Re-enter LEONATO and ANTONIO, with the Sexton. Leon. Which is the villain? Let me see his That when I note another man like him, [eyes; I may avoid him: Which of these is he? Bora. If you would know your wronger look on me. Leon. Art thou the slave, that with thy breath hast kill'd Mine innocent child? Bora. Yea, even I alone. [self; Leon. No, not so, villain; thou beli'st thy- Impose* me to what penance your invention D. Pedro. By my soul, nor I; Leon. I cannot bid you bid my daughter live, Give her the right you should have given her [cousin, And so dies my revenge. Claud. O, noble Sir, Your over-kindness doth wring tears from me! Leon. To-morrow then I will expect your coming; To-night I take my leave.-This naughty man Shall face to face be brought to Margaret, Who, I believe, was pack'd‡ in all this wrong, Hir'd to it by your brother. [me; Bora. No, by my soul, she was not; Nor knew not what she did, when she spoke to But always hath been just and virtuous, In any thing that I do know by her. Dogb. Moreover, Sir, (which, indeed, is not under white and black,) this plaintiff here, the offender, did call me ass: I beseech you, let it be remembered in his punishment. And also, the watch heard them talk of one Deformed: they say, he wears a key in his ear, and a lock hanging by it; and borrows money in God's name; the which he hath used so long, and never paid, that now men grow hard-hearted, and will lend nothing for God's sake: Pray you, examine him upon that point. Leon. I thank thee for thy care and honest pains. Dogb. Your worship speaks like a most thankful and reverend youth; and I praise God for you. Dogb. I leave an arrant knave with your worship; which, I beseech your worship, to correct yourself, for the example of others. God keep your worship; I wish your worship well; God restore you to health: I humbly give you leave to depart; and if a merry meeting may be wished, God prohibit it.-Come,neighbour. [Exeunt DOGBERRY, VERGES, and Watch. Leon. Until to-morrow morning, lords, farewell. Ant. Farewell, my lords; we look for you D. Pedro. We will not fail. Claud. To-night I'll mourn with Hero. [Exeunt Don PEDRO and CLAUDIO. Leon. Bring you these fellows on; we'll talk with Margaret, How her acquaintance grew with this lewd* SCENE II-LEONATO's Garden. Bene. Pray thee, sweet mistress Margaret, deserve well at my hands, by helping me to the speech of Beatrice. Marg. Will you then write me a sonnet in praise of my beauty? Bene. In so high a style, Margaret, that no man living shall come over it; for, in most comely truth, thou deservest it. Marg. To have no man come over me? why, shall I always keep below stairs? Bene. Thy wit is as quick as the greyhound's mouth, it catches. foils, which hit, but hurt not. Marg. And yours as blunt as the fencer's Bene. A most manly wit, Margaret, it will Beatrice: I give thee thee the bucklers. not hurt a woman; and so, I pray thee, call Marg. Give us the swords, we have bucklers of our own. Bene. If you use them, Margaret, you must put in the pikes with a vice; and they are dangerous weapons for maids. Marg. Well, I will call Beatrice to you, who, I think, hath legs. [Exit MARGARET. | Bene. And therefore will come. I mean, in singing; but in loving,-Leander the good swimmer, Troilus the first employer of pandars, and a whole book full of these quondam carpet-mongers, whose names yet run smoothly in the even road of a blank verse, why, they were never so truly turned over and over as my poor self, in love: Marry, I cannot show it in rhyme; I have tried; I can find out no rhyme to lady but baby, an innocent rhyme; for scorn, horn, a hard rhyme; for school, fool, a babbling rhyme; very ominous endings: No, I was not born under a rhyming planet, nor I cannot woo in festival terms.† Enter BEATRICE. Sweet Beatrice, would'st thou come when I called thee? Leon. There's for thy pains. Dogb. God save the foundation! Leon. Go, I discharge thee of thy prisoner, me. and I thank thee. Beat. Yea, signior, and depart when you bid Bene. O, stay but till then! Beat. Then, is spoken; fare you well now.and yet, ere I go, let me go with that I came for, which is, with knowing what hath passed between you and Claudio. Bene. Only foul words; and thereupon I will kiss thee. Beat. Foul words is but foul wind, and foul wind is but foul breath, and foul breath is noisome; therefore I will depart unkissed. Bene. Thou hast frighted the word out of his right sense, so forcible is thy wit: But, I must tell thee plainly, Claudio undergoes* my challenge; and either I must shortly hear from him, or I will subscribe him a coward. And, I pray thee now, tell me, for which of my bad parts didst thou first fall in love with me? Beat. For them all together; which maintained so politic a state of evil, that they will not admit any good part to intermingle with them. But for which of my good parts did you first suffer love for me? Bene. Suffer love; a good epithet! I do suffer love, indeed, for I love thee against my will. Beat. In spite of your heart, I think; alas! poor heart! If you spite it for my sake, I will spite it for yours; for I will never love that which my friend hates. Bene. Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably. Beat. It appears not in this confession: there's not one wise man among twenty that will praise himself. Bene. An old, an old instance, Beatrice, that lived in the time of good neighbours: if a man do not erect in this age his own tomb ere he dies, he shall live no longer in monument, than the bell rings, and the widow weeps. Beat. And how long is that, think you? Bene. Question?-Why, an hour in clamour, and a quarter in rheum: Therefore it is most expedient for the wise, (if Don Worm his conscience, find no impediment to the contrary,) to be the trumpet of his own virtues, as I am to myself: So much for praising myself, (who, I myself will bear witness, is praise-worthy,) and now tell me, How doth your cousin? Beat. Very ill. Bene. And how do you. Beat. Very ill too. Bene. Serve God, love me, and mend: there will I leave you too, for here comes one in haste. Enter URSULA. Urs. Madam, you must come to your uncle: yonder's old coilt at home: it is proved, my lady Hero hath been falsely accused, the prince and Claudio mightily abused; and Don John is the author of all, who is fled and gone: will you come presently? Beat. Will you go hear this news, signior? Bene. I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes: and, moreover, I will go with thee to thy uncle's. [Exeunt. SCENE III.-The inside of a Church. Enter Don PEDRO, CLAUDIO, & ATTENDANTS, with Music and Tapers. Claud. Is this the monument of Leonato? Claud. [Reads from a scroll.] Done to death by slanderous tongues † Stir. + Reward. Claud. Now, unto thy bones good night! D. Pedro. Good morrow, masters; put your torches out: The wolves have prey'd; and look, the gentle day, Before the wheels of Phoebus, round about Dapples the drowsy east with spots of gray: Thanks to you all, and leave us; fare you well. Claud. Good morrow, masters; each his several way. D. Pedro. Come, let us hence, and put on other weeds; And then to Leonato's we will go. Claud. And, Hymen, now with luckier issue speeds, Than this, for whom we render'd up this wo! [Exeunt. SCENE IV-A Room in LEONATO's House. Upon the error that you heard debated: Ant. Well, I am glad that all things sort so well. Bene. And so am I, being else by faith enforc'd To call young Claudio to a reckoning for it. Leon. Well, daughter, and you gentlewomen Withdraw into a chamber by yourselves; [all, The prince and Claudio promis'd by this hour And, when I send for you, come hither mask'd: To visit me:-You know your office, brother; You must be father to your brother's daughter, And give her to young Claudio. [Exeunt Ladies. Ant. Which I will do with confirm'd coun In the estate of honourable marriage ;- Here comes the prince and Claudio. Enter Don PEDRO and CLAUDIO, with Attend. D. Pedro. Good morrow to this fair assembly. Leon. Good morrow, prince; good morrow, Claudio; We here attend you; are you yet determin'd To-day to marry with my brother's daughter? Claud. I'll hold my mind, were she an Ethiope. Leon. Call her forth, brother, here's the friar ready. [Exit ANTONIO. D. Pedro. Good morrow, Benedick: Why, what's the matter, bull: That you have such a February face, Bene. Bull Jove, Sir, had an amiable low; And some such strange bull leap'd your father's And got a calf in that same noble feat, [cow, Much like to you, for you have just his bleat. Re-enter ANTONIO, with the Ladies masked. Claud. For this I owe you: here comes other reckonings. Which is the lady I must seize upon? see your face. Leon. No, that you shall not, till you take her hand Before this friar, and swear to marry her. Claud. Give me your hand before this holy I am your husband, if you like of me. [friar; Hero. And when I liv'd, I was your other [Unmasking. And when you lov'd, you were my other hus wife : band. Claud. Another Hero? Hero. Nothing certainer: One Hero died defil'd; but I do live, D. Pedro. The former Hero! Hero that is dead! Hero. And here's another, [pocket, Writ in my cousin's hand, stolen from her Containing her affection unto Benedick. Bene. A miracle! here's our own hands against our hearts!-Come, I will have thee; but, by this light, I take thee for pity. Beat. I would not deny you; but, by this good day, I yield upon great persuasion; and, partly, to save your life, for I was told you were in a consumption. Bene. Peace, I will stop your mouth.[Kissing her. D. Pedro. How dost thou, Benedick, the married man? Bene. I'll tell thee what, prince; a college of wit-crackers cannot flout me out of my humour: Dost thou think, I care for a satire, or an epigram? No: if a man will be beaten with brains, he shall wear nothing handsome about him: In brief, since I do propose to marry, I will think nothing to any purpose that the world can say against it; and therefore never flout at me for what I have said against it; for man is a giddy thing, and this is my conclusion.