Thought I thy spirits were stronger than thy shames, BENE. Sir, sir, be patient: For my part I am so attir'd in wonder, I know not what to say. BEAT. O, on my soul, my cousin is belied! I have this twelvemonth been her bedfellow. Who lov'd her so, that, speaking of her foulness, Wash'd it with tears? Hence from her; let her die. FRIAR. Hear me a little; For I have only been silent so long, And given way unto this course of fortune, By noting of the lady; I have mark'd с A thousand blushing apparitions start b • Frame-ordinance-arrangement. The original copies have "to start.” • Bear, in the folio. The quarto, beat. Thou seest, that all the grace that she hath left A sin of perjury; she not denies it: Why seek'st thou then to cover with excuse FRIAR. Lady, what man is he you are accus'd of? Than that which maiden modesty doth warrant, At hours unmeet, or that I yesternight Maintain❜d the change of words with any creature, FRIAR. There is some strange misprision in the princes. And if their wisdoms be misled in this, The practice of it lives in John the bastard, LEON. I know not: If they speak but truth of her, These hands shall tear her; if they wrong her honour, The proudest of them shall well hear of it. Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor fortune made such havoc of my means, And let my counsel sway you in this case. Your daughter here the princes left for dead; And publish it that she is dead indeed : Maintain a mourning ostentation; And on your family's old monument Hang mournful epitaphs, and do all rites That appertain unto a burial. LEON. What shall become of this? What will this do? COMEDIES.-VOL. II. D FRIAR. Marry, this, well carried, shall on her behalf And every lovely organ of her life Shall come apparell'd in more precious habit, More moving-delicate, and full of life, Into the eye and prospect of his soul, b Than when she liv'd indeed :-then shall he mourn, Out of all eyes, tongues, minds, and injuries. Should with your body. LEON. Being that I flow in grief, The smallest twine may lead me. Rack-strain-stretch-exaggerate. Hence rack-rent. Success. Mr. Hunter explains that the word is here used in the sense of what is to come after. FRIAR. "T is well consented; presently away; For to strange sores strangely they strain the cure.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? BENE. I will not desire that. 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! BEAT. A very even way, but no such friend. BENE. May a man do it? 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 stayed 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 anything for thee. BEAT. Kill Claudio. BENE. Ha! not for the wide world. BEAT. You kill me to deny : Farewell. BENE. Tarry, sweet Beatrice. 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 a villain, that hath slandered, scorned, dishonoured my kinswoman?-O, 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. BEAT. Princes, and counties! Surely, a princely testimony, a goodly countconfect; 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 leave you: By this hand, Claudio shall render me a dear 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; and the Watch, with CONRADE and BORACHIO. DOGB. Is our whole dissembly appeared? VERG. O, a stool and a cushion for the sexton! SEXTON. Which be the malefactors? DOGB. Marry, that am I and my partner. VERG. Nay, that 's certain; we have the exhibition to examine. 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 a!] Masters, it is proved The passage in brackets is omitted in the folio, but is given from the quarto. |