Pro. Call hether Barnardine and Claudio: Th" one has my pitie; not a iot the other, Being a Murtherer, though he were my brother.
Enter Claudio.
Looke, here"s the Warrant Claudio, for thy death, "Tis now dead midnight, and by eight to morrow Thou must be made immortall. Where"s Barnardine?
Cla. As fast lock"d vp in sleepe, as guiltlesse labour, When it lies starkely in the Trauellers bones, He will not wake
Pro. Who can do good on him?
Well, go, prepare your selfe. But harke, what noise?
Heauen giue your spirits comfort: by, and by, I hope it is some pardon, or repreeue For the most gentle Claudio. Welcome Father.
Enter Duke.
Duke. The best, and wholsomst spirits of the night, Inuellop you, good Prouost: who call"d heere of late?
Pro. None since the Curphew rung
Duke. Not Isabell?
Pro. No
Duke. They will then er"t be long
Pro. What comfort is for Claudio?
Duke. There"s some in hope
Pro. It is a bitter Deputie
Duke. Not so, not so: his life is paralel"d Euen with the stroke and line of his great Iustice: He doth with holie abstinence subdue That in himselfe, which he spurres on his powre To qualifie in others: were he meal"d with that Which he corrects, then were he tirrannous, But this being so, he"s iust. Now are they come.
This is a gentle Prouost, sildome when The steeled Gaoler is the friend of men: How now? what noise? That spirit"s possest with hast, That wounds th" vnsisting Posterne with these strokes
Pro. There he must stay vntil the Officer Arise to let him in: he is call"d vp
Duke. Haue you no countermand for Claudio yet?
But he must die to morrow?
Pro. None Sir, none
Duke. As neere the dawning Prouost, as it is, You shall heare more ere Morning
Pro. Happely You something know: yet I beleeue there comes No countermand: no such example haue we: Besides, vpon the verie siege of Iustice, Lord Angelo hath to the publike eare Profest the contrarie.
Enter a Messenger.
Duke. This is his Lords man
Pro. And heere comes Claudio"s pardon
Mess. My Lord hath sent you this note, And by mee this further charge; That you swerue not from the smallest Article of it, Neither in time, matter, or other circ.u.mstance.
Good morrow: for as I take it, it is almost day
Pro. I shall obey him
Duke. This is his Pardon purchas"d by such sin, For which the Pardoner himselfe is in: Hence hath offence his quicke celeritie, When it is borne in high Authority.
When Vice makes Mercie; Mercie"s so extended, That for the faults loue, is th" offender friended.
Now Sir, what newes?
Pro. I told you: Lord Angelo (be-like) thinking me remisse In mine Office, awakens mee With this vnwonted putting on, methinks strangely: For he hath not vs"d it before
Duk. Pray you let"s heare.
The Letter.
Whatsoeuer you may heare to the contrary, let Claudio be executed by foure of the clocke, and in the afternoone Bernardine: For my better satisfaction, let mee haue Claudios head sent me by fiue. Let this be duely performed with a thought that more depends on it, then we must yet deliuer.
Thus faile not to doe your Office, as you will answere it at your perill.
What say you to this Sir?
Duke. What is that Barnardine, who is to be executed in th" afternoone?
Pro. A Bohemian borne: But here nurst vp & bred, One that is a prisoner nine yeeres old
Duke. How came it, that the absent Duke had not either deliuer"d him to his libertie, or executed him? I haue heard it was euer his manner to do so
Pro. His friends still wrought Repreeues for him: And indeed his fact till now in the gouernment of Lord Angelo, came not to an vndoubtfull proofe
Duke. It is now apparant?
Pro. Most manifest, and not denied by himselfe
Duke. Hath he borne himselfe penitently in prison?
How seemes he to be touch"d?
Pro. A man that apprehends death no more dreadfully, but as a drunken sleepe, carelesse, wreaklesse, and fearelesse of what"s past, present, or to come: insensible of mortality, and desperately mortall
Duke. He wants aduice
Pro. He wil heare none: he hath euermore had the liberty of the prison: giue him leaue to escape hence, hee would not. Drunke many times a day, if not many daies entirely drunke. We haue verie oft awak"d him, as if to carrie him to execution, and shew"d him a seeming warrant for it, it hath not moued him at all
Duke. More of him anon: There is written in your brow Prouost, honesty and constancie; if I reade it not truly, my ancient skill beguiles me: but in the boldnes of my cunning, I will lay my selfe in hazard: Claudio, whom heere you haue warrant to execute, is no greater forfeit to the Law, then Angelo who hath sentenc"d him.
To make you vnderstand this in a manifested effect, I craue but foure daies respit: for the which, you are to do me both a present, and a dangerous courtesie
Pro. Pray Sir, in what?
Duke. In the delaying death
Pro. Alacke, how may I do it? Hauing the houre limited, and an expresse command, vnder penaltie, to deliuer his head in the view of Angelo? I may make my case as Claudio"s, to crosse this in the smallest
Duke. By the vow of mine Order, I warrant you, If my instructions may be your guide, Let this Barnardine be this morning executed, And his head borne to Angelo
Pro. Angelo hath seene them both, And will discouer the fauour
Duke. Oh, death"s a great disguiser, and you may adde to it; Shaue the head, and tie the beard, and say it was the desire of the penitent to be so bar"de before his death: you know the course is common. If any thing fall to you vpon this, more then thankes and good fortune, by the Saint whom I professe, I will plead against it with my life
Pro. Pardon me, good Father, it is against my oath
Duke. Were you sworne to the Duke, or to the Deputie?
Pro. To him, and to his Subst.i.tutes
Duke. You will thinke you haue made no offence, if the Duke auouch the iustice of your dealing?