D.John. Grow this to what adverse issue it can, I will put it in practice: Be cunning in the working this, and thy fee is a thousand ducats.

Bora. Be you constant in the accusation, and my cunning shall not shame me.

D.John. I will presently go learn their day of mar

riage.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III.

LEONATO's Garden.

Enter BENEDICK and a Boy.

Bene. Boy,

Boy. Signior.

Bene. In my chamber-window lies a book; bring it hither to me in the orchard. 9

Boy. I am here already, sir.

Bene. I know that ;-but I would have thee hence, and here again. [Exit Boy.]—I do much wonder, that one man, seeing how much another man is a fool when he dedicates his behaviours to love, will, after he hath laughed at such shallow follies in others, become the argument of his own scorn, by falling in love: And such a man is Claudio. I have known, when there was no music with him but the drum and fife; and now had he rather hear the tabor and the pipe: I have known, when he would have walked ten mile afoot, to see a good armour; and now will he lie ten nights awake, carving the fashion of a new doublet. He was wont to speak plain, and to the purpose, like an honest man, and a soldier,; and now is he turn'd orthographer; his words are a very fantastical banquet, just so many strange dishes. May I be so converted, and see with these eyes? I cannot tell; I think not: I will not be sworn, but love may transform me to an oyster; but I'll take my oath on it, till he have made an oyster of me, he shall never make me such a fool. One woman is fair; yet I am well another is wise; yet I am well: another virtuous; yet I am well: But till all graces be in one woman, one woman shall not come in my grace. Rich she shall be, that's certain; wise, or I'll none; virtuous, or I'll never cheapen her; fair, or I'll never look on her; mild, or come not near me; noble, or not I for an angel; of good discourse, an excellent musician, and her hair shall be of what colour

[9] Gardens were anciently called orchards.

STEEVENS.

it please God. Ha! the prince and monsieur Love! I will hide me in the arbour. [Withdraws.

Enter Don PEDRO, LEONATO, and CLAUDIO. D.Pedro. Come, shall we hear this music?

Claud. Yea, my good lord :-how still the evening is, As hush'd on purpose to grace harmony!

D.Pedro. See you where Benedick hath hid himself? Claud. O, very well, my lord: the music ended, We'll fit the kid-fox with a penny-worth.2 Enter BALTHAZAR, with music.

D.Pedro. Come, Balthazar, we'll hear that song again.
Balth. O good my lord, tax not so bad a voice
To slander music any more than once.

D.Pedro. It is the witness still of excellency,
To put a strange face on his own perfection :-
I pray thee, sing, and let me woo no more.

Balth. Because you talk of wooing, I will sing:
Since many a wooer doth commence his suit
To her he thinks not worthy; yet he woos;
Yet will he swear, he loves.

D.Pedro. Nay, pray thee, come :
Or, if thou wilt hold longer argument,
Do it in notes.

Balth. Note this before my notes,

There's not a note of mine that's worth the noting.
D.Pedro. Why, these are very crotchets that he speaks;
Note, notes, forsooth, and noting!
[Music.

Bene. Now, divine air! now is his soul ravished !-Is it not strange, that sheep's guts should hale souls out of men's bodies?-Well, a horn for my money, when all's done.

[1] Perhaps Benedick alludes to a fashion, very common in the time of Shakspeare, that of dying the hair. STEEV.

The practice of dying the hair was one of those fashions so frequent be fore and in Queen Elizabeth's time, as to be thought worthy of particular animadversion from the pulpit. In the Homily against excess of apparel, b. 1. 1547, after mentioning the common excuses of some nice and vain women for painting their faces, dying their hair &c. the preacher breaks out into the following invective: Who can paynte her face, and curle her heere, and chaunge it into an unnaturall coloure, but therein doth worke reprofe to her Maker who made her? as thoughe she coulde make herselfe more come lye than God hath appoynted the measure of her beautie. What do these women but go about to refourme that which God hath made? not know yng that all thynges naturall is the worke of God: and thynges disguised and unnatural be the workes of the devyll," &c. REED. In As you like

[2] A kid-fox seems to be no more than a young fox or cub. it, we have the expression of-two dog-abes. RITSON.

Sing no more ditties, sing no mo'
Of dumps so dull and heavy ;
The fraud of men was ever so,
Since summer first was leavy.
Then sigh not so, &c.

D.Pedro. By my troth, a good song.
Balth. And an ill singer, my lord.

D. Pedro. Ha no; no, faith; thou singest well enough for a shift.

Bene. [Aside.] An he had been a dog, that should have howled thus, they would have hanged him: and, I pray God, his bad voice bode no mischief! I had as lief have heard the night-raven, 'come what plague could have come after it.

