Speeches (Lines) for Elbow in "Measure for Measure"

Escalus. [Aside] Well, heaven forgive him! and forgive us all!
Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall:
Some run from brakes of ice, and answer none:
And some condemned for a fault alone.

Elbow. Come, bring them away: if these be good people in
a commonweal that do nothing but use their abuses in
common houses, I know no law: bring them away.

Angelo. How now, sir! What's your name? and what's the matter?

Elbow. If it Please your honour, I am the poor duke's
constable, and my name is Elbow: I do lean upon
justice, sir, and do bring in here before your good
honour two notorious benefactors.

Angelo. Benefactors? Well; what benefactors are they? are
they not malefactors?

Elbow. If it? please your honour, I know not well what they
are: but precise villains they are, that I am sure
of; and void of all profanation in the world that
good Christians ought to have.

Angelo. What are you, sir?

Elbow. He, sir! a tapster, sir; parcel-bawd; one that
serves a bad woman; whose house, sir, was, as they
say, plucked down in the suburbs; and now she
professes a hot-house, which, I think, is a very ill house too.

Escalus. How know you that?

Elbow. My wife, sir, whom I detest before heaven and your honour,--

Escalus. How? thy wife?

Elbow. Ay, sir; whom, I thank heaven, is an honest woman,--

Escalus. Dost thou detest her therefore?

Elbow. I say, sir, I will detest myself also, as well as
she, that this house, if it be not a bawd's house,
it is pity of her life, for it is a naughty house.

Escalus. How dost thou know that, constable?

Elbow. Marry, sir, by my wife; who, if she had been a woman
cardinally given, might have been accused in
fornication, adultery, and all uncleanliness there.

Escalus. By the woman's means?

Elbow. Ay, sir, by Mistress Overdone's means: but as she
spit in his face, so she defied him.

Pompey. Sir, if it please your honour, this is not so.

Elbow. Prove it before these varlets here, thou honourable
man; prove it.

Pompey. Once, sir? there was nothing done to her once.

Elbow. I beseech you, sir, ask him what this man did to my wife.

Escalus. He's in the right. Constable, what say you to it?

Elbow. First, an it like you, the house is a respected
house; next, this is a respected fellow; and his
mistress is a respected woman.

Pompey. By this hand, sir, his wife is a more respected
person than any of us all.

Elbow. Varlet, thou liest; thou liest, wicked varlet! the
time has yet to come that she was ever respected
with man, woman, or child.

Escalus. Which is the wiser here? Justice or Iniquity? Is
this true?

Elbow. O thou caitiff! O thou varlet! O thou wicked
Hannibal! I respected with her before I was married
to her! If ever I was respected with her, or she
with me, let not your worship think me the poor
duke's officer. Prove this, thou wicked Hannibal, or
I'll have mine action of battery on thee.

Escalus. If he took you a box o' the ear, you might have your
action of slander too.

Elbow. Marry, I thank your good worship for it. What is't
your worship's pleasure I shall do with this wicked caitiff?

Escalus. Truly, officer, because he hath some offences in him
that thou wouldst discover if thou couldst, let him
continue in his courses till thou knowest what they
are.

Elbow. Marry, I thank your worship for it. Thou seest, thou
wicked varlet, now, what's come upon thee: thou art
to continue now, thou varlet; thou art to continue.

Escalus. Come hither to me, Master Elbow; come hither, Master
constable. How long have you been in this place of constable?

Elbow. Seven year and a half, sir.

Escalus. I thought, by your readiness in the office, you had
continued in it some time. You say, seven years together?

Elbow. And a half, sir.

Escalus. Alas, it hath been great pains to you. They do you
wrong to put you so oft upon 't: are there not men
in your ward sufficient to serve it?

Elbow. Faith, sir, few of any wit in such matters: as they
are chosen, they are glad to choose me for them; I
do it for some piece of money, and go through with
all.

Escalus. Look you bring me in the names of some six or seven,
the most sufficient of your parish.

Elbow. To your worship's house, sir?

Isabella. I thank you for this comfort. Fare you well, good father.

Elbow. Nay, if there be no remedy for it, but that you will
needs buy and sell men and women like beasts, we
shall have all the world drink brown and white bastard.

Pompey. 'Twas never merry world since, of two usuries, the
merriest was put down, and the worser allowed by
order of law a furred gown to keep him warm; and
furred with fox and lamb-skins too, to signify, that
craft, being richer than innocency, stands for the facing.

Elbow. Come your way, sir. 'Bless you, good father friar.

Vincentio. And you, good brother father. What offence hath
this man made you, sir?

Elbow. Marry, sir, he hath offended the law: and, sir, we
take him to be a thief too, sir; for we have found
upon him, sir, a strange picklock, which we have
sent to the deputy.

Vincentio. Nay, if the devil have given thee proofs for sin,
Thou wilt prove his. Take him to prison, officer:
Correction and instruction must both work
Ere this rude beast will profit.

Elbow. He must before the deputy, sir; he has given him
warning: the deputy cannot abide a whoremaster: if
he be a whoremonger, and comes before him, he were
as good go a mile on his errand.

Vincentio. That we were all, as some would seem to be,
From our faults, as faults from seeming, free!

Elbow. His neck will come to your waist,--a cord, sir.

Lucio. Why, 'tis not amiss, Pompey. Farewell: go, say I
sent thee thither. For debt, Pompey? or how?

Elbow. For being a bawd, for being a bawd.

Lucio. Does Bridget paint still, Pompey, ha?

Elbow. Come your ways, sir; come.

Lucio. Then, Pompey, nor now. What news abroad, friar?
what news?

Elbow. Come your ways, sir; come.