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'twas not fo; but, indeed, God forbid it fhould be fo. Claud. If my paffion change not fhortly, God forbid it fhould be otherwife.

Pedro. Amen, if you love her; for the lady is very well worthy.

Claud. You fpeak this to fetch me in, my Lord. Pedro. By my troth, I fpeak my thought. Claud. And, in faith, my Lord, I fpoke mine. Bene. And by two faiths and troths, my Lord, I speak mine.

Glaud. That I love her, I feel.

Pedro. That fhe is worthy, I know.

Bene. That I neither feel how fhe fhould be loved, nor know how the should be worthy, is the opinion that fire cannot melt out of me; I will die in it at the stake.

Pedro. Thou waft ever an obftinate heretic in the defpight of beauty.

Claud. And never could maintain his part, but in the force of his will.

Bene. That a woman conceived me, I thank her; that she brought me up, I likewife give her most humble thanks but that I will have a recheate winded in my forehead, or hang my bugle in an invifible baldric, all women shall pardon me; because I will not do them the wrong to miftruft any, I will do myself the right to truft none; and the fine is, (for the which I may go the finer), I will live a bachelor.

Pedro. I fhall fee thee, ere I die, look pale with love.

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Bene. "With anger, with fick nefs, or with hunger,

my Lord, not with love: prove, that ever I lofe more "blood with love, than I will get again with drink"ing, pick out mine eyes with a ballad-maker's pen, "and hang me up at the door of a brothel-houfe for "the fign of blind Cupid."

Pedro. Well, if ever thou doft fall from this faith, thou wilt prove a notable argument.

Bene. If I do, hang me in a bottle like a cat, and fhoot at me; and he that hits me, let him be clapt on the fhoulder, and call'd Adam *.

Alluding to one Adam Bell, a famous archer of old

Pedro. Well, as time fhall try; in time the favage bull doth bear the yoke.

Bene. The favage bull may; but if ever the fenfible Benedick bear it, pluck off the bull's horns, and fet them in my forehead, and let me be vilely painted ; and in fuch great letters as they write, Here is good horfe to hire, let them fignify under my fign, Here you may fee Benedick the marry'd man.

Claud. If this fhould ever happen, thou would'ft be horn-mad.

Pedro. Nay, if Cupid hath not spent all his quiver in Venice*, thou wilt quake for this shortly.

Bene. I look for an earthquake too then.

Pedro. Well, you will temporise with the hours; in the mean time, good Signior Benedick, repair to Leonato's, commend me to him, and tell him I will not fail him at fupper; for indeed he hath made great prepa

ration.

Bene. I have almoft matter enough in me for fuch an embaffage, and fo I commit you

Claud. To the tuition of God: From my house, if I had it,

Pedro. The fixth of July, your loving friend, Benedick.

Bene. Nay, mock not, mock not; the body of your difcourfe is fometime guarded with fragments, and the guards are but flightly beafted on neither: ere you flout old ends any further, examine your confcience, and fo I leave you. [Exit.

SCENE V.

Claud. My Liege, your Highnefs now may do me good. Pedro. My love is then to teach, teach it but how, And thou shalt fee how apt it is to learn

Any hard leffon that may do thee good.

*Befides that Venice is as remarkable for freedoms in amorous intrigues as Cyprus was of old, there may be a farther conjecture why this expreffion is here ufed. The Italians give to each of their principal cities a particular distinguishing title, as, Roma la fanta, Napoli la gentile, Genoua la fuperba, &c. and among the reft it is, Venetia la ricca, Venice the wealthy. A farcafm therefore seems to be here implied, that money governs love,

Claud. Hath Leonato any fon, my Lord?
Pedro. No child but Hero, she's his only heir:
Doft thou affect her, Claudio ?
Claud. O my Lord,

When you went onward on this ended action,
I look'd upon her with a foldier's eye;
That lik'd, but had a rougher task in hand
Than to drive liking to the name of love;
But now I am return'd, and that war-thoughts
Have left their places vacant; in their rooms
Come thronging foft and delicate defires,
All prompting me how fair young Hero is;
Saying, I lik'd her ere I went to wars.

cherish it,

Pedro. Thou wilt be like a lover presently
And tire the hearer with a book of words:
If thou doft love fair Hero,
And I will break with her and with her father,
And thou fhalt have her: was 't not to this end
That thou began'ft to twift fo fine a story?

