DUKE A creature unprepar’d, 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
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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 inclin’d,
And satisfy the deputy with the visage
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Of Ragozine, more like to Claudio?
DUKE 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
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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
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If he were known alive?
DUKE Let this be done: put them in secret holds,
Both Barnardine and Claudio.
Ere twice the sun hath made his journal greeting
To yonder generation, you shall find
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Your safety manifested.
PROVOST I am your free dependant.
DUKE 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;
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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-balanc’d form,
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We shall proceed with Angelo.
Enter Provost.
PROVOST Here is the head; I’ll carry it myself.
DUKE 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.
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ISABELLA [within] Peace, hoa, be here!
DUKE 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
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When it is least expected.
Enter ISABELLA.
ISABELLA Hoa, by your leave!
DUKE
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 He hath releas’d him, Isabel, – from the world.
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His head is off, and sent to Angelo.
ISABELLA Nay, but it is not so!
DUKE It is no other. Show your wisdom, daughter,
In your close patience.
ISABELLA O, I will to him and pluck out his eyes!
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DUKE You shall not be admitted to his sight.
ISABELLA Unhappy Claudio! wretched Isabel!
Injurious world! most damned Angelo!
DUKE This nor hurts him, nor profits you a jot.
Forbear it therefore; give your cause to heaven.
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Mark what I say, which you shall find
By every syllable a faithful verity.
The Duke comes home tomorrow; – nay, dry your eyes –
One of our covent, and his confessor
Gives me this instance. Already he hath carried
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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,
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Grace of the Duke, revenges to your heart,
And general honour.
ISABELLA I am directed by you.
DUKE 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
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At Mariana’s house tonight. 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,
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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 Not within, sir.
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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 tomorrow. By my
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troth, Isabel, I loved thy brother; if the old fantastical
duke of dark corners had been at home, he had lived.
Exit Isabella.
DUKE 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.
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He’s a better woodman than thou tak’st him for.
DUKE Well! you’ll answer this one day. Fare ye well.
[going]
LUCIO Nay tarry, I’ll go along with thee: I can tell thee
pretty tales of the Duke.
DUKE You have told me too many of him already, sir, if
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they be true: if not true, none were enough.
LUCIO I was once before him for getting a wench with
child.
DUKE Did you such a thing?
LUCIO Yes, marry, did I; but I was fain to forswear it;
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they would else have married me to the rotten medlar.
DUKE Sir, your company is fairer than honest; rest you
well. [going]
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.
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Nay, friar, I am a kind of burr, I shall stick. Exeunt.
4.4 Enter ANGELO and ESCALUS.
ESCALUS Every letter he hath writ hath disvouched
other.
ANGELO In most uneven and distracted manner. His
actions show much like to madness; pray heaven his
wisdom be not tainted. And why meet him at the gates
5
and redeliver our authorities there?
ESCALUS I guess not.
ANGELO And why should we proclaim it in an hour
before his entering, that if any crave redress of
injustice, they should exhibit their petitions in the
10
street?
ESCALUS He shows his reason for that: to have a
dispatch of complaints, and to deliver us from devices
hereafter, which shall then have no power to stand
against us.
15
ANGELO Well, I beseech you, let it be proclaim’d
Betimes i’
th’ morn: I’ll call you at your house.
Give notice to such men of sort and suit
As are to meet him.
ESCALUS I shall, sir: fare you well.
ANGELO Good night. Exit Escalus.
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This deed unshapes me quite; makes me unpregnant
And dull to all proceedings. A deflower’d maid;
And by an eminent body, that enforc’d
The law against it! But that her tender shame
Will not proclaim against her maiden loss,
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How might she tongue me! Yet reason dares her no,
For my authority bears so credent bulk
That no particular scandal once can touch,
But it confounds the breather. He should have liv’d;
Save that his riotous youth, with dangerous sense,
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Might in the times to come have ta’en revenge
By so receiving a dishonour’d life
With ransom of such shame. Would yet he had lived.
Alack, when once our grace we have forgot,
Nothing goes right; we would, and we would not.
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Exit.
4.5 Enter DUKE, in his own habit, and FRIAR PETER.
DUKE These letters at fit time deliver me.
The Provost knows our purpose and our plot;
The matter being afoot, keep your instruction,
And hold you ever to our special drift,
Though sometimes you do blench from this to that
5
As cause doth minister. Go call at Flavius’ house,
And tell him where I stay. Give the like notice
To Valencius, Rowland, and to Crassus,
And bid them bring the trumpets to the gate:
But send me Flavius first.
FRIAR PETER It shall be speeded well.
10
Exit Friar.
Enter Varrius.
DUKE
I thank thee, Varrius, thou hast made good haste.
Come, we will walk. There’s other of our friends
Will greet us here anon. My gentle Varrius! Exeunt.
4.6 Enter ISABELLA and MARIANA.
ISABELLA To speak so indirectly I am loth;
I would say the truth, but to accuse him so
That is your part; yet I am advis’d to do it,
He says, to veil full purpose.
MARIANA Be rul’d by him.
ISABELLA Besides, he tells me that, if peradventure
5
He speak against me on the adverse side,
I should not think it strange, for ’tis a physic
That’s bitter to sweet end.
Enter FRIAR PETER.
MARIANA I would Friar Peter –
ISABELLA O peace, the friar is come.
FRIAR PETER
Come, I have found you out a stand most fit,
10
Where you may have such vantage on the Duke
He shall not pass you. Twice have the trumpets sounded.
The generous and gravest citizens
Have hent the gates, and very near upon
The Duke is ent’ring: therefore hence, away. Exeunt.
15
5.1 Enter at several doors DUKE, in his own habit,
Varrius, lords and attendants; ANGELO,
ESCALUS, LUCIO and citizens.
DUKE My very worthy cousin, fairly met.
Our old and faithful friend, we are glad to see you.
ANGELO, ESCALUS
Happy return be to your royal grace!
DUKE Many and hearty thankings to you both.
We have made enquiry of you, and we hear
5
Such goodness of your justice that our soul
Cannot but yield you forth to public thanks,
Forerunning more requital.
ANGELO You make my bonds still greater.
DUKE
O, but your desert speaks loud, and I should wrong it
10
To lock it in the wards of covert bosom,
When it deserves with characters of brass
A forted residence ’gainst the tooth of time
And razure of oblivion. Give we our hand,
And let the subject see, to make them know
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That outward courtesies would fain proclaim
Favours that keep within. Come, Escalus,
You must walk by us on our other hand;
And good supporters are you.
Enter FRIAR PETER and ISABELLA.
FRIAR PETER
Now is your time: speak loud, and kneel before him.
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ISABELLA Justice, O royal Duke! Vail your regard
Upon a wrong’d – I would fain have said, a maid.
O worthy prince, dishonour not your eye
The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works Page 359