Leon. O! fhe tore the letter into a thousand half-pence: rail'd at herself, that she should be fo immodeft to write to one that she knew would flout her: I meafure him, fays the, by my own fpirit; for I should flout him, if he writ to me; yea, though I love him, I should. Claud. Then down upon her knees fhe falls, weeps, fobs, beats her heart, tears her hair, prays, curfes;-O fweet Benedick! God give me patience! Leon. She doth indeed; my daughter fays fo: and the ecftafy hath fo much overborne her, that my daughter is fometime afraid fhe will do a defperate outrage to herself; It is very true. D. Pedra. It were good, that Benedick knew of it by fome other, if she will not discover it. Claud. To what end? He would but make a sport of it, and torment the poor lady worse. D. Pedro. An he should, it were an alms to hang him: She's an excellent fweet lady; and, out of all fufpicion, the is virtuous. Claud. And he is exceeding wife. D. Pedro. In every thing, but in loving Benedick. Leon. O my lord, wifdom and blood 3 combating in fo tender a body, we have ten proofs to one, that blood hath the victory. I am forry for her, as I have juft caufe, being her uncle and her guardian. D. Pedro. I would, fhe had bestowed this dotage on me; I would have daff'd 4 all other refpects, and made her half myself: I pray you, tell Benedick of it, and hear what he will fay. Leon. Were it good, think you? Claud. Hero thinks furely, fhe will die for fhe fays, fhe will die if he love her not; and she will die ere the make her love known; and she will die if he woo her, ra ther 9 A farthing, and perhaps a halfpenny, was used to fignify any smalk particle or divifion. STEEVENS. 2 and the ecftafy-] i. e. alienation of mind. STEEVENS. 3 I fuppose blood, in this inftance, to mean nature, or difpofition. STEEVENS Blood is here as in many other places used by our author in the fenfe of paffion, or rather temperament of body. MALONE. To daff is the fame as to doff, or do off, to put afide. STEEVENS ther than fhe will 'bate one breath of her accuftom'd croffnefs. D. Pedro. She doth well: if she should make tender of her love, 'tis very poffible he'll fcorn it; for the man, as you know all, hath a contemptible fpirit.5 Claud. He is a very proper man.6 D. Pedro. He hath, indeed, a good outward happiness. Claud. 'Fore God, and in my mind, very wife. D. Pedro. He doth, indeed, fhow fome fparks that are like wit. Leon. And I take him to be valiant. D. Pedro. As Hector, I affure you: and in the managing of quarrels you may fay he is wife; for either he avoids them with great difcretion, or undertakes them with a moft chriftian-like fear. Leon. If he do fear God, he muft neceffarily keep peace; if he break the peace, he ought to enter into a quarrel with fear and trembling. D. Pedro. And fo will he do ; for the man doth fear God, howfoever it seems not in him, by fome large jefts he will make. Well, I am forry for your niece: Shall we go seek Benedick, and tell him of her love? Claud. Never tell him, my lord; let her wear it out with good counfel. Leon. Nay, that's impoffible; she may wear her heart out firft. D. Pedro. Well, we'll hear further of it by your daughter; let it cool the while. I love Benedick well; and I could wish he would modeftly examine himself, to fee how much he is unworthy fo good a lady. Leon. My lord, will you walk? dinner is ready. Claud. If he do not dote on her upon this, I will never truft my expectation. [Afide. D. Pedro. Let there be the fame net spread for her; and that must your daughter and her gentlewoman carry. The fport 5 That is, a temper inclined to fcorn and contempt. It has been before remarked, that our author ufes his verbal adjectives with great licence. There is therefore no need of changing the word with Sir Thomas Hanmer to contemptuous. JOHNSON. 6 i. e. a very handfome one. STEEVENS. fport will be, when they hold one an opinion of another's dotage, and no fuch matter; that's the fcene that I would fee, which will be merely a dumb fhow. Let us fend her to call him in to dinner. [Afide. [Exeunt Don PEDRO, CLAUDIO, and LEONATO. BENEDICK advances from the Arbour. Bene. This can be no trick: The conference was fadly borne. They have the truth of this from Hero. They feem to pity the lady; it feems, her affections have their full bent. Love me! why, it must be requited. 