Friar. Marry, this, well carried, shall on her behalf That what we have we prize not to the worth, And every lovely organ of her life Shall come apparell'd in more precious habit, Than when she liv'd indeed :-then shall he mourn, Let this be so, and doubt not but success Will fashion the event in better shape Come, lady, die to live: this wedding day, Perhaps, is but prolong'd: have patience, and endure. [Exeunt Friar, HERO, and LEONATO. Bene. Lady Beatrice, have you wept all this while? Beat. Yea, and I will weep a while longer. Beat. You have no reason; I do it freely. Bene. Surely, I do believe your fair cousin is wronged. Beat. Ah, how much might the man deserve of me that would right her! Bene. Is there any way to show such friendship? By this hand, Claudio shall render me a dear Beat. It is a man's office, but not yours. Bene. I do love nothing in the world so well as you. Is not that strange? Beat. As strange as the thing I know not. It were as possible for me to say, I loved nothing so well as you; but believe me not, and yet I lie not: I confess nothing, nor I deny nothing.—I am sorry for my cousin. Bene. By my sword, Beatrice, thou lovest me. Beat. Do not swear by it, and eat it. Bene. I will swear by it, that you love me; and I will make him eat it, that says I love not you. Beat. Will you not eat your word? Bene. With no sauce that can be devised to it. I protest, I love thee. Beat. Why then, God forgive me! Bene. What offence, sweet Beatrice? Beat. You have stay'd me in a happy hour: I was about to protest, I loved you. Bene. And do it with all thy heart. Beat. I love you with so much of my heart, that none is left to protest. Bene. Come, bid me do any thing for thee. Beat. Kill Claudio. Bene. Ha! not for the wide world. Beat. You kill me to deny it. Farewell. Beat. I am gone, though I am here:-there is no love in you.-Nay, I pray you, let me go. Bene. Beatrice, Beat. In faith, I will go. Bene. We'll be friends first. Beat. You dare easier be friends with me than fight with mine enemy. Bene. Is Claudio thine enemy? Beat. Is he not approved in the height of a villain, that hath slandered, scorned, dishonoured my kinswoman?-0, that I were a man!-What! bear her in hand until they come to take hands, and then with public accusation, uncovered slander, unmitigated rancour,-O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market-place. Bene. Hear me, Beatrice Beat. Talk with a man out at a window!-a proper saying. Bene. Nay, but Beatrice Beat. Sweet Hero!-she is wronged, she is slandered, she is undone. Bene. Beat Beat. Princes, and counties! Surely, a princely testimony, a goodly count, count confect; a sweet gallant, surely! O, that I were a man for his sake! or that I had any friend would be a man for my sake! But manhood is melted into courtesies, valour into compliment, and men are only turned into tongue, and trim ones too: he is now as valiant as Hercules, that only tells a lie and swears it.—I cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will die a woman with grieving. Bene. Tarry, good Beatrice. By this hand, I love thee. Beat. Use it for my love some other way than swearing by it. Bene. Think you in your soul the count Claudio hath wronged Hero? Beat. Yea, as sure as I have a thought, or a soul. Bene. Enough! I am engaged, I will challenge him. I will kiss your hand, and so I leave you. account. As you hear of me, so think of me. Go, comfort your cousin: I-must say she is dead; and so, farewell. [Exeunt. SCENE II.-A Prison. Enter DOGBERRY, VERGES, and Sexton, in gowns; Sexton. But which are the offenders that are to be examined? let them come before master constable. Dogb. Yea, marry, let them come before me.What is your name, friend? Bora. Borachio. Dogb. Pray write down Borachio.—Yours, sirrah? Con. I am a gentleman, sir, and my name is Conrade. Dogb. Write down master gentleman Conrade.— Masters, do you serve God? Con. Bora. Yea, sir, we hope. Dogb. Write down-that they hope they serve God:-and write God first; for God defend but God should go before such villains!