Bene. Question 2?-Why, an hour in clamour, and a quarter in rheum: Therefore it is moft expedient for the wife, (if Don Worm, his confcience, find no impediment to the contrary) to be 15 the trumpet of his own virtues, as I am to myself: So much for praifing myself, (who, I myself will bear witnefs, is praise-worthy) and now tell me, How doth your coufin? Bear. Very ill.

Urf. Madam, you must come to your uncle; yonder's old coil at home: it is proved, my lady|| Hero hath been falfely accus'd, the prince and Claudio mightily abus'd; and Don John is the author of all, who is fled and gone: Will you come 30 presently?

Beat. Will you go hear this news, fignior? Bene. I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be bury'd in thy eyes; and, moreover, I will go with thee to thy uncle.

[Exeunt. 35

Enter Dun Pedro, Claudio, and Attendants, with

I That is, when men were not envious, but every one gave another his due. 2 That is, what a queftion's there, or what a foolish question do you ask!

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 the an Ethiope. 5
Leon. Call her forth, brother, here's the friar
ready.
Pedro. Good morrow, Benedick: Why, what's
[Exit Antonio.
That you have such a February face, [the matter,
So full of froft, of storm, and cloudiness?

Claud. I think he thinks upon the favage bull:-
Tush, fear not, man, we'll tip thy horns with gold,
And all Europa shall rejoice at thee;
As once Europa did at lufty Jove,

When he would play the noble beast in love.

· Bene. Bull Jove, fir, had an amiable low; And some such strange bull leapt your father's cow, And got a calf in that fame noble feat,

Much like to you, for you have juft his bleat.

[A& 5. Scene 4.

Bene. They fwore, that you were almoft fick
for me.
[for me.

Beat. They fwore, that you were well-nigh dead
Bene. 'Tis no fuch matter:-Then, you do not
love me?

Beat. No, truly, but in friendly recompence.
Leon. Come, coufin, I am fure you love the
gentleman,

Claud. And I'll be fworn upon't, that he loves her;
10 For here's a paper, written in his hand,
A halting fonnet of his own pure brain,
Fashion'd to Beatrice.

Hero. And here's another,

Writ in my cousin's hand, stolen from her pocket, 15 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

Re-enter Antonio, with Hero, Beatrice, Margaret, and 20 day, I yield upon great persuasion; and, partly, to

Urfula, mafk'd.

Claud. For this I owe you: here come other

reck'nings.

Which is the lady I must seize upon?

Ant. This fame is the, and I do give you her. Claud. Why, then the's mine: Sweet, let me fee your face.

Leon. No, that you fhall not, till you take her [hand] Before this friar, and fwear to marry her.

Claud. Give me your hand before this holy friar ; I am your husband, if you like of me.

Hero. And when I liv'd, I was your other wife: And when you lov'd, you were my other husband. [Unmasking. Claud. Another Hero?

Hero. Nothing certainer:

One Hero dy'd defil'd; but I do live,

And, furely as I live, I am a maid.

Pedro. The former Hero! Hero, that is dead!

25

30

fave your life, for I was told, you were in a confumption.

Bene. Peace, I will stop your mouth.-

Pedro. How doft thou, Benedick the married man? [Kifling ber Bene. I'll tell thee what, prince; a college of wit-crackers cannot flout me out of my humour: Doft thou think I care for a fatire, or an epigram? wear nothing handsome about him: In brief, since No: if a man will be beaten with brains, he shall I do purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any purpose that the world can fay against it; and therefore never flout at me for what I have faid against it; for man is a giddy thing, and this is 35 my conclufion.-For thy part, Claudio, I did think to have beaten thee; but in that thou art like to be my kinfman, live unbruis'd, and love my coufin.

Claud. I had well hoped, thou wouldst have

Leon. She dy'd, my lord, but whiles her flander 40 denied Beatrice, that I might have cudgell'd thee

liv'd.

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 feem familiar,
And to the chapel let us presently.

Bene. Soft and fair, friar.-Which is Beatrice?
Beat. I anfwer to that name; What is your will?|
Bene. Do not you love me?

Beat. Why, no, no more than reason.

Bene. Why, then, your uncle, and the prince,

and Claudio,

Have been deceived; they fwore you did.
Beat. Do not you love me?

Bene. Troth, no, no more than reason.
Beat. Why, then, my coufin, Margaret, and

Urfula,

Are much deceiv'd; for they did swear

out of thy fingle life, to make thee a double dealer; which, out of question, thou wilt be, if my coufin do not look exceedingly narrowly to thee. Bene. Come, come, we are friends:-let's have 45 a dance ere we are marry'd, that we may lighten our own hearts, and our wives' heels.

Leon. We'll have dancing afterwards.

Bene. First, o' my word; therefore, play, mufick.-Prince, thou art fad; get thee a wife, get thee 50a wife: there is no ftaff more reverend than one tipt with horn.

55

Enter Meffenger.

Meff. My lord, your brother john is ta'en in flight, And brought with armed men back to Meffina. Bene. Think not on him till to-morrow: I'll devife thee brave punishments for him.-Strike up, pipers. [Dance. [Exeunt emnet.

ACT I

What is the end of ftudy? let me know.
King. Why, that to know, which elfe we should
not know.

Biron. Things hid and barr'd (you mean) from

common fenfe?

