fir ; I say to you, it is thought you are false knaves.

Bora. Sir, I say to you, we are none.

To. Cl. Well, itand aside; 'fore god, they are both in a tale; have you writ down, that they are none ?

Sexton. Master town-clerk, you go not the way to examine, you must call the watch that are their accusers.

To. Cl. Yea, marry, that's the deftest way; let the watch come forth: masters, I charge you in the prince's name accuse these men.

Enter Watchmen. 1 Watch. This man said, fir, that don John, the prince's brother, was a villain.

To. Cl. Write down, prince John a villain : why, this is Aat perjury, to call a prince's brother, villain.

Bora. Mafter town-clerk!

To. Cl. Pray thee, fellow, peace; I do not like thy look, I promise thee.

Sexton. What heard you him say else?

2 Watch. Marry, that he had receiv'd a thousand ducats of don John, for accusing the lady Hero wrongfully.

To. Cl. Flat burglary as ever was committed.
Dogb. Yea, by th' mass, that it is.
Sexton. What else, fellow?

I Watch. And that count Claudio did mean, upon his words, to disgrace Hero before the whole assembly, and not marry her.

To. Cl. O villain l thou wilt be condemn’d into everlasting redemption for this.

Sexton. What else?
2 Watch. This is all.

Sexton. And this is more, masters, than you can deny. Prince John is this morning secretly stol’n away: Hero was in this manner accus’d, in this very manner refus’d, and upon the grief of this suddenly dy’d. Master constable, let these men be bound, and brought to Leonato; I will go before, and show him their examination.

[Exit. Dogb. Come, let them be opinion’d.

Conr.

Conr. Let us be in the hands of Coxcomb.

Dogb. God's my life! where's the fexton? let him write down, the prince's officer, Coxcomb. Come, bind them:- thou naughty varlet!

Conr. Away! you are an ass, you are an ass.

Dogb. Dost thou not suspect my place? dost thou not suspect my years ? o, that he were here to write me down an ass! but, masters, remember that I am an ass; though it be not written down, yet forget not that I am an ass: no, thou villain, thou art full of piety, as shall be proved upon thee by good witness: I am a wise fellow: and, which is more, an officer; and, which is more, an housholder; and, which is more, as pretty a piece of flesh as any in Meffina; and one that knows the law, go to, and a rich fellow enough, go to, and a fellow that hath had losses, and one that hath two gowns, and every thing handsome about him : bring him away: o that I had been writ down an ass !

[Exeunt.

****

I

ACT V. SCENE I.

Before Leonato's house.
Enter Leonato, and Antonio.

ANTONIO.
F you go on thus, you will kill yourself,

And 'tis not wisdom thus to second grief
Against yourself.

Leon. I pray thee, cease thy counsel,
Which falls into mine ears as profitless
As water in a sieve: give not me counsel,
Nor let no comforter delight mine ear,
But such a one whose wrongs do suit with mine;
Bring me a father that so lov’d his child,
Whose joy of her is overwhelin'd like mine,
And bid him speak to me of patience;

Measure his wo the length and breadth of mine,
And let it answer every strain for strain :
As thus for thus, and such a grief for such,
In every lineament, branch, shape and form;
If such a one will smile, and stroke his beard,
And sorrow waive, cry hem, when he should groan,
Patch grief with proverbs, make misfortune drunk
With candle-wasters; bring him yet to me,
And I of him will gather patience.
But there is no such man : for, brother, men
Can counsel, and give comfort to that grief
Which they themselves not feel; but, tasting it,
Their counsel turns to passion, which before
Would give preceptial medicine to rage,
Fetter strong madness in a silken thread,
Charm ach with air, and agony with words.
No, no; 'tis all mens office to speak patience
To those that wring under the load of sorrow;
But no man's virtue, nor sufficiency,
To be so moral, when he shall endure
The like himself: therefore give me no counsel;
My griefs cry louder than advertisement.

Ănt. Therein do men from children nothing differ.

Leon. I pray thee, peace; I will be flesh and blood;
For there was never yet philosopher,
That could endure the toothach patiently;
However they have writ the style of gods,
And made a pish at chance and sufferance.

Ant. Yet bends not all the harm upon yourself:
Make those that do offend

you

suffer too.
Leon. There thou speak'st reason ; nay, I will do so.
My soul doth tell me, Hero is bely’d;
And that shall Claudio know, so shall the prince,
And all of them that thus dishonour her.

Enter Don Pedro, and Claudio.
Ant. Here comes the prince, and Claudio, hastily.
Pedro. Good den, good den.
Claud. Good day to both of you.
Leon. Hear you, my lords?
Pedro. We have some haste, Leonato.

Leon. Some haste, my lord ! well, fare you well, my lord. Are

you so hasty now? well, all is one. Pedro. Nay, do not quarrel with us, good old man.

Ant. If he could right himself with quarrelling, Some of us would lie low.

Claud. Who wrongeth him?

Leon. Marry, thou dost wrong me, thou dissembler, thou!
Nay, never lay thy hand upon thy sword,
I fear thee not.

Claud. Marry, beshrew my hand,
If it should give your age such cause of fear;
In faith, my hand meant nothing to my sword.

Leon. Tush, tush, man, never feer and jest at me;
I speak not like a dotard, nor a fool;
As, under privilege of age, to brag
What I have done being young, or what would do,
Were I not old: know, Claudio, to thy head,
Thou hast so wrong'd my innocent child and me,
That I am forc'd to lay my reverence by;
And, with gray hairs, and bruise of many days,
Do challenge thee to trial of a man:
I say, thou hast bely'd my innocent child;
Thy Nander hath gone through and through her heart,
And she lies bury'd with her ancestors;
O, in a tomb where never scandal slept,
Save this of hers, fram’d by thy villany!
Claud. My villany?

Leon.

Leon. Thine, Claudio, thine, I say.
Pedro. You say not right, old man.

Leon. My lord, my lord,
I'll prove it on his body if he dare;
Despite his nice fence, and his active practice,
His

may of youth, and bloom of lustyhood.
Claud. Away, I will not have to do with you.

Leon. Canst thou so doff me? thou hast kill'd my child; If thou kill'st me, boy, thou shalt kill a man.

Ant. He shall kill two of us, and men indeed :
But that's no matter; let him kill one first;
Win me and wear me, let him answer me;
Come, follow me, boy, come, boy, follow me;
Sir boy, I'll whip you from your foining fence;
Nay, as I am a gentleman, I will.

Leon. Brother!

Ant. Content yourself; god knows, I lov’d my neice :
And she is dead, slander'd to death by villains,
That dare as well answer a man indeed,
As I dare take a serpent by the tongue.
Boys, apes, jacks, braggarts, milksops !

Leon. Brother Anthony !

Ant. Hold you content; what, man? I know them, yea, And what they weigh, even to the utmost scruple: Scambling, outfacing, fashion-mongring boys, That lie, and cog, and Aout, deprave, and flander, Go antickly, and show an outward hideousness, And speak off half a dozen dangerous words, How they might hurt their enemies if the durst: And this is all.

Leon. But, brother Anthony !

Ant. Come, 'tis no matter ;
Do not you meddle, let me deal in this.

Pedró. Gentlemen both, we will not rack your patience.
My heart is sorry for your daughter's death;
But, on my honour, she was charg’d with nothing

Rrr 2

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