To bring the guilty soul from purgatory.

DUCHESS
And when in purgatory thou seest my Lord

With that red star of blood upon his heart,
Tell him I sent thee hither.

GUIDO
O dear God!

MORANZONE
This is the woman, is it, whom you loved?

CARDINAL
Your Grace is very cruel to this man.

DUCHESS
No more than he was cruel to her Grace.

CARDINAL
Yet mercy is the sovereign right of princes.

DUCHESS
I got no mercy, and I give it not.

He hath changed my heart into a heart of stone,
He hath sown rank nettles in a goodly field,

He hath poisoned the wells of pity in my breast,
He hath withered up all kindness at the root;

My life is as some famine murdered land,
Whence all good things have perished utterly:

I am what he hath made me.
[The DUCHESS weeps.]

JEPPO
Is it not strange

That she should so have loved the wicked Duke?
MAFFIO

It is most strange when women love their lords,
And when they love them not it is most strange.

JEPPO
What a philosopher thou art, Petrucci!

MAFFIO
Ay! I can bear the ills of other men,

Which is philosophy.
DUCHESS

They tarry long,
These greybeards and their council; bid them come;

Bid them come quickly, else I think my heart
Will beat itself to bursting: not indeed,

That I here care to live; God knows my life
Is not so full of joy, yet, for all that,

I would not die companionless, or go
Lonely to Hell.

Look, my Lord Cardinal,
Canst thou not see across my forehead here,

In scarlet letters writ, the word Revenge?
Fetch me some water, I will wash it off:

'Twas branded there last night, but in the day-time
I need not wear it, need I, my Lord Cardinal?

Oh, how it sears and burns into my brain:
Give me a knife; not that one, but another,

And I will cut it out.
CARDINAL

It is most natural
To be incensed against the murderous hand

That treacherously stabbed your sleeping lord.
DUCHESS

I would, old Cardinal, I could burn that hand;
But it will burn hereafter.

CARDINAL
Nay, the Church

Ordains us to forgive our enemies.
DUCHESS

Forgiveness? what is that? I never got it.
They come at last: well, my Lord Justice, well.

[Enter the LORD JUSTICE.]
LORD JUSTICE

Most gracious Lady, and our sovereign Liege,
We have long pondered on the point at issue,

And much considered of your Grace's wisdom,
And never wisdom spake from fairer lips -

DUCHESS
Proceed, sir, without compliment.

LORD JUSTICE
We find,

As your own Grace did rightly signify,
That any citizen, who by force or craft

Conspires against the person of the Liege,
Is IPSO FACTO outlaw, void of rights

Such as pertain to other citizens,
Is traitor, and a public enemy,

Who may by any casual sword be slain
Without the slayer's danger; nay, if brought

Into the presence of the tribunal,
Must with dumb lips and silence reverent

Listen unto his well-deserved doom,
Nor has the privilege of open speech.

DUCHESS
I thank thee, my Lord Justice, heartily;

I like your law: and now I pray dispatch
This public outlaw to his righteous doom;

What is there more?
LORD JUSTICE

Ay, there is more, your Grace.
This man being alien born, not Paduan,

Nor by allegiance bound unto the Duke,
Save such as common nature doth lay down,

Hath, though accused of treasons manifold,
Whose slightest penalty is certain death,

Yet still the right of public utterance
Before the people and the open court;

Nay, shall be much entreated by the Court,
To make some formal pleading for his life,

Lest his own city, righteously incensed,
Should with an unjust trial tax our state,

And wars spring up against the commonwealth:
So merciful are the laws of Padua

Unto the stranger living in her gates.
DUCHESS

Being of my Lord's household, is he stranger here?
LORD JUSTICE

Ay, until seven years of service spent
He cannot be a Paduan citizen.

GUIDO
I thank thee, my Lord Justice, heartily;

I like your law.
SECOND CITIZEN

I like no law at all:
Were there no law there'd be no law-breakers,

So all men would be virtuous.
FIRST CITIZEN

So they would;
'Tis a wise saying that, and brings you far.

TIPSTAFF
Ay! to the gallows, knave.

DUCHESS
Is this the law?

LORD JUSTICE
It is the law most certainly, my liege.

DUCHESS
Show me the book: 'tis written in blood-red.

JEPPO
Look at the Duchess.

DUCHESS
Thou accursed law,

I would that I could tear thee from the state
As easy as I tear thee from this book.

[Tears out the page.]
Come here, Count Bardi: are you honourable?

Get a horse ready for me at my house,
For I must ride to Venice instantly.

BARDI
To Venice, Madam?

DUCHESS
Not a word of this,

Go, go at once. [Exit COUNT BARDI.]
A moment, my Lord Justice.