1 hear how I am cenfured: they fay, I will bear my felf proudly, if I perceive the love come from her; they fay too, that he will rather die than give any fign of affection.-I did never think to marry:-I must not feem proud :-Happy are they that hear their detractions, and can put them to mending. They fay, the lady is fair; 'tis a truth, I can bear them witness: and virtuous;-'tis fo, I cannot reprove it: and wife, but for loving me:-By my troth, it is no addition to her wit;nor no great argument of her folly, for I will be horribly in love with her. I may chance have fome odd quirks and remnants of wit broken on me, because I have rail'd fo long against marriage: But doth not the appetite alter? A man loves the meat in his youth, that he cannot endure in his age: Shall quips, and fentences, and thefe paper bullets of the brain, awe a man from the career of his humour? No: The world must be peopled. When I faid, I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married.— Here comes Beatrice: By this day, she's a fair lady: I do fpy fome marks of love in her. Enter BEATRICE. Beat. Against my will, I am fent to bid you come in to dinner. Bene. Fair Beatrice, I thank you for your pains. Beat. I took no more pains for thofe thanks, than you take pains to thank me; if it had been painful, I would not have come. Bene. You take pleafure then in the meffage ? 7 i. e. was seriously carried on. STEEVENS. Beat. Beat. Yea, juft fo much as you may take upon a knife's point, and choke a daw withal:-You have no ftomach, fignior; fare you well. more [Exit Bene. Ha! Against my will I am fent to bid you come in to dinner there's a double meaning in that. I took no pains for thofe thanks, than you took pains to thank me-that's as much as to fay, Any pains that I take for you is as eafy as thanks :-If I do not take pity of her, I am a villain; if I do not love her, I am a Jew: I will go get her picture. [Exit. Enter HERO, MARGARET, and URSULA. Here. Good Margaret, run thee into the parlour There shalt thou find my coufin Beatrice Propofing with the Prince and Claudio; & Whifper her ear, and tell her, I and Urfula Walk in the orchard, and our whole discourse Is all of her; fay, that thou overheard'st us; And bid her steal into the pleached bower, Where honey-fuckles, ripen'd by the fun, Forbid the fun to enter;-like favourites, Made proud by princes, that advance their pride Againt that power that bred it :-there will the hide her, To liften our propofe: 9 This is thy office, Bear thee well in it, and leave us alone. Marg. I'll make her come, I warrant you, prefently. [Exit. Hero. Now, Urfula, when Beatrice doth come, As we do trace this alley up and down, Our talk muft only be of Benedick: When I do name him, let it be thy part To praise him more than ever man did merit : My 8 Propofing is converfing, from the French word-propos, discourse, talk. STEEVENS. 9 -cur propofe:] Thus the quarto. The folio reads—our purpose. Propoje is right. See the preceding note. STEEVENS. Purpose, however, may be equally right. It depends only on the manner of accenting the word, which in Shakspeare's time, was often. ufed in the fame fenfe as propofe. REED. My talk to thee muft be, how Benedick That only wounds by hearfay. Now begin; For look where Beatrice, like a lapwing, runs Her. Then go we near her, that her ear lofe nothing [They advance to the baruer. No, truly, Urfula, fhe is too difdainful; Urf. But are you fure, Hero. So fays the prince, and my new-trothed lord. And never to let Beatrice know of it. Urf. Why did you fo? Doth not the gentleman Deferve as full, as fortunate a bed,+ As 2 Turbervile, in his book of Falconry, 1575, tells us, that "the baggard doth come from foreign parts a stranger and a paffenger;" and Latham, who wrote after him, fays, that," he keeps in fubjection the moft part of all the fowl that fly, infomuch, that the taffel gentle, her natural and chiefeft companion, dares not come near that coaft where she ufeth, nor fit by the place where the ftandeth. Such is the greatness of her fpirit, he will not admit of any fociety, until fuch time as naturę worketh." &c. STEEVENS. 3 To with him-] i. e. recommend or defire. REED. 4 Mr. M. Mafon very justly obferves, that what Urfula means to fay is, that he is as deferving of complete happiness in the marriage ftate as Beatrice herfelf." STEEVENS, |