Though now this grained face of mine be hid I ne'er saw Syracusa in my life. During which time he ne'er saw Syracusa : Re-enter Abbess, with Antipholus of Syracuse and Abb. Most mighty Duke, behold a man much wrong'd. Speak, old Ægeon, if thou be'st the man If thou art she, tell me, where is that son And the twin Dromio, all were taken up; And me they left with those of Epidamnum. I to this fortune that you see me in. Duke. Why, here begins his morning story right: Duke. Stay, stand apart; I know not which is which. Ant. E. Brought to this town by that most famous warrior, Adr. Which of you two did dine with me to-day? Adr. And are not you my husband? Ant. E. No; I say nay to that. Ant. S. And so do I; yet did she call me so: And this fair gentlewoman, her sister here, Did call me brother. [To Luciana] What I told you then, I hope I shall have leisure to make good; If this be not a dream I see and hear. Ang. That is the chain, sir, which you had of me. Ant. E. And you, sir, for this chain arrested me. Adr. I sent you money, sir, to be your bail, By Dromio; but I think he brought it not. Ant. S. This purse of ducats I received from you, Ant. E. These ducats pawn I for my father here. Ant. E. There, take it; and much thanks for my good cheer. To go with us into the abbey here, And hear at large discoursed all our fortunes: And all that are assembled in this place, That by this sympathized one day's error The Duke, my husband, and my children both, Duke. With all my heart, I'll gossip at this feast. [Exeunt all but Ant. S., Ant. E., Dro. S., and Dro. E. Dro. S. Master, shall I fetch your stuff from ship-board ? Ant. E. Dromio, what stuff of mine hast thou embark'd? Dro. S. Your goods that lay at host, sir, in the Centaur. Ant. S. He speaks to me. I am your master, Dromio: Come, go with us; we'll look to that anon: Embrace thy brother there; rejoice with him. [Exeunt Ant. S. and Ant. E. Dro. S. There is a fat friend at your master's house, That kitchen'd me for you to-day at dinner : She now shall be my sister, not my wife. Dro. E. Methinks you are my glass, and not my brother : Will you walk in to see their gossiping? Dro. S. Not I, sir; you are my elder. Dro. E. That's a question: how shall we try it ? Dro. S. We'll draw cuts for the senior: till then lead thou first. Dro. E. Nay, then, thus: We came into the world like brother and brother; And now let's go hand in hand, not one before another. [Exeunt. Enter Leonato, Hero, and Beatrice, with a Messenger. Leon. I learn in this letter that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this night to Messina. [I left him. Mess. He is very near by this: he was not three leagues off when Leon. How many gentlemen have you lost in this action? Mess. But few of any sort, and none of name, Leon. A victory is twice itself when the achiever brings home full numbers. I find here that Don Pedro hath bestowed much honour on a young Florentine called Claudio. Mess. Much deserved on his part, and equally remembered by Don Pedro: he hath borne himself beyond the promise of his age; doing, in the figure of a lamb, the feats of a lion he hath indeed better bettered expectation than you must expect of me to tell you how. [of it. Leon. He hath an uncle here in Messina will be very much glad Mess. I have already delivered him letters, and there appears much joy in him; even so much, that joy could not show itself modest enough without a badge of bitterness. Leon. Did he break out into tears? Mess. In great measure. Leon. A kind overflow of kindness: there are no faces truer than those that are so washed. How much better is it to weep at joy than to joy at weeping! [or no? Beat. I pray you, is Signior Mountanto returned from the wars Mess. I know none of that name, lady: there was none such in the army of any sort. Leon. What is he that you ask for, niece? Hero. My cousin means Signior Benedick of Padua. Mess. O, he 's returned; and as pleasant as ever was. Beat. He set up his bills here in Messina and challenged Cupid I at the flight; and my uncle's fool, reading the challenge, subscribed for Cupid, and challenged him at the bird-bolt. pray you, how many hath he killed and eaten in these wars ? But how many hath he killed? for, indeed, I promised to eat all of his killing. Leon. Faith, niece, you tax Signior Benedick too much; but he'll be meet with you, I doubt it not. Mess. He hath done good service, lady, in these wars. Beat. You had musty victual, and he hath holp to eat it he is a very valiant trencher-man; he hath an excellent stomach. Mess. And a good soldier too, lady. Beat. And a good soldier to a lady; but what is he to a lord? Mess. A lord to a lord, a man to a man; stuffed with all honourable virtues. Beat. It is so, indeed; he is no less than a stuffed man: but for the stuffing,--well, we are all mortal. Leon. You must not, sir, mistake my niece. There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her: they never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them. Beat. Alas! he gets nothing by that. In our last conflict four of his five wits went halting off, and now is the whole man governed with one: so that if he have wit enough to keep himself warm, let him bear it for a difference between himself and his horse; for it is all the wealth that he hath left, to be known a reasonable creature. Who is his companion now? He hath every month a new sworn brother. Mess. Is 't possible? Beat. Very easily possible: he wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat; it ever changes with the next block. Mess. I see, lady, the gentleman is not in your books. Beat. No; an he were, I would burn my study. But, I pray you, who is his companion? Is there no young squarer now that will make a voyage with him to the devil? Mess. He is most in the company of the right noble Claudio. Beat. O Lord, he will hang upon him like a disease: he is sooner caught than the pestilence, and the taker runs presently mad. God help the noble Claudio! if he have caught the Benedick, it will cost him a thousand pound ere Mess. I will hold friends with you, lady. [a' be cured. Beat. Do, good friend. Leon. You will never run mad, niece. Beat. No, not till a hot January. Mess. Don Pedro is approached. Enter Don Pedro, Don John, Claudio, Benedick and Balthasar. D. Pedro. Good Signior Leonato, you are come to meet your |