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Measure for Measure

Act I, Scene 3

A monastery.
 
[Enter DUKE VINCENTIO and FRIAR THOMAS]
 
DUKE VINCENTIO
      __    ,      ,            2  ,            ,
      No:| holy | father,| throw^away | that thought,
           ,     ,               ,          ,         ,
      Believe | not that | the drib|bling dart | of love
             ,      2     ,      ,       ,    2     ,
      Can pierce | a complete | bosom:| why, I de|sire thee
           ,        ,       ,         ,       ,       ->
      To give | me sec|ret har|bor, hath | a pur||pose
        ,      ,            ,            2      ,          ,
      More | grave, and | wrinkled,| than the aims,| and ends
           ,        ,
      Of burn|ing youth.
 
FRIAR THOMAS
                          ,           ,     ,
                         May your | grace speak / of it?
 
DUKE VINCENTIO
          ,     ,      T    Tx     T           ,
      My ho|ly sir,| none better knows | than you
          ,         ,      ,           ,        ,
      How I | have ev|er loved | the life | removed
            ,         x      ,           ,       ,
      And held | in idle | price, to | haunt as|semblies
              ,           ,     ,          ,        ,
      Where youth,| and cost,| witless | brave|ry keeps.
          ,       ,              ,   ,    ,
      I have | deliv|ered to / Lord Ang|elo
          ,         ,                ,   ,      ,
      (A man | of stric|ture and / firm ab|stinence)
          ,   2       x           ,       ,    2    ,
      My abs|olute* power,| and place | here in Vi|enna,
           ,       ,      ,    ,       2      ,
      And he | suppos|es me | travelled to | Poland,
            ,    2        ,          ,        ,       ,
      (For so | I have strewed | it in | the com|mon ear)
           ,       ,        ,      T    Tx    T
      And so | it is | received:| now (pious sir)
       ,             ,        ,    ,       ,
      You will | demand | of me,| why I | do this.
 
FRIAR THOMAS
        ,           ,
      Gladly,| my lord.  \\
 
DUKE VINCENTIO
                   ,     ,                ,   ,        ,
      We have / strict stat|utes, and / most bit|ing laws,
             ,        ,          ,      .   T    T     T
      (The need|ful bits | and curbs | to headstrong weeds,)
        ,      2         T   T    T                ,    ,
      Which for this | fourteen years,| we have / let slip,
      ,        ,        T   T    Tx      2    ,
      Even | like an | oregrown lion | in a cave
             ,         ,         ,        2     ,     ,
      That goes | not out | to prey:| Now* as fond | fathers,
       ,              ,          ,    2      ,          ,
      Having | bound^up | the threat|ening twigs | of birch,
       ,          ,         ,           ,           ,
      Only | to stick | it in | their child|ren's sight,
           ,        ,        ,         ,         ,
      For ter|ror, not | to use:| in time | the rod
       .  T     T     T             ,         ,        ,
      Becomes more mocked,| than feared:| so our | decrees,
        ,           ,         ,          ,           ,
      Dead to | inflic|tion, to | themselves | are dead,
           ,     ,      ,     ,                 ,
      And lib|erty,| plucks just/ice by | the nose;
           ,      ,           ,           ,         ,
      The ba|by beats | the nurse,| and quite | athwart
            ,       ,    2
      Goes^all | decor|um.
 
FRIAR THOMAS
                               ,      ,          ,
                          It rest|ed in | your grace
        2    ,            ,       ,          ,           ,
      To unloose | this tied-|up just|ice, when | you pleased:
           ,       ,            ,         ,             ,
      And it | in you | more* dread|ful would | have seemed
          2     ,     ,  2
      Than in Lord | Angelo.
 
DUKE VINCENTIO
                              2      ,     T    T   T
                             I do* fear:| too dreadful:
              ,         ,          ,         ,        ,
      Sith^'twas | my fault,| to give | the peo|ple scope,
               ,       ,     ,         ,           ,        2->
      'Twould be | my ty|ranny | to strike | and gall | them,
       ,      2     ,          ,            ,        2     ,
      For what I | bid them | do: for,| we bid | this be done
           ,       ,       ,              ,         ,
      When ev|il deeds | have their | permis|sive pass,
           ,         ,     2       ,       2    ,         ,     2->
      And not | the pun|ishment: there|fore indeed |(my fath|er)
          ,        ,    ,       ,            x
      I have | on Ang|elo | imposed | the office,
           ,      2     ,   ,    2       T      T     T
      Who may | in the am|bush of my | name, strike home,
           ,        ,       ,      ,         ,
      And yet,| my na|ture nev|er in | the fight
          ,        ,        ,      2    ,          ,
      To do | in sland|er: And | to behold | his sway,
          ,     ,       2     ,        ,         ,
      I will,| as twere a | brother | of your | order,
       ,   2         ,           ,         ,      2     ,
      Visit both^|prince, and | people:| therefore I | prithee,
          ,         ,         ,       ,         ,        ->
      Supply | me with | the hab|it, and | instruct || me
       ,     2     ,      ,       ,        ,
      How | I may form|ally | in pers|on bear
        T  .   T    Tx           ,       ,          ,       ->
      Like a true friar:| More^reas|ons for | this ac||tion
        2        ,    ,         ,        ,       ,
      At our / more leis|ure, shall | I rend|er you;
       ,           ,          ,   2   ,        ,
      Only,| this one:| Lord^Ang|elo is | precise,
         ,     2      ,           ,        ,         ,
      Stands at a | guard with | envy:| scarce con|fesses
                   ,     ,      ,             ,     ,
      That his / blood flows:| or that | his ap|petite
           ,         ,            ,       ,               ,
      Is more | to bread | than stone:| hence shall | we see
          ,        ,      ,            2      ,       ,
      If pow|er change | purpose:| what our seem|ers be.
 
[Exeunt]

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