, and do look to know
    What doth befall you here. So, fare you well.
    To th' hopeful execution do I leave you
    Of your commissions.
  ANGELO. Yet give leave, my lord,
    That we may bring you something on the way.
  DUKE. My haste may not admit it;
    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. Give me your hand;
    I'll privily away. I love the people,
    But do not like to stage me to their eyes;
    Though it do well, I do not relish well
    Their loud applause and Aves vehement;
    Nor do I think the man of safe discretion
    That does affect it. Once more, fare you well.
  ANGELO. The heavens give safety to your purposes!
  ESCALUS. Lead forth and bring you back in happiness!
  DUKE. I thank you. Fare you well. Exit
  ESCALUS. I shall desire you, sir, to give me leave
    To have free speech with you; and it concerns me
    To look into the bottom of my place:
    A pow'r I have, but of what strength and nature
    I am not yet instructed.
  ANGELO. 'Tis so with me. Let us withdraw together,
    And we may soon our satisfaction have
    Touching that point.
  ESCALUS. I'll wait upon your honour. Exeunt

  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.
  FIRST GENTLEMAN. Heaven grant us its peace, but not the King of
    Hungary's!
  SECOND GENTLEMAN. 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.
  SECOND GENTLEMAN. 'Thou shalt not steal'?
  LUCIO. Ay, that he raz'd.
  FIRST GENTLEMAN. Why, 'twas 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, do relish the petition well that prays for peace.
  SECOND GENTLEMAN. I never heard any soldier dislike it.
  LUCIO. I believe thee; for I think thou never wast where grace
was
    said.
  SECOND GENTLEMAN. No? A dozen times at least.
  FIRST GENTLEMAN. What, in metre?
  LUCIO. In any proportion or in any language.
  FIRST GENTLEMAN. I think, or in any religion.
  LUCIO. Ay, why not? Grace is grace, despite of all controversy;
as,
    for example, thou thyself art a wicked villain, despite of
all
    grace.
  FIRST GENTLEMAN. Well, there went but a pair of shears between
us.
  LUCIO. I grant; as there may between the lists and the velvet.
    Thou art the list.
  FIRST GENTLEMAN. And thou the velvet; thou art good velvet;
thou'rt
    a three-pil'd piece, I warrant thee. I had as lief be a list
of
    an English kersey as be pil'd, as thou art pil'd, for a
French
    velvet. Do I speak feelingly now?
  LUCIO. I think thou dost; and, indeed, with most painful
feeling of
    thy speech. I will, out of thine own confession, learn to
begin
    thy health; but, whilst I live, forget to drink after thee.
  FIRST GENTLEMAN. I think I have done myself wrong, have I not?
  SECOND GENTLEMAN. Yes, that thou hast, whether thou art tainted
or
    free.

  LUCIO. Behold, behold, where Madam Mitigation comes! I have
    purchas'd as many diseases under her roof as come to-
  SECOND GENTLEMAN. To what, I pray?
  FIRST GENTLEMAN. Judge.
  SECOND GENTLEMAN. To three thousand dolours a year.
  FIRST GENTLEMAN. Ay, and more.
  LUCIO. A French crown more.
  FIRST GENTLEMAN. Thou art always figuring diseases in me, but
thou
    art full of error; I am sound.
  LUCIO. Nay, not, as one would say, healthy; but so sound as
things
    that are hollow: thy bones are hollow; impiety has made a
feast
    of thee.
  FIRST GENTLEMAN. How now! which of your hips has the most
profound
    sciatica?
  MRS. OVERDONE. Well, well! there's one yonder arrested and
carried
    to prison was worth five thousand of you all.
  FIRST GENTLEMAN. Who's that, I pray thee?
  MRS. OVERDONE. Marry, sir, that's Claudio, Signior Claudio.
  FIRST GENTLEMAN. Claudio to prison? 'Tis not so.
  MRS. OVERDONE. Nay, but I know 'tis so: I saw him arrested; saw
him
    carried away; and, which is more, within these three days his
    head to be chopp'd off.
  LUCIO. But, after all this fooling, I would not have it so. Art
    thou sure of this?
  MRS. OVERDONE. I am too sure of it; and 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.
  SECOND GENTLEMAN. Besides, you know, it draws something near to
the
    speech we had to such a purpose.
  FIRST GENTLEMAN. But most of all agreeing with the
proclamation.
  LUCIO. Away; let's go learn the truth of it.

  MRS. OVERDONE. Thus, what with the war, what with the sweat,
what
    with the gallows, and what with poverty, I am custom-shrunk.

