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Pedro, and the Count Claudio, alone; tell them, that you know, Hero loves me; intend a kind of zeal both to the Prince and Claudio, (as in a love of your brother's honour who hath made this match;) and his friend's reputation, (who is thus like to be cozen'd with the femblance of a maid,) that you have discover'd thus; they will hardly believe this without trial; offer them inftances, which fhall bear no less likelihood than to see me at her chamber-window; hear me call Margaret, Hero; hear Margaret term me Borachio; and bring them to fee this, the very night before the intended wedding; for in the mean time I will fo fashion the matter, that Hero fhall be abfent; and there fhall appear fuch feeming truths of Hero's difloyalty, that jealousy fhall be call'd affurance, and all the preparation over

thrown.

John. Grow this to what adverse iffue it can, I will put it in practice; be cunning in the working this, and thy fee is a thousand ducats.

Bora. Be thou conftant in the accufation, and my cunning fhall not fhame me.

John. I will presently go learn their day of marriage.

[Exeunt. SCENE changes to Leonato's Orchard.

Enter Benedick, and a Boy.

OY

Bene. B Boy. Signior.

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

Boy. I am here already, Sir.

[Exit Boy. Bene. I know that, but I would have thee hence, and here again. I do much wonder, that one man, feeing how much another man is a fool, when he dedicates his behaviours to love, will, after he hath laught at fuch fhallow follies in others, become the argument of his own fcorn, by fall'ng in love! and fuch a man is Claudia. I have known, when there was no mufick with him

but

but the drum and the fife; and now had he rather hear the taber and the pipe; I have known, when he would have walk'd ten mile a-foot, to fee a good armour; and now will he lye ten nights awake, carving the fashion of a new doublet. He was wont to speak flain, and to the purpose, like an honeft man and a foldier; and now is he turn'd orthographer, his words are a very fantastical banquet, juft fo many ftrange dishes. May I be fo converted, and fee with thefe eyes? I cannot tell; I think not. I will not be fworn, but love may transform me to an oyfter; but I'll take my oath on it, 'till he have made an oyster of me, he shall never make me fuch a fool: one woman is fair, yet I am well; another is wife, 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 fhe fhall be, that's certain : (10) "wife, 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 difcourfe, an excellent musician, and her hair fhall be of what colour it pleafe God. Ha! the Prince and Monfieur Love! I will hide me in the arbour. [Withdraws.

Enter Don Pedro, Leonato, Claudio, and Balthazar.

Pedro. Come, fhall we hear this mufick? Claud. Yea, my good lord; how ftill the evening is, As hufh'd on purpofe to grace harmony!

Pedro. See you where Benedick hath hid himself? Claud. O very well, my lord; the mufick ended, We'll fit the kid-fox with a penny-worth,

Pedro. Come Balthazar, we'll hear that fong again.

(ro) " Wife, or I'll none; virtuous, or I'll never cheapen ber; fair, "or I'll never look on ber;] Thefe words, fays Mr. PoPE, are added out of the edition of 1623.- But they are likewife, before that, in the Quarto of 1600. They are alfo in the fecond and third impreffions in Folio; and in the two editions by Mr. Rowe. Where is it they are not then, that they are thus faid to be added by this wonderful Collator? They happen to be extant in the very first edition, that we know of; they keep their place in an edition publish'd 23 years after that; and therefore, Mr. Pope fays, they are added from this fubfequent edition.

B 4

Balth

Balth. O good my lord, tax not fo bad a voice To flander mufick any more than once.

Pedro. It is the witness ftill of excellency, To put a ftrange face on his own perfection; pray thee, fing; and let me woo no more.

I

Balth. Because you talk of wooing, I will fing
Since many a wooer doth commence his fuit
To her he thinks not worthy, yet he wooes;
Yet will he fwear, he loves.

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. Pedro. Why, these are very crotchets that he speaks, Note, notes, forfooth, and noting.

Bene. Now, divine air; now is his foul ravish'd! is it not ftrange, that sheep's guts should hale fouls out of mens bodies? well, a horn for my money, when allis done.

