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but that I will have a recheate winded in my forehead, or hang, my bugle in an invisible baldrick, all women hall pardon me; because I will not do them the wrong to miftruft any, I will do my felf the right to truft none and the fine is, for the which I may go the finer, I will live a batchelor.

Pedro. I fhall fee thee, ere I die, look pale with love.

Bene. With anger, with fickness, or with hunger, my Lord, not with love: prove that ever I lofe more blood with love, than I will get again with drinking, pick out. mine eyes with a ballad-maker's pen, and hang me up at the door of a brothel-house for the fign of blind Cupid.

Pedro. Well, if ever thou doft fall from this faith, thou wilt prove a notable argument.

Bene. If I do, hang me in a bottle like a cat, and shoot at me; and he that hits me, let him be clapt on the fhoulder, and call'd Adam. *

Pedro. Well, as time shall try; in time the favage bull doth bear the yoke.

Bene. The favage bull may, but if ever the fenfible Bed nedick bear it, pluck off the bull's horns, and fet them in my forehead, and let me be vilely painted; and in fuch great letters as they write, Here is good borfe to bire, let them fignifie under my fign, Here you may fee Benedick the marry'd man.

Claud. If this fhould ever happen, thou would'ft be horn-mad.

Pedro. Nay, if Cupid hath not spent all his quiver in Venice t, thou wilt quake for this shortly.

Bene. I look for an earthquake too then.

Pedro. Well, you will temporize with the hours; in the mean time, good Signior Benedick, repair to Leonato's, com

Alluding to one Adam Bell a famous archer of old.

+ Befides that Venice is as remarkable for freedoms in amorous intrigues as Cyprus was of old, there may be a farther conjecture why this expreffion is here ufed: The Italians give to each of their principal cities a particular diftinguishing title, as, Roma la fanta, Napoli la gentile, Genoua la fuperba, . and among the reft it is, Venetia la ricca, Venice the wealthy: A farcafim therefore feems to be here implied that mony governs Love.

mend

mend me to him, and tell him I will not fail him at fupper; for indeed he hath made great preparation.

Bene. I have almoft matter enough in me for fuch an embaffage, and fo commit you

Claud. To the tuition of God. From my houfe, if I had it,

Pedro. The fixth of July, your loving friend, Benedick. Bene. Nay, mock not, mock not; the body of your difcourfe is fometime guarded with fragments, and the guards are but flightly bafted on neither: ere you flout old ends any further, examine your confcience, and fo I leave you. [Exit.

SCENE V.

Claud. My Liege, your Highness now may do me good, Pedro. My love is thine to teach, teach it but how, And thou shalt see how apt it is to learn

Any hard leffon that may do thee good.

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Claud. Hath Leonato any fon, my Lord?

Pedro. No child but Hero, fhe's his only heir: Doft thou affect her, Claudio ?

Claud. O my Lord,

When you went onward on this ended action
I look'd upon her with a foldier's eye,
That lik'd, but had a rougher task in hand
Than to drive liking to the name of love;
But now I am return'd, and that war-thoughts
Have left their places vacant; in their rooms
Come thronging foft and delicate defires,
All prompting me how fair young Hero is,
Saying I lik'd her ere I went to wars.

Pedro. Thou wilt be like a lover presently,
And tire the hearer with a book of words:
If thou doft love fair Hero, cherish it,
And I'll break with her was't not to this end,
That thou began'ft to twift fo fine a story?

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Claud. How fweetly do you minifter to love,
That know love's grief by his complection!
But left my liking might too fudden feem,
I would have falv'd it with a longer treatise.

Pedro. What need the bridge much broader than the flood?

The

The faireft plea is the neceffity;

Look, what will ferve, is fit; 'tis once, thou loveft,

And I will fit thee with the remedy.

I know we shall have revelling to-night;
I will affume thy part in fome disguise,
And tell fair Hero I am Claudio,

And in her bofom I'll unclafp my heart,
And take her hearing prisoner with the force
And strong encounter of my amorous tale :
Then after to her father will I break,
And the conclufion is, fhe fhall be thine;
In practice let us put it presently.

Re-enter Leonato and Antonio.

[Exeunt.

Leon. How now, brother, where is my coufin your fon? hath he provided this musick?

Ant. He is very bufie about it; but, brother, I can tell you news that you yet dream'd not of. Leon. Are they good?