    How now! what's the news with you?
  POMPEY. Yonder man is carried to prison.
  MRS. OVERDONE. Well, what has he done?
  POMPEY. A woman.
  MRS. OVERDONE. But what's his offence?
  POMPEY. Groping for trouts in a peculiar river.
  MRS. OVERDONE. What! is there a maid with child by him?
  POMPEY. No; but there's a woman with maid by him. You have not
   heard of the proclamation, have you?
  MRS. OVERDONE. What proclamation, man?
  POMPEY. All houses in the suburbs of Vienna must be pluck'd
down.
  MRS. OVERDONE. And what shall become of those in the city?
  POMPEY. They shall stand for seed; they had gone down too, but
that
    a wise burgher put in for them.
  MRS. OVERDONE. But shall all our houses of resort in the
suburbs be
    pull'd down?
  POMPEY. To the ground, mistress.
  MRS. OVERDONE. Why, here's a change indeed in the commonwealth!
    What shall become of me?
  POMPEY. Come, fear not you: good counsellors lack no clients.
    Though you change your place you need not change your trade;
I'll
    be your tapster still. Courage, there will be pity taken on
you;
    you that have worn your eyes almost out in the service, you
will
    be considered.
  MRS. OVERDONE. What's to do here, Thomas Tapster? Let's
withdraw.
  POMPEY. Here comes Signior Claudio, led by the provost to
prison;
    and there's Madam Juliet. Exeunt

  CLAUDIO. Fellow, why dost thou show me thus to th' world?
    Bear me to prison, where I am committed.
  PROVOST. I do it not in evil disposition,
    But from Lord Angelo by special charge.
  CLAUDIO. Thus can the demigod 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 'tis just.
  LUCIO. Why, how now, Claudio, whence comes this restraint?
  CLAUDIO. From too much liberty, my Lucio, liberty;
    As surfeit is the father of much fast,
    So every scope by the immoderate use
    Turns to restraint. Our natures do pursue,
    Like rats that ravin down their proper bane,
    A thirsty evil; and when we drink we die.
  LUCIO. If I could speak so wisely under an arrest, I would send
for
    certain of my creditors; and yet, to say the truth, I had as
lief
    have the foppery of freedom as the morality of imprisonment.
    What's thy offence, Claudio?
  CLAUDIO. What but to speak of would offend again.
  LUCIO. What, is't murder?
  CLAUDIO. No.
  LUCIO. Lechery?
  CLAUDIO. Call it so.
  PROVOST. Away, sir; you must go.
  CLAUDIO. One word, good friend. Lucio, a word with you.
  LUCIO. A hundred, if they'll do you any good. Is lechery so
look'd
    after?
  CLAUDIO. Thus stands it with me: upon a true contract
    I got possession of Julietta's bed.
    You know the lady; she is fast my wife,
    Save that we do the denunciation lack
    Of outward order; this we came not to,
    Only for propagation of a dow'r
    Remaining in the coffer of her friends.
    From whom we thought it meet to hide our love
    Till time had made them for us. But it chances
    The stealth of our most mutual entertainment,
    With character too gross, is writ on Juliet.
  LUCIO. With child, perhaps?
  CLAUDIO. Unhappily, even so.
    And the new deputy now for the Duke-
    Whether it be the fault and glimpse of newness,
    Or whether that the body public be
    A horse whereon the governor doth ride,
    Who, newly in the seat, that it may know
    He can command, lets it straight feel the spur;
    Whether the tyranny be in his place,
    Or in his eminence that fills it up,
    I stagger in. But this new governor
    Awakes me all the enrolled penalties
    Which have, like unscour'd armour, hung by th' wall
    So long that nineteen zodiacs have gone round
    And none of them been worn; and, for a name,
    Now puts the drowsy and neglected act
    Freshly on me. 'Tis surely for a name.
  LUCIO. I warrant it is; and thy head stands so tickle on thy
    shoulders that a milkmaid, if she be in love, may sigh it
off.
    Send after the Duke, and appeal to him.
  CLAUDIO. I have done so, but he's not to be found.
    I prithee, Lucio, do me this kind service:
    This day my sister should the cloister enter,
    And there receive her approbation;
    Acquaint her with the danger of my state;
    Implore her, in my voice, that she make friends
    To the strict deputy; bid herself assay him.
    I have great hope in that; for in her youth
    There is a prone and speechless dialect
    Such as move men; beside, she hath prosperous art
    When she will play with reason and discourse,
    And well she can persuade.
  LUCIO. I pray she may; as well for the encouragement of the
like,
    which else would stand under grievous imposition, as for the
    enjoying of thy life, who I would be sorry should be thus
    foolishly lost at a game of tick-tack. I'll to her.
  CLAUDIO. I thank you, good friend Lucio.
  LUCIO. Within two hours.
  CLAUDIO. Come, officer, away. Exeunt