I have confefs'd her, and I know her virtue.
Thanks, good friend Efcalus, for thy much goodness:
There's more behind, that is more gratulate.
Thanks, Provost, for thy care and fecrefie;
We shall imploy thee in a worthier place:
Forgive him, Angelo, that brought you home
The head of Ragozine for Claudio's;
Th' offence pardons it felf. Dear Ifabel,
I have a motion much imports your good,
Whereto if you'll a willing ear incline,

What's mine is yours, and what is yours is mine:
So bring us to our Palace, where we'll show

What's yet behind, that's meet you all should know.

[Exeunt.

Promos and Caffandra: and printed in the old Black Letter, in 1578. Neither of thefe Difcourfes, I believe, were ever acted: The Author left them with his Friends, to publish; for He, that very Year, accompanied Sir Humphry Gilbert, Sir Walter Raleigh's Brother, in his Voyage to Norimbega in the West-Indies. I could prove to Demonftration, that Shakespeare had perus'd thefe Pieces; but whoever has seen, and knows what execrable mean Stuff they are; I am fure, will acquit him from all Sufpicion of Plagiarism.

MUCH

MUCH A DO

ABOUT

NOTHING.

VOL. I.

Dd

DON PEDRO, Prince of Arragon.
Leonato, Governor of Meffina.

Don John, Baftard Brother to Don Pedro.

Claudio, a young Lord of Florence, Favourite to Don

Pedro.

Benedick, a young Lord of Padua, favour'd likewife by Don Pedro.

Balthafar, Servant to Don Pedro.

Antonio, Brother to Leonato.

Borachio, Confident to Don John.
Conrade, Friend to Borachio.

Dogberry, two foolish Officers.
Verges,

Hero, Daughter to Leonato.
Beatrice, Neice to Leonato.

Margaret,
Urfula,

}

two Gentlewomen, attending on Hero.

A Friar, Messenger, Watch, Town-Clerk, Sexton,

and Attendants.

SCENE, Meffina in Sicily.

Much

(1) MUCHADO about NOTHING.

A C T I.

SCENE, a Court before Leonato's House.

Enter Leonato, Hero, and Beatrice, with a Megenger.

LEONA TO.

Learn in this letter, that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this night to Melina.

Me. He is very near by this; he was not three leagues off when I left him.

Leon. How many gentlemen have you

loft in this action?

Meff. But few of any Sort, and none of name. Leon. A victory is twice it felf, when the atchiever brings home full numbers; I find here, that Don Pedro hath beftowed much honour on a young Florentine, call'd Claudio.

Meff. Much deferved on his part, and equally remembred by Don Pedro: he hath borne himself be

(1) Much Ado about Nothing.] Innogen, (the Mother of Hero) in the oldeft Quarto that I have feen of this Play, printed in 1600, is mention'd to enter in two feveral Scenes. The fucceeding Editions have all continued her Name in the Dramatis Perfone. But I have ventur'd to expunge it; there being no mention of her thro' the Play, no one Speech addrefs'd to her, nor one Syllable spoken by her. Neither is there any one Paffage, from which we have any Reason to determine that Hero's Mother was living. It feems, as if the Poet had in his firft Plan defign'd fuch a Character; which, on a Survey of it, he found would be fuperfluous; and therefore he left it out. Ddz

yond