D. Pedro. By my troth, a pleasant-spirited lady. Leon. There's little of the melancholy element in her, my lord: she is never sad, but when she sleeps; and not ever sad then, for I have heard my daughter say, she hath often dreamed of unhappiness, and waked herself with laughing. D. Pedro. She cannot endure to hear tell of a husband. Leon. O! by no means; she mocks all her wooers out of suit. D. Pedro. She were an excellent wife for Benedick. Leon. O lord! my lord, if they were but a week married, they would talk themselves mad. D. Pedro. County Claudio, when mean you to go to church? Claud. To-morrow, my lord. Time goes on crutches, till love have all his rites. Leon. Not till Monday, my dear son, which is hence a just seven-night; and a time too brief, too, to have all things answer my mind. D. Pedro. Come, you shake the head at so long a breathing; but, I warrant thee, Claudio, the time shall not go dully by us. I will, in the interim, undertake one of Hercules' labours, which is, to bring signior Benedick and the lady Beatrice into a mountain of affection, the one with the other. I would fain have it a match; and I doubt not but to fashion it, if you three will but minister such assistance as I shall give you direction. Leon. My lord, I am for you, though it cost me ten nights' watchings. Claud. And I, my lord. D. Pedro. And you too, gentle Hero? Hero. I will do any modest office, my lord, to help my cousin to a good husband. D. Pedro. And Benedick is not the unhopefullest husband that I know. Thus far can I praise him: he is of a noble strain, of approved valour, and confirmed honesty. I will teach you how to humour your cousin, that she shall fall in love with Benedick;-and I, with your two helps, will so practise on Benedick, that, in despite of his quick wit and his queasy stomach, he shall fall in love with Beatrice. If we can do this, Cupid is no longer an archer: his glory shall be ours, for we are the only love-gods. Go in with me, and I will tell you my drift. [Exeunt. SCENE II. Another Room in LEONATO's House. Enter JOHN and BORACHIO. John. It is so: the count Claudio shall marry the daughter of Leonato. Bora. Yea, my lord; but I can cross it. John. Any bar, any cross, any impediment will be medicinable to me: I am sick in displeasure to him, and whatsoever comes athwart his affection ranges evenly with mine. canst thou cross this marriage? How Bora. Not honestly, my lord; but so covertly, that no dishonesty shall appear in me. John. Show me briefly how. Bora. I think, I told your lordship, a year since, how much I am in the favour of Margaret, the waiting gentlewoman to Hero. John. I remember. Bora. I can, at any unseasonable instant 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? Bora. The poison of that lies in you to temper. Go you to the prince your brother: spare not to tell him, that he hath wronged his honour in marrying the renowned Claudio (whose estimation you do mightily hold up) to a contaminated stale, such a one as Hero. John. What proof shall I make of that? Bora. Proof enough to misuse the prince, to vex Claudio, to undo Hero, and kill Leonato. issue? Look you for any other John. Only to despite them I will endeavour any thing. Bora. Go then; find me a meet hour to draw Don Pedro and the count Claudio, alone: tell them, that you know that Hero loves me; intend a kind of zeal both to the prince and Claudio, (as in love of your brother's honour, who hath made this match, and his friend's reputation, who is thus like to be cozened with the semblance of a maid) that you have discovered thus. They will scarcely believe this without trial: offer them instances, which shall bear no less likelihood than to see me at her chamber-window, hear me call Margaret Hero; hear Margaret term me Borachio'; and bring them to see this the very night before the intended wedding: for in the mean time I will so fashion the matter, that Hero shall be absent, and there shall appear such seeming truth of Hero's disloyalty, that jealousy shall be call'd assurance, and all the preparation overthrown. John. Grow this to what adverse issue it can, I will put it in practice. Be cunning in the working this, and thy fee is a thousand ducats. Bora. Be you constant in the accusation, and my cunning shall not shame me. John. I will presently go learn their day of marriage. SCENE III. LEONATO'S Garden. Enter BENEDICK, a Boy following. Bene. Boy! [Exeunt. Boy. Signior. Bene. In my chamber-window lies a book; bring it hither to me in the orchard. Boy. I am here already, sir. Bene. I know that; [Exit Boy.] 