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Me. A lord to a lord, a man to a man, ftuff'd with all honourable virtues.

Beat. It is fo, indeed: he is no less than a stuff'd man: but for the ftuffing,—well, we are all mortal.

Leon. You must not, Sir mistake my niece; there is a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her; they never meet, but there's a skirmish of wit between them.

Beat. Alas, he gets nothing by that. In our laft conflict, four of his five wits went halting off, and now is the whole man govern'd with one: fo that, if he have wit enough to keep himfelf from harm, let him bear it for a difference between himself and his horfe; for it is all the wealth that he hath left, to be known a reasonable creature. Who is his companion now? he hath every month a new fworn brother.

Me. Is it poffible?

Beat. Very eafily poffible; he wears his faith but as the fafhion of his hat, it ever changes with the next block.

Mell. I fee, Lady, the gentleman is not in your books. Beat. " No; an he were, I would burn my study. "But, I pray you, who is his companion? is there no young fquarer now that will make a voyage with him "to the devil?"

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Meff. He is moft in the company of the Right Noble Claudio.

Beat. O Lord, he will hang upon him like a disease; he is fooner caught than the peftilence, and the taker runs prefently mad. God help the Noble Claudio, if he have caught the Benedick; it will coft him a thoufand pounds ere he be cur'd.

Mell. I will hold friends with you, Lady.
Beat. Do, good friend.

Leon. You'll ne'er run mad, niece.
Beat. No, not till a hot January.
Me. Don Pedro is approach'd.

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SCENE II.

Enter Don Pedro, Claudio, Benedick, Balthazar, and Don John.

Pedro. Good Signior Leonato, you are come to meet your trouble: the fashion of the world is to avoid cost, and you encounter it.

Leon. Never came trouble to my house in the likeness of your Grace: for trouble being gone, comfort fhould remain; but when you depart from me, forrow abides, and happiacfs takes his leave.

Pedro. You embrace your charge too willingly; I think this is your daughter.

Leon. Her mother hath many times told me fo.

Bene. Were you in doubt, Sir, that you afk'd her? Leon. Signior Benedick, no; for then were you a child..

Pedro. You have it full, Benedick; we may guess by this what you are, being a man: truly the lady fathers herself; be happy, Lady, for you are like an honourable father.

Bene. If Signior Leonato be her father, she would not have his head on her fhoulders for all Meffina, as like him as she is.

Beat. I wonder that you will still be talking, Signior Benedick; no body marks you.

Bene. What, my dear Lady Difdain! are you yet living?

Beat. Is it poffible Difdain fhould die, while fhe hath fuch meet food to feed it as Signior Benedick? Courtefy itself must convert to Disdain, if you come in her prefence.

Bene. Then is Courtefy a turn-coat; but it is certain I am lov'd of all ladies, only you excepted; and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart; for truly I love none.

Beat. A dear happiness to women; they would elfe have been troubled with a pernicious fuitor. I thank God and my cold blood, I am of your humour for that; I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow, than a man fwear he loves me.

Bene.

Bene. God keep your Ladyfhip ftill in that mind! fo some gentleman or other shall scape a predeftinate fcratch'd face.

Bat. "Scratching could not make it worse, an 'twere "fuch a face as yours were."

Bene. Well, you are a rare parrot-teacher.

Beat. A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of

yours.

Bene. I would my horfe had the speed of your tongue, and fo good a continuer; but keep your way o' God's name, I have done.

Beat. You always end with a jade's trick; I know you of old

Pedro. This is the fum of all: Leonato,-Signior Claudio, and Signior Benedick,my dear friend Leonato hath invited you all; I tell him, we fhall stay here at the leaft a month; and he heartily prays fome occafion may detain us longer: I dare fwear he is no hypocrite, but prays from his heart.

Leon. If you fwear, my Lord, you shall not be forfworn. Let me bid you welcome, my Lord, being reconciled to the Prince your brother; I owe you all duty.

John. I thank you; I am not of many words, but I thank you.

Leon. Please it your Grace lead on?

