Don Pedro, Prince of Arragon.

Leonato, Governor of Meffina.

Don John, Baftard Brother to Don Pedro.

Claudio, a young Lord of Florence, Favourite to Don Pedro.

Benedick, a young Lord of Padua, favoured likewife by

Don Pedro.

A Friar, Messenger, Watch, Town-Clerk, Sexton, and Attendants.

SCENE Melfina in Sicily.

The ftory is from Ariofto, Orl. Fur. b. v.

POPE.

It is true, as Mr. Pope has obferved, that somewhat refembling the story of this play is to be found in the fifth book of the Orlando Furiofo. In Spenfer's Faery Queen, b. ii. c. 4. as remote an original may be traced. A novel, however, of Belleforest, copied from another of Bandello, feems to have furnished Shakefpeare with his fable, as it approaches nearer in all its particulars to the play before us, than any other performance known to be extant. I have seen fo many verfions from this once popular collection, that I entertain no doubt but that the great majority of the tales it comprehends, have made their ap pearance in an English drefs. Of that particular story which I have just mentioned, viz. the 18th history in the third volume, no tranflation has hitherto been met with. STEEVENS.

L

MUCH

ACT I. SCENE I.

Before Leonato's house.

Enter Leonato, Hero, and Beatrice, with a Messenger

Leon. I learn in this letter, that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this night to Meffina.

Me. He is very near by this; he was not three leagues off when I left him.

Leon, How many gentlemen have you loft in this action?

Melf. But few of any fort, and none of name. Leon. A victory is twice itself, when the atchiever brings home full numbers. I find here, that Don Pedro hath bestowed much honour on a young Florentine, call'd Claudio.

Much Ado about Nothing.] Innogen, (the mother of Hero) in the oldeft quarto that I have feen of this play, printed in 1600, is mentioned to enter in two feveral scenes. The fucceeding editions have all continued her name in the Dramatis Perfonæ. But I have ventured to expunge it; there being no mention of her through the play, no one fpeech address'd to her, nor one fyllable fpoken by her. Neither is there any one paffage, from which we have any reason to determine that Hero's mother was living. It feems, as if the poet had in his first plan defign'd fuch a character: which, on a furvey of it, he found would be fuperfluous; and therefore he left it out. This play was entered at Stationers' Hall, Aug. 23, 1600.

2

THEOBALD.

STEEVENS.

of any fort,] Sort is rank. So in Chapman's verfion of the 16th book of Homer's Odyffey:

“A ship, and in her many a man of fort." STEEVENS.

Mell.

Meff. Much deferv'd on his part, and equally remembered by Don Pedro: He hath borne himself beyond the promise of his age; doing, in the figure of a lamb, the feats of a lion: he hath, indeed, better better'd expectation, than you must expect of me to tell you how.

Leon. He hath an uncle here in Meffina will be very much glad of it.

Me. I have already delivered him letters, and there appears much joy in him; even fo much, that 3 joy could not fhew itself modeft enough, without a badge of bitterness.

Leon. Did he break out into tears?

Melf. In great measure.

Leon. A kind overflow of kindnefs: There are no faces truer than thofe that are fo wafh'd. How much better is it to weep at joy, than to joy at weeping?

Beat. I pray you, is fignior Montanto return'd from the wars, or no?

Mess

3joy could not fhew itself modeft enough, without a badge of bitterness.] This is judicioufly exprefs'd. Of all the transports of joy, that which is attended with tears is leaft offensive; becaufe, carrying with it this mark of pain, it allays the envy that ufually attends another's happiness. This he finely calls a modeft joy, fuch a one as did not infult the obferver by an indication of happiness unmixed with pain. WARBURTON.

Such another expreffion occurs in Chapman's verfion of the tenth book of the Odyssey:

66

our eyes wore

"The fame wet badge of weak humanity."

This is an idea which Shakespeare feems to have been delight, ed to introduce. It occurs again in Macbeth:

4

66

my plenteous joys

"Wanton in fullness, feck to hide themselves

"In drops of forrow."

STEEVENS.

no faces truer] That is, none honefter, none more fincere, JOHNSON. 5-is fignior Montanto return'd-] Montante, in Spanish, is a buge two-handed fword, given, with much humour, to one, the fpeaker would represent as a boafter or bravado. WARBURTON.

Montanto was one of the ancient terms of the fencing-school.

Melf. I know none of that name, lady; there was none fuch in the army of any fort.

