John. I remember.

Bora. I can, at any unfeasonable inftant of the Night, appoint her to look out at her Lady's Chamber Window.

John. What Life is in that, to be the Death of this Marriage?

Bord, The Poifon of that lyes in you to temper; go you to the Prince your Brother, fpare not to tell him, that he hath wrong'd his Honour in marrying the renown'd Claudio, whofe Estimation do you mightily hold up, to a contaminated Stale, fuch a one as Hero.

John. What proof fhall I make of that?

Bora. Proof enough, to mifufe the Prince, to vex Clau dio, to undo Hero, and kill Leonato; look you for any other

Iffue?

John. Only to despite them, I will endeavour any thing.

Bora. Go then find me a meet Hour, to draw on Pedro, and the Count Claudio, alone; tell them that you know Hero loves me; intend a kind of Zeal both to the Prince and Claudio, as in a love of your Brother's Honour who bath made this Match, and his Friends Reputation, who is thus like to be cozen'd with the femblance of a Maid, that you have discover'd thus; they will hardly believe this without Trial: Offer them Inftances which fhall bear no lefs likelihood, than to fee me at her Chamber Window, hear me call Margaret, Hero, hear Margaret term me Claudio, and bring them to fee this, the very Night before the intended Wedding, for in the mean time I will fashion the Matter, that Hero fhall be abfent, and there fhall appear fuch feeming Truths of Hero's Difloyalty, that Jealoufie fhall be call'd Affurance, and all the Preparation overthrown.

John. Grow this to what adverse Iffue it can, I will put it in Practice: Be cunning in the working this, and thy Fee is a thousand Ducats,

Bora. Be thou conftant in the Accufation, and my Cunning fhall not fhame me,

John. I will presently go learn their Day of Marriage.

Enter Benedick and a Boy.

[Exeunt.

Bene. Boy.
Boy, Signior.

Bene.

Bene. In my Chamber Window lyes a Book, bring it hither to me in the Orchard.

Boy. I am here already, Sir,

[Exit Boy.

Bene. I know that, but I would have thee hence, and here again. I do much wonder, that one Man seeing how much another Man is a Fool, when he dedicates his Behaviours to Love, will after he hath laught at fuch fhallow Follies in others, become the Argument of his own Scorn, by falling in love! and fuch a Man is Claudio. I have known when there was no Mufick with him but the Drum and the Fife, and now had he rather hear the Taber and the Pipe: I have known when he would have walk'd ten Mile a Foot, to fee a good Armor; and now will he lye ten Nights awake, carving the Fashion of a new Doublet. He was wont to speak plain, and to the Purpofe, like an honest Man and a Soldier, and now is he turn'd Orthography, his Words are a very fantaftical Banquet, juft fo many ftrange Dishes. May I be fo converted, and fee with these Eyes? I cannot tell, I think not. I will not be fworn, but Love may transform me to an Oifter, but I'll take my Oath on it, 'till he have made an Oifter of me, he shall never make me fuch a Fool: One Woman is fair, yet I am well; another is wife, yet I am well; another virtuous, yet I am well: But 'till all Graces be in one Woman, one Woman shall not come in my Grace. Rich fhe fhall be, that's certain; Wife, or I'll none; Virtuous, or I'll never cheapen her; Fair, or I'll never look on her; Mild, or come not near me; Noble, or not for an Angel; of good Discourse, an excellent Mufician, and her Hair fhall be of what colour it please God. Ha! the Prince and Monfieur Love, I will hide me in the Arbor.

Enter Don Pedro, Leonato, Claudio and Balthazar.
Pedro. Come, fhall we hear this Mufick?

Claud. Yea, my good Lord; how ftill the Evening is,

As hush'd on purpose to grace Harmony.

Pedro. See you where Benedick hath hid himself?
Claud. O very well my Lord; the Mufick ended,

We'll fit the Kid-fox with a penny-worth.

Pedro. Come Balthazar, we'll hear that Song again. Balth. O good my Lord, tax not so bad a Voice, To flander Mufick any more than once.

Z 4

Pedro.

I

pray

Pedro. It is the witnefs ftill of Excellency,
To put a ftrange Face on his own Perfection;
thee fing, and let me woo no more.
Balth. Because you talk of wooing, I will fing,
Since many a Wooer doth commence his Suit,
To her he thinks not worthy, yet he woo's,
Yet will he fwear he loves.

Pedro. Nay, pray thee come,

Or if thou wilt hold longer Argument,
Do it in Notes.

Balth. Note this before my Notes,

There's not a Note of mine that's worth the noting.

Pedro. Why these are very Crotchets that he speaks, Note Notes forfooth, and nothing.

Bene. Now divine Air, now is his Soul ravish't, is it not ftrange that Sheeps Guts fhould hale Souls out of Mens Bodies? Well, a Horn for my Mony, when all's done.

