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fir; I fay to you, it is thought you are falfe knaves. Bora. Sir, I fay to you, we are none.

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

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

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

Enter Watchmen.

I Watch. This man faid, fir, that don John, the prince's brother, was a villain.

To. Cl. Write down, prince John a villain: why, this is flat 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 fay else?

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

To. Cl. Flat burglary as ever was committed.

Dogb. Yea, by th' mass, that it is.

Sexton. What elfe, fellow?

I Watch. And that count Claudio did mean, upon his words, to difgrace Hero before the whole assembly, and not marry her. To. Cl. O villain! 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 fecretly ftol'n away: Hero was in this manner accus'd, in this very manner refus'd, and upon the grief of this fuddenly dy'd. Mafter constable, let these men be bound, and brought to Leonato; I will go before, and fhow him their

examination.

Dogb. Come, let them be opinion'd.

[Exit.

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. Doft thou not suspect my place? doft thou not suspect my years? o, that he were here to write me down an afs! but, mafters, 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 fhall 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 Messina; and one that knows the law, go to, and a rich fellow enough, go to, and a fellow that hath had loffes, 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.

IF

ACT V. SCENE I.

Before Leonato's house.

Enter Leonato, and Antonio.

ΑΝΤΟΝΙΟ.

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 fieve: give not me counsel,
Nor let no comforter delight mine ear,

But fuch a one whofe wrongs do fuit with mine;
Bring me a father that fo lov'd his child,

Whose joy of her is overwhelm'd like mine,
And bid him speak to me of patience;

*****

Measure

Measure his wo the length and breadth of mine,
And let it answer every strain for strain :
As thus for thus, and fuch a grief for such,
In every lineament, branch, fhape and form;
If fuch a one will fmile, and stroke his beard,

And forrow waive, cry hem, when he should groan,
Patch grief with proverbs, make misfortune drunk
With candle-wafters; bring him yet to me,
And I of him will gather patience.

But there is no fuch man: for, brother, men
Can counsel, and give comfort to that grief
Which they themselves not feel; but, tafting it,
Their counsel turns to paffion, which before
Would give preceptial medicine to rage,
Fetter ftrong madness in a filken 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 forrow
But no man's virtue, nor fufficiency,
To be fo moral, when he fhall endure
The like himself: therefore give me no counfel;
My griefs cry louder than advertisement.

;

Ant. Therein do men from children nothing differ.
Leon. I pray thee, peace; I will be flesh and blood;
For there was never yet philofopher,

That could endure the toothach patiently;
However they have writ the ftyle of gods,
And made a pish at chance and fufferance.

Ant. Yet bend not all the harm upon yourself:

Make those that do offend you fuffer too.

Leon. There thou speak'st reason; nay, I will do so. My foul doth tell me, Hero is bely'd;

And that fhall Claudio know, fo fhall the prince,

And all of them that thus difhonour her.

VOL. I.

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SCENE

SCENE II.

Enter Don Pedro, and Claudio.

Ant. Here comes the prince, and Claudio, haftily.
Pedro. Good den, good den.

Claud. Good day to both of you.

Leon. Hear you, my lords?

Pedro. We have fome hafte, Leonato.

Are

well, my

lord.

Leon. Some hafte, my lord! well, fare you well,

you fo hafty 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 doft wrong me, thou dissembler, thou! Nay, never lay thy hand upon thy fword,

I fear thee not.

Claud. Marry, beshrew my hand,

If it should give your age fuch cause of fear;

In faith, my hand meant nothing to my fword.

Leon. Tush, tush, man, never fleer and jeft at me;

I fpeak 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 haft 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 flander hath gone through and through her heart,
And she lies bury'd with her ancestors;

O, in a tomb where never fcandal flept,
Save this of hers, fram'd by thy villany!
Claud. My villany?

Leon.

Leon. Thine, Claudio, thine, I fay.

Pedro. You fay 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 luftyhood.

Claud. Away, I will not have to do with you.

Leon. Canft thou fo doff me? thou haft kill'd my child; If thou kill'st me, boy, thou shalt kill a man. Ant. He fhall kill two of us, and men indeed: But that's no matter; let him kill one firft; 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, flander'd to death by villains,

That dare as well anfwer a man indeed,

As I dare take a serpent by the tongue.

Boys, apes, jacks, braggarts, milkfops!
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 flout, 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 durft:
And this is all.

Leon. But, brother Anthony!

Ant. Come, 'tis no matter;

Do not you meddle, let me deal in this.

Pedro. Gentlemen both, we will not rack your patience.

My heart is forry for your daughter's death;

But, on my honour, fhe was charg'd with nothing

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But

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