fhall be called affurance, and all the preparation over

thrown.

John. Grow this to what adverfe 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 shame me.

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

[Exeunt

SCENE VIII. Changes to Leonato's orchard.

Bene. Boy,

Boy. Signior.

Enter Benedick, and a boys

Bene. In my chamber-window lies a book, bring it ither 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 dedi cates his behaviours to love, will, after he hat hlaugh'd at fuch fhallow follies in others, become the argument of his own scorn, by falling in love! and fuch a man is Claudio. I have known, when there was no mufic with him but the drum and the fife; and now had he rather hear the tabor and the pipe: I have known when he would have walk'd ten miles a-foot to fee a good armour; and now will he lie ten nights awake, carving the fashion of a new doublet. He was wont to fpeak plain, and to the purpose, like an honeft man and a foldier; and now he is turn'd orthographer, his words are a very fantaftical banquet, juft fo many ftrange dishes. May I be fo converted, and fee with these eyes; I cannot tell; I think not. I will not be sworn, but love may transform me to an oyster; 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 be in one wograces man, one woman fhall not come in my grace. Rich fhe fhall be, that's certain; " wife, or I'll none; vir

❝ tuous,

и

*tuous, 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 mufician, and her hair fhall be of what colour it please God *. Ha! the Prince and Monfieur Love! I will hide me in the arbour. [Withdraws.

SCENE IX.

Enter Don Pedro, Leonato, Claudio, and Balthazar.
Pedro. Come, fhall we hear this music?

Claud. Yea, my good Lord; how still the evening is, As hush'd on purpofe to grace harmony!

Pedro. See you where Benedick hath hid himself? Claud. O very well, my Lord; the mufic ended, We'll fit the hid fox with a pennyworth.

Pedro, Come, Balthazar, we'll hear that fong again. Balth. O good my Lord, tax not so bad a voice To flander mufic any more than once.

Pedro. It is the witnefs ftill of excelleney,

To put a strange face on his own perfection; pray thee, fing; and let me woo no more †.

i

The SONG.

Sigh no more, ladies, figh no more,

Men were deceivers ever;

One foot in fea, and one on fhore,

To one thing conftant never:

Then

Hinting fatirically at the art used by ladies in dying their hair of a colour different from what it is by nature.

woo no more.

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. New, divine air; now is his foul ravish'd! Is it not strange, that sheep's guts should hale fouls out of men's bodies? Well, a hora for my money, when all's done.

The SONG, &a

Then figh not fo, but let them go,
And be you blithe 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 fo,
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 shift.

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.

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Pedro. Yea, marry, doft thou hear, Balthazar? I pray thee, get us fome excellent mufic; 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 she fhould fo doat on Signior Benedick, whom she hath in all outward behaviours feem'd ever to abhor.

Bene. Is't poffible? fits the wind in that corner?

[Afide. Leon. By my troth, my Lord, I cannot tell what to think of it; but that he loves him with an enraged affection it is paft the definite of thought.

Pedro. May be the doth but counterfeit.

Claud. Faith, like enough.

Leon. O God! counterfeit? there was never coun

VOL. II.

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terfeit

terfeit of paffion came so 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.

[Afide.

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; efpecially against Benedick.

Bene. [Afide. I fhould think this a gull, but that the white-bearded fellow speaks it; knavery cannot fure hide himfelf in fuch reverence.

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 fhe is beginning to write to him; for fhe'll be up twenty times a-night, and there will she fit in her smock, till fhe have writ a sheet 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 she had writ it, and was reading it over, fhe found Benedick and Beatrice between the fheet.

Claud. That

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

Claud

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

Leon. She doth, indeed, my daughter fays fo; and the ecstasy hath so much overborn her, that my daughter is fometimes afraid, fhe will do defperate outrage to herfelf; it is very true.

Pedro. It were good, that Benedick knew of it by some other, if she 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; fhe's an excellent fweet lady, and (out of all fufpicion) fhe is virtuous.

Claud. And fhe is exceeding wife.

Pedro. In every thing, but in loving Benedick.

Leon. O my Lord, wifdom and blood combating in fo tender a body, we have ten proofs to one, that blood hath the victory; I am forry for her, as I have juft cause, being her uncle and her guardian.

Pedro. I would fhe had beftow'd this dotage on me; I would have dafft all other respects, and made her half myself. I pray you, tell Benedick of it: and hear what he will fay.

Leon. Were it good, think you?

Claud. Hero thinks furely the will die; for fhe fays, fhe will die if he love her not, and fhe will die ere fhe make her love known; and fhe will die if he woo her, rather than fhe will bate one breath of her accustom'd eroffnefs.

Pedro. She doth well; if the fhould make tender of her love, 'tis very poffible, he'll fcorn it; for the man, as you know all, hath a contemptible spirit.

t

Claud. He is a very proper man.

Pedro. He hath indeed a good outward happiness.
Claud. "Fore God, and, in my mind, very wife.

Pedro. He doth indeed fhew fome fparks that are like wit.

Leon. And I take him to be valiant.

Pedro. As Hector, I affure you: and in the managing of quarrels you may fay he is wife; for either he avoids them with great difcretion, or undertakes them

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with