Pedro. Your hand, Leonato; we will go together.

[Exeunt all but Benedick and Claudio.

SCENE 1II.

Claud Benedick, didft thou note the daughter of Signior Leonato?

Bene. I noted her not, but I look'd on her.

Claud. Is fhe not a modeft young lady?

Bene. Do you question me, as an honest man fhould do, for my fimple true judgment? or would you have me fpeak after my cuftom, as being a profeffed tyrant to their fex?

Claud. No, I pr'ythee, fpeak in fober judgment.

Bene. Why, i' faith, methinks fhe is too low for an high praise, too brown for a fair praife, and too little før a great praife; only this commendation I can "afford "her

A 3

"her, that were fhe other than fhe is, fhe were unhand"fome: and being no other but as she is, I do not like "her."

Claud. Thou think'ft I am in fport; I pray thee, tell me truly how thou lik'ft her.

Bene. Would you buy her, that you inquire after her ? Claud. Can the world buy fuch a jewel?

Bene. Yea, and a cafe to put it into; but speak you this with a fad brow? or do you play the flouting Jack, to tell us, Cupid is a good hare-finder, and Vulcan a rare carpenter? Come, in what key shall a man take you to go in the fong?

Claud. In mine eye, she is the sweetest lady that I ever look'd on.

Bene. I can fee yet without spectacles, and I fee no fuch matter; there's her coufin, if fhe were not poffefs'd with fuch a fury, exceeds her as much in beauty, as the firft of May doth the laft of December. But I hope you have no intent to turn husband, have you?

Claud. I would fcarce truft myself, though I had fworn the contrary, if Hero would be my wife.

Bene. Is't come to this, in faith? hath not the world one man, but he will wear his cap with fufpicion? fhail I never see a bachelor of threefcore again? Go to, i'faith, if thou wilt needs thrust thy neck into a yoke, wear the print of it, and figh away Sundays. Look, Don Pedro is return'd to seek you.

SCENE IV. Re-enter Don Pedro.

Pedro. What fecret hath held you here, that you follow'd not to Leonato's houfe?

Bene. I would your Grace would conftrain me to tell. Pedro. I charge thee on thy allegiance.

Bene. You hear, Count Claudio, I can be fecret as a dumb man, I would have you think fo; but on my allegiance, mark you this, on my allegiance:- -he is in love; with whom? now that is your Grace's part: mark, how fhort his anfwer is, with Hero, Leonato's fhort daughter.

Claud. If this were fo, fo were it uttered.

Bene. Like the old tale, my Lord, it is not fo, nor

'twas

'twas not fo; but, indeed, God forbid it fhould be fo Claud. If my paffion change not shortly, God forbid it fhould be otherwise.

Pedro. Amen, if you love her; for the lady is very well worthy.

Claud You fpeak this to fetch me in, my Lord.
Pedro. By my troth, I fpeak my thought.

Claud. And, in faith, my Lord, I fpoke mine.
Bene. And by my two faiths and troths, my Lord, I
fpeak mine.

Claud. That I love her, I feel.

Pedro. That fhe is worthy, I know.

Bene. That I neither feel how fhe fhould be loved, nor know how she should be worthy, is the opinion that fire cannot melt out of me; I will die in it at the stake.

Pedro. Thou waft ever an obftinate heretic in the defpight of beauty.

Claud. And never could maintain his part, but in the force of his will.

Bene. That a woman conceived me, I thank her; that fhe brought me up, I likewife give her most humble thanks; but that I will have a recheate winded in my forehead, or hang my bugle in an invifible baldric, all women fhall pardon me; becaufe I will not do them the wrong to miftruft any, I will do myself the right to truft none; and the fine is, (for the which I may go the finer,) I will live a bachelor.

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

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Bene. "With anger, with sickness, or with hunger, my Lord, not with love: prove, that ever I lose 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."

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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 fhoot at me; and he that hits me, let him be clapt on the fhoulder and call'd Adam

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Pedro.

Alluding to one Adam Bell, a famous archer of old.

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