-For thy part, Claudio, I did think to have beaten but in that thou art like to be my kingman, live unbruised, and love my cousin. thee; Claud. I had well hoped, thou wouldst have denied Beatrice, that I might have cudgelled thee out of thy single life, to make thee a double dealer; which, out of question, thou wilt be, if my cousin do not look exceeding narrowly to thee. Bene. Come, come, we are friends :-let's Leon. She died, my lord, but whiles her have a dance ere we are married, that we may slander lived. Friar. All this amazement can I qualify; When, after that the holy rites are ended, I'll tell you largely of fair Hero's death: Mean time, let wonder seem familiar, And to the chapel let us presently. lighten our own hearts and our wives' heels. Leon. We'll have dancing afterward. Bene. First, o' my word; therefore, play, music. Prince, thou art sad; get thee a wife, get thee a wife: there is no staff more reverend than Bene. Soft and fair, friar.-Which is Bea- one tipped with horn. trice? Beat. I answer to that name; [Unmasking.] What is your will? Bene. Do not you love me? Bene. Why, then your uncle, and the prince, and Claudio, Have been deceived; for they swore you did. Beat. Do not you love me? Enter a MESSENGER. Mess. My lord, your brother John is ta'en in flight, And brought with armed men back to Messina. Bene. Think not on him till to-morrow, I'll devise thee brave punishments for him.—Strike up, pipers. * Because. [Dance. [Exeunt. ACT I. SCENE I.—Athens.—A Room in the Palace of Theseus. Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, and Attendants. The. Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour Draws on apace; four happy days bring in Another moon: but, oh, methinks, how slow This old moon wanes! she lingers my desires, Like to a step-dame, or a dowager, Long withering out a young man's revenue. Hip. Four days will quickly steep themselves in nights; Four nights will quickly dream away the time; The. Go, Philostrate, Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments; Ege. Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke! The. Thanks, good Egeus: What's the news with thee? Ege. Full of vexation come I, with complaint Against my child, my daughter Hermia.— Stand forth, Demetrius;-My noble lord, This man hath my consent to marry her:Stand forth Lysander;-and, my gracious duke, This hath bewitch'd the bosom of my child: * Shows. Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her And interchang'd love-tokens with my child: rhymes, Thou hast by moon-light at her window sung, With feigning voice, verses of feigning love; And stol'n the impression of her fantasy With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds,* conceits, [gers Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweetmeats; messenOf strong prevailment in unharden'd youth: With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughter's heart; Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me, Be it so she will not here before your grace The. What say you, Hermia? be advis'd, fair maid: To you your father should be as a god; In such a presence here, to plead my thoughts: The. Either to die the death, or to abjure For ever the society of men. Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires, new moon, (The sealing-day betwixt my love and me, For aye, austerity and single life. Dem. Relent, sweet Hermia;-And, Lysander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right. Lys. You have her father's love, Demetrius; Let me have Hermia's: do you marry him. Ege. Scornful Lysander? true, he hath my love; And what is mine my love shall render him; Lys. I am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he, [be, And, which is more than all these boasts can How chance the roses there do fade so fast? † Wicked. * Ever. Her. Belike for want of rain; which I could well Beteem them* from the tempest of mine eyes. Lys. Ah me! for aught that ever I could read, Could ever hear by tale or history, The course of true love never did run smooth: But, either it was different in blood; Her. O cross! too high to be enthrall'd to low! Lys. Or else misgraffed, in respect of years; Her. O spite! too old to be engag'd to young! Lys. Or else it stood upon the choice of friends: Her. O hell! to choose love by another's eye? And ere a man hath power to say,-Behold! Then let us teach our trial patience, [sighs, As due to love, as thoughts, and dreams, and Wishes, and tears, poor fancy's followers. Lys. A good persuasion; therefore, hear me, Hermia. I have a widow aunt, a dowager Of great revenue, and she hath no child : And she respects me as her only son. Her. My good Lysander! I swear to thee, by Cupid's strongest bow; queen, When the false Trojan under sail was seen; Enter HELENA. More tuneable than lark to shepherd's ear, When wheat is green, when hawthorn buds |