Bene. Thou and I are too wise to woo peace-| ably. Beat. It appears not in this confession; there's not one wise man among twenty, that will praise himself. Bene. An old, an old instance, Beatrice, that liv'd in the time of good neighbours'; if a man do not erect in this age his own tomb ere he dies,| he shall live no longer in monument, than the bell rings, and the widow weeps. Beat. And how long is that, think you? Bene. Question!--Why, an hour in clamour, and a quarter in rheum: Therefore it is most expedient for the wife, (if Don Worm, his conscience, find no impediment to the contrary) to be 15 the trumpet of his own virtues, as I am to myself: So much for praising myself, (who, I myself wil bear witness, is praise-worthy) and now tell me, How doth your cousin? Beat. Very ill. Bene. And how do you? Bene. Serve God, love me, and mend: there will I leave you too, for here comes one in haste. Enter Ursula. 20 25 Urs. Madam, you must come to your uncle: yonder's old coil at home: it is proved, my lady Hero hath been falsely accus'd, the prince and Claudio mightily abus'd; and Don John is the author of all, who is fled and gone: Will you 30 come presently? Beat. Will you go hear this news, signior? Bene. I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap. and be bury'd in thy eyes; and moreover, I will go with thee to thy uncle. [Exeunt. 35 SCENE III. A Church. Enter Leonato, Benedick, Margaret, Ursu'a, Antonio, Friar, and Hero. Friar. Did not I tell you she was innocent? [her, Leon. So are the prince and Claudio, who accus'd Upon the error that you heard debated: .. But Margaret was in some fault for this; Although against her will, as it appears In the true course of all the question. Ant. Well, I am glad that all things sort so well. Bene. And so am I, being else by faith enforc'd To call young Claudio to a reckoning for it. Leon. Well, daughter, and you gentlewomen all, Withdraw into a chamber by yourselves; And, when I send for you, come hither mask'd, The prince and Claudio promis'd by this hour To visit me:-You know your office, brother; You must be father to your brother's daughter, Enter Don Pedro, Claudio, and Attendants, 40 And give her to young Claudio. [Exeunt Ladies. with music and tapers. Claud. Is this the monument of Leonato? Atten. It is, my lord. Claudio reads. Done to death by slanderous tongues, Gives her fame which never dies: Lives in death with glorious fame. Hang thou there upon the tomb, Praising her when I am dumb.- Now musick sound, and sing your solemn hymn. SONG. Pardon, Goddess of the night, Those that slew thy virgin knight; For the which, with songs of woe, Round about her tomb they go. Midnight, assist our moun; Help us to sigh and groan, 50 Ant. Which I will do with confirm'd countenance. Bens. Friar, I must entreat your pains, I think. Friar. To do what, signior? me, Bene. To bind me, or undo me, one of them.45 Signior Leonato, truth it is, good signior, Your niece regards me with an eye of favour. [true. Leon. That eye my daughter lent her; "Tismost Bene. And I do with an eye of love requite her. Leon. The right whereof I think you had from [will? From Claudio and the prince: But what's your Bene. Your answer, sir, is enigmatical: But for my will, my will is, your good will May stand with ours, this day to be conjoin'd 55 In the estate of honourable marriage:In which, good friar, I shall desire your help. Leon. My heart is with your liking. Friar. And my help. Here comes the prince and Claudio. 60 Enter Don Pedro and Claudio, with Attendants. Pedro. Good morrow to this fair assembly. That is, when men were not envious, but every one gave another his due. question's there, or what a foolish question do you ask. L. 2 That is, what a Leon. Leon. Good morrow, prince; good morrow, We here attend you; are you yet determin'd Pedro. Good morrow, Benedick: Why, what's Claud. I think he thinks upon the savage bull:- Bene. They swore, that you were almost siek Beat. No, truly, but in friendly recompence. Claud. And I'll be sworn upon't, that he loves her; Hero. And here's another, Writ in my cousin's hand, stolen from her pocket, 15 Containing her affection unto Benedick. Bene. Bull Jove, sir, had an amiable low; Claud. For this I owe you: here come other [hand 25 Which is the lady I must seize upon? Hero. And when I liv'd, I was your other wife : Hero. Nothing certainer: One Hero dy'd defil'd; but I do live, Bene. A miracle! here's our own hands against our hearts!