The SON G.

Balth. Sigh no more, ladies, figh no more,
Men were deceivers ever;

One foot in fea, and one on fhore,
To one thing constant never :
Then figh not fo, but let them go,
And be you blith and bonny;
Converting all your founds of woe
Into hey nony, nony.

Sing no more ditties, fing no mo,
Of dumps fo dull and heavy;
The frauds of men were ever 10,
Since fummer was first leafy :
Then figh not fo, &c.

Pedro. By my troth, a good fong.
Balth. And an ill finger, my lord.

Pedro. Ha, no; no, faith; thou fing'ft well enough

for a fhift,

Bene.

Bene. If he had been a dog, that should have howl'd thus, they would have hang'd him; and, I pray God, his bad voice bode no mifchief; I had as lief have heard the night-raven, come what plague could have come after it.

Pedro. Yea, marry, doft thou hear, Balthazar? I pray thee, get us fome excellent mufick; for to-morrow night we would have it at the lady Hero's chamber. window.

Balth. The best I can, my lord. [Exit Balthazar. Pedro. Do fo: farewell. 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;

-ftalk on, ftalk on, the fowl fits. I did never think, that lady would have loved any man.

Leon. No, nor I neither; but most wonderful, that the fhould fo doat on Signior Benedick, whom the hath. in all outward behaviours feem'd ever to abhor.

Bene. Is't poffible, fits the wind in that corner? [Afidė. Leon. By my troth, my lord, I cannot tell what to think of it; but that she loves him with an inraged affection, it is paft the infinite of thought.

Pedro. May be, she doth but counterfeit.
Claud. Faith, like enough.

Leon. O God! counterfeit? there was never coun terfeit of paffion came fo near the life of paffion, as she: difcovers it.

Pedro. Why, what effects of paffion fhews fhe?

Claud. Bait the hook well, this fifh will bite. [Afider. Leon. What effects, my lord? fhe will fit you, you, heard my daughter tell you how..

Claud. She did, indeed..

Pedro. How, how, I pray you? you amaze me: I would have thought, her fpirit had been invincible. against all affaults of affection.

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

Bene. [Afide.] I fhould think this agull, but that the white-bearded fellow fpeaks it; knavery cannot, fure, hide himself in-fuch reverence.

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Claud. He hath ta'en th' infection, hold it up. [Afide. Pedro. Hath fhe made her affection known to Benedick? Leon. No, and fwears the never will; that's her torment. Claud. 'Tis true, indeed, fo your daughter fays: fhall I, fays fhe, that have so oft encounter'd him with fcorn, write to him that I love him?

Leon. This fays fhe now, when she is beginning to write to him; for fhe'll be up twenty times a night, and there will fhe fit in her fmock, 'till fhe have writ a fheet of paper; my daughter tells us all.

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

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

Leon. (11) O, fhe tore the letter into a thousand halfpence; rail'd at herself, that she should be fo immodeft, to write to one that, fhe knew, wou'd flout her: I meafure him, says she, by my own fpirit, for I fhould flout him if he writ to me; yea, though I love him, I should.

Claud. Then down upon her knees fhe falls, weeps, fobs, beats her heart, tears her hair, prays, cuises; O fweet Benedick! God give me patience!

Leon. She doth, indeed, my daughter fays fo; and the ecstacy hath fo much overborn her, that my daughter is fometime afraid, she will do defperate outrage to herself; it is very true.

Pedro. It were good, that Benedick knew of it by fore other, if fhe will not discover it.

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

Pedro. If he fhould, it were an Alms to hang him;

(11) O, he tore the letter into a thorfand half-pence;] i. e. into a thoufand pieces of the fame bignefs. This is farther explain'd by a paffage in As you like it;

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There were none principal; they were all like one another as half-pence are.

In both places the poet alludes to the old filver penny which had a creafe running cross-quife over it, fo that it might be broke into two or fous equal picces, half-pence, or farthings.

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