-Masters, it is proved already that you are little better than false knaves, and it will go near to be thought so shortly. How answer you for yourselves? Con. Marry, sir, we say we are none. Dogb. A marvellous witty fellow, I assure you; but I will go about with him.-Come you hither, sirrah; a word in your ear, sir: I say to you, it is thought you are false knaves. Bora. Sir, I say to you, we are none. Dogb. Well, stand aside.-'Fore God, they are both in a tale. Have you writ down, that they are none? Sexton. Master constable, you go not the way to examine: you must call forth the watch that are their accusers. Dogb. Yea, marry, that's the eftest way:-Let the watch come forth.-Masters, I charge you, in the prince's name, accuse these men. 1 Watch. This man said, sir, that Don John, the prince's brother, was a villain. Dogb. Write down-prince John a villain.— Why, this is flat perjury, to call a prince's brother villain. Bora. Master constable, Dogb. Pray thee, fellow, peace: I do not like thy look, I promise thee. Sexton. What heard you him say else? 2 Watch. Marry, that he had received a thousand ducats of Don John, for accusing the lady Hero wrongfully. Dogb. Flat burglary as ever was committed. 1 Watch. And that Count Claudio did mean, upon his words, to disgrace Hero before the whole assembly, and not marry her. Dogb. O villain! thou wilt be condemned into everlasting redemption for this. Sexton. What else? 2 Watch. This is all. Dogb. Dost thou not suspect my place? Dost thou not suspect my years?-O, that he were here to write me down an ass!-but, masters, remember, that I am an ass; though it be not written down, yet forget not that I am an ass.-No, thou villain, thou art full of piety, as shall be proved upon thee by good witness. I am a wise fellow; and, which is more, an officer; and, which is more, a householder; and, which is more, as pretty a piece of flesh as any is in Messina; and one that knows the law, go to; and a rich fellow enough, go to; and a fellow that hath had losses; and one that hath two gowns, and every thing handsome about him. Bring him away. Ó, that I had been writ down [Exeunt. an ass. SCENE I.-Before LEONATO's House. Enter LEONATO and ANTONIO. Ant. If you go on thus, you will kill yourself; Leon. But such a one whose wrongs do suit with mine: Measure his woe the length and breadth of mine, But there is no such man; for, brother, men Ant. Therein do men from children nothing differ. For there was never yet philosopher, Ant. Yet bend not all the harm upon yourself; Make those that do offend you suffer too. Leon. There thou speak'st reason: nay, I will My soul doth tell me Hero is belied, Enter Don PEDRO and CLAUDIO. Ant. Here comes the prince, and Claudio hastily. I speak not like a dotard, nor a fool; What I have done being young, or what would do, I say, thou hast belied mine innocent child And she lies buried with her ancestors, Leon. Thine, Claudio; thine, I say. D. Pedro. You say not right, old man. Leon. My lord, my lord, I'll prove it on his body, if he dare, Despite his nice fence, and his active practice, His May of youth, and bloom of lustyhood. Claud. Away! I will not have to do with you. Leon. Canst thou so daff me? Thou hast kill'd my child: If thou kill'st me, boy, thou shalt kill a man. Ant. He shall kill two of us, and men indeed: But that's no matter; let him kill one first :Win me and wear me,-let him answer me.Come, follow me, boy! come, sir boy, come, follow me. Sir boy, I'll whip you from your foining fence; Nay, as I am a gentleman, I will. them, yea, And what they weigh, even to the utmost scruple: Leon. But, brother Antony- Come, 'tis no matter: Do not you meddle, let me deal in this. D. Pedro. Gentlemen both, we will not wake your patience. My heart is sorry for your daughter's death; Leon. I will not hear you. Come, brother, away.-I will be heard.