D.Pedro. Yea, marry; [To CLAUDIO.]-Dost thou hear, Balthazar? I pray thee, get us some excellent music; for to-morrow night we would have it at the lady Hero's chamber-window.

Balth. The best I can, my lord.

D.Pedro. Do so: farewell. [Exe. BALTH. and music.] -Come hither, Leonato: What was it you told me of to-day, that your niece Beatrice was in love with signior Benedick?

Claud. O, ay :-Stalk on, stalk on ;3 the fowl sits. [Aside to PEDRO.] I did never think that lady would have loved any man.

Leon. No, nor I neither; but most wonderful, that

[3] This is an allusion to the stalking-horse; a horse either real or factitious, by which the fowler anciently sheltered himself from the sight of the game.

STEEV.

she should so dote on signior Benedick, whom she hath in all outward behaviours seem'd ever to abbor.

Bene. Is't possible? Sits the wind in that corner? [Aside. Leon. By my troth, my lord, I cannot tell what to think of it; but that she loves him with an enraged affection,-it is past the infinite of thought.

D.Pedro. May be, she doth but counterfeit.

Claud. 'Faith, like enough.

Leon. O God! counterfeit ! There never was counterfeit of passion came so near the life of passion, as she discovers it.

D.Pedro. Why, what effects of passion shows she? Claud. Bait the hook well; this fish will bite. [Aside. Leon. What effects, my lord! She will sit you,You heard my daughter tell you how.

Claud. She did, indeed.

D.Pedro. How, how, I pray you? You amaze me: I would have thought her spirit had been invincible against all assaults of affection.

Leon. I would have sworn it had, my lord; especially against Benedick.

Bene. [Aside.] I should think this a gull, but that the white-bearded fellow speaks it: knavery cannot, sure, hide himself in such reverence.

Claud. He hath ta'en the infection; hold it up. [Aside. D.Pedro. Hath she made her affection known to Benedick?

Leon. No; and swears she never will: that's her torment.

Claud. 'Tis true, indeed; so your daughter says: Shall I, says she, that have so oft encountered him with scorn, write to him that I love him?

Leon. This says she now when she is beginning to write to him for she'll be up twenty times a night; and there will she sit in her smock, till she have writ a sheet of paper --my daughter tells us all.

Claud. Now you talk of a sheet of paper, I remember a pretty jest your daughter told us of.

Leon. O,-when she had writ it, and was reading it over, she found Benedick and Beatrice between the sheet?

Claud. That.

Leon. O she tore the letter into a thousand halfpence; railed at herself, that she sould be so immodest to write

to one that she knew would flout her: I measure him, says she, by my own spirit; for I should flout him, if he writ to me; yea, though I love him, I should.

Claud. Then down upon her knees she falls, weeps, sobs, beats her heart, tears her hair, prays, curses ;sweet Benedick! God give me patience!

Leon. She doth, indeed; my daughter says so and the ecstasy hath so much overborne her, that my daughter is sometime afraid she will do a desperate outrage to herself; It is very true.

D.Pedro. It were good, that Benedick knew of it by some other, if she will not discover it.

Claud. To what end? He would but make a sport of it, and torment the poor lady worse.

D.Pedro. An he should, it were an alms to hang him: She's an excellent sweet lady; and, out of all suspicion, she is virtuous.

Claud. And she is exceeding wise.

D.Pedro. In every thing, but in loving Benedick.

Leon. O my lord, wisdom and blood combating in so tender a body, we have ten proofs to one, that blood hath the victory.4 I am sorry for her, as I have just cause, being her uncle and her guardian.

D.Pedro. I would, she had bestowed this dotage on me; I would have daff'd all other respects, and made her half myself: I pray you, tell Benedick of it, and hear what he will say.

Leon. Were it good, think you?

Claud. Hero thinks surely, she will die: for she says, she will die if he love her not; and she will die ere she make her love known; and she will die if he woo her, rather than she will bate one breath of her accustomed crossness.

D.Pedro. She doth well: if she should make tender of her love, 'tis very possible he'll scorn it; for the man, as you know all, hath a contemptible spirit."

Claud. He is a very proper man.

D.Pedro. He hath, indeed, a good outward happiness,
Claud. 'Fore God, and in my mind, very wise.

D.Pedro. He doth, indeed, show some sparks that are like wit.

[4] Blood is here, as in many other places, used by our author in the sense of passion, or rather temperament of body. MALONE.

[5] To daff is the same as to doff, to de off, to put aside.

STEEV.

[6] ie. a temper inclined to scorn and contempt. It has been before remarked, that our author uses his verbal adjectives with great licence. JOHNS.

26 VOL. II.