not have his head on her fhoulders for all Meffina, as like him as fhe is. Beat. I wonder, that you will ftill be talking, fignior Benedick; no body marks you. Bene, What, my dear lady Difdain!" are you yet living? Beat. Is it poffible, difdaín fhould die, while fhe hath fuch meet food to feed.it, as fignior Benedick 1? Courtesy itself must convert to difdain, if you come in her presence. Bene. Then is courtesy 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. Beat. A dear happiness to women; they would elfe have been troubled with a pernicious fuitor. I thank God, and my cold blood, I am of your humour for that; I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow, than. a man fwear he loves me. Bene. God keep your ladyfhip ftill in that mind! fo fome gentleman or other fhall 'fcape a predeftinate fcratch'd 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 beaft of yours. Bene. I would, my horfe had the speed of your tongue; and fo 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,-fignior Claudio, and fignior Benedick,-my dear friend Leo fuch food to feed it, as fignior Benedick?]. A kindred thought occurs in Coriolanus, act II. fc. i: "Our very priests must become mockers, if they encounter fuch ridiculous fubjects as you are." STEEVENS. nato nato hath invited you all. I tell him, we shall stay here at the leaft a month; and he heartily prays, fome occafion may detain us longer: I dare fwear 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. 1 Leon. Please it your grace lead on? Pedro. go together. Your hand, Leonato; we will [Exeunt all but Benedick and Claudio. Claud. Benedick, didit thou note the daughter of fignior Leonato? Bene. I noted her not; but I look'd on her. ་ Bene. Do you queftion me, as an honest man should do, for my fimple true judgment? or would you have me fpeak after my cuftom, as being a profeffed tyrant to their fex Claud. No, I pray thee, fpeak in fober judgment. Bene. Why, faith, methinks the is too low for a high praife, too brown for a fair praife, and too little for a great praife: only this commendation I can afford her; that were the other than fhe is, fhe were unhandfome; 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 such a jewel? Bene. Yea, and a cafe to put it into. But fpeak you this with a fad brow? or do you play the flout 2 I thank you:] The poet has judicioufly marked the gloominess of Don John's character, by making him averse to the common forms of civility. SIR J. HAWKINS. 3 ing 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 fong? Claud. In mine eye, she is the sweetest lady that I ever looked on. Bene. I can fee yet without spectacles, and I fee no fuch matter: there's her coufin, an fhe were not poffefs'd with a fury, exceeds her' as much in beauty, as the first of May doth the last of December. But I hope, you have no intent to turn hufband; have you? 3 to tell us, Cupid is a good hare-finder, &c.] I know not whether I conceive the jest here intended, Claudio hints his love of Hero. Benedick afks whether he is serious, or whether he only means to jest, and tell them that Cupid is a good bare finder, and Vulcan a rare carpenter. A man praising a pretty lady in jeft, may fhew the quick fight of Cupid, but what has it to do with the carpentry of Vulcan? Perhaps the thought lies no deeper than this, Do you mean to tell us as new what we all know already? JOHNSON. I believe no more is meant by thofe ludicrous expreffions than this. Do you mean, fays Benedick, to amufe us with improbable ftories? : ex An ingenious correfpondent, whofe fignature is R. W. plains the paffage in the fame fenfe, but more amply. "Do you mean to tell us that love is not blind, and that fire will not confume what is combuftible "for both these propofitions are implied in making Cupid a good bare-finder, and Vulcan (the God of fire) a good carpenter. In other words, would you convince me, whofe opinion on this head is well known, that you can be in love without being blind, and can play with the flame of beauty without being fcorched. STEEVENS. I explain the paffage thus: Do you fcoff and mock in telling us that Cupid, who is blind, is a good bare-finder, which requires a quick eyefight; and that Vulcan, a blacksmith, is a rare carpenter? TOLLET. 1 After fuch attempts at decent illuftration, I am afraid that he who wishes to know why Cupid is a good bare-finder, must discover it by the affiftance of many quibbling allufions of the fame fort, about hair and boar, in Mercutio's fong in the fecond act of Romeo and Juliet. COLLINS, -to go in the fong.] i. e. to join with you in your fong, to ftrike in with you in the fong, STEEVENS. Claud Chaud. I would scarce truft myself, though I had fworn the contrary, if Hero would by my wife. Bene. Is't come to this, i'faith? Hath not the world one man, but he will wear his cap with fufpicion? Shall I never fee a batchelor of threefcore again? Go to, i'faith; an thou wilt needs thrust thy meck into a yoke, wear the print of it, and 'figh away fundays. Look, Don Pedro is return'd to feek you. Re-enter Don Pedro. Pedro. What fecret hath held you here, that you follow'd not to Leonate's? Bene. I would, your grace would constrain me to tell. a Pedro. I charge thee on thy allegiance. Bene. You hear, Count Claudio: I can be fecret as dumb man, I would have you think fo; but on my allegiance,-mark you this, on my allegiance.-He is in love. With who?-now that is your grace's part.-mark, how fhort his answer is:-With Hero, Leonato's fhort daughter. Claud. If this were so, so were it uttered". Bene. S -wear his cap with fufpicion?] That is, fubject his head to the difquiet of jealoufy. JOHNSON. 6 -figh away fundays.] A proverbial expreffion to fig nify that a man has no reft at all; when Sunday, a day formerly of cafe and diverfion, was paffed fo uncomfortably. WARBURTON. I cannot find this proverbial expreffion in any ancient book whatever. I am apt to believe that the learned commentator has mistaken the drift of it, and that it most probably alludes to the strict manner in which the fabbath was observed by the puritans, who ufually spent that day in fighs and gruntings, and other hy pocritical marks of devotion. STEEVENS. 7 Claud. If this were fo, fo were it uttered.] This and the three next fpeeches I do not well understand; there feems fomething omitted relating to Hero's confent, or to Claudio's marriage, elfe I know not what Claudio can with not to be otherwife. The copies all read alike. Perhaps it may be better thus, Claud. If this were fo, fo were it. Bene. Uttered like the old tale, &c. S 4 Clau. 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 for bid it fhould be otherwife. Pedro. Amen, if you love her, for the lady is very well worthy. Claud. You speak 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 fpeak mine. Claud. That I love her, I feel. Pedro. That fhe is worthy, I know. Bene. That I neither feel how she should be loved, nor know how she should be worthy, is the opinion that fire cannot melt out of me; I will die in it at the stake. Pedro. Thou waft ever an obftinate heretick in the defpight of beauty. Claud. And never could maintain his in the force of his will. part, 2 but Bene. That a woman conceived me, I thank her; that the brought me up, I likewise give her most humble thanks: but that I will have a recheat winded in my forehead, or hang my bugle in an invi Claudio gives a fullen anfwer, if it is fo, fo it is. Still there feems fomething omitted which Claudio and Pedro concur in wifhing. JOHNSON. Claudio, evading at firft a confeffion of his paffion, fays; if I had really confided such a secret to him, yet he would have blabbed it in this manner. In his next fpeech, he thinks proper to avow his love; and when Benedick fays, God forbid it should be fe, i. e. God forbid he fhould even wish to marry her; Claudio replies-God forbid I should not with it, STEEVENS. but in the force of his will.] Alluding to the defini tion of a heretick in the schools. WARBURTON. 3 That is, I may blow. but that I will have a recheat winded in my forehead,] will avear a born on my forehead. which the huntfman A recheate is the found by which dogs are called back. ..Shake |