King. Ay, that is ftudy's god-like recompence.
Biron. Come on then, I will fwear to study fo,
To know the thing I am forbid to know:
As thus,-To ftudy where I well may dine,
When I to feast exprefsly am forbid;
Or, study where to meet fome mistress fine,
When miftreffes from common fense are hid:
Or, having fworn too hard a-keeping oath,
Study to break it, and not break my troth.
If ftudy's gain be thus, and this be fo,
Study knows that, which yet it doth not know:
Swear me to this, and I will ne'er fay, no.

[vain,

5

10

}

[gate.

[At Christmas I no more defire a rofe,
Than with a fnow in May's new-fangled shows;
But like of each thing, that in season grows.
So you, to study now it is too late,
That were to climb o'er the houfe t' unlock the
King. Well, fit you out: go home, Biron; adieu!
Biron. No, my good lord; I have fworn to stay
with you:

And, though I have for barbarism spoke more,
Than for that angel knowledge you can say,
Yet confident I'll keep what I have swore,

And bide the penance of each three years' day.
Give me the paper, let me read the fame ;
And to the ftrict'ft decrees I'll write my name.
15 King. How well this yielding refcues thee
from shame!

King. These be the ftops that hinder ftudy quite,
And train our intellects to vain delight.
Biren. Why, all delights are vain; but that moft 20
Which with pain purchas'd doth inherit pain:
As, painfully to pore upon a book,

To feek the light of truth; while truth the while,
Doth falfely blind the eyefight of his look:
Light, feeking light, doth light of light beguile: 25
So, ere you find where light in darkness lies,
Your light grows dark by lofing of your eyes.
Study me how to please the eye indeed,

By fixing it upon a fairer eye:

Who dazzling fo, that eye shall be his heed 2,
And give him light that was it blinded by.
Study is like the heaven's glorious fun,

That will not be deep-fearch'd with faucy looks;
Small have continual plodders ever won,
Save base authority from others' books.
Thefe earthly godfathers of heaven's lights,
That give a name to every fixed star,
Have no more profit of their fhining nights,

35

Than those that walk and wot not what they are. Too much to know, is, to know nought but fame; 40 And every godfather can give a name.

[ing!

King. How well he's read, to reafon against readDum. Proceeded 3 well, to stop all good proceeding!

Long. He weeds the corn, and fill lets grow the 45 weeding.

Biron. The spring is near, when green geefe are a-breeding.

Dum. How follows that?

Biren. Fit in his place and time.

Dum. In reafon nothing.

Biron. Something then in rhime.

Long. Biron is like an envious fneaping + frost,

50

Biren. Well, fay I am? why should proud fum- 55 mer boast,

Before the birds have any caufe to fing?

Why fhould I joy in an abortive birth?

That is, treacherously.

Long. To fright them hence with that dread Biren. A dangerous law against gentility 5! "Item, [Reading.] If any man be seen to talk

with a woman within the term of three years, "he fhall endure fuch public fhame as the rest of the court can poffibly devife."

This article, my liege, yourself must break;
For, well you know, here comes in embaffy
The French king's daughter, with yourself to speak,-
A maid of grace, and complete majesty,-
About furrender-up of Aquitain

To her decrepit, fick, and bed-rid father:
Therefore this article is made in vain,

Or vainly comes the admired princess hither.
King. What fay you, lords? why, this was quite

forgot.

Bir. So ftudy evermore is overfhot;
While it doth ftudy to have what it would,
And when it hath the thing it hunteth moft,
It doth forget to do the thing it should;
'Tis won, as towns with fire; fo won, so lost.
King. We must, of force, difpenfe with this decree ;
She muft lye here on mere neceffity.

Biron. Neceffity will make us all forfworn
Three thousand times within this three years
For every man with his affects is born;

[fpace,

Not by might mafter'd, but by special grace:
If I break faith, this word shall speak for me,

So to the laws at large I write my name:

I am forfworn on mere neceffity.

And he, that breaks them in the leaft degree, Stands in attainder of eternal fhame :

6

Suggestions are to others, as to me:

understood in the academical fenfe of taking a degree: the meaning of the paffage then will be, "He 2 Heed here means his direction or lode-ftar. 3 Proceeded must here be "has taken his degree on the art of ftopping the degrees of others.” against politeness and urbanity; for men without women become brutal and favage. 4 i. e. Checking. 5 Meaning, • i. e. Temptations.

But,

Long. A high hope for a low having 4:-God 40" grant us patience.

Biron. To hear? or forbear hearing?

Long. To hear meekly, fir, and to laugh moderately; or to forbear both.

Biron. Well, fir, be it as the ftile fhall give us 45" caufe to climb in the merriness.

Coft. The matter is to me, fir, as concerning Jaquenetta. The manner of it is, I was taken with the manner 5.

Coft. In manner and form following, fir; all those three: I was feen with her in the manorhouse, fitting with her upon the form, and taken following her into the park; which, put together, is, in manner and form following. Now, fir, for 55 the manner, it is the manner of a man to speak to a woman: for the form,-in some form. Biron. For the following, fir?

i.e. lively sport, or sprightly diversion. 2 Complement, in Shakspeare's time, not only fignified verbal civility, but the external accomplishments or ornamental appendages of a character. 3 i. e. Thirdborough, a peace-officer, affiftant to the constable, who acts alfo in his abfence. 4 i. e. a low poffeffion, or acquifition. 5 A phrase then used to fignify, taken in the fact. 6 Meaning, that as the minnow is one of the least esteemed of fish, so the object of his mirth is one of the most contemptible of men. L 3 ❝ faid