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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 proteft your cowardife. You have kill'd a sweet lady, and her death fhall fall heavy on you. Let me hear from you.

Claud. Well, I will meet you, fo I may have good

cheer.

Pedro. What, a feast?

Claud. I'faith, I thank him; he hath bid me to a calves-head and a capon, the which if I do not carve moft curiously, fay, my knife's naught. Shall I not find a woodcock too?

Bene. Sir, your wit ambles well; it goes eafily.

Pedro. I'll tell thee, how Beatrice prais'd thy wit the other day: I faid, thou hadft a fine wit; right, fays fhe, a fine little one; no, faid I, a great wit; juft, faid fhe, a great grofs one; nay, faid I, a good wit; juft, faid fhe, it hurts no body; nay, faid I, the gentleman is wife; certain, faid fhe, a wife gentleman; nay, faid I, he hath the tongues; that I believe, faid fhe, for he swore a thing to me on Monday night, which he forfwore on Tuesday morning; there's a double tongue, there's two tongues. Thus did fhe an hour together trans-shape thy particular virtues; yet, at last, she concluded with a figh, thou waft the propereft man in Italy.

Claud. For the which she wept heartily, and said, fhe car'd not.

Pedro. Yea, that she did; but yet for all that, and if she did not hate him deadly, fhe would love him dearly; the old man's daughter told us all.

Claud. All, all; and moreover, God faw him when he was hid in the garden.

Pedro. But when shall we fet the favage bull's horns on the fenfible Benedick's head?

Claud. Yea, and text underneath, Here dwells Benedick the married man.

Bene.

Bene. Fare you well, boy, you know my mind; I will leave you now to your goffip-like humour; you break jefts as braggars do their blades, which, God be thank'd, hurt not. My lord, for your many courtefies I thank you; I muft difcontinue your company; your brother, the baftard, is fled from Meffina; you have among you killed a fweet and innocent lady. For my lord lack-beard there, he and I shall meet; and 'till then peace be with him!

Pedro. He is in earnest.

[Exit Benedick.

Claud. In moft profound earnest, and, I'll warrant you, for the love of Beatrice.

Pedro. And hath challeng'd thee?
Claud. Moft fincerely.

Pedro. *What a pretty thing man is, when he goes in his doublet and hofe, and leaves off his wit!

SCENE

IV.

Enter Dogberry, Verges, Conrade and Borachio

Claud.

H

guarded.

E is then a giant to an ape; but then is an ape a doctor to such a man.

Pedro. But, foft you, let me fee, pluck up my heart and be fad; did he not fay, my brother was fled?

Dogb. Come, you, Sir; if juftice cannot tame you, fhe shall ne'er weigh more reasons in her balance ; nay, an you be a curfing hypocrite once, you must be look'd to.

Pedro. How now, two of my brother's men bound? Borachio, one?

What a pretty thing man is, when he goes in his doublet and hofe, and leaves off his wit!] It was esteemed a Mark of Levity and Want of becoming Gravity, at that Time, to go in the Doublet and Hofe, and leave off the Cloak, to which this well turn'd Expreffion alludes. The Thought is, that Love makes a Man as ridiculous, and expofes him as naked as being in the Doublet and Hofe without a Cloak.

Claud.

Claud. Hearken after their offence, my lord. Pedro. Officers, what offence have these men done? Dogb. Marry, Sir, they have committed false report; moreover, they have spoken untruths; fecondarily, they are flanders; fixth and laftly, they have bely'd a lady; thirdly, they have verify'd unjust things; and, to conclude, they are lying knaves. Pedro. Firft, I ask thee what they have done; thirdly, I ask thee what's their offence; fixth and laftly, why they are committed; and, to conclude, what you lay to their charge?

Claud. Rightly reafon'd and in his own divifion; and, by my troth, there's one meaning well fuited. Pedro. Whom have you offended, mafters, that you are thus bound to your answer? This learned conftable is too cunning to be understood. What's your offence?