The Song.

Sigh no more Ladies, figh no more,

Men were Deceivers ever,

One Foot in Sea, and one on Shore,
To one thing conftant never :
Then figh not fa, but let them go,
And be you blith and bonny,
Converting all your Sounds of Woe
Into hey nony, nony.

Sing no more Ditties, fing no more;
Of Dumps fo dull and heavy.
The Fraud of Men were ever fo,
Since Summer first was leavy:
Then figh not fo, &c,

Pedro. By my Troth a good Song,

Balth. And an ill Singer, my Lord.

Pedro. Ha, no, no Faith, thou fing'ft well enough for a shift.

Bene. And he had been a Dog that fhould have howl'd thus, they would have hang'd him, and I pray God his bad Voice bode no Mifchief; I had as lieve have heard the Night-raven, come what Plague could have come after it,

Pedro.

Pedro. Yea, marry, doft thou hear Balthazar? I pray thee get fome excellent Mufick; for to Morrow Night we would have it at the Lady Hero's Chamber Window.

Balth. The best I can, my Lord.

[Exit Balthazar.

Pedro. Do fo, farewell. Come hither Leonato, what was it you told me of to Day, that your Neice Beatrice was in Love with Signior Benedick?

Claud. O ay, ftalk on, ftalk on, the Fowl fits. I did never think that Lady would have loved any Man.

Leon. No, nor I neither; but most wonderful, that she fhould fo doat on Signior Benedick, whom the hath in all outward Behaviours feem'd ever to abhor.

Bene. Is't poffible, fits the Wind in that Corner?

Leon. By my Troth, my Lord, I cannot tell what to think of it, but that she loves him with an inraged Affection, it is past the infinite of Thought.

Pedro. May be fhe doth but counterfeit.

Claud. Faith like enough.

Léon. O God! counterfeit? There was never counterfeit of Paffion came fo near the life of Paffion as fhe difcovers it.

Pedro. Why, what Effects of Paffion fhews she?

Claud. Bait the Hook well, the Fifh will bite.

Leon. What Effects, my Lord? fhe will fit you, you heard my Daughter tell you how.

Claud. She did indeed.

Pedro. How, how I pray you? you amaze me, I would have thought her Spirit had been invincible against all Affaults of Affection.

Leon. I would have fworn it had, my Lord, especially gainst Benedick.

Bene. I fhould think this a Gull, but that the whitebearded Fellow fpeaks it; Knavery cannot fure hide himself in fuch Reverence.

Claud. He hath tane th' Infection, hold it up.

Pedro. Hath fhe made her Affection known to Benedick? Leon. No, and swears she never will, that's her torment. Claud. 'Tis true indeed, fo your Daughter fays: Shall I, fays fhe, that have fo oft encounter'd him with Scorn, write to him I love him?

Leon

Leon. This fays fhe, now when she is beginning to write to him, he'll be up twenty times a Night, and there will fhe fit in her Smock, 'till the have writ a Sheet of Paper; my Daughter tells us all.

Claud. Now you talk of a Sheet of Paper, I remember a pretty Jeft your Daughter told us of.

Leon. O when fhe had writ it, and reading it over, the found Benedick and Beatrice between the Sheet.

Claud. That.

Leon. O fhe tore the Letter into a thousand Halfpence, rail'd at her felf, that she should be fo immodeft, to write to one that she knew would flout her: I measure him, fays fhe, by my own Spirit, I fhould flout him if he writ to me, yea though I love him, I should.

Claud. Then down upon her Knees fhe falls, weeps, fobs, beats her Heart, tears her Hair, prays, curfes; O fweet Benedick, God give me patience.

Leon. She doth indeed, my Daughter fays fo, and the Extafie hath fo much overborn her, that my Daughter is fometime afraid she will do a defperate Out-rage to her felf, it is very true.

Pedro. It were good that Benedick knew of it by fome other, if she will not discover it.

Cland. To what end? he would but make a fport of it, and torment the poor Lady worse.

Pedro. And he fhould, it were an Alms to hang him; fhe's an excellent fweet Lady, and out of all Sufpicion the is virtuous.

Claud. And the is exceeding wife.

Pedro. In every thing, but in loving Benedick,

Leon. O my Lord, Wisdom and Blood combating in fo tender a Body, we have ten Proofs to one, that Blood hath the Victory; I am forry for her, as I have just Cause, being her Uncle, and her Guardian.

Pedro. I would he had beftow'd this Dotage upon me; I would have daft all other Refpects, and made her half my felf; I pray you tell Benedick of it, and hear what he will fay.

Leon. Were it good, think you?

Claud. Hero thinks furely the will die, for the fays the will die, if he love her not, and fhe will die e'er fhe

make