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Measure for Measure

Act I, Scene 4

A nunnery.
 
[Enter ISABELLA and FRANCISCA]
 
ISABELLA
            ,          ,        ,         ,   2  ,
      And have | you nuns | no farth|er priv|ileges?
 
FRANCISCA
           ,            ,        ,
      Are not | these large | enough?
 
ISABELLA
      <- ___    ,       T   T    T     ,     ,        __
         Yes | truly;|| I speak not | as de|siring | more,
            ,       ,            ,     ,          ,
      But rath|er wish|ing a / more strict | restraint
        ,         ,       ,         ,    2           ,     ,
      Upon | the sis|terhood,| the vot|arists^of / Saint Clare.  ??
 
LUCIO [Within]
      __     ,        ,           ,     oo
      Ho?| Peace wi|thin this | place.|
 
ISABELLA
             ,             ,
     Who's that | which calls?  \\
 
FRANCISCA
        2         ,     ,       ,      ,    ,
      It is a / man's voice:| Gentle | Isa|bella,
        ,     2       ,           ,         ,          ,
      Turn you the | key, and | know his | business | of him;
       T   T   T         ,       2     ,        ,
      You may; I | may* not:| you are yet | unsworn:  ??
            ,           ,                ,    ,           ,
      When you | have vowed,| you must^/not speak | with men,
           ,         ,        ,        ,     ,
      But^in | the pres|ence of | the pri|oress;
            ,         ,                ,    ,           ,
      Then if | you speak,| you must^/not show | your face;
          ,         ,           ,               ,    ,
      Or if | you show | your face,| you must^/not speak:
           ,        ,        ,         ,       ,
      He calls | again:| I pray | you ans|wer him.
 
[Exit]
 
ISABELLA
        ,              ,    ,         x            ,
      Peace and | prosper|ity:| Who is it | that calls?
 
[Enter LUCIO]
 
LUCIO
        ,   ,                  ,     2        ,     ,
      Hail vir/gin, (if | you be)| as those cheek-|roses
           ,          ,         ,     ,     2       ,
      Proclaim | you are | no less:| can you so*| stead me,
           ,      ,   2        ,        ,    ,
      As bring | me to the | sight of | Isa|bella,
         ,       ,          ,        2      ,     ,
      A nov|ice of | this place,| and the fair | sister
                , ,       ,        ,    ,
      To her / unhap|py broth|er Claud|io?
 
ISABELLA
       ,           ,      ,         ,        ,
      Why her | unhap|py broth|er? Let | me ask,
           ,       ,       ,           ,          ,
      The rath|er for | I now | must make | you know
      ,   2       ,    ,       ,         ,
      I am that | Isa|bella,| and his | sister.
 
LUCIO
       ,    2        ,           ,          ,        ,
      Gentle and | fair: your | brother | kindly | greets you;
       ,    2      ,        ,          ,        ,
      Not to be | weary | with you;| he's in | prison.
 
ISABELLA
      __    __         ,
      Woe | me;| for what?  \\
 
LUCIO
            ,           ,       ,           ,         ,
      For that,| which^if | myself | might be | his judge,
            ,         ,          ,       ,          ,
      He should | receive | his pun|ishment,| in thanks:
       ,         ,           ,           ___    oo
      He hath | got his | friend with | child.|
 
ISABELLA
      ___     ,        ,          ,      ii
      Sir,| make me | not your | story.|
 
LUCIO
             ,     2       ,             ,      2   ,   2   ,
      'Tis true;| I would not,| though 'tis | my famil|iar sin,
             ,          ,         ,    ,              ,
      With maids | to seem | the lap|wing, and | to jest
         ,                 ,       ,               ,        ,
      Tongue, far*| from heart:| play with | all* vir|gins so:  ??
          ,     ,    2      ,        ,            ,
      I hold | you as a | thing en|skyed, and | sainted,
           ,         ,          ,      ,         x
      By your | renounce|ment, an | immort|al spirit
       ,             ,           ,       ,    ,
      And to | be talked | with^in | since|rity,
           ,        ,
      As with | a saint.  \\
 
ISABELLA
           ,         ,           ,         ,       ,
      You do | blaspheme | the good,| in mock|ing me.
 
LUCIO
          ,           x      ,              ,            ,
      Do not | believe it:| fewness,| and truth;| 'tis thus,
             ,        ,         ,       ,         ,
      Your broth|er, and | his lov|er have | embraced;
           ,            ,            ,         ,    2      ,
      As those | that feed,| grow* full:| as blos|soming time
             ,          ,                ,   ,         ,
      That from | the seed|ness, the / bare fal|low brings
           ,         x       2   ,         ,    2     ,
      To teem|ing foison:| even so | her plent|eous womb
          ,               ,    ,          ,      ,
      Expres|seth his / full tilth,| and hus|bandry.
 
