1

difcourfe is fometime guarded with fragments, and the
guards are but flightly bafted on neither: ere you
flout old ends any further, examine your confcience,
and fo I leave you.
'[Exit.

Claud. My Liege, your Highness now may do me good.

Pedro. My love is thine to teach, teach it but how,"
And thou shalt fee how apt it is to learn

Any hard leffon that may do thee good.
Claud. Hath Leonato any fon, my lord?

Pedro. No child but Hero, fhe's his only heir:
Doft thou affect her, Claudio?
Claud. O my lord,

When you went onward on this ended action,
I look'd upon her with a foldier's eye;
That lik'd, but had a rougher task in hand
Than to drive liking to the name of love;
But now I am return'd, and that war-thoughts
Have left their places vacant; in their rooms
Come thronging foft and delicate Defires,
All prompting me how fair young Hero is;
Saying, I lik'd her ere I went to wars.
Pedro. Thou wilt be like a lover prefently,
And tire the hearer with a book of words.
If thou doft love fair Hero,
And I will break with her,
And Thou shalt have her.
That thou began'ft to twift fo fine a story?
Claud. How fweetly do you minister to love,
That know love's grief by his complection!
But left my liking might too fudden feem,

4 -ere you flout old ends, &c.]
Before you endeavour to diftinguish
jour Jelf any more by antiquated
allufions, examine whether you can
fairly claim them for your own.

cherish it,

and with her Father; Was't not to this end,

This I think is the meaning: or it may be understood in another fenfe, examine, if your Sarcasms do not touch yourself.

I would

I would have falv'd it with a longer treatise.

Pedro. What need the bridge much broader than the flood?

7

5 The fairest grant is the neceffity;

Look, what will ferve, is fit; 'tis once, thou lov'st;
And I will fit thee with the remedy.

I know, we shall have revelling to-night;
I will affume thy part in fome difguife,
And tell fair Hero I am Claudio;

And in her bofom I'll unclafp my heart,
And take her hearing prifoner with the force
And ftrong encounter of my amorous tale;
Then, after, to her father will I break;
And the conclufion is, fhe fhall be thine;
In practice let us put it presently.

Re-enter Leonato and Antonio.

[Exeunt.

Leon. How now, Brother, where is my Coulin your fon? hath he provided this mufick?

Ant. He is very bufy about it; but, brother, I can tell you news that you yet dream'd not of,

Leon. Are they good?

Ant. As the event ftamps them, but they have a good cover; they fhow well outward.. The Prince and Count Claudio, walking in a thick-pleached alley in my orchard, were thus over-heard by a man of mine: The Prince difcover'd to Claudio, that he lov'd my neice your daughter, and meant to acknowledge it this night in a dance; and if he found her accordant, he meant to take the prefent time by the top, and instantly break with you of it.

Leon. Hath the fellow any wit, that told you this? Ant. A good fharp fellow; I will fend for him, and question him yourself.

5 The faireft grant is the ne ceffity: i. e. no one can have a better reafon for granting a ra

queft than the neceffity of its being granted- WARBURTON.

Leon,

Leon. No, no, we will hold it as a dream, 'till it appear itself. But I will acquaint my daughter withal, that the may be the better prepared for anfwer, if peradventure this be true; go you and tell her of it. [Several cross the Stage here.] Coulin, you know what you have to do.-O, I cry you mercy, friend, go you with me and I will ufe your fkill. Good Coufin, have a care this bufy time. [Exeunt.

Conr.

SCENE

VI.

Changes to an Apartment in Leonato's Houfe.

W

Enter Don John and Conrade.

HAT the good-jer, my lord, why are you thus out of meafure fad ?

John. There is no measure in the occafion that breeds it, therefore the fadnefs is without limit.

Conr. You fhould hear reafon.

John. And when I have heard it, what Bleffing bringeth it?

Conr. If not a prefent remedy, yet a patient fufferance.

John. I wonder, that thou (being, as thou fay'st thou art, born under Saturn) goeft about to apply a moral medicine to a mortifying mifchief: I cannot hide what I am I must be fad when I have caufe, and fmile at no man's jefts; eat when I have ftomach, and wait for no man's leifure; fleep when I am drowsy, and tend on no man's business; laugh when I am merry, and claw no man in his humour ".

I cannot hide what I am:] This is one of our author's natural touches. An envious and unfocial mind, too proud to give pleasure, and too fullen to receive it, always en

Conr.

deavours to hide its malignity from the world and from itself, under the plainness of fimple honefty, or the dignity of haughty independence.

6 -claw no man in his bu-mour.]

Conr. Yea, but you must not make the full show of this, 'till you may do it without controlement; you have of late ftood out against your brother, and he hath ta'en you newly into his grace, where it is impoffible you should take root, but by the fair weatherthat you make yourfelf; it is needful that you frame the feafon for your own harvest.

7

John. I had rather be a canker in a hedge, than a rofe in his grace; and it better fits my blood to be difdain'd of all, than to fashion a carriage to rob love from any in this (though I cannot be faid to be a flattering honeft man) it must not be deny'd but I am a plain-dealing villain; I am trufted with a muzzel, and infranchifed with a clog, therefore I have decreed not to fing in my cage: if I had my mouth, I would bite; if I had my liberty, I would do my liking: in the mean time let me be that I am, and feek not to alter me.

Conr. Can you make no use of your difcontent? John. I will make all ufe of it, for I ufe it only. Who comes here? what news, Boracbio?

Enter Borachio.

Bora. I came yonder from a great fupper; the

mour.] To claw is to flatter, fo the pope's claw backs, in bifhop Jewel, are the pope's flatterers. The fenfe is the fame in the proverb, Mulus mulum fcabit. 7 I had rather be a canker in a hedge, than a rofe in his grace; A canker is the canker rofe, dogrofe, cynofbatus, or hip. The fenfe is, I would rather live in obfcurity the wild life of nature, than owe dignity or estimation to my brother. He ftill continues his wifh of gloomy independence. But what is the meaning of the ex

preffion, a rofe in his grace? if he was a rofe of himself, his brother's grace or favour could not degrade him. I once read thus, 1 had rather be a canker in a bedge, than a rofe in his garden; that is, I had rather be what nature makes me, however mean, than owe any exaltation or improvement to my brother's kindnefs or cultivation. But a lefs change will be fufficient: I think it should be read, I had rather be a canker in a hedge, than a rofe by his grace.

Prince,

Prince, your brother, is royally entertain'd by Leonato, and I can give you intelligence of an intended marriage.

John. Will it ferve for any model to build mischief on? what is he for a fool, that betroths himself to unquietnefs?

Bora. Marry, it is your brother's right hand.
John. Who, the most exquifite Claudio?

Bora. Even he.

1

John. A proper Squire! and who, and who? which way looks he?

Bora. Marry, on Hero, the daughter and heir of Leonato.

John. A very forward March chick! How come you to know this?

Bora. Being entertain'd for a perfumer, as I was fmoaking a mufty room, comes me the Prince and Claudio hand in hand in fad conference. I whipt behind the Arras, and there heard it agreed upon, that the Prince should woo Hero for himself; and having obtained her, give her to Count Claudio.

John. Come, come, let us thither, this may prove food to my displeasure. That young start-up hath all the glory of my overthrow; if I can crofs him any way, I blefs myfelf every way; you are both fure, and will affift me.

Conr. To the death, my lord.

John. Let us to the great fupper; their Cheer is the greater, that I am fubdu'd, 'would the cook were of my mind!Shall we go prove what's to be done?

Bora. We'll wait upon your lordship.

[Exeunt.

ACT