If, as thou sayest it, this is the law -
Nay, nay, I doubt not that thou sayest right,

Though right be wrong in such a case as this -
May I not by the virtue of mine office

Adjourn this court until another day?
LORD JUSTICE

Madam, you cannot stay a trial for blood.
DUCHESS

I will not tarry then to hear this man
Rail with rude tongue against our sacred person.

Come, gentlemen.
LORD JUSTICE

My liege,
You cannot leave this court until the prisoner

Be purged or guilty of this dread offence.
DUCHESS

Cannot, Lord Justice? By what right do you
Set barriers in my path where I should go?

Am I not Duchess here in Padua,
And the state's regent?

LORD JUSTICE
For that reason, Madam,

Being the fountain-head of life and death
Whence, like a mighty river, justice flows,

Without thy presence justice is dried up
And fails of purpose: thou must tarry here.

DUCHESS
What, wilt thou keep me here against my will?

LORD JUSTICE
We pray thy will be not against the law.

DUCHESS
What if I force my way out of the court?

LORD JUSTICE
Thou canst not force the Court to give thee way.

DUCHESS
I will not tarry. [Rises from her seat.]

LORD JUSTICE
Is the usher here?

Let him stand forth. [Usher comes forward.]
Thou knowest thy business, sir.

[The Usher closes the doors of the court, which are L., and when
the DUCHESS and her retinue approach, kneels down.]

USHER
In all humility I beseech your Grace

Turn not my duty to discourtesy,
Nor make my unwelcome office an offence.

DUCHESS
Is there no gentleman amongst you all

To prick this prating fellow from our way?
MAFFIO

[drawing his sword]
Ay! that will I.

• guilty [´gilti] a.有罪的；心虚的 (初中英语单词)
• sovereign [´sɔvrin] a.至高无上的 n.君主 (初中英语单词)
• wicked [´wikid] a.邪恶的；不道德的 (初中英语单词)
• forehead [´fɔrid] n.额，前部 (初中英语单词)
• scarlet [´skɑ:lit] n.猩红色 a.猩红的 (初中英语单词)
• sleeping [´sli:piŋ] n.&a.睡着(的) (初中英语单词)
• forgive [fə´giv] vt.原谅，谅解，宽恕 (初中英语单词)
• gracious [´greiʃəs] a.和蔼可亲的；任慈的 (初中英语单词)
• wisdom [´wizdəm] n.智慧，聪明，才智 (初中英语单词)
• traitor [´treitə] n.叛徒，卖国贼 (初中英语单词)
• privilege [´privilidʒ] n.特权 vt.给....特权 (初中英语单词)
• formal [´fɔ:məl] a.正式的；外表的 (初中英语单词)
• virtue [´və:tʃu:] n.美德；贞操；长处 (初中英语单词)
• sacred [´seikrid] a.神圣的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)
• goodly [´gudli] a.适意的；漂亮的 (高中英语单词)
• famine [´fæmin] n.饥荒 (高中英语单词)
• duchess [´dʌtʃis] n.公爵夫人；女公爵 (高中英语单词)
• philosopher [fi´lɔsəfə] n.哲学家；思想家；哲人 (高中英语单词)
• cardinal [´kɑ:dinəl] a.主要的 n.深红色 (高中英语单词)
• casual [´kæʒuəl] a.偶然的；临时的 (高中英语单词)
• allegiance [ə´li:dʒəns] n.忠诚，效忠 (高中英语单词)
• penalty [´penlti] n.刑罚；惩罚；障碍 (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• venice [´venis] n.威尼斯 (高中英语单词)
• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)
• beseech [bi´si:tʃ] v.恳求，哀求 (高中英语单词)
• amongst [ə´mʌŋst] prep.其中之一 =among (高中英语单词)
• murderous [´mə:dərəs] a.行凶的；势不可挡的 (英语四级单词)
• rightly [´raitli] ad.正义地；正确地 (英语四级单词)
• outlaw [´autlɔ:] n.歹徒 vt.将...放逐 (英语四级单词)
• righteous [´raitʃəs] a.正直的；正当的 (英语四级单词)
• unjust [ʌn´dʒʌst] a.不公平(正)的 (英语四级单词)
• gallows [´gæləuz] n.绞刑架 (英语四级单词)
• accursed [ə´kə:sid] a.被诅咒的；可憎的 (英语四级单词)
• humility [hju:´militi] n.谦逊，谦让 (英语四级单词)
• pertain [pə´tein] vi.附属，属于；关于 (英语六级单词)
• merciful [´mə:sifəl] a.仁慈的；宽大的 (英语六级单词)
• unwelcome [ʌn´welkəm] a.不受欢迎的 n.冷淡 (英语六级单词)