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The idea of her life fhall fweetly creep
Into his ftudy of imagination;

And every lovely organ of her life

Shall come apparel'd in more precious habit,
More moving-delicate, and full of life,

Into the eye and profpect of his foul,

Than when fhe liv'd indeed:-then fhall he mourn,
(If ever love had intereft in his liver, *)
And wifh he had not fo accufed her;
No, though he thought his accufation true.
Let this be fo, and doubt not but fuccefs
Will fafhion the event in better shape
Than I can lay it down in likelihood.
But if all aim but this be levell'd falfe,
The fuppofition of the lady's death
Will quench the wonder of her infamy:
And, if it fort not well, you may conceal hér
(As beft befits her wounded reputation,)
In fome reclufive and religious life,

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Out of all eyes, tongues, minds, and injuries.
BENE. Signior Leonato, let the friar advise you:
And though, you know, my inwardness and love
Is very much unto the prince and Claudio,
Yet, by mine honour, I will deal in this
As fecretly, and juftly, as your foul
Should with your body.

LEON.
The fmalleft twine

may

Being that I flow in grief, lead me.

2 If ever love had intereft in his liver,] The liver, in conformity to ancient fuppofition, is frequently mentioned by Shakspeare as the feat of love. Thus Pistol reprefents Falstaff as loving Mrs. Ford with liver burning hot." STEEVENS.

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my inwardnefs] i. e. intimacy. Thus Lucio, in Meafure for Meafure, speaking of the Duke, fays. I was an inward Again, in King Richard III:

of his."

"Who is most inward with the noble duke?" STEEVENS. 4 The smallest twine may lead me. This is one of our author's

FRIAR. 'Tis well confented; presently away;
For to ftrange fores ftrangely they ftrain the.

cure.

Come, lady, die to live: this wedding day, Perhaps, is but prolong'd; have patience, and endure.

[Exeunt FRIAR, HERO, and LEONATO.

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BENE. Lady Beatrice, have you wept all this while?

BEAT. Yea, and I will weep a while longer.
BENE. I will not defire that.

BEAT. You have no reafon, I do it freely. BENE. Surely, I do believe your fair cousin is wrong'd.

BEAT. Ah, how much might the man deferve of me, that would right her!

BENE. Is there any way to fhow fuch friendship? BEAT. A very even way, but no fuch friend. BENE. May a man do.it?

obfervations upon life. Men overpowered with distress, eagerly liften to the firft offers of relief, clofe with every fcheme, and believe every promife. He that has no longer any confidence in himself, is glad to repofe his truft in any other that will undertake to guide him. JOHNSON.

Lady Beatrice, &c.] The poet, in my opinion, has fhown a great deal of addrefs in this fcene. Beatrice here engages her lover to revenge the injury done her coufin Hero: and without this very natural incident, confidering the character of Beatrice, and that the ftory of her paffion for Benedick was all a fable, the could never have been easily or naturally brought to confefs fhe loved him, notwithstanding all the foregoing preparation.. And yet, on this confeffion, in this very place, depended the whole fuccefs of the plot upon her and Benedick. For had fhe not owned her love here, they must have foon found out the trick, and then the defign of bringing them together had been defeated; and fhe would never have owned a paffion she had been only tricked into, had not her defire of revenging her coufin's wrong made her drop her capricious humour at once. WARBURTON.

BEAT. It is a man's office, but not yours. BENE. I do love nothing in the world fo well as you; Is not that frange?

BEAT. As ftrange as the thing I know not: It were as poffible for me to fay, I loved nothing fo well as you: but believe me not; and yet I lie not; I confefs nothing, nor I deny nothing:-I am forry for my coufin.

BENE. By my fword, Beatrice, thou loveft me. BEAT. Do not fwear by it, and eat it.

BENE. I will fwear by it, that you love me; and I will make him eat it, that fays, I love not you. BEAT. Will you not eat your word?