-Come, I will have thee; but, by this light, I take thee for pity. Beat. I would not deny you:-but, by this good day, I yield upon great persuasion; and, partly, to save your life, for I was told, you were in a consumption. Bene. Peace, I will stop your mouth.-[Kissing her. Pedro.How dost thou, Benedick the married man? Bene. I'll tell thee what, prince; a college of witcrackers cannot flout me out of my humour: Dost thou think I care for a satire, or an epigram? No: if a man will be beaten with brains, he shall wear nothing handsome about him: In brief, since I do purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any purpose that the world can say against it; and therefore never flout at me for what I have said against it; for man is a giddy thing, and this is 35 my conclusion.-For thy part, Claudio, I did think to have beaten thee; but in that thou art like to be my kinsman, live unbruis'd, and love my cousin. Pedro. The former Hero! Hero, that is dead! Friar. All this amazement can I qualify; Ben. Soft and fair, friar.-Which is Beatrice: Beat. Why, no, no more than reason. Have been deceived; they swore you did. Bene. Troth, no, no more than reason. Beat. Why, then, my cousin, Margaret, and Ursula, Are much dece.v'd; for they did swear you did. Claud. I had well hoped, thou wouldst have denied Beatrice, that I might have cudgell'd thee out of thy single life, to make thee a double dealer; which, out of question, thou wilt be, if my cousin do not look exceedingly narrowly to thee. Bene. Come, come, we are friends:―let's have 45 a dance ere we are marry'd, that we may lighten our own hearts, and our wives' heels. Leon. We'll have dancing afterwards. Bene. First, o' my word; therefore, play, musick.-Prince, thou art sad; get thee a wife, get 50thee a wife: there is no staff more reverend than one tipt with horn. 155 Enter Messenger. Mess. My lord, your brother John is ta'en in flight, And brought with armed men back to Messina. Bene. Think not on him till to-morrow: I'll devise thee brave punishments for him.-Strike up, pipers. [Dance. [Exeunt omnes. LOVE'S BOYET, Lords, attending upon the Princess Don ADRIANO DE ARMADO, { NATHANIEL, a Curate. a fantastical HOLOFERNES, a Schoolmaster. MOTH, Page to Don Adriano de Armado. Princess of France. ROSALINE, MARIA, KATHARINE, Ladies, attending on the -Princess. JAQUENETTA, a Country Wench. Officers, and others, Attendants upon the King and Princess. SCENE, the King of Navarre's Palace, and the Country near it. SCENE I. Navarre. The Palace. A C T I. Enter the King, Biron, Longaville, and Dumain. 5 Fat paunches have lean pates; and dainty bits Dum. My loving lord, Dumain is mortify'd; Biron. I can but say their protestation over, 25 What is the end of study? let me know. Biron. Things hid and barr'd (you mean) from common sense? King. Ay, that is study's god-like recompence. When mistresses from common sense are hid: To seek the light of truth; while truth the while, By fixing it upon a fairer eye: That will not be deep-search'd with saucy looks: [ing King. How well he's read, to reason against readDum. Proceeded well, to stop all good proceeding! 5 At Christmas I no more desire a rose, And, though I have for barbarism spoke more, And bide the penance of each three years' day. 20 25 Biron. "Item, That no woman shall come with"in a mile of my court."-[Reading.] Hath this been proclaimed? Long. Four days ago. Biron. Let's see the penalty." On pain of "losing her tongue."-Reading.] Who devis'd this penalty? Long. Marry, that did I. Biron. Sweet lord, and why? [penalty. Long. To fright them hence with that dread Biron. A dangerous law against gentility"! "Item, [Reading.] If any man be seen to talk "with a woman within the term of three years, 30" he shall endure such public shame as the rest of the court can possibly devise." 35 40 Long. He weeds the corn, and still lets grow the 45 weeding. Biron. The spring is near, when green geese are a-breeding. Dum. How follows that? Biron. Fit in his place and time. Biron. Something then in rhime. This article, my liege, yourself must break; To her decrepit, sick, and bed-rid father: Or vainly comes the admired princess hither. forgot. Biron. So study evermore is overshot; Eiron. Necessity will make us all forsworn Long. Biron is like an envious sneaping frost, Before the birds have any cause to sing? And he, that breaks them in the least degree, Stands in attainder of eternal shame: Suggestions are to others, as to me: 6 That is, treacherously. 