ANTHONY:  That guise, cousin, you must hold on boldly still.  For I purpose to give up my part in this matter, unless I make you yourself perceive both that every man universally is a very prisoner in very prison—­plainly, without any sophistry at all—­and also that there is no prince living upon earth who is not in a worse case prisoner by this general imprisonment that I speak of, than is many a simple ignorant wretch by that special imprisonment that you speak of.  And beside this, that in this general imprisonment that I speak of, men are for the time that they are in it, so sore handled and so hardly and in such painful wise, that men’s hearts have with reason great cause to abhor this hard handling that is in this imprisonment as sorely as they do the other that is in that.

VINCENT:  By my troth, uncle, these things would I fain see well proved.

ANTHONY:  Tell me, then, cousin, first by your troth:  If a man were attainted of treason or felony; and if, after judgment had been given of his death and it were determined that he should die, the time of his execution were only delayed till the king’s further pleasure should be known; if he were thereupon delivered to certain keepers and put up in a sure place out of which he could not escape—­would this man be a prisoner, or not?

VINCENT:  This man, quoth he?  Yea, marry, that would he be in very deed, if ever man were!

ANTHONY:  But now what if, for the time that were between his attainder and his execution, he were so favourably handled that he were suffered to do what he would, as he did while he was free—­to have the use of his lands and his goods, and his wife and his children to have license to be with him, and his friends leave at liberty to resort unto him, and his servants not forbidden to abide about him.  And add yet thereunto that the place were a great castle royal with parks and other pleasures in it, a very great circuit about.  Yes, and add yet, if you like, that he were suffered to go and ride also, both when he wished and whither he wished; only this one point always provided and foreseen, that he should ever be surely seen to, and safely kept from escaping.  So though he had never so much of his own will in the meanwhile (in all matters save escaping), yet he should well know that escape he could not, and that when he were called for, to execution and to death he should go.

Now, Cousin Vincent, what would you call this man?  A prisoner, because he is kept for execution?  Or no prisoner, because he is in the meanwhile so favourably handled and suffered to do all that he would, save escape?  And I bid you not here be hasty in your answer, but advise it well that you grant no such thing in haste as you would afterward at leisure mislike, and think yourself deceived.

VINCENT:  Nay, by my troth, uncle, this thing needeth no study at all, to my mind.  But, for all this favour showed him and all this liberty lent him, yet being condemned to death, and being kept for it, and kept with sure watch laid upon him that he cannot escape, he is all that while a very plain prisoner still.