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 laughed at such shallow follies in others, become the argument of his own scorn by falling in love; and such a man is Claudio. I have known, when there was no music with him but the drum and the fife; and now had he rather hear the tabor and the pipe: I have known, when he would have walked ten mile afoot to see a good armour; and now will he lie ten nights awake, carving 3 hear Margaret term me BORACHIO;] The old copies, folio and quarto, here have Claudio for Borachio; but Claudio was to be a spectator of the scene, and Margaret, in the character of Hero, was to appear to love Borachio, and thus to inflame Claudio. In the corr. fo. 1632 the name of Borachio is substituted for that of Claudio. Theobald did the same. - such seeming TRUTH of Hero's disloyalty,] The folio, 1623, has truths for "truth;" and in the corr. fo. 1632 it is altered to "such seeming proofs," but no emendation seems required. 5 Enter Benedick, a Boy following.] This is the stage-direction in the corr. fo. 1632, and we adopt it: after Benedick has (as we may suppose) paced thoughtfully to and fro a little, he calls the Boy, who then comes forward. the fashion of a new doublet. He was wont to speak plain, and to the purpose, like an honest man, and a soldier; and now is he turn'd orthographer: his words are a very fantastical banquet, just so many strange dishes. May I be so converted, and see with these eyes? I cannot tell; I think not: I will not be sworn, but love may transform me to an oyster; but I'll take my oath on it, till he have made an oyster of me, he shall never make me such a fool. One woman is fair, yet I am well: another is wise, 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 she shall be, that's certain; wise, 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 I for an angel; of good discourse, an excellent musician, and her hair shall be of what colour it please God. Ha! the prince and monsieur Love! I will hide me in the arbour. [Retires behind the trees. Enter Don PEDRO, LEONATO, and CLAUDIO. D. Pedro. Come, shall we hear this music? D. Pedro. See you where Benedick hath hid himself? 6 Enter BALTHAZAR, with music". D. Pedro. Come, Balthazar, we'll hear that song again. orthographer:] The old copies read orthography, but it is amended to "orthographer" in the corr. fo. 1632. Such has been the usual text. 7 We'll fit the HID fox] We here give the word as it is altered in the corr. fo. 1632: Benedick has already said, in the hearing of Claudio, "I will hide me in the arbour," and Don Pedro has just stated that Benedick "hath hid himself." It is true, as Mr. Dyce says in his Remarks, p. 32, that Richardson cites this passage in his Dictionary under "kid," but he does not show that a "kid-fox" means a young fox, and he would find it difficult to adduce any instance to that effect. Neither could Benedick be considered a young fox: he was much more of an old fox, and for this reason it was the better joke to entrap him. * Enter Balthazar, with music.] In the 4to. of 1600, Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio, are said, just before, to enter "with music," the meaning of which probably was, that some prelude was heard off the stage. Balthazar then comes upon the stage, and "Enter Balthazar, with music" is the direction of the 4to. The folio, 1623, only makes one entrance; and inserts the name of the singer of the song, Jack Wilson, instead of the character, "Enter Prince, Leonato, Claudio, and Jack Wilson," before the words "Come, shall we hear this music?" See the "Memoirs of Edward Alleyn," p. 153, respecting "Mr. Wilson the singer," who dined with the founder of Dulwich College in 1620. VOL. II. Ꭰ Balth. O! good my lord, tax not so bad a voice To slander music any more than once. I pray D. Pedro. It is the witness still of excellency, D. Pedro. Or, if thou wilt hold longer argument, Do it in notes. Balth. Nay, pray thee, come: Note this before my notes; There's not a note of mine that's worth the noting. D. Pedro. Why these are very crotchets that he speaks; Note notes, forsooth, and nothing'! [Music. Bene. [Aside.] Now, divine air! now is his soul ravish'd! -Is it not strange, that sheeps' guts should hale souls out of men's bodies?-Well, a horn for my money, when all's done. THE SONG. Balth. Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more, One foot in sea, and one on shore; To one thing constant never. Then sigh not so, But let them go, Sing no more ditties, sing no mo D. Pedro. By my troth, a good song. ⚫ Note notes, forsooth, and NOTHING!] This is the reading of the old copies, and ought to be preserved in preference to noting, which Theobald substituted, and which has stood in the text ever since. 10 Of dumps so dull and heavy ;] The corr. fo. 1632 has "or dumps," and, in the next line, it puts "fraud" and "was" in the plural: both may be needless changes, but it is fit to note them. |