— No? Ant. And shall, or some of us will smart for it. [Exeunt LEONATO and ANTONIO. Enter BENEDICK. D. Pedro. See, see: here comes the man we went to seek. Claud. Now, signior, what news? D. Pedro. Welcome, signior: you are almost come to part almost a fray. Claud. We had like to have had our two noses snapped off with two old men without teeth. D. Pedro. Leonato and his brother. What think'st thou? Had we fought, I doubt, we should have been too young for them. Bene. In a false quarrel there is no true valour. I came to seek you both. Claud. We have been up and down to seek thee; for we are high-proof melancholy, and would fain have it beaten away. Wilt thou use thy wit? Bene. It is in my scabbard: shall I draw it? D. Pedro. Dost thou wear thy wit by thy side? Claud. Never any did so, though very many have been beside their wit.-I will bid thee draw, as we do the minstrels; draw to pleasure us. D. Pedro. As I am an honest man, he looks pale.-Art thou sick, or angry? Claud. What! courage, man! care killed a cat, thou hast mettle to kill care. What though enough in thee Claud. If he be, he knows how to turn his girdle. Bene. Shall I speak a word in your ear? Claud. God bless me from a challenge! Bene. You are a villain.—I jest not:-I will make it good how you dare, with what you dare, and when you dare.-Do me right, or I will protest your cowardice. You have killed a sweet lady, and her death shall fall heavy on you. Let me hear from you. Claud. Well, I will meet you, so I may have good cheer. D. Pedro. What, a feast? a feast? Claud. I'faith, I thank him; he hath bid me to a calf's-head and a capon, the which if I do not carve most curiously, say my knife's naught.-Shall I not find a woodcock too? 66 Bene. Sir, your wit ambles well: it goes easily. D. Pedro. I'll tell thee how Beatrice praised thy wit the other day. I said, thou hadst a fine wit: "True," said she, "a fine little one :" "No,” said I, a great wit:" "Right," says she, "a great gross one:" "Nay," said I, "a good wit:" "Just," said she, "it hurts nobody :” “ Nay," said I, "the gentleman is wise:""Certain," said she, "a wise gentleman:" "Nay," said I, "he hath the tongues:" "That I believe," said she, "for he swore a thing to me on Monday night, which he forswore on Tuesday morning: there's a double tongue; there's two tongues." Thus did she, an hour together, transshape thy particular virtues; yet at last she concluded with a sigh, thou wast the properest man in Italy. Claud. For the which she wept heartily, and said she cared not. D. Pedro. Yea, that she did; but yet, for all that, an if she did not hate him deadly, she would love him dearly. The old man's daughter told us all. Claud. All, all; and moreover, God saw him when he was hid in the garden. D. Pedro. But when shall we set the savage bull's horns on the sensible Benedick's head? Claud. Yea, and text underneath, “Here dwells Benedick the married man!" Bene. Fare you well, boy: you know my mind. I will leave you now to your gossip-like humour: you break jests as braggarts do their blades, which, God be thanked, hurt not.-My lord, for your many courtesies I thank you: I must discontinue your company. Your brother, the bastard, is fled from Messina: you have, among you, killed a sweet and innocent lady. For my lord Lack-beard, there, he and I shall meet; and till then, peace be with him. [Exit BENEDICK. D. Pedro. He is in earnest. Claud. In most profound earnest; and, I'll warrant you, for the love of Beatrice. D. Pedro. And hath challenged thee? Claud. Most sincerely. D. Pedro. What a pretty thing man is, when he goes in his doublet and hose, and leaves off his wit! Claud. He is then a giant to an ape: but then is an ape a doctor to such a man. D. Pedro. But, soft you; let me be: pluck up, my heart, and be sad! Did he not say, my brother was fled? Enter DOGBERRY, Verges, and the Watch, with CONRADE and BORACHIO. Dogb. Come, you, sir: if justice cannot tame you, she shall ne'er weigh more reasons in her balNay, an you be a cursing hypocrite once, you must be looked to. ance. D. Pedro. How now! two of my brother's men bound? Borachio, one? |