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

SCENE II. A street

Enter Lucio and two other GENTLEMEN

  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.

Enter MISTRESS OVERDONE

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

Enter POMPEY

    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

            Enter PROVOST, CLAUDIO, JULIET, and OFFICERS;
                            LUCIO following

  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