make her Love known, and she will die if he woo her, rather than fhe will bate one Breath of her accustom❜d Crossnefs.

Pedro. She doth well, if fhe fhould make Tender of her Love, 'tis very poffible he'll fcorn it, for the Man, as you know all, hath a contemptible Spirit.

Cland. He is a very proper Man.

Pedro. He hath indeed a good outward Happiness.
Claud. 'Fore God, and in my Mind very wife.

Pedro. He doth indeed fhew fome Sparks that are like Wit.

Leon. And I take him to be valiant.

Pedro. As Hector, I affure you, and in the managing of Quarrels you may fee he is wife, for either he avoids them with great Difcretion, or undertakes them with a Chriftianlike Fear.

Leon. If he do fear God, he must neceffarily keep Peace; if he break the Peace, he ought to enter into a Quarrel with fear and trembling.

Pedro. And fo will he do, for the Man doth fear God, howfoever it seems not in him, by fome large Jefts he will make; well, I am forry for your Niece, fhall we go fee Benedick, and tell him of her Love?

Cland. Never tell him, my Lord, let her wait it out with good Counfel.

Leon. Nay, that's impoffible, fhe may wear her Heart out firft.

Pedro. Well, we will hear further of it by your Daughter, let it cool the while; I love Benedick well, and I could wish he would modeftly examine himself, to fhew how much he is unworthy to have fo good a Lady.

Leon. My Lord, will you walk? Dinner is ready,

Claud. If he do not dote on her upon this, I will never truft my Expectation.

Pedro. Let there be the fame Net fpread for her, and that muft your Daughter and her Gentlewoman carry; the sport will be, when they hold one an Opinion of another's dotage, and no fuch matter, that's the Scene that I would fee which will be meerly a dumb fhew; let us fend her to call him to Dinner. Exeunt.

Bene.

Pedro. Wilt thou make a Truft, a Tranfgreffion? the Tranfgreffion is in the Stealer.

Bene. Yet it had not been amifs the Rod had been made, and the Garland too; for the Garland he might have worn himself, and the Rod he might have beftowed on you, who (as I take it) have ftol'n his Birds Neft.

Pedro. I will but teach them to fing, and reftore them to the Owner.

Bene. If their finging anfwer your faying, by my Faith you fay honeftly.

Pedro. The Lady Beatrice hath a Quarrel to you, the Gentleman that danc'd with her, told her she is much wrong'd by you.

Bene. O the mifus'd me paft the Indurance of a Block; an Oak but with one green Leaf on it, would have anfwered her; my very Vifor began to affume Life, and fcold with her; he told me, not thinking I had been my felf, that I was the Prince's Jefter, and that I was duller than a great Thaw, hudling Jeft upon Jeft, with fuch im poffible conveiance upon me, that I ftood like a Man at a Mark, with a whole Army fhooting at me; fhe fpeaks Poyniards, and every Word ftabs me; if her Breath were as terrible as Terminations, there were no living near her, he would infect to the North Star; I would not marry her, though fhe were endow'd with all that Adam had left him before he tranfgrefs'd, fhe would have made Hercules have turn'd Spit, yea, and have cleft his Club to make the Fire too. Come, talk not of her, you shall find her the infernal Ate in good Apparel. I would to God fome Scholar would conjure her, for certainly while the is here, a Man may live as quiet in Hell as in a San&uary, and People fin upon Purpose, because they would go thither, fo indeed all Difquiet, Horror, and Perturbation follows her. Enter Claudio, Beatrice, Leonato and Hero. Pedro. Look here fhe comes.

Bene. Will your Grace command me any Service to the Worlds End? I will go on the flighteft Errand now to the Antipodes that you can devife to fend me on; I will fetch you a Tooth-Picker now from the furtheft Inch of Afia; bring you the length of Preftor John's Foot; fetch you a Hair off the great Cham's Beard; do you any Em

baflage

baffage to the Pigmies, rather then hold three Words Conference with this Harpy; you have no Employment for me? Pedro. None, but to defire your good Company.

Bene. O God, Sir, here's a Difh I love not, I cannot indure this Lady's Tongue. [Exit. Pedro. Come Lady, come, you have loft the Heart of Signior Benedick

Beat. Indeed my Lord, he fent it me a while, and I gave him ufe for it, a double Heart for a fingle one; Marry, once before he won it of me with falfe Dice, therefore your Grace may well fay I have loft it.

Pedro. You have put him down, Lady, you have put

him down.

Beat. So I would not he should do me, my Lord, left I fhould prove the Mother of Fools: I have brought Count Claudio, whom you fent me to feek.

Pedro. Why, how now Count, wherefore are you fad? Cland. Not fad, my Lord.

Pedro: How then? fick?
Claud. Neither, my Lord.

