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

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

[Exeunt. SCENE changes to Leonato's Orchard.

ΟΥ,

Bene. BOY,

Enter Benedick, and a Boy.

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, seeing 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 falling in love! and fuch a man is Claudio. I have known, when there was no mufick with him 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 plain, and to the purpose, like an honest man and a foldier; and now is he 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 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 fhall not come in my grace. Rich she shall be, that's certain; (10) "wife,

66 or

(10)" Wife, or I'll none; virtuous, or I'll never cheapen her; fair, or I'll never look on her ;] Thefe Words, fays Mr. POPE, 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

--

" 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 mufician, 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 even-
ing is,

As hush'd on purpose 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.
Balth. O good my lord, tax not so bad a voice
To flander mufick any more than once.

Pedro. It is the witness ftill of excellency,
Το put a strange face on his own perfection;
I pray thee, fing; and let me woo no more.
Balth. Becaule 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 ravifh'd! is it not ftrange, that sheeps guts fhould hale fouls out

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 firft 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.

of

of mens bodies? well, a horn for my money, when all's done.

The SON G.

Sigh no more, ladies, figh no more,
Men were deceivers ever;
One foot in fea, and one on shore,
To one thing conftant never:
Then figh not fo, but let them go,
And be you blith and bonny s
Converting all your founds of woe
Into bey 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 fhift.

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 mischief: 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 chamberwindow.

Balth. The best I can, my lord. [Exit Balthazar. Pedro. Do fo: farewel. Come hither, Leonato; what was it you told me of to day, that your Neice 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.

Leon. No, nor I neither; but most wonderful, that fhe 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? [Afide. Leon. By my troth, my lord, I cannot tell what to think of it; but that the loves him with an inraged affection, it is past the infinite of thought.

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

Leon. O God! counterfeit? there was never counterfeit of paffion came so near the life of paffion, as fhe discovers it.

Pedro. Why, what effects of paffion fhews fhe?

Claud. Bait the hook well, this fish 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 fpeaks it; knavery cannot, fure, hide himself 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 fhe never will; that's her tor

ment.

Claud. 'Tis true, indeed, fo your daughter fays: fhall I, fays fhe, that have fo oft encounter'd him with fcorn, write to him that I love him?

Leon. This fays fhe now, when the 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 sheet of paper, I remember a pretty jeft your daughter told us of.

Leon.

Leon. O, when she had writ it, and was reading it over, the found Benedick and Beatrice between the fheet.

Claud. That.

Leon. (11) O, the tore the letter into a thousand halfpence; rail'd at her felf, that the fhould be fo immodeft, to write to one that, she knew, wou'd flout her: I measure him, fays fhe, by my own Spirit, 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, curfes; O fweet Benedick! God give me patience!

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

Pedro. It were good, that Benedick knew of it by fome 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 the is exceeding wife.

Pedro. In every thing, but in loving Benedick.

Leon. O my lord, wildom 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 just cause, being her uncle and her guardian.

Pedro. I would, fhe had beftow'd this dotage on me; I would have dafft all other refpects, and made her half

(11) O, he tore the Letter into a thousand half-pence; ] i. e. into a thousand pieces of the fame bigness. This is farther explain'd by a Paffage in As you Like it;

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

In both places the Poet alludes to the old Silver Penny which had a Creafe running Cross-wife over it, fo that it might be broke into two or four equal pieces, half pence, or farthings.

VOL. I.

F f

half