Friar. There is some strange misprision in the princes. Bene. Two of them have the very bent of honor: And if their wisdoms be misled in this, Leon. I know not. If they speak but truth of her, These hands shall tear her; if they wrong her honor, The proudest of them shall well hear of it, Nor fortune made such havoc of my means, 200 Pause awhile, And let my counsel sway you in this case. Your daughter here the princes left for dead: Let her awhile be secretly kept in, And publish it that she is dead indeed; 210 Leon. What shall become of this? what will this do? Friar. Marry, this well carried shall on her behalf Change slander to remorse; that is some good: And every lovely organ of her life Shall come apparell'd in more precious habit, More moving-delicate and full of life, 230 Into the eye and prospect of his soul, [mourn, Is 240 Come, lady, die to live: this wedding-day Perhaps is but prolong'd: have patience and endure. [Exeunt all but Benedick and Beatrice. Bene. Lady Beatrice, have you wept all this while? Beat. Yea, and I will weep awhile longer. Beat. You have no reason; I do it freely. 260 Bene. Surely I do believe your fair cousin is wronged. Beat. Ah, how much might the man deserve of me that would right her! [ship? Bene. Is there any way to show such friendBeat. A very even way, but no such friend. Bene. May a man do it? Beat. It is a man's office, but not yours. Bene. I do love nothing in the world so well as you: is not that strange? 270 Beat. As strange as the thing I know not. It were as possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as you: but believe me not; and yet lie not; I confess nothing, nor I deny nothing. I am sorry for my cousin. Bene. By my sword, Beatrice, thou lovest me. Beat. Do not swear, and eat it. Bene. I will swear by it that you love me; and I will make him eat it that says I love not you. Beat. Will you not eat your word? 280 Bene. With no sauce that can be devised to it. Beat. Is he not approved in the height a vil lain, that hath slandered, scorned, dishonored my kinswoman? O that I were a man! What, bear her in hand until they come to take hands; and then, with public accusation, uncovered slander, unmitigated rancor,-O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market-place. Bene. Hear me, Beatrice, 310 Beat. Talk with a man out at a window! A proper saying! Sex. Master constable, you go not the way Beat. Sweet Hero! She is wronged, she is to examine: you must call forth the watch that slandered, she is undone. Bene. Nay, but Beatrice, Bene. Beat Beat. Princes and counties! Surely, a princely testimony, a goodly count, Count Comfect; a sweet gallant, surely! O that I were a man for his sake! or that I had any friend would be a man for my sake! But manhood is melted into courtesies, valor 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 swears it. I cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will die a woman with grieving. Bene. Tarry, good Beatrice. By this hand, I love thee. Beat. Use it for my love some other way than swearing by it. 330 Bene. Think you in your soul the Count Claudio hath wronged Hero? Beat. Yea, as sure as I have a thought or a soul. Bene. Enough, I am engaged; I will challenge him. I will kiss your hand, and so I leave you. By this hand, Claudio shall render me a dear account. As you hear of me, so think of me. Go, comfort your cousin: I must say she is dead: and so farewell. [Exeunt. 340 SCENE II. A prison. Enter DOGBERRY, VERGES, and SEXTON, in gowns; and the Watch, with CONRADE and BORACHIO. Dog. Is our whole dissembly appeared? Verg. O, a stool and a cushion for the sexton. Sex. Which be the malefactors? Dog. Marry, that am I and my partner. Verg. Nay, that's certain; we have the exhibition to examine. Sex. But which are the offenders that are to be examined? let them come before master constable. Dog Yea, marry, let them come before me. What is your name, friend? Bora. Borachio. 11 Dog. Write down, that they hope they serve God and write God first; for God defend but God should go before such villains! Masters, it is proved already that you are little better than false knaves; and it will go near to be thought so shortly. How answer you for yourselves? Con. Marry, sir, we say we are none. Dog. A marvellous witty fellow, I assure you; but I will go about with him. Come you hither, sirrah; a word in your ear: sir, I say to you, it is thought you are false knaves. 