BENE. With no fauce that can be devised to it:

I proteft, I love thee.

BEAT. Why then, God forgive me!

BENE. What offence, fweet Beatrice?

BEAT. You have flaid me in a happy hour; I

was about to proteft, I loved you.

BENE. And do it with all thy heart.

BEAT. I love you with fo much of my heart, that

none is left to proteft.

BENE. Come, bid me do any thing for thee.

BEAT. Kill Claudio.

BENE. Ha! not for the wide world.

BEAT. You kill me to deny it: Farewell.

BENE. Tarry, fweet Beatrice.

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BEAT. I am gone, though I am here; There is no love in you:-Nay, I pray you, let me go.

4 I am gone, though I am here;] i. e. I am out of your mind already, though I remain here in perfon before you. STEEVENS.

I cannot approve of Steevens's explanation of these words, and believe Beatrice means to fay, "I am gone," that is, "I am loft

BENE. Beatrice,

BEAT. In faith, I will go,

BENE. We'll be friends firft.

BEAT. You dare eafier be friends with me, than fight with mine enemy.

BENE. Is Claudio thine enemy?

BEAT. Is he not approved in the height a villain,' that hath flander'd, fcorn'd, difhonour'd my kinfwoman?-O, that I were a man!-What! bear her in hand until they come to take hands; and then with publick accufation, uncovered flander, unmitigated rancour, O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market-place.

BENE. Hear me, Beatrice.

BEAT. Talk with a man out at a window? — a proper faying!

BENE. Nay but, Beatrice;

BEAT. Sweet Hero! fhe is wrong'd, fhe is flander'd, fhe is undone.

BENE. Beat

BEAT. Princes, and counties!? Surely, a princely

to you, though I am here." In this fenfe Benedick takes them, and defires to be friends with her. M. MASON.

Or, perhaps, my affection is withdrawn from you, though I am yet here.

MALONE.

in the height a villain,] So, in King Henry VIII: "He's a traitor to the height."

In præcipiti vitium ftetit." Juv. I. 149.

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STEEVENS.

bear her in hand i. e. delude her by fair promises. So, in Macbeth:

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"How you were borne in hand, how cross'd," &c.

STEEVENS.

and counties!] County was the ancient general term for a nobleman. See a note on the County Paris in Romeo and Juliet.

STEEVENS,

VOL. VI.

Z

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teftimony, a goodly count-confe&t;' a sweet gallant, furely! O that I were a man for his fake! or that I had any friend would be a man for my fake! But manhood is melted into courtefies, valour into compliment, and men are only turned into tongue, and trim ones too: he is now as valiant as Hercules, that only tells a lie, and fwears it: I cannot be a man with wifhing, therefore I will die a woman with grieving.

-

BENE. Tarry, good Beatrice: By this hand, I love thee.

BEAT. Use it for my love fome other way than fwearing by it.

BENE. Think you in your foul, the count Claudio hath wrong'd Hero?

BEAT. Yea, as fure as I have a thought, ora foul. BENE. Enough, I am engaged, I will challenge him; I will kifs your hand, and fo leave you: By this hand, Claudio fhall render me a dear account: As you hear of me, fo think of me. Go, comfort your coulin: I muft fay, fhe is dead; and fo, fare

well.

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[Exeunt.

--a goodly count-confe&t; ] i. e. a fpecious nobleman made out of fugar.

STEEVENS.

into courtefies,] i. c. into ceremonious obeisance, likė the courtefes dropped by women. Thus, in Othello:

Very good; well kifs'd! an excellent courtesy!

Again, in King Richard III:

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"Duck with French nods, and apifh courtesy." STEEVENS. only turned into tongue, and trim ones too:] tongues, but he mistakes the conftruction of not only men but trim ones, are turned only common, but clever men, &c.

and men are Mr. Heath would read the fentence, which is into tongue, i. c. not

STEEVENS.

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