Ant. As the event ftamps them, but they have a good cover; they fhow well outward. The Prince and Count Claudio, walking in a thick pleached alley in my orchard, were thus over-heard by a man of mine: the Prince difcover'd to Claudio that he lov'd my neice your daughter, and meant to acknowledge it this night in a dance; and if he found her accordant, meant to take the prefent time by the top, and inftantly break with you of it.

Leon. Hath the fellow any wit that told you this? Ant. A good fharp fellow. I will fend for him, and question him your felf.

Leon. No, no; we will hold it as a dream, 'till it appear it felf: but I will acquaint my daughter with all, that fhe may be the better prepared for answer, if peradventure this be true; go you and tell her of it: coufins, you know what you have to do. [Some cross the Stage.] O, I cry you mercy, friend, go you with me and I will use your fkill; good coufin, have a care this bufie time. [Exeunt.

SCENE VI. The Street,'
Enter Don John and Conrade.

Conr. What the goujeres, my Lord! why are you thus

out of measure fad?

John.

John. There is no measure in the occafion that breeds it, therefore the fadness is without limit.

Conr. You fhall hear reason.

John. And when I have heard it, what bleffing bringeth it? Conr. If not a prefent remedy, yet a patient fufferance. John. I wonder that thou (being, as thou fay'ft thou art, born under Saturn) goeft about to apply a moral medicine to a mortifying mifchief: I cannot hide what I am : I must be fad when I have caufe, and fmile at no man's jefts; eat when I have ftomach, and wait for no man's leifure ; fleep when I am drowfie, and tend on no man's business ; laugh when I am merry, and claw no man in his humour.

Conr. Yea, but you must not make the full show of this, 'till you may do it without controlement; you have of late ftood out against your brother, and he hath ta'en you newly into his grace, where it is impoffible you should take root, but by the fair weather that you make your felf it is needful that you frame the season for your own harveft.

Jobn. I had rather be a canker in a hedge, than a rofe in his grace; and it better fits my blood to be difdain'd of all, than to fashion a carriage to rob love from any: in this (though I cannot be faid to be a flattering honeft man) it must not be deny'd but I am a plain-dealing villain; I am trufted with a muzzle, and infranchised with a clog, there fore I have decreed not to fing in my cage: if I had my mouth, I would bite; if I had my liberty, I would do my liking in the mean time let me be that I am, and seek not to alter me.

Conr. Can you make no ufe of your discontent?

John, I will make alrufe of it, for I ufe it only. Who comes here? what news, Borachio?

Enter Borachio.

Bora. I came yonder from a great fupper; the Prince, your brother, is royally entertain'd by Leonato, and I can give you intelligence of an intended marriage.

John. Will it ferve for any model to build mischief on? what is he for a fool that betroths himself to unquietness ? Bora. Marry, it is your brother's right hand. Jobn. Who, the most exquifite Claudio? Bora. Even he.

Jobr.

John. A proper Squire; and who, and who? which way looks he?

Bora. Marry, on Hero, the daughter and heir of Leonato. John. A very forward March chick! How come you to this?

Bora. Being entertain'd for a perfumer, as I was fmoaking a mufty room, comes me the Prince and Claudie hand in hand in fad conference: I whipt behind the arras, and there heard it agreed upon that the Prince should woo Hero for himself, and having obtain'd her, give her to Count Claudio.

John. Come, come, let us thither, this may prove food to my difpleafure that young ftart-up hath all the glory of my overthrow; if I can crofs him any way, I bless my felf every way; you are both fure, and will affift me? Conr. To the death, my Lord.

Jobn. Let us to the great fupper; their cheer is the greater that I am fubdu'd; would the cook were of my mind! fhall we go prove what's to be done? Bora. We'll wait upon your Lordship.

ACT II. SCENE I.

Leonato's House.

[Exeunt.

Enter Leonato, Antonio, Hero, Beatrice, Margaret and

Urfula.

Leon. Wnt. I faw him not.

AS not Count John here at fupper?

Beat. How tartly that gentleman looks! I never can fee him, but I am heart-burn'd an hour after.

Hero. He is of a very melancholy difpofition.

Beat. He were an excellent man that were made just in the mid-way between him and Benedick; the one is too like an image, and fays nothing; and the other too like my lady's eldest fon, evermore tattling,

Leon. Then half Signior Benedick's tongue in Count John's mouth, and half Count John's melancholy in Signior Benedick's face

--

beat. With a good leg, and a good foot, uncle, and moby enough in his purfe, fuch a man would win any wo man in the world, if he could get her good-will.

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