Beat. Princes, and counties! Surely, a princely testimony, a goodly 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 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? 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 6 Noblemen. 7 A nobleman made out of sugar. examined? let them come before master consta ble. Dogb. Yea, marry, let them come before me. What is your name, friend? Bora. Borachio. Dogb. Pray write down - Borachio. sirrah? Yours, Con. I am a gentleman, sir, and my name is Conrade. Dogb. Write down-master gentleman Conrade. 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. 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 brothervillain. 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. Sexton. What else, fellow? 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. Sexton. And this is more, masters, than you can deny. Prince John is this morning secretly stolen away; Hero was in this manner accused, in this very manner refused, and upon the grief of this, suddenly died.-Master constable, let these men be bound, and brought to Leonato's; I will go before, and show him their examination. [Exit. Dogb. Come, let them be opinioned. Con. Off, coxcomb! Dogb. Where's the sexton? let him write down -the prince's officer, coxcomb. - Come, bind them: Thou naughty varlet! Con. Away! you are an ass, you are an ass. 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 housholder: 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. O, that I had been writ down an ass. [Exeunt. ACT THE FIFTH. SCENE I. Before Leonato's House. Enter LEONATO and ANTONIO. Ant. If you go on thus, you will kill yourself; And 'tis not wisdom, thus to second grief Against yourself. Leon. As water in a sieve: give not me counsel; 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 VOL. II. No, no; 'tis all men's office to speak patience To be so moral, when he shall endure The like himself: therefore give me no counsel: Ant. Therein do men from children nothing differ. Leon. I pray thee, peace: I will be flesh and blood; For there was never yet philosopher, That could endure the tooth-ach patiently; My soul doth tell me, Hero is belied; And that shall Claudio know, so shall the prince, And all of them, that thus dishonour her. Enter Don PEDRO and CLAUDIO. Ant. Here comes the prince, and Claudio, hastily. D. Pedro. Good den, good den. Claud. Good day to both of you. Leon. Hear you, my lords, - We have some haste, Leonato. Leon. Some haste, my lord!—well, fare you well, my lord: Are you so hasty now? - well, all is one. D. Pedro. Nay, do not quarrel with us, good old man. Ant. If he could right himself with quarreling, Some of us would lie low. Claud. Who wrongs him? 8 Admonition. |