Verg. Nay, that's certain; we have the exhibition to examine. Sexton. But which are the offenders that are to be examined? let them come before master constable. Dogb. Yea, marry, let them come before me. -What is your name, friend? Bora. Borachio. [sirrah? Dogb. Pray write down-Borachio.-Your's, Con. I am a gentleman, sir, and my name is Conrade. Dogb. Write down-master gentleman ConMasters, do you serve God [rade. Con. & Bora. Yea, sir, we hope. Dogb. Write down-that they hope they serve God:-and write God first; for God defend but God should go before such villains!—Masters, it is proved already, that you are little better than false knaves; and it will go near to be thought so shortly. How answer you for yourselves? Con. Marry, sir, we say we are none. Dogb. A marvellous witty fellow, I assure you; but I will go about with him.-Come you hither, sirrah; a word in your ear, sir; I say to you, it is thought you are false knaves. Bora. Sir, I say to you, we are none. Dogb. Well, stand aside.-'Fore God, they are both in a tale; have you writ down-that they are none? Sexton. Master constable, you go not the way to examine: you must call forth the watch, that are their accusers. Dogb. Yea, marry, that's the eftest way.-Let the watch come forth.-Masters, charge you, in the prince's name, accuse these men. Sexton. What heard you him say else? 2 Watch. Marry, that he had received a thousand ducats of Don John, for accusing lady Hero wrongfully. Dogb. Flat burglary as ever was committed. 1 Watch. And that Count Claudio did mean, upon his words, to disgrace Hero before the whole assembly, and not marry her. Dogb. O villain! thou wilt be condemned into everlasting redemption for this. Sexton. What else? 2 Watch. This is all. Sexton. And this is more, masters, than you can deny. Prince John is this morning secretly stolen away; Hero was in this manner accused, in this very manner refused, and upon the grief of this, suddenly died.-Master constable, let these men be bound, and brought to Leonato's; I will go before, and show him their examination. [exit. Dogb. Come, let them be opinioned. Verg. Let them be in band. Con. Off, coxcomb! Dogb. God's my life! where's the sexton? let him write down-the prince's officer, coxcomb.— Come, bind them.-Thou naughty varlet! Con. Away! you are an ass, you are an ass. Dogb. Dost thou not suspect my place? Dost thou not suspect my years?—O that he were here to write me down-an ass!—but, masters, remember, that I am an ass; though it be not written down, yet forget not that, I am an ass.-No, thou villain, thou art full of piety, as shall be proved upon thee by good witness. I am a wise fellow; 1 Watch. This man said, sir, that Don John, and, which is more, an officer; and, which is the prince's brother, was a villain. Dogb. Write down-prince John a villain.— Why this is flat perjury, to call a prince's brother -villain. more, a householder: and, which is more, as pretty a piece of flesh as any is in Messina; and one that knows the law, go to; and a rich fellow enough, go to; and a fellow that hath had losses; Bora. Master constable,and one that hath two gowns, and every thing Dogb. Pray thee, fellow, peace; I do not like handsome about him.-Bring him away. 0, thy look, I promise thee. that I had been writ down-an ass. [exeunt. SCENE I. BEFORE LEONATO'S HOUSE. Enter Leonato and Antonio. ACT V. Ant. If you go on thus, you will kill yourself; And 'tis not wisdom, thus to second grief Against yourself. Leon. I pray thee, cease thy counsel, Which falls into mine ears as profitless As water in a sieve: give not me counsel; Nor let no comforter delight mine ear, But such a one, whose wrongs do suit with mine. Bring me a father, that so 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 strain for strain; As thus for thus, and such a grief for such, In every lineament, branch, shape, and form: If such a one will smile, and stroke his beard; Cry-Sorrow, wag! and hem, when he should gruan; Patch grief with proverbs; make misfortune drunk But there is no such man: for, brother, men However they have writ the style of gods, Leon. There thou speak'st reason; nay, I will My soul doth tell me, Hero is belied; [do so. And that shall Claudio know, so shall the prince, And all of them, that thus dishonour her. Enter Don Pedro and Claudio. [hastily. Ant. Here comes the prince, and Claudio, D. Pedro. We have some haste, Leonato. Leon. Some haste, my lord!-well, fare you well, my lord: Are you so hasty now?