Bora. Sweet Prince, let me go no further to mine answer: do you hear me, and let this Count kill me: I have deceiv'd even your very eyes; what your wifdoms could not discover, these shallow fools have brought to light, who in the night overheard me confeffing to this man, how Don John your brother incens'd me to flander the lady Hero; how you were brought into the orchard, and faw me court Margaret in Hero's garments; how you disgrac'd her, when you should marry her; my villany they have upon record, which I had rather seal with my death, than repeat over to my fhame; the lady is dead upon mine and my master's false accufation; and briefly, I defire nothing but the reward of a villain.

Pedro. Runs not this fpeech like iron through your blood?

Claud. I have drunk poison, while he utter'd it. Pedro. But did my brother set thee on to this? Bora. Yea, and paid me richly for the practice of it. Pedro. He is compos'd and fram'd of treachery; And fled he is upon this villany.

Claud.

Claud. Sweet Hero! now thy image doth appear In the rare femblance that I lov'd it firft.

Dogb. Come, bring away the Plaintiffs; by this time, our Sexton hath reform'd Signior Leonato of the matter; and mafters do not forget to specify, when time and place shall serve, that I am an ass. Verg. Here, here comes mafter Signior Leonato, and the Sexton too.

Leon.

I

SCENE V.

Enter Leonato and Sexton.

HICH is the villain? let me fee his

the

eyes;

That when I note another man like him,

may avoid him; which of these is he? Bora. If you would know your wronger, look on

me.

Leon. Art thou, art thou the flave, that with thy breath

Haft kill'd mine innocent child?

Bora. Yea, even I alone.

Leon. No, not so, villain; thou bely'ft thyself; Here ftand a pair of honourable men,

A third is fled, that had a hand in it:

I thank you, Princes, for my daughter's death;
Record it with your high and worthy deeds;
'Twas bravely done, if you bethink you of it.

Claud. I know not how to pray your patience,
Yet I must speak: chufe your revenge yourself;
Impose me to what penance your invention
Can lay upon my fin; yet finn'd I not,
But in miftaking.

Pedro. By my foul, nor I;

And yet, to fatisfy this good old man,
I would bend under any heavy weight,
That he'll enjoyn me to.

Leon.

Leon. You cannot bid my daughter live again, That were impoffible; but, I pray you both, Poffefs the People in Messina here

How innocent the dy'd; and if your love
Can labour aught in fad invention,
Hang her an Epitaph upon her tomb,
And sing it to her bones; fing it to-night:
To-morrow morning come you to my house,
And fince you could not be my fon-in-law,
Be yet my nephew; my brother hath a daughter,
Almoft the copy of my child that's dead,

And fhe alone is heir to both of us;

Give her the Right you should have given her Coufin, And fo dies my revenge.

Claud. O noble Sir!

Your over-kindness doth wring tears from me:
I do embrace your offer; and dispose

For henceforth of poor Claudio.

Leon. To-morrow then I will expect your Coming, To-night I take my leave. This naughty man Shall face to face be brought to Margaret, Who, I believe, was pack'd in all this wrong, Hir'd to it by your brother.

Bora. No, by my foul, she was not;

Nor knew not what she did, when she spoke to me.
But always hath been juft and virtuous,
In any thing that I do know by her.

Dogb. Moreover, Sir, which indeed is not under white and black, this plaintiff here, the offender, did call me afs: I befeech you, let it be remember'd in his punishment; and also the watch heard them talk of one Deformed: they say, * he wears a key in his car,

and

he wears a key in his ear, and a lock hanging by it; and borrows money in God's name. e.] There could not be a pleasanter Ridicule on the Fafhion, than the Conftable's Defcant on his own Blunder. They heard the Confpirators fatyrize the fashion; Whom they took to be a Man, firnamed, Deformed. This the Conftable applies with exquifite Humour to the Courtiers, in a Description of one of the most fantasti

cal

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