Claud. For the which the wept heartily, and said, She car'd not.

Pedro. Yea, that the did; but yet, for all that, and if fhe did not hate him deadly, fhe would love him dearly: the old man's daughter told us all.

Claud. All, all; and moreover, God saw him when be was hid in the garden.

Pedro. But when fhall we fet the favage bull's horns on the fenfible Benedick's head?

Claud. Yea, and text underneath, Here davells Benedick the married man?

you

Bene. Fare you well, boy; you know my mind: I will leave you now to your goffip-like humour: break jefts as braggarts do their blades, which, God be thank'd, hurt not.-My lord, for your many courtesies I thank you; I must discontinue your company: your brother, the bastard is fled from Meffina; you have, among you, kill'd a sweet and innocent lady: For my lord lack-beard there, he and I fhall meet; and till then, peace be with him! [Exit BENEDICK.

Pedro. He is in earnest.

Claud. In moft profound earneft; and, I'll warrant you, for the love of Beatrice.

Pedro. And hath challenged thee?

Claud. Moft fincerely.

Pedro. What a pretty thing man is, when he goes in his doublet and hofe, and leaves off his wit ![9]

Enter DOGBERRY, VERGES, CONRADE and BORACHIO guarded.

Claud. He is then a giant to an ape; but then is an ape a doctor to fuch a man.

Pedro. But, foft you, let be; pluck up my heart, and be fad: Did he not fay, my brother was fled?

Dogb. Come, you, fir; if juftice cannot tame you, she fhall ne'er weigh more reafons in her balance: nay, and you be a curfing hypocrite once, you must be look'd to. Pedro. How now, two of my brother's men bound! Borachio, one!

Claud. Hearken after their offence, my lord!

Pedro. Officers, what offence have these men done?

[9] It was efteemed a mark of levity and want of becoming gravity, at that time, to go in the doublet and hofe, and leave off the cloak, to which this well-turned expreffion alludes. The thought is, that love makes a man as ridiculous, and expofes him as naked as being in the doublet and bofe without a cloak. WARB.

Dogb. Marry, fir, they have committed false report; moreover, they have spoken untruths; fecondarily, they are flanders ; fixth and laftly, they have bely'd a lady; thirdly, they have verify'd unjust things: and, to conclude, they are lying knaves.

Pedro. First, I ask thee, what they have done? thirdly, I ask thee, what's their offence? fixth and laftly, why they are committed? and, to conclude, what you lay to their charge?

Claud. Rightly reafon'd, and in his own divifion; and by my troth, there's one meaning well-fuited.[1]

Pedro. Whom have you offended, mafters, that you are thus bound to your answer? this learned constable is too cunning to be understood: What's your offence?

Bora. Sweet prince, let me go no further to mine anfwer; do you hear me, and let this count kill me. I have deceived even your very eyes; what your wisdoms could not discover, these shallow fools have brought to light; who, in the night, overheard me confeffing to this man, how Don John your brother incens'd me to flander the lady Hero; how you were brought into the orchard, and faw me court Margaret in Hero's garments; how you disgrac'd her, when you should marry her: my villany they have upon record; which I had rather feal with my death, than repeat over to my fhame: the lady is dead upon mine and my master's false accufation; and, briefly, I defire nothing but the reward of a villain.

Pedro. Runs not this fpeech like iron through your blood?

Claud. I have drunk poison while he utter'd it. Pedro. But did my brother fet thee on to this? Bora. Yea, and paid me richly for the practice of it. Pedro. He is compos'd and fram'd of treachery ; And fled he is upon this villany.

Claud. Sweet Hero! now thy image doth appear In the rare femblance that I lov'd it firft.

Dogb. Come, bring away the plaintiffs; by this time, our fexton hath reform'd fignior Leonato of the matter; And, mafters, do not forget to fpecify, when time and place fhall ferve, that I am an afs.

Verg. Here, here comes mafter fignior Leonato, and the fexton too.

[1] That is, one meaning is put into many different dreffes; the prince having asked the fame queftion in four modes of speech. JOHNS.

Re-enter LEONATO and ANTONIO, with the Sexton.

Leon. Which is the villain? Let me fee his eyes, That when I note another man like him,

I may avoid him: which of these is he?

Bora. If you would know your wronger, look on me. Leon. Art thou, art thou the slave, that with thy breath haft kill'd

Mine innocent child?

Bora. Yea, even I alone.

Leon. No, not fo, villain; thou bely'st thyself;: Here ftand a pair of honourable men,

A third is fled, that had a hand in it :

I thank you, princes, for my daughter's death;
Record it with your high and worthy deeds:
'Twas bravely done, if you bethink you of it.

Claud. I know not how to pray your patience,,
Yet I must speak: Choose your revenge yourself ;
Impofe me to what penance your invention
Can lay upon my fin; yet finn'd I not,
But in mistaking.