—well, all is one. [man. Claud. Who wrongs him? [thou;- Claud. Marry, beshrew my hand, [me: [do, If it should give your age such cause of fear; I say, thou hast belied mine innocent child; Leon. Thine, Claudio; thine I say. I'll prove it on his body, if he dare; Claud. Away, I will not have to do with you. Leon. Canst thou so daff me? Thou hast kill'd my child; If thou kill'st me, boy, thou shalt kill a man. Leon. Brother,— [niece; .Ant. Content yourself. God knows, I lov'd my And she is dead, slander'd to death by villains. That dare as well answer a man, indeed, As I dare take a serpent by the tongue : Boys, apes, braggarts, Jacks, milksops!Leon. Brother Antony. Ant. Hold you content: what, man! I know them, yea, And what they weigh, even to the utmost scruple: Leon. But, brother Antony, Ant. Come, 'tis no matter; Do not you meddle, let me deal in this. D. Pedro. Gentlemen both, we will not wake your patience. My heart is sorry for your daughter's death; D. Pedro. I will not hear you. Brother, away:-I will be heard ;- Or some of us will smart for it. [ex. Leon. and Ant. D. Pedro. See, see, here comes the man we went to seek. Claud. Now, signior; what news? Bene. Good day, my lord. D. Pedro. Welcome, signior: you are almost come to part almost a fray. Claud. We had like to have had our two noses snapped off with two old men without teeth. D. Pedro. Leonato and his brother. What think'st thou? Had we fought, I doubt, we should have been too young for them. Bene. In a false quarrel there is no true valour. I came to seek you both. Claud. We have been up and down to seek thee; for we are high-proof melancholy, and would fain have it beaten away: wilt thou use thy wit? Bene. It is in my scabbard; shall I draw it? D. Pedro. Dost thou wear thy wit by thy side? Claud. Never any did so, though very many have been beside their wit.-I will bid thee draw, as we do the minstrels; draw, to pleasure us. D. Pedro. As I am an honest man, he looks pale:-art thou sick or angry? Claud. What! courage, man! What though care killed a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care. Bene. Sir, I shall meet your wit in the career, an you charge it against me:-) pray you, choose another subject. Claud. Nay, then give him another staff; this last was broke cross. more. D. Pedro. By this light he changes more and I think, he be angry indeed. [girdle. Claud. If he be, he knows how to turn his Bene. Shall I speak a word in your ear? Claud. God bless me from a challenge! Bene. You are a villain; I jest not:-I will make it good how you dare, with what you dare, and when you dare.-Do me right, or I will protest your cowardice. You have killed a sweet lady, and her death shall fall heavy on you. Let me hear from you. Claua. Well, I will meet you, so I may have good cheer. D. Pedro. Officers, what offence have these men done? D. Pedro. What, a feast? a feast? Dogb. Marry, sir, they have committed false Claud. I'faith, I thank him; he hath bid me to report; moreover, they have spoken untruths; a calf's-head and a capon; the which if I do not secondarily, they are slanders; sixth and lastly, carve most curiously, say my knife's naught.-they have belied a lady; thirdly, they have veriShall I not find a woodcock too? fied unjust things: and, to conclude, they are lying knaves. Bene. Your wit ambles well; it goes easily. D. Pedro. I'll tell thee how Beatrice praised thy wit the other day: I said thou hadst a fine wit; true, says she, a fine little one: no, said I, a great wit; right, says she, a great gross one: nay, said I, a good wit; just, said she, it hurts nobody nay, said I, the gentleman is wise; certain, said she, a wise gentleman: nay, said I, he hath the tongues; that I believe, said she, for he swore a thing to me on Monday night, which he forswore on Tuesday morning; there's a double tongue; there's two tongues. Thus did she, an hour together, trans-shape thy particular virtues; yet, at last, she concluded with a sigh, thou wast the properest man in Italy. Claud. For the which she wept heartily, and said, she cared not. D. Pedro. Yea, that she did; but yet, for all that, an if she did not hate him deadly, she would love him dearly; the old man's daughter told us all. Claud. All, all; and moreover, God saw him, when he was hid in the garden. D. Pedro. But when shall we set the savage bull's horns on the sensible Benedick's head? Claud. Yea, and text underneath, Here dwells Benedick the married man? Bene. Fare you well, boy; you know my mind; I will leave you now to your gossip-like humour: you break jests as braggarts do their blades, which, God be thanked, hurt not.