ISABELLA
            ,           ,         ,          x      ,  2
      Some^one | with child | by him?| My cousin | Juliet*?
 
LUCIO
       T  T    T     ,
      Is she your | cousin?   \\
 
ISABELLA
        ,      ,    .    T    T      T             ,
      Adopt|edly,| as schoolmaids change | their names
           ,            ,       ,
      By vain,| though apt | affec|tion.
 
LUCIO
                                         ,        ,
                                        She | it is.
 
ISABELLA
       ,             ,      ,
      Oh, let | him mar|ry her.
 
LUCIO
                                 ,             ,
                               This is | the point.
            ,        ,       ,         ,           ,
      The duke | is ve|ry strange|ly gone | from hence;
             ,      ,    2         ,   ,      ,
      Bore* ma|ny gent|lemen (my/self be|ing one)
           ,          ,        ,        ,      2      ,
      In hand,| and hope | of ac|tion: but | we do learn,
           ,            ,         ,       ,          ,
      By those | that know | the ve|ry nerves | of state,
           ,        ,      ,    2      ,  2       ,
      His giv|ings-out,| were of an | infinite | distance
                   ,    ,         ,      ,          ,
      From his / true-meant | design:| upon | his place,
                    ,    ,        ,       ,     ,
      (And with / full line | of his | author|ity)
       ,              ,    ,      ,            ,
      Governs | Lord^Ang|elo;| a man,| whose blood
          ,      ,     ,               ,       ,
      Is ve|ry snow-|broth: one*| who nev|er feels
           ,         ,          ,        ,         ,
      The want|on stings,| and mo|tions of | the sense;
            ,        ,          ,          ,         ,
      But doth | rebate,| and blunt | his na|tural edge
             ,       ,         ,     ,            ,
      With prof|its of | the mind:| study,| and fast
       ,              ,        ,         ,     ,
      He (to | give^fear | to use,| and lib|erty,
              ,          ,     ,            ,   2    ,
      Which have,| for long | run by | the hid|eous law,
           ,        ,                ,    ,        ,
      As mice,| by li|ons) hath / picked out | an act,
       ,             ,       ,            ,          ,
      Under | whose hea|vy sense,| your broth|er's life
        ,          ,         ,       ,           x
      Falls in|to for|feit: he | arrests | him on it,
           ,         ,          ,       2       ,   ,
      And fol|lows close | the rig|or of the / statute
           ,     ,    2    ,       T    T   .   T
      To make | him an ex|ample:| all hope is gone,
          ,          ,          ,                 ,     x
      Unless | you have | the grace,| by your / fair prayer
          ,       ,    ,          ,          ,         ,       ->
      To sof|ten Ang|elo:| and that's | my pith || of bus|iness
          ,     ,                ,     ,
      'Twixt | you, and | your poor | brother.
 
ISABELLA
        ,       __
      Doth he | so,
        ,          ,
      Seek his | life?  (di with prev)
 
LUCIO
            ,        ,        ,
      Has cens|ured him | alread|y,  \\
       ,    2      ,          ,          ,       ,
      And as I | hear, the | provost | hath a | warrant
       ,         ,   ,
      For his | exe|cution.
 
ISABELLA
                              ,           ,
                            Alas:| what poor
        ,     ,        ,       ,         ,
      Abil|ity's | in me,| to do | him good.
 
LUCIO
       ,            x           ,
      Assay | the power | you have.  \\
 
ISABELLA
           x       ,        ,
      My power?| Alas,| I doubt.
 
LUCIO
                                        ,           ,       2->
                                 Our doubts | are trai||tors
            ,         ,          ,        ,           ,
      And make | us lose | the good | we oft | might win,
           ,        2     ,     ,     2      ,    ,
      By fear|ing to at/tempt: go | to Lord^Ang|elo
           ,          ,          ,           ,       ,
      And let | him learn | to know,| when maid|ens sue
            ,           ,          ,           ,          ,
      Men^give | like^gods:| but when | they weep | and kneel,
       ,             ,         ,         ,        ,
      All their | peti|tions, are | as free|ly theirs
           ,           ,            ,
      As they | themselves | would owe | them.  \\
 
ISABELLA
            ,         ,        ,
      I'll see | what I | can do.  \\
 
LUCIO
            ,     ,
      But spee|dily.
 
ISABELLA
                     ,           ,           ,
                     I will | about | it straight;
           ,         x      ,         ,         ,
      No long|er staying,| but to | give the | mother
       ,    2      ,      ,        ,         ,
      Notice of | my af|fair: I | humbly | thank you:
           ,        ,       ,          ,         ,
      Commend | me to | my broth|er: soon | at night
             ,         ,         ,        ,        ,
      I'll send | him cert|ain word | of my | success.
 
LUCIO
          ,         ,         ,
      I take | my leave | of you.
 
ISABELLA
                                       ,       ,
                                 Good sir,| adieu.
 
[Exeunt]

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