30 Bora. Sir, I say to you we are none. Dog. Well, stand aside. 'Fore God, they are both in a tale. Have you writ down, that they are none? are your accusers. Dog. Yea, marry, that's the eftest way. Let the watch come forth. Masters, I charge you, in the prince's name, accuse these men. First Watch. This man said, sir, that Don John, the prince's brother, was a villain. 40 Dog. Write down Prince John a villain. Why, this is flat perjury, to call a prince's brother villain. Bora. Master constable, Dog. Pray thee, fellow, peace: I do not like thy look, I promise thee. Sex. What heard him say you else? Sec. Watch. Marry, that he had received a thousand ducats of Don John for accusing the Lady Hero wrongfully. 51 Dog. Flat burglary as ever was committed. First Watch. And that Count Claudio did mean, upon his words, to disgrace Hero before the whole assembly, and not marry her. Dog. O villain! thou wilt be condemned into everlasting redemption for this. Ser. What else? Watch. This is all. 60 Sex. And this is more, masters, than you can deny: Prince John is this morning secretly stolen away; Hero was in this manner accused, in this very manner refused, and upon the grief of this suddenly died. Master constable, let these men be bound, and brought to Leonato's: I will go before and show him their examination. Dog. Come, let them be opinioned. [Exit. 70 Dog. God's my life, where's the sexton? let him write down the prince's officer coxcomb. Come, bind them. Thou naughty varlet! Con. Away! you are an ass, you are an ass. Dog. Dost thou not suspect my place? dost thou not suspect my years? O that he were here to write me down an ass! But, masters, remember that I am an ass; though it be not written down, yet forget not that I am an ass. No, thou villain, thou art full of piety, as shall be proved upon thee by good witness. I am a wise fellow, and, which is more, an officer, and, which is more, a householder, and, which is more, as pretty a piece of flesh as any is in Messina, and one that knows the law, go to; and a rich fellow enough, go to; and a fellow that hath had losses, and one that hath two gowns and every thing handsome about him. Bring him away. "O that I had been writ down an ass! [Exeunt. 90 ACT V. SCENE I. Before LEONATO's house. Enter LEONATO and ANTONIO. Ant. If you go on thus, you will kill yourself; And 'tis not wisdom thus to second grief Against yourself. Leon. I pray thee, cease thy counsel, Which falls into mine ears as profitless As water in a sieve: give not me counsel; 10 Nor let no comforter delight mine ear groan, Patch grief with proverbs, make misfortune drunk But there is no such man: for, brother, men 20 30 I will be flesh Leon. I pray thee, peace. and blood; For there was never yet philosopher That could endure the toothache patiently, However they have writ the style of gods And made a push at chance and sufferance. Ant. Yet bend not all the harm upon yourself; Make those that do offend you suffer too. Leon. There thou speak'st reason: nay, I will do so. 40 My soul doth tell me Hero is belied; Enter DON PEDRO and CLAUDIO. Good day to both of you. Are you so hasty now? well, all is one. D. Pedro. Nay, do not quarrel with us, good old man. 50 Ant. If he could right himself with quarrelling, Some of us would lie low. 60 I speak not like a dotard nor a fool, I say thou hast belied mine innocent child: Thy slander hath gone through and through her heart, And she lies buried with her ancestors; Leon. 70 Thine, Claudio; thine, I say. D. Pedro. You say not right, old man. Leon. I'll prove it on his body, if he dare, Claud. Away! I will not have to do with you. Leon. Canst thou so daff me? Thou hast kill'd my child: If thou kill'st me, boy, thou shalt kill a man. Sir boy, I'll whip you from your foining fence; Ant. Content yourself. God knows I loved my niece; And she is dead, slander'd to death by villains, 90 Ant. Hold you content. What, man! I know them, yea, And what they weigh, even to the utmost scruple, Scambling, out-facing, fashion-monging boys, Leon. But, brother Antony,- Come, 'tis no matter: 100 My heart is sorry for your daughter's death: D. Pedro. I will not hear you. Leon. No? Come, brother; away! I will be heard. [it Ant. And shall, or some of us will smart for [Exeunt Leonato and Antonio. D. Pedro. See, see; here comes the man we went to seek. Enter BENEDICK. Claud. Now, signior, what news? 110 |