Bene. And I do with an eye of love requite her. Leon. The sight whereof, I think, you had from me, From Claudio, and the prince; But what's your will? Bene. Your answer, sir, is enigmatical : gro But, for my will, my will is, your good wilhe May stand with ours, this day to be conjoin'd In the estate of honourable marriage;→ In which, good friar, I shall desire your help. Leon. My heart is with your liking. Friar. And my help. Here comes the prince, and Claudio. Enter Don PEDRO and CLAUDIO, with Attendants. 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. Fedro. Good-morrow, Benedick: Why, what's the matter, That you have such a February face, So full of frost, of storm, and cloudiness? Claud. I think, he thinks upon the savage bull: Tush, fear not, man, we'll tip thy horns with gold, As once Europa did at lusty Jove, When he would play the noble beast in love. Bene. Bull Jove, sir, had an amiable low; And some such strange bull leap'd your father's 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 reckon ings. Which is the lady I must seize upon?!!! Ant. This same is she, and I do give you her. Clau. Why, then she's mine sweet, let me 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 friar; I am your husband, if you like of me. Hero. And when I lived, I was your other wife : [Unmasking And when you loved, you were my other husband. Hero. Nothing certainer: One Hero died defil'd; but I do live, And, surely as I live, I am a maid. D. Pedro. The former Hero! Hero that is dead! When, after that the holy rites are ended, And to the chapel let us presently. Bene. Soft and fair, friar.-Which is Beatrice ? Beat. I answer to that name; [Unmasking.] What is your will? Bene. Do not you love me? Beat. No, no more than reason. Bene. Why, then your uncle, and the prince, and Claudio, Have been deceived; for they swore you did. Beat. Do not you love me? Bene. No, no more than reason. Beat. Why, then my cousin, Margaret, and Ursula, Are much deceiv'd; for they did swear, you did. Bene. They swore that you were almost sick for me Beat. They swore, that you were well-nigh dead for me. Bene. 'Tis no such matter:-Then, you do not love me? Beat. No, truly, but in friendly recompense. Leon. Come, cousin, I am sure you love the gentleman. Claud. And I'll be sworn upon't, that he loves her; For here's a paper, written in his hand, A halting sonnet of his own pure brain, Hero. And here's another, Writ in my cousin's hand, stolen from her pocket, 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 witcrackers 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 thee; but in that thou art like to be my kinsman, live unbruised, and love my cousin. Claud. I had well hoped, thou would'st 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 have a dance ere we are married, that we may lighten our own hearts, and our wives' heels. Leon. We'll have dancing afterwards. 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 one tipped with horn. 7 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. [Dance. Exeunt. [7! The allusion is to the ancient trial by wager of battel, in suits both criminal and civil. Of the last trial of this latter kind in England, (which was in the 13th year of Queen Elizabeth,) our author might have read a particular account in Stowe's Annales. Henry Nailor, master of defence, was champion for the demandants, Simon Low and John Kyme; and George Thorne for the tenant, (or defendant) Thomas Paramoure. The combat was appointed to be fought in Tuthill-fields, and the Judges of the Common Pleas and Serjeants at Law attended. Among other ceremonies Stowe mentions, that "the gauntlet that was cast down by George Thorne was borne before the sayd Nailor, in his passage thro' London, upon a sword's point, and his baston (a staff of an ell long, made taper-wise, tipt with horn,) with his shield of hard leather, was borne after him," &c. See also Minsheu's Dict. 1617, in v. Combat; from which it appears that Nailor on this occasion was introduced to the Judges, with "three solemn congees," by a very reverend person, “Sir 'erome Bowes, ambassador from Queen Elizabeth, into Russia, who carried a red baston of an ell long, tipped with horne' MALONE LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST. OBSERVATIONS. LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST.] I have not hitherto discovered any novel on which this comedy appears to have been founded; and yet the story of it has most of the features of an ancient romance. STEEVENS. I suspect that there is an error in the title of this play, which, I believe, should be“ Love's Labours Lost." M. MASON. Love's Labour's Lost, I conjecture to have been written in 1594. See An Attempt to ascertain the Order of Shakespeare's Plays, Vol. II. MALONE. PERSONS REPRESENTED. FERDINAND, King of Navarre. BIRON, LONGAVILLE, lords, attending on the King. BOYET, MERCADE, lords, attending on the Princess of France. Don ADRIANO DE ARMADO, a fantastical Spaniard. HOLOFERNES, a schoolmaster COSTARD, a clown. MOTH, page to Armado. Princess of France. ROSALINE, MARIA, KATHARINE, ladies; attending on the Princess. Jaquenetta, a country wench. Officers d others, attendants on the King and Princess. SCENE.-Navarre. |