2 Heed here means his direction or lode-star. 3 Proceeded must here be understood in the academical sense of taking a degree; the meaning of the passage then will be, "He "has taken his degree on the art of stopping the degrees of others." i. e. Checking. Meaning, 5 against politeness and urbanity; for men without women become brutal and savage. 'i. e. Tempta tions. But, But, I believe, although I seem so lath, With a refined traveller of Spain; Doth ravish, like inchanting harmony; A man of complements 2, whom right and wrong Biron. Armado is a most illustrious wight, And, so to study, three years is but short. Enter Dull, and Costard, with a letter. Dull. Which is the duke's own person? Biron. This, fellow; What would'st? Dull. I myself reprehend his own person, for am his grace's tharborough: but I would see his own person in flesh and blood. Biron. This is he. I Duli. Signior Arme-,Arme,-commends you. There's villainy abroad; this letter will tell you more. Cost. Sir, the contents thereof are as touching me. King. A letter from the magnificent Armado. Biron. How low soever, the matter, I hope in God for high words. Long. A high hope for a low having:-God grant us patience. Biron. To hear? or forbear hearing? Long. To hear meekly, sir, and to laugh moderately; or to forbear both. Cost. As it shall follow in my correction; And King. Will you hear the 'tter with attention? Cost. Such is the simplicity of man to hearken King. [Reads.] "Great deputy, the welkin's "vice-gerent, and sole dominator of Navarre, my soul's earth's God, and body's fost ring pa 10" tron,-" 15 20 Cost. Not a word of Costard yet. King. "So it is," Cost. It may be so: but if he say it is So, in telling true, but so, so. King. Peace. he is, Cost. -be to me, and every man that dares not fight! King. No words. Cost. of other men's secrets, I beseech you. King. "So it is, besieged with sable-colour'd melancholy, I did commend the black oppressing humour to the most wholesome physick of thy health-giving air; and, as I am a gentle"man, betook myself to walk. The time when,-25 About the sixth hour; when beasts most graze, birds best peck, and men sit down to that nou"rishment which is called supper. So much for the time when: Now for the ground which; which, I mean, I walked upon: It is ycleped, thy park. Then for the place where: where, I mean, I did encounter that obscene and most preposterous event, that draweth from my snowwhite pen the ebon-colour'd ink, which here "thou viewest, beholdest, surveyest, or seest:— 35" But to the place where,-It standeth north"north-east and by east, from the west corner of thy curious knotted garden: There did I see "that lowspirited swain, that base minnow of thy "mirth,” (Cost. Me.) "that unletter'd, small40" knowing soul," (Cost. Me.) " that shallow vas"sal," (Cost. Still me.) "which as I remember, "hight Costard," (Cost. O, me!) "sorted and "Consorted, contrary to thy established proclaimed edict and continent canon, with,-with,-O with,-but with this I passion to say where"with-" Biron. Weil, sir, be it as the stile shall give us 45" cause to climb in the merriness. Cost. The matter is to me, sir, as concerning Jaquenetta. The manner of it is, I was taken with the manner. Biron. In what manner? Cost. With a wench. 6 King. “with a child of our grandmother Eve, a "female; or, for thy more sweet understanding, 50" a woman. Him, I (as my ever esteemed duty pricks me on) have sent to thee, to receive the "meed of punishment, by thy sweet grace's officer, Anthony Dull; a man of good repute, carriage, bearing, and estimation." Cost. In manner and form following, sir; all those three: I was seen with her in the manorhouse, sitting with her upon the form, and taken following her into the park; which, put together, is, in manner and form following. Now, sir, for 55 the manner,—it is the manner of a man to speak to a woman: for some form. Biron. For the following, sir? 2 66 Dull. Me, an't shall please you; I am Anthony Dull. King. "For Jaquenetta, (so is the weaker ves"sel called which I apprehended with the afore +i. e. a low 1i. e. Lively sport, or sprightly diversion. Complement, in Shakspeare's time, not only signified verbal civility, but the external accomplishments or ornamental appendages of a character. i. e. Thirdborough, a peace-officer, assistant to the constable, who acts also in his absence. possession, or acquisition. A phrase then used to signify, taken in the fact. Meaning, that as the minnow is one of the least esteemed of fish, so the object of his mirth is one of the most contemptible *said of men. 5 |