Claud. Sweet Hero! now thy image doth appear In the rare semblance that I loved it first.

Dog. Come, bring away the plaintiffs: by this time our sexton hath reformed Signior Leonato of the matter: and, masters, do not forget to specify, when time and place shall serve, that I am an

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Verg. Here, here comes master Signior Leonato, and the sexton too.

Re-enter LEONATO and ANTONIO, with the Sexton.

Leon. Which is the villain? let me see his

That, when I note another man like him,

may avoid him: which of these is he?

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Bora. If you would know your wronger, look on

Leon. Art thou the slave that with thy breath hast kill'd

Yea, even I alone.

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Leon. No, not so, villain; thou beliest thyself: Here stand a pair of honourable men;

A third is fled, that had a hand in it.

I thank you, princes, for my daughter's death:
Record it with your high and worthy deeds;
'Twas bravely done, if you bethink you of it.

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Claud. I know not how to pray your patience; Yet I must speak. Choose your revenge your

self;

Impose me to what penance your invention
Can lay upon my sin: yet sinn'd I not
But in mistaking.

And yet, to satisfy this good old man,

I would bend under any heavy weight

That he'll enjoin me to.

Leon. I cannot bid you bid my daughter live; That were impossible: but, I pray you both, Possess the people in Messina here

How innocent she died; and if your love
Can labour aught in sad invention,
Hang her an epitaph upon her tomb
And sing it to her bones, sing it to-night.
To-morrow morning come you to my house;
And since you could not be my son-in-law,

Be yet my nephew: my brother hath a daughter,
Almost the copy of my child that's dead,

And she alone is heir to both of us;

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266

270

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Give her the right you should have given her

cousin,

And so dies my revenge.

Claud.

O noble sir,

Your over-kindness doth wring tears from me!

I do embrace your offer; and dispose

For henceforth of poor Claudio.

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Leon. To-morrow, then, I will expect your com

ing;

To-night I take my leave. This naughty man

Shall face to face be brought to Margaret,

Leon. Until to-morrow morning, lords, farewell. Ant. Farewell, my lords: we look for you to

morrow.

D. Pedro. We will not fail.

Claud.

To-night I'll mourn with Hero.

Leon. [To the Watch] Bring you these fellows on.

We'll talk with Margaret,

How her acquaintance grew with this lewd fellow.

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[Exeunt severally.

SCENE II. LEONATO's garden.

Enter BENEDICK and MARGARET, meeting.

Bene. Pray thee, sweet Mistress Margaret, deserve well at my hands by helping me to the speech of Beatrice.

Marg. Will you, then, write me a sonnet in praise of my beauty?

Bene. In so high a style, Margaret, that no man living shall come over it; for, in most comely truth, thou deservest it.

7

Marg. To have no man come over me! why, shall I always keep below stairs?

Bene. Thy wit is as quick as the greyhound's mouth; it catches.

11

Marg. And yours as blunt as the fencer's foils, which hit, but hurt not.

Bene. A most manly wit, Margaret; it will not hurt a woman; and so, I pray thee, call Beatrice: I give thee the bucklers.

16

Marg. Give us the swords; we have bucklers of

Bene. If you use them, Margaret, you must put in the pikes with a vice; and they are dangerous weapons for maids.

Marg. Well, I will call Beatrice to you, who I think hath legs.

Bene. And therefore will come.

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25

I mean in singing; but in loving, Leander the good swimmer, Troilus the first employer of pandars, and a whole bookful of these quondam carpet-mongers, whose names yet run smoothly in the even road of a blank verse, why, they were never so truly turned over and over as my poor self in love. Marry, I cannot show it in rhyme; I have tried: I can find out no rhyme to 'lady' but 'baby,' an innocent rhyme; for 'scorn,' 'horn,' a hard rhyme; for 'school,' 'fool,' a babbling rhyme; very ominous endings: no, I was not born under a rhyming planet, nor I cannot woo in festival terms.

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Sweet Beatrice, wouldst thou come when I called thee?

Beat. Yea, signior, and depart when you bid me.