Pedro. By my foul, nor I;

And yet, to fatisfy this good old man,
I would bend under any heavy weight
That he'll enjoin me too.

Leon. You cannot bid my daughter live again,
That were impoffible; but I pray you both,
Poffefs the people in Meffina here,
How innocent the dy'd: and, if your love
Can labour aught in fad invention,
Hang her an epitaph upon her tomb,
And fing it to her bones: fing it to-night:
To-morrow morning come you to my house ;
And fince you could not be my fon-in-law,
Be yet my nephew: my brother hath a daughter,
Almoft the copy of my child that's dead,
And fhe alone is heir to both of us;

Give her the right you should have given her coufin,
And fo dies my revenge.

Claud. O noble fir,

Your over-kindness doth wring tears from me!
I do embrace your offer; and dispose,

For henceforth, of poor Claudio.

Leon. To-morrow then I will expect your coming ;; To-night I take my leave.-This naughty man

Shall face to face be brought to Margaret,
Who, I believe, was pack'd in all this wrong,
Hir'd to it by your brother.

Bora. No, by my foul, fhe was not;

Nor knew what the did, when she spoke to me ;.
But always hath been juft and virtuous,
In any thing that I do know by her.

Dogb. Moreover, fir, (which, indeed, is not under white and black,) this plaintiff here, the offender, did call me afs: I beseech you, let it be remembered in his punishment: And alfo, the watch heard them talk of one Deformed they fay, he wears a key in his ear, and a lock hanging by it ;[2] and borrows money in God's name; the which he hath us'd fo long, and never paid,. that now men grow hard-hearted, and will lend nothing for God's fake: Pray you, examine him upon that point.. Leon. I thank thee for thy care and honeft pains.

Dogb. Your worship fpeaks like a moft thankful and reverend youth; and I praife God for you.. Leon. There's for thy pains.

Dogb. God fave the foundation !

Leon. Go, I discharge thee of thy prifoner, and I thank thee.

Dogb. I leave an errant knave with your worship; which, I beseech your worship, to correct yourself, for the example of others. God keep your worship: I wish your worship well: God reftore you to health: I humbly give you leave to depart; and if a merry meeting may be wifh'd, God prohibit it !-Come, neighbour. [Exeunt, Leon. Until to-morrow morning, lords, farewel. Ant. Farewel, my lords; we look for you to-morrow. Pedro. We will not fail.

Glaud. To-night I'll mourn with Hero.

Leon. Bring you thefe fellows on; we'll talk with Mar

garet,

How her acquaintance grew with this lewd fellow.

[Exeunt, feverally.

[2] There could not be a pleasanter ridicule on the fashion, than the conftable's defcant on his own blunder. They heard the confpirators fatyrize the fashion; whom they took to be a man firnamed, 'Deformed." This the conftable applies with exquifite humour to the courtiers, in a defcription of one of the moft fantaftical fashions of that time, the men's wearing rings in their ears, and indulging a favourite lock of hair, which was brought before, and tied with ribbons, and called a love-lock,' WAR.

SCENE II.

A Room in LEONATO's House. Enter BENEDICK and MARGARET, meeting.

Bene. Pray thee, sweet mistress Margaret, deferve well at my hands, by helping me to the speech of Beatrice. Marg. Will you then write me a fonnet in praise of my beauty?

Bene. In fo high a ftyle, Margaret, that no man living fhall come over it; for, in moft comely truth, thou deferveft it.

Marg. To have no man come over me? why, fhall I always keep below stairs?

Bene. Thy wit is as quick as the greyhound's mouth; it catches.

Marg. And your's as blunt as the fencer's foils which hit, but hurt not.

Bene. A most manly wit, Margaret, it will not hurt a woman; and fo, I pray thee, call Beatrice: I give thee the bucklers.

.Marg. Give us the swords, we have bucklers of our own. Bene. If you use them, Margaret, you must put in the pikes with a vice; and they are dangerous weapons for maids.

Marg. Well, I will call Beatrice to you, who I think hath legs. [Exit MARG. [Sings.]

Bene. And therefore will come.

The god of love, that fits above,

And knows me, and knows me,

How pitiful I deferve,

I mean in finging; but in loving, Leander the good fwimmer, Troilus the firft employer of pandars, and a whole book full of these quondam carpet-mongers, whofe names yet run smoothly in the even road of a blank verse, why, they were never fo truly turn'd over and over, as my poor felf, in love: Marry, I cannot fhew it in rhyme ; I have try'd; I can find out no rhyme to lady but baby, an innocent rhyme; for fcorn, horn, a hard rhyme; for School, fool, a babbling rhyme; very ominous endings:No, I was not born under a rhyming planet, for I cannot woo in festival terms.—

Enter BEATRICE.

Sweet Beatrice, wouldft thou come when I call thee?