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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 Sexton hath reform'd Signior Leonato of the matter; and, Mafters, do not forget to specify, when time and place fhall ferve, that I am an ass.

Verg. Here, here comes Mafter Signior Leonato, and the Sexton too.

SCENE V. Enter Leonato and Sexton.
Leon. Which is the villain? let me fee his eyes,
That when I note another man like him,
66 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 flave, that with thy
breath

Haft kill'd mine innocent child?

Bora. Yea, even I alone.

Leon. No, not fo, villain; thou bely'ft 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: Chufe 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 injoin me to.

Leon. You cannot bid my daughter live again;

That were impoffible; but, I pray you both,

Poffefs the people in Meffina here

How innocent she 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 houfe;
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 the 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 Sir!

Your over-kindness doth wring tears from me.
I do embrace your offer; and difpofe

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

Hir'd to it by your brother.

wrong,

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

Nor knew not what fhe did, when fhe fpoke to me,
But always hath been just and virtuous,

In any thing that I do know by her.

Dogb. Moreover, Sir, which indeed is not under white and black, this plaintiff here, the offender, did call me afs. I befeech you, let it be remember'd in his punishment; "and alfo the watch heard them talk of 66 one Deformed. They fay he wears a key in his ear, " and a lock hanging by it; 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

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"him upon that point.

Leon. I thank thee for thy care and honeft pains. Dogb. Your Worship speaks like a most 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 prisoner; and I thank thee..

Dogb. I leave an errant knave with your Worship, which I befeech your Worfhip 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-mor-

row.

Pedro. We will not fail.

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

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

How her acquaintance grew with this lewd fellow.
[Exeunt feverally.

SCENE VI. Changes to Leonato's house.
Enter Benedick and Margaret.

Bene. Pray thee, fweet Miftrefs Margaret, deferve well at my hands, by helping me to the fpeech 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 above 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 moft 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 fwords; 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 Margaret.

Bene. And therefore will come. [Sings.] 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 swimmer, Troilus the first employer of pandars, and a whole book full of these quon

dam carpet-mongers, whofe names yet run fimoothly in the even road of a blank verfe; why, they were never fo truly turn'd over and over, as my poor felf, in love; marry, I cannot fhew it, in rhime; I have try'd; I can find out no rhime to lady but baby, an innocent's rhime; for fcorn, horn, a hard rhime; for fchool, fool, a babbling rhime; very ominous endings; no, I was not born under a rhiming planet, for I cannot woo in feftival terms.

SCENE VII. Enter Beatrice.

Sweet Beatrice, would't thou come when I call thee? Beat. Yea, Signior, and depart when you bid me. Bene. O, ftay but till then.

Beat. Then, is spoken; fare you well now; and yet ere I go, let me go with that I came for; which is, with knowing what hath pafs'd between you and Claudio.

Bene. Only foul words; and thereupon I will kifs thee.

Beat. Foul words are but foul wind, and foul wind is but foul breath, and foul breath is noifome; there-fore I will depart unkifs'd.

Bene. Thou haft frighted the word out of its right fenfe, fo forcible is thy wit; but, I must tell thee plainly, Claudio undergoes my challenge; and either I must fhortly hear from him, or I will fubfcribe him a coward; and I pray thee, now tell me, for which of my bad parts didit thou firft fall in love with me?

Beat. For them all together; which maintain'd, so politic a ftate of evil, that they will not admit any good: part to intermingle with them. But for which of my good parts did you firft fuffer love for me?

Bene. Suffer love! a good epithet; I do fuffer love, indeed, for I love thee against my will,

Beat. In fpight of your heart, I think; alas! poor heart, if you fpight it for my fake, I will fpight it for your's; for I will never love that which my friend hates.

Bene. Thou and I are too wife to woo peaceably. Beat. It appears not in this confeffion; there's not one wife man among twenty that will praife himself.

Bene. "An old, an old inftance, 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 fhall live no longer in monuments, than the bells ring, and the widow weeps.

Beat. And how long is that, think you ?

Bene. Queftion? -why, an hour in clamour, and a quarter in rheum; therefore it is moft expedient for the wife, if Don Worm (his confcience) find no impediment to the contrary, to be the trumpet of his own virtues, as I am to myself. So much for praifing myfelf; who, I myself will bear witnefs, is praife-worthy. And now tell me, how doth your cousin?

Beat. Very ill.

Bene. And how do you?

Beat. Very ill too.

Bene. Serve God, love me, and mend; there will I leave you too, for here comes one in haste.

Enter Urfula.

Urf. Madam, you must come to your uncle; yonder's old coil at home; it is proved my Lady Hero hath been falfely accus'd; the Prince and Claudio mightily abus'd; and Don John is the author of all, who is fled and gone. Will you come prefently?

Beat. Will you go hear this news, Signior?

Bene. I will live in thy eyes, die in thy lap, and be Bury'd in thy heart; and, moreover, I will go with thee to thy uncle.. [Exeunt. SCENE VIII. Changes to a church.

Inter Don Pedro, Claudio, and attendants with tapers. Claud. Is this the monument of Leonato ?

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