-My lord, for your many courtesies I thank you: I must discontinue your company; your brother, the bastard, is filed from Messina: you have, among you, killed a sweet and innocent lady: For my lord Lack-beard, there, he and I shall meet; and till then, peace be with him. [exit Benedick. D. Pedro. He is in earnest. Claud. In most profound earnest; and, I'll warrant you, for the love of Beatrice. D. Pedro. And hath challenged thee? D. Pedro. What a pretty thing man is, when he goes in his doublet and hose, and leaves off his wit! Enter Dogberry, Verges, and the Watch, with Conrade and Borachio: Claud. He is then a giant to an apes but then is an ape a doctor to such a man. D. Pedro. But, soft you, let be; pluck up, my heart, and be sad! Did he not say, my brother was fled ? Dogb. Come, you, sir; if justice cannot tame you, she shall ne'er weigh more reasons in her balance; nay, an you be a cursing hypocrite once, you must be looked to. D. Pedro. How now, two of my brother's men bound! Borachio, one! Claud. Hearken after their offence, my lord. D. Pedro. First, I ask thee what they have done; thirdly, I ask thee what's their offence; sixth and lastly, why they are committed; and. to conclude, what you lay to their charge? Claud. Rightly reasoned, and in his own division; and, by my troth, there's one meaning well suited. D. Pedro. Whom have you offended, masters, that you are thus bound to your answer? this, learned constable is too cunning to be understood. What's your offence? Bora. Sweet prince, let me go no further to mine answer; do you hear mc, and let this count kill me. I have deceived even your very eyes; what your wisdoms could not discover, these shallow fools have brought to light; who, in the night, overheard me confessing to this man, how Don John, your brother, incensed me to slander the lady Hero; how you were brought into the orchard, and saw me court Margaret in Hero's gurments; how you disgraced her, when you should marry her; my villainy have they upon record; which I had rather seal with my death, than repeat over to my shame: the lady is dead upon mine and my master's false accusation; and briefly, I desire nothing but the reward of a villain. D. Pedro. Runs not this speech like iron through your blood? Lit. Claud. I have drunk poison whiles he utter'd D. Pedro. But did my brother set thee on to this? [of it. Bora. Yea, and paid me richly for the practice D. Pedro. He is compos'd and fram'd of treachery: and fled he is upon this villainy. Claud. Sweet Hero! now thy image doth appear In the rare semblance that I loved it first. Dogb. Come, bring away the plaintiffs; by this time our sexton hath reformed signior Leonato of the matter; and, masters, do not forget to specify, when time and place shall serve, that I am an ass, Verg. Here, here comes master signior Leonato, and the sexton too. Re-enter Leonato and Antonio, with the Sexton." Leon. Which is the villain? Let me see his That, when I note another man like him, [eyes? I may avoid him. Which of these is he? [me. Bora. If you would know your wronger, look on Leon. Art thou the slave, that with thy breath hast kill'd Mine innocent child? Bora. Yea, even I alone. Leon. No, not so, villain; thou bely'st thyself; Here stand 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, Leon. I cannot bid you bid my daughter live, Leon. To-morrow then I will expect your com Hir'd to it by your brother. Bora. No, by my soul, she was not; Nor knew not what she did, when she spoke to Dogb. Moreover, sir, (which, indeed, is not under white and black,) this plaintiff here, the offender, did call me ass. I beseech you, let it be remembered in his punishment: and also, the watch heard them talk of one Deformed: they say, he wears a key ́in his ear, and a lock hanging by it, and borrows money in God's name; the which he hath used so long, and never paid, that now men grow hard-hearted, and will lead nothing for God's sake: pray you, examine him upon that point. Leon. I thank thee for thy care and honest pains. Dogb. I leave an arrant knave with your wor- SOFNE II. LEONATO'S GARDEN. Enter Benedick and Margaret, meeting." Bene. Pray thee, sweet mistress Margarét deserve well at my hands, by helping me to the speech of Beatrice. Marg. Will you then write me a sonnet in praise of my beauty? Bene. In so high a style, Margaret, that no mar living shall come over it; for, in most comely truth, thou deservest it. Marg. To have no man come over me? why, shall I always keep below stairs? Bene. Thy wit is as quick as the greyhound's mouth, it catches.oned blu un ble t Mary. And your's as blunt as the fencer's foils, which hit, but hurt not. The god of love, That sits above, roy How pitiful I deserve,→ [Singing.!" 