Bora. Sir, I fay to you, we are none.

To. Cl. Well, ftand afide; 'fore God, they are both in a tale ; have you writ down, that they are none? Sexton. Mafter town-clerk, you go not the way to examine, you must call the watch that are their ac

cufers.

To. Cl. Yea, marry, that's the defteft way, let the Watch come forth; mafters, I charge you in the Prince's name accuse these men.

Enter Watchmen.

I Watch. This man faid, Sir, that Don John the Prince's brother was a villain.

To. Cl. Write down, Prince John a villain; why this is flat perjury, to call a Prince's brother villain. Bora. Mafter town-clerk

To. Cl. Pray thee, fellow, Peace; I do not like thy look, I promise thee.

Sexton. What heard you him fay else?

2 Watch. Marry, that he had receiv'd a thousand ducats of Don john, for accufing the lady Hero wrongfully.

To. Cl. Flat burglary, as ever was committed.
Dogb. Yea, by th' mafs, that it is.

Sexton. What else, fellow?

I Watch. And that Count Claudio did mean, upon his words, to difgrace Hero before the whole affembly, and not marry her.

To. Cl. O villain! thou wilt be condemn'd into everlafting redemption for this. Sexton. What else?

2 Watch. This is all.

Sexton. And this is more, mafters, than you can deny. Prince John is this morning fecretly ftoll'n away: Hero was in this manner accus'd, and in this very manner refus'd, and upon the grief of this fuddenly dy'd. Mafter Conftable, let thefe men be

bound

bound and brought to Leonato; I will go before, and fhew him their examination.

Dogb. Come, let them be opinion'd.

*Sexton. Let them be in hand.

Conr. Off, Coxcomb.

[Exit.

Dogb. God's my life, where's the Sexton ? let him. write down the Prince's officer Coxcomb: come, bind them, thou naughty varlet.

Conr. Away! you are an ass, you are an ass.

Dogb. Doft thou not suspect my place? doft thou not fufpect my years? O, that he were here to write me down an afs! but, mafters, remember, that I am an afs; though it be not written down, yet forget not that I am an ass; no, thou villain, thou art full of piety, as fhall be prov'd upon thee by good witnefs; I am a wife fellow, and which is more, an officer; and which is more, an houfholder; and which is more, as pretty a piece of flesh as any in Messina, and one that knows the law; go to, and a rich fellow enough; go to, and a fellow that hath had loffes; and one that hath two gowns, and every thing handsome about him; bring him away; O, that I had been writ down an ass ![Exeunt.

ACT V. SCENE

I.

Before Leonato's House.

Enter Leonato and Antonio,

ANTONIO.

F you go on thus, you will kill yourself;

Against yourself.

Leon.

* Sexton. Let them be in the hands of Coxcomb.] So the Editions. Mr. Theobald gives the Words to Conrade, and fays, But why the Sexton fhould be fo pert upon his Brother Officers, there feems no Reafon from

any

Leon. I pray thee, cease thy counsel,
Which falls into mine ears as profitless
As water in a fieve; give not me counsel,
Nor let no Comforter delight mine ear,
But fuch a one whofe wrongs do fuit with mine.
Bring me a father, that fo lov'd his child.
Whose joy of her is overwhelm'd like mine,
And bid him speak of patience;

Measure his woe the length and breadth of mine,
And let it answer every ftrain for strain :
As thus for thus, and fuch a grief for such,
In every lineament, branch, fhape and form.
If fuch a one will fmile and ftroke his beard,
And Sorrow waive; cry, hem! when she should groan;
Patch grief with proverbs; make misfortune drunk
With candle-wafters; bring him yet to me,
And I of him will gather patience.

But there is no fuch man; for, brother, men
Can counfel, and give comfort to that grief
Which they themselves not feel; but tasting it,
Their counsel turns to paffion, which before
Would give preceptial medicine to rage;
Fetter ftrong madness in a filken thread;
Charm ach with air, and agony with words.
No, no; 'tis all men's office to speak patience
To thofe, that wring under the load of forrow;
But no man's virtue, nor fufficiency,

To be fo moral, when he fhall endure

The like himself; therefore give me no counsel;
My griefs cry louder than advertisement.