Beat. The Count is neither fad, nor fick, nor merry, nor well; but civil Count, civil as an Orange, and fomething of a jealous Complexion.

Pedro. I'faith Lady, I think your Blazon to be true; though I'll be fworn, if he be fo, his Conceit is falfe. Here Claudio, I have wooed in thy Name, and fair Hero is won; I have broke with her Father, and his good Will obtained, name the Day of Marriage, and God give thee Joy. Leon. Count, take of me my Daughter, and with her my Fortunes; his Grace hath made the Match, and all Grace say Amen to it.

Beat. Speak Count, 'tis

your Qu.

Claud. Silence is the perfecteft Herald of Joy; I were but little happy if I could fay, how much. Lady, as you are mine, I am yours; I give away my felf for you, and doat upon the Exchange.

Beat. Speak Coufin, or (if you cannot) ftop his Mouth with a Kifs, and let not him fpeak neither.

Pedro. In faith Lady, you have a merry Heart.

Beat. Yea my Lord, I thank it, poor Fool, it keeps

on the windy fide of Care; my Coufin tells him in his Ear that he is in my Heart.

Clan. And fo fhe doth, Coufin.

Beat. Good Lord, for Alliance; thus goes every one to the World but I, and I am Sun-burn'd, I may fit in a Corner, and cry, heigh ho for a Husband.

Pedro. Lady Beatrice, I will get you one.

Beat. I would rather have one of your Father's getting; hath your Grace ne'er a Brother like you; your Father got excellent Husbands, if a Maid could come by them. Pedro. Will you have me, Lady?

Beat. No, my Lord, unless I might have another for working-Days, your Grace is too coftly to wear every Day: But I befeech your Grace pardon me, I was born to fpeak all Mirth, and no Matter.

Pedro. Your Silence moft offends me, and to be merry best becomes you; for out of queftion you were born in a merry Hour.

Beat. No fure my Lord, my Mother cry'd; but then there was a Star danc'd, and under that I was born. Cou fins, God give you Joy.

Leon. Neice, will you look to those things I told you of?

Beat. I cry you mercy Uncle, by you Grace's pardon. [Exit Beatrice. Pedro. By my Troth a pleasant spirited Lady.

Leon. There's little of the melancholy Element in her, my Lord, fhe is never fad, but when the fleeps, and not ever fad then; for I have heard my Daughter fay, the hath often dream'd of Unhappinefs, and wak'd her felf with laughing.

Pedro. She cannot endure to hear tell of a Husband.

Leon. O, by no Means, the mocks all her Wooers out of fuit.

Pedro. She were an excellent Wife for Benedick

Leon. O Lord, my Lord, if they were but a Week marry'd, they would talk themselves mad.

Pedro. Count Claudio, when mean you to go to Church?

Clau. To Morrow, my Lord, Time goes on Crutches, 'till Love have all his Rites.

Leon.

1

Leon. Not 'till Monday, my dear Son, which is hence a juft feven Night, and a time too brief to, to have all things anfwer my Mind.

Pedro. Come, you shake the Head at fo long a breathing, but I warrant thee Claudio, the time fhall not go dully by us; I will in the interim undertake one of Hercules's Labours, which is, to bring Signior Benedick and the Lady Beatrice into a Mountain of Affection, the one with the other; I would fain have it a Match, and I doubt not but to fashion it, if you three will but minifter fuch Affiftance as I fhall give you Direction.

Leon. My Lord, I am for you, though it coft me ten Nights Watchings.

Cland. And I my Lord.

Pedro. And you too, gentle Hero.

Hero. I will do any modeft Office, my Lord, to help my Coufin to a good Husband.

Pedro. And Benedick is not the unhopefulleft Husband that I know: Thus far can I praise him, he is of a noble Strain, of approv'd Valour, and confirm'd Honefty. I will teach you how to humour your Coufin, that the fhall fall in love with Benedick; and I, with your two helps, will fo practise on Benedick, and in despite of his quick Wit, and his queafie Stomach, he fhall fall in love with Beatrice: If we can do this, Cupid is no longer an Archer, his glory fhall be ours, for we are the only Love-gods; go with me, and I will tell you my Drift. [Exeunt.

Enter Don John and Borachio.
John. It is fo, the Count Claudio shall marry the Daugh-

ter of Leonato.

• Bora. Yea, my Lord, but I can cross it.

John. Any Bar, any Crofs, any Impediment, will be medicinable to me, I am fick in Difpleasure to him, and whatsoever comes athwart his Affection, ranges evenly with mine; how canft thou cross this Marriage?

Bora. Not honeftly my Lord, but fo covertly, that no dishonesty shall appear in me.

John. Shew me briefly how.

Bora. I think I told your Lordship a Year fince, how much I am in the Favour of Margaret, the Waiting-Gentlewoman to Hero.