1 mean, in singing; but in loving,-Leander, the good swimmer, Troïlus, the first employer o pandars, and a whole book full of these quondam carpet-mongers, whose names yet run smoothly. in the even road of a blank verse, why they were never so truly turned over and over as my poor self, in love. Marry, I cannot show it in rhyme; I have tried; I can find out no rhyme to lady, but baby, an innocent rhyme; for scorn, horn, a hard rhyme; for school, fool, a babbling rhyme; very ominous endings. No, I was not born under a rhyming planet, nor I cannot woo in festival terms. ,,: s saw wds of gult dziw on Beat. Yea, signior, and depart when you bid me. 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 passed between you and Claudio. Bene. Only foul words; and thereupon I will kiss thee. Beat. Foul words is but foul wind, and foul wind is but foul breath, and foul breath is noisome; therefore, I will depart unkissed. [exeunt Dogberry, Verges, and the Watch. Leon. Until to-morrow morning, lords, farewell. Bene. Thou hast frighted the word out of his Ant. Farewell, my lords'; we look for you to- right sense, so forcible is thy wit but. I must tell D. Pedro. We will not fail. thee plainly, Claudio undergoes my challenge; Claud. To-night I'll mourn with Hero. 19 and either I must shortly hear from him, or I will subscribe him a coward. And, I pray thes [exeunt Don Pedro and morrow. now, tell me, for which of my bad parts didst thou first fall in love with me? Beat. For them all together; which maintained so politic a state of evil, that they will not admit any good part to intermingle with them. But for which of my good parts did you first suffer love for me? Bene. Suffer love; a good epithet! I do suffer love, indeed, for I love thee against my will. Beat. In spite of your heart, I think; alas! poor heart! If you spite it for my sake, I will spite it for yours; for I will never love that which my friend hates. [ably. Bene. Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceBeat. 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 lived 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 wise, (if Don Worm, his con.. science, find no impediment to the contrary,) to be the trumpet of his own virtues, as I am to myself. So much for praising myself, (who, I myself will 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, Urs. Madam, you must come to your uncle; yonder's old coil at home: it is proved, my lady Hero hath been falsely accused, the prince and Claudio mightily abused; and Don John is the author of all, who is fled and gone: will you come presently? Beat. Will you go hear this news, signior? Bene. I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes; and, moreover, I will go with thee to thy uncle's. [exeunt. SCENE III. THE INSIDE OF A CHURCH. Enter Don Pedro, Claudio, and Attendants, with music and tapers. Claud. Is this the monument of Leonato? Atten. It is, my lord. Claud. [Reads from a scroll.] Done to death by slanderous tongues. Gives her fame which never dies, [affixing it. Now, music, sound, and sing your solemn hymn. (Song.) Pardon, goddess of the night, Those that slew thy virgin knight; Claud. Now unto thy bones good night! Yearly will I do this rite. D. Pedro. Good morrow, masters; put your torches out: [day, The wolves have prey'd ; and look, the gentle Before the wheels of Phoebus, round about Dapples the drowsy east with spots of grey: Thanks to you all, and leave us; fare you well. Claud. Good morrow, masters; each his several way. [weeds; D. Pedro. Come, let us hence, and put on other And then to Leonato's we will go. [speeds, Claud. And Hymen now with luckier issue Than this, for whom we render'd up this woe! [exeunt. SCENE IV. A ROOM IN LEONATO'S HOUSE. Enter Leonato, Antonio, Benedick, Beatrice, Ursula, Friar, and Hero. Friar. Did I not tell you she was innocent? Leon. So are the prince and Claudio, who accus'd her, Upon the error that you heard debated. 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, And give her to young Claudio. [exeunt Ladies. Ant. Which I will do with confirm'd counte From Claudio, and the prince; but what's your Here comes the prince, and Claudio. Claudio; We here attend you; are you yet determin'd To-day to marry with my brother's daughter? Claud. I'll hold my mind, were she an Ethio |