Claud. How fweetly do you minifter to love,
That know love's grief by his complexion !
But left my liking might too fudden feem,
I would have falv'd it with a longer treatife.
Pedro. What need the bridge much broader than the
flood?

The fairest grant is the neceffity;

Look, what will ferve, is fit; 'tis once, thou lov'ft;
And I will fit thee with the remedy.

I know, we shall have revelling to-night;
I will affume thy part in fome disguise,
And tell fair Hero I am Claudio;
And in her bofom I'll unclafp my heart,
And take her hearing prisoner with the force
And ftrong encounter of my amorous tale:
Then, after, to her father will I break;
And the conclufion is, fhe fhall be thine.
In practice let us put it presently.

Re-enter Leonato and Antonio.

[Exeunt,

Leon. How now, brother, where is my coufin your fon? hath he provided this mufic?

Ant. He is very busy about it; but, brother, I can tell you news that you yet dream'd not of.

Leon. Are they good?

Ant. As the event ftamps them, but they have a good cover; they fhow well outward. The Prince and Count Claudio, walking in a thick-pleached alley in my orchard, were thus overheard by a man of mine : The Prince discover'd to Claudio, that he lov'd my niece your daughter, and meant to acknowledge it this night in a dance; and if he found her accordant, he meant to take the present time by the top, and inftantly break with you of it.

Leon. Hath the fellow any wit that told you this? Ant. A good fharp fellow; I will fend for him, and question him yourself.

Leon. No, no; we will hold it as a dream, till it appear itself: but I will acquaint my daughter withal, that she may be the better prepared for answer, if peradventure this be true; go you and tell her of it. Coufins, you know what you have to do. [Several cross the ftage here] O, I cry you mercy, friend, go you with me, and I will use your skill; good coufin, have a care this busy time. [Exeunt.

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Changes to an apartment in Leonato's house.
Enter Don John and Conrade.

Conr. What the good-jer, my Lord, why are you thus out of measure sad?

John. There is no measure in the occasion that breeds it, therefore the fadnefs is without limit.

Conr. You fhould hear reafon.

John. And when I have heard it, what bleffing bringeth it?

Conr. If not a prefent remedy, yet a patient fuffe

rance.

John. I wonder, that thou (being, as thou fay'st thou art, born under Saturn) goeft about to apply a moral medicine to a mortifying mischief. I cannot hide what I am I must be fad when I have caufe, and smile at no man's jefts; eat when I have ftomach, and wait

for no man's leifure; fleep when I am drowfy, and tend on no man's bufinefs; laugh when I am merry, and claw no man in his humour.

Conr. Yea, but you must not make the full show of this, till you may do it without controlement. You have of late stood out against your brother, and he hath ta'en you newly into his grace, where it is impoffible you should take root, but by the fair weather that you make yourself; it is needful that you frame the feason for your own harvest.

John. I had rather be a canker in a hedge, than a rofe in his grace; and it better fits my blood to be difdain'd of all, than to fashion a carriage to rob love from any in this (though I cannot be faid to be a flattering honeft man) it muft not be deny'd but I am a plain-dealing villain; I am trufted with a muzzel, and infranchised with a clog, therefore I have decreed not to fing in my cage: if I had my mouth, I would bite; if I had my liberty, I would do my liking: in the mean time let me be that I am, and feek not to al

ter me.

Conr. Can you make no use of your discontent? John. I will make all use of it, for I use it only. Who comes here? What news, Borachio?

Enter Borachio.

Bora. I came yonder from a great fupper; the Prince, your brother, is royally entertain'd by Leonato, and I can give you intelligence of an intended marriage.

John. Will it ferve for any model to build mischief on? what is he for a fool, that betrothes himself to unquietnefs?

Bora. Marry, it is your brother's right hand.

John. Who, the most exquifite Claudio?

Bora. Even he.

John. A proper Squire! and who, and who? which way looks he?

Bora. Marry, on Hero, the daughter and heir of Leonato.

John. A very forward March chick! How come you to this?

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