Leon. What is he that you ask for, niece

Hero. My coufin means fignior Benedick of Padua.
Meff. O, he's return'd; and as pleasant as ever he

was.

Beat. He fet up his bills here in Meffina, and challenged Cupid at the flight: and my uncle's fool,

8

So, in Every Man in his Humour: "

read

your punto, your reverso, your ftoccata, your imbrocata, your paffada, your montanto, &c.” Again, in the Merry Wives of Windfor:

66

-thy reverse, thy diftance, thy montant." STEEVENS.

—there was none fuch in the army of any fort.] Not meaning there was none fuch of any order or degree whatever, but that there was none fuch of any quality above the common. WARBURTON. 7 He fet up his bills &c.] In B. Jonfon's Every Man out of his Humour, Shift says:

"This is rare, I have fet up my bills without discovery." Again, in Swetnam Arraign'd, 1620:

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"I have bought foils already, fet up bills,

"Hung up my two-hand fword, &c."

Again, in Nash's Have with you to Saffron Walden &c. 1596: -fetting up bills like a bearward or fencer, what fights we fhall have, and what weapons she will meet me at.”

Beatrice means, that Benedick published a general challenge, like a prize-fighter. STEEVENS.

8

-challenged Cupid at the flight:] The difufe of the bow makes this paffage obfcure. Benedick is reprefented as challenging Cupid at archery. To challenge at the flight is, I believe, to wager who fhall shoot the arrow fartheft without any particular mark. To challenge at the bird-bolt, feems to mean the fame as to challenge at children's archery, with fmall arrows, fuch as are discharged at birds. In Twelfth-Night Lady Olivia opposes a bird-bolt to a cannot-bullet, the lighteit to the heaviest of millive weapons. JOHNSON.

To challenge at the flight, was a challenge to fhoot with an arrow. Flight means an arrow, as may be proved from the following lines in Beaumont and Fletcher's Bonduca :

66

not the quick rack fwifter;
"The virgin from the hated ravisher

"Not half jo fearful: not a flight drawn home,
"Around ftone from a fling.

So

reading the challenge, fubfcrib'd for Cupid, and chal lenged him at the bird-bolt.-I pray you, how many

t

So, in A Woman kill'd with Kindness, 1617:

hath

"We have tied our geldings to a tree, two flight-shot off.” Again, in Middleton's Game of Chefs, 1625:

"Who, as they fay, difcharg'd it like a flight." Again, in the Entertainment at Caufome Houfe, &c. 1613:

"-it being from the park about two flight-fhots in length.' But it is apparent from the following paffage in the Civil Wars of Daniel, b. viii. ft. 15. that a flight was not ufed to fignify an arrow in general, but fome particular kind of arrow; I believe one of an unusual length:

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and affign'd

"The archers their flight-fhafts to fhoot away;

"Which th'adverse fide (with fleet and dimness blind,
"Mistaken in the distance of the way)

"Answer with their sheaf-arrows, that came fhort
"Of their intended aim, and did no hurt.”

Holinfhed makes the fame diftinction in his account of the fame occurrence, and adds, that these flights were provided on purpose. Again, in Holinfhed, p. 649.-" He caufed the foldiers to shoot their flights towards the lord Audlies company.

Mr. Tollet obferves, that the length of a flight-hot seems afcertained by a paffage in Leland's Itinerary, 1769, vol. iv. p. 44. "The paffage into it at ful fe is a flite-fhot over, as much as the Tamife is above the bridge."It were eafy to know the length of London-Bridge, and Stowe's Survey may inform the curious reader whether the river has been narrowed by embanking fince the days of Leland.

The bird-bolt is a fhort thick arrow without point, and fpreading at the extremity fo much, as to leave a flat surface, about the breadth of a fhilling. Such are to this day in ufe to kill rooks with, and are shot from a cross-bow. So, in Marston's What You Will, 1607:

-ignorance should shoot

"His grofs-knobb'd bird-bolt.”

Again, in Love in a Maze, 1632:

-Cupid,

"Pox of his bird-bolt! Venus,

"Speak to thy boy to fetch his arrow back,

"Or ftrike her with a harp one!" STEEVENS.

He challenged Cupid at the flight, and my uncle's fool chal lenged him at the bird-bolt.] The flight was an arrow of a par ticular kind :-In the Harleian Catalogue of MSS. vol. i. n. 69. a challenge of the lady Maiee's fervants to all comers, to be performed at Greenwiche-to shoot ftandart arrow, or flight." I

is "