Ant. Therein do men from children nothing differ. Leon. I pray thee, peace; I will be flesh and blood;

any fuperior Qualifications in him; or any fufpicion he fhews of knowing their Ignorance. This is ftrange. The Sexton throughout fhews as good Senfe in their Examination as any Judge upon the Bench could do. And as to his Sufpicion of their Ignorance, he tells the TownClerk, That he goes not the Way to examine.

For

For there was never yet philofopher,

That could endure the tooth-ach patiently;
* However they have writ the style of Gods,
+ And made a pish at chance and sufferance.
Ant. Yet bend not all the harm upon yourself :
Make thofe, that do offend
fuffer too.

you,

Leon. There thou speak'ft reason; nay, I will do so. My foul doth tell me, Hero is bely'd;

And that shall Claudio know, so fhall the Prince;
And all of them, that thus difhonour her.

Ant.

Enter Don Pedro, and Claudio.

HERE comes the Prince and Claudio haftily.

Pedro. Good den, good den.

Claud. Good day to both of you.

Leon. Hear you, my lords?

Pedro. We have fome hafte, Leonato.

Leon. Some hafte, my lord! well, fare you well, my lord.

Are you so hafty now? well, all is one.

Pedro. Nay, do not quarrel with us, good old man. Ant. If he could right himself with quarrelling, Some of us would lie low.

Claud. Who wrongs him?

Leon. Marry, thou doft wrong me, thou diffembler, thou!

Nay, never lay thy hand upon thy fword,

I fear thee not.

Claud. Marry, beshrew my hand,

If it fhould give your age such cause of fear;

In faith, my hand meant nothing to my fword.

*However they have writ the ftyle of Gods,] This alludes to the extravagant Titles the Stoics gave their wife Man.

+ And made a pish at chance and sufferance.] Alludes to their fa mous Apathy.

Leon.

Leon. Tush, tufh, man, never fleer and jeft at me,
I speak not like a dotard, nor a fool;
As, under privilege of age, to brag

What I have done being young, or what would do,
Were I not old: know, Claudio, to thy head,
Thou haft fo wrong'd my innocent child and me,
That I am forc'd to lay my reverence by ;
And, with grey hairs, and bruise of many days,
Do challenge thee to trial of a man;

I say, thou haft bely'd mine innocent child,

Thy flander hath gone through and through her
And the lies bury'd with her ancestors,

O, in a tomb where never scandal slept,
Save this of hers, fram'd by thy villany!
Claud. My villany?

Leon. Thine, Claudio; thine, I say.
Pedro. You fay not right, old man.
Leon. My lord, my lord,

I'll prove it on his body, if he dare;

Defpight his nice fence and his active practice,
His May of youth, and bloom of luftyhood.

[heart;

Claud. Away, I will not have to do with you. Leon. Canft thou fo doffe me? thou haft kill'd my child;

If thou kill'ft me, boy, thou shalt kill a man.

*Ant. He fhall kill two of us, and men indeed; But that's no matter, let him kill one firft;

Ant. He fhall kill two of us, &c.] This Brother Anthony is the trueft Picture imaginable of human Nature. He had affumed the Character of a Sage to comfort his Brother, o'erwhelm'd with Grief for his only Daughter's Affront and Dishonour; and had feverely reproved him for not commanding his Paffion better on fo trying an Occafion. Yet, immediately after this, no fooner does he begin to suspect that his Age and Valour are flighted, but he falls into the most intemperate Fit of Rage himself and all his Brother can do or fay is not of power to pacify him. This is copying Nature with a Penetration and Exactnefs of Judgment peculiar to Shakespear. As to the Expreffion, too, of his Paffion, nothing can be more highly painted.