Meff. I will hold friends with you, Lady. Leon. You'll ne'er run mad, Neice. SCENE II. Enter Don Pedro, Claudio, Benedick, Balthazaṛ, and Don John. O OD Signior Leonato, you are come to Pedro meet your trouble: the fashion of the Go world is to avoid coft, and you encounter it. Leon. Never came trouble to my house in the likeness of your Grace; for trouble being gone, comfort fhould remain; but when you depart from me, forrow abides, and happiness takes his leave. Pedro. You embrace your charge too willingly: I think, this is your daughter. Leon. Her mother hath many times told me fo. Bene. Were you in doubt, Sir, that you afkt her? Leon. Signior Benedick, no; for then were you a child. Pedro. You have it full, Benedick; We may guess by this what you are, being a man: truly, the lady fathers herself; be happy, lady, for you are like an honourable father. Bene. If Signior Leonato be her Father, fhe would not have his head on her fhoulders for all Messina, as like him as fhe is. Beat. I wonder, that you will ftill be talking, Signior Benedick; no body marks you. Bene. What, my dear lady Difdain! are you yet living? Beat. Is it poffible, Difdain fhould die, while fhe hath fuch meet food to feed it, as Signior Benedick? Courtesy itself must convert to Difdain, if you come in her prefence. Bene. Bene. Then is courtefy a turn-coat; but it is certain, I am lov'd of all ladies, only you excepted; and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for truly I love none. I Beat. A dear happiness to women; they would elfe have been troubled with a pernicious fuitor. thank God and my cold blood, I am of Huyour mour for that; I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow, than a man fwear he loves me. Bene. God keep your ladyship still in that mind! fo fome gentleman or other shall scape a predeftinate fcratcht face. Beat. Scratching could not make it worse, an 'twere fuch a face as yours were. Bene. Well, you are a rare parrot-teacher. Beat. A bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours. Bene. I would, my horfe had the speed of your tongue, and so good a continuer: but keep your way o'God's name, I have done. Beat. You always end with a jade's trick; I know you of old. Pedro. This is the fum of all: Leonato, -Signior Claudio, and Signior Benedick,- -my dear friend, Leonato hath invited you all; I tell him, we fhall ftay here at the leaft a month; and he heartily prays, fome occafion may detain us longer; I dare swear, he is no hypocrite, but prays from his heart. Leon. If you fwear, my Lord, you shall not be forfworn. Let me bid You welcome, my lord, being reconciled to the prince your brother; I owe you all duty. John. I thank you; I am not of many words, but I thank you. Leon. Pleafe it your Grace lead on? Pedro. Your hand, Leonato; we will go together. [Exeunt all but Benedick and Claudio. Claud. BE BENEDICK, didft thou note the daugh- Bene. I noted her not, but I look'd on her. Bene. Do you question me, as an honest man should do, for my simple true judgment? or would you have me speak after my cuftom, as being a professed tyrant to their fex? Claud. No, I pr'ythee, fpeak in fober judgment. Bene. Why, i'faith, methinks, fhe is too low for an high praise, too brown for a fair praise, and too little for a great praise; only this commendation I can afford her, that were fhe other than she is, she were unhandsome; and being no other but as fhe is, I do not like her. Claud. Thou think'ft, I am in fport; I pray thee, tell me truly how thou lik'ft her. Bene. Would you buy her, that you enquire after her? Claud. Can the world buy fuch a jewel? Bene. Yea, and a cafe to put it into; but speak you this with a fad brow? or do you play the flouting Jack, to tell us Cupid is a good hare-finder, and Vulcan a rare carpenter? come, in what key fhall a man take you to go in the Song? Claud. In mine eye, fhe is the sweetest lady that I ever look'd on. Bene. I can fee yet without fpectacles, and I fee no fuch matter; there's her Cousin, if she were not poffeft with fuch a Fury, exceeds her as much in beauty, as the firft of May doth the laft of December: but I hope, you have no intent to turn husband, have you? Claud. I would fcarce truft myself, tho' I had fworn the contrary, if Hero would be my wife. Bene. Bene. Is't come to this, in faith? hath not the world one man, but he will wear his cap with sufpicion? fhall I never see a bachelor of threescore again? go to, i'faith, if thou wilt needs thruft thy neck into a yoke, wear the print of it, and figh away Sundays: look, Don Pedro is return'd to feek you. IV. Pedro. SCENE Re-enter Don Pedro and Don John. W HAT Secret hath held you here, that you follow'd not to Leonato's house? Bene. I would your Grace would constrain me to tell. Pedro. I charge thee on thy allegiance. Bene. You hear, Count Claudio, I can be fecret as a dumb man, I would have you think fo; but on my allegiance, mark you this, on my allegiance:-he is in love; with whom? now that is your Grace's part: mark, how fhort his anfwer is, with Hero, Leonato's fhort-daughter. Claud. If this were fo, fo were it uttered. Bene. Like the old tale, my lord, it is not fo, nor 'twas not fo; but, indeed, God forbid it should be fo. Claud. If my paffion change not fhortly, God forbid it fhould be otherwife. Pedro. Amen, if you love her, for the Lady is very well worthy. Claud. You fpeak this to fetch me in, my Lord. Pedro. By my troth, I fpeak my thought. Claud. And, in faith, my Lord, I spoke mine. Bene. And by my two faiths and troths, my Lord, I speak mine. Claud. That I love her, I feel. Pedro. That she is worthy, I know. Bene. That I neither feel how she should be loved, nor know how she should be worthy, is the opinion F 3 that that fire cannot melt out of me; I will die in it at the ftake. Pedro. Thou waft ever an obftinate heretic in the defpight of beauty. Claud. And never could maintain his part, but in the force of his will. Bene. That a woman conceiv'd me, I thank her; that he brought me up, I likewife give her most humble thanks: but that I will have a recheate winded in my forehead, or hang my bugle in an invifible baldric, all women fhall pardon me; becaufe I will not do them the Wrong to mistrust any, I will do myself the Right to truft none: and the fine is, (for the which I may go the finer,) I will live a bachelor.: Pedro. I fhall fee thee, ere I die, look pale with love. Bene. With anger, with fickness, or with hunger, my lord, not with love: prove, that ever I lofe more blood with love, than I will get again with drinking, pick out mine eyes with a ballad-maker's pen, and hang me up at the door of a brothel-house for the Sign of blind Cupid. Pedro. Well, if ever thou dost fall from this faith, thou wilt prove a notable argument. Bene. If I do, hang me in a bottle like a cat, and fhoot at me; and he that hits me, let him be clapt on the fhoulder, and call'd * Adam. Pedo. Well, as time fhall try; in time the favage bull doth bear the yoke. Bene. The favage bull may, but if ever the fenfible Benedick bear it, pluck off the bull's-horns, and fet them in my forehead, and let me be vilely painted; and in fuch great letters as they write, Here is good Horfe to hire, let them fignify under my Sign, Here you may fee Benedick the marry'd the man. * Adam Bell, at that time famous for Archery. Mr. Theobald. Claud. |