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ACT I. SCENE I.

Before Leonato's House.

Enter LEONATO, HERO, BEATRICE, and Others, with a Meffenger.

Leon. I learn in this letter, that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this night to Messina.

Me. He is very near by this; he was not three leagues off when I left him.

Leon. How many gentlemen have you loft in this action
Me. But few of any fort, and none of name.

The story is from Ariofto, Orl. Fur. B. v. POPE.

It is true, as Mr. Pope has obferved, that fomewhat refembling the ftory of this play is to be found in the fifth book of the Orlando Furiofo. In Spenfer's Faery Queen, B. ii. c. 4. as remote an original may be traced. A novel, however, of Belleforeft, copied from another of Bandello, feems to have furnished Shakspeare with his fable, as it approaches nearer in all its particulars to the play before us, than any other performance known to be extant. I have feen fo many verfions from this once popular collection, that I entertain no doubt but that a great majority of the tales it comprehends, have made their appearance in an English drefs. Of that particular story which I have just mentioned, viz. the 18th history in the third volume, no tranflation has hitherto been met with.

This play was entered at Stationers' Hall, Aug. 23, 1600. STEEV. Ariofto is continually quoted for the fable of Much Ado about Nothing; but I fufpect our poet to have been fatisfied with the Geneura of Turberville.The tale (fays Harington) is a pretie comical matter, and hath bin written in English verfe fome few years paft, learnedly and with good grace, by M. George Turbervil." Arifto, fol. 1591, p. 39.

FARMER.

I fuppofe this comedy to have been written in 1600, in which year it was printed. See An Attempt to ascertain the order of Shakspeare's plays, Vol. I. MALONE.

2-of ary fort,] i. e. of any kind. Sort, in our author's age, was eften used for bigb rank, (fee p. 208.) but it feems from the context to bave here the fame fignification as at prefent. MALONE,

Leon.

Leon. A victory is twice itself, when the atchiever brings home full numbers. I find here, that Don Pedro hath beftowed much honour on a young Florentine, call'd Claudio.

Me: "Much deferved on his part, and equally remember'd by Don Pedro: He hath borne himself beyond the promife of his age; doing, in the figure of a lamb, the feats of a lion: he hath, indeed, better better'd expectation, than you must expect of me to tell you how.

Leon. He hath an uncle here in Meflina will be very much glad of it.

Me. I have already delivered him letters, and there appears much joy in him; even fo much, that joy could not fhew itself modest enough, without a badge of bitterness 3.

Leon. Did he break out into tears?

Me. In great measure.

Leon. A kind overflow of kindness: There are no faces truer than those that are fo wash'd. How much better is it to weep at joy, than to joy at weeping?

Beat. I pray you, is fignior Montanto return'd from the wars, or no?

Meff. I know none of that name, lady; there was none fuch in the army of fort".

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any

Leon. What is he that you ask for, niece?

Hero. My coufin means fignior Benedick of Padua.

jey could not fhew itself modeft enough, without a badge of bitternefs.] This is an idea which Shakspeare feems to have been delighted to introduce. It occurs again in Macbeth:

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my plenteous joys

"Wanton in fullness, feek to hide themselves

"In drops of forrow.

STEEVENS.

A badge being the distinguishing mark worn in our author's time by the fervants of noblemen, &c. on the fleeve of their liveries, with his ufual licence he employs the word to fignify a mark or token in general. So, in Macbeth:

"Their hands and faces were all badg'd with blood." MALONE. 4-no faces truer] That is, none bonefter, none mere fincere.

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JOHNSON is fignior Montanto return'd-] So, in the Merry Wives of Windfor: thy reverfe, thy distance, thy montant." STEEVENS. of any fort. i. e. of any quality above the common. WARBURT.

Me

Me. O, he's return'd; and as pleafant as ever he was. Beat. He fet up his bills here in Meflina, and challenged Cupid at the flight and my uncle's fool, reading the challenge, fubfcribed for Cupid, and challenged him at the bird-bolt 9.-I pray you, how many hath he kill'd and eaten in these wars? But how many hath he kill'd? for, indeed, I promised to eat all of his killing. Leon. Faith, niece, you tax fignior Benedick too much; but he'll be meet with you, I doubt it not.

Meff. He hath done good service, lady, in these wars. Beat. You had mufty victual, and he hath holp to eat it: he's a very valiant trencher-man, he hath an excellent fomach.

Meff. And a good foldier too, lady.

Beat. And a good foldier to a lady ;-But what is he to a lord?

Meff. A lord to a lord, a man to a man; ftuff'd with all honourable virtues *.

Beat.

7 He fet up bis bills &c.] Beatrice means, that Benedick published a general challenge, like a prize-fighter. So, in Nathe's Have with you tɔ Saffron Walden &c. 1596: "fetting up bills like a bearward or fencer, what fights we fhall have, and what weapons the will meet me at." STEEVENS. 8-cballenged Cupid at the flight :] To challenge at the flight, was a challenge to thoot with an arrow. Flight means an arrow.

STEEV.

The flight, which in the Latin of the middle ages was called flecta, was a fleet arrow with narrow feathers, ufually hot at rovers. See Blount's Ancient Tenures, p. 64, edit. 1679. MALONE.

9 at the bird-bolt.] A bolt seems to have been a general, though not an univerfal, term for an arrow. See Minfheu's Dia, in v. The word is ftill used in the common proverb, "A fool's bolt is foon shot." That particular fpecies of arrow which was employed in killing birds, was called a bird-bolt. MALONE.

The bird-bolt is a fhort thick arrow without point, and fpreading at the extremity fo much, as to leave a flat furface, about the breadth of a fhilling. Such are to this day in ufe to kill rooks with, and are shot from a cross-bow. STEEVENS.

1-be'll be meet with you,] This is a very common expreffion in the midland counties, and fignifies be'll be your match, be'll be even with you. STEEVENS.

2

stuff'd with all benourable virtues.] Stuff'd, in this firft inftance, has no ridiculous meaning. Mr. Edwards obferves, that Mede, in his Difcourfes on Scripture, speaking of Adam, fays, "he whom God VOL. II.

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Beat. It is fo, indeed; he is no less than a stuff'd man: but for the ftuffing,-well, we are all mortal3.

Leon. You must not, fir, mistake my niece: there is a kind of merry war betwixt fignior Benedick and her: they never meet, but there's a fkirmish of wit between them.

Beat. Alas, he gets nothing by that. In our laft conflict, four of his five wits went halting off, and now is the whole man govern'd with one: fo that if he have wit enough to keep himself warm, let him bear it for a dif ferences between himself and his horse; for it is all the wealth that he hath left, to be known a reasonable creature.-Who is his companion now? he hath every month a new fworn brother.

Meff. Is it poffible?

Beat. Very easily poffible: he wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat, it ever changes with the next block?.

Mess. I fee, lady, the gentleman is not in your books.

Beat.

had ftuffed with fo many excellent qualities." Edwards's MS. Again, in the Winter's Tale :

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"Of Buff'd fufficiency." STEEVENS.

he is no less than a stuff'd man: but for the stuffing,well, we are all mortal.] Beatrice ftarts an idea at the words ftuff'd man; and prudently checks herself in the purfuit of it. A ftuff'd man was one of the many cant phrases for a cuckold. FARMER.

4-four of his five wits-] In our author's time wit was the general term for intellectual powers. The wits feem to have been reckoned five, by analogy to the five fenfes, or the five inlets of ideas.

JOHNSON.

5-if he have wit enough to keep himself warm, let him bear it for a difference &c.] Such a one has wit enough to keep himself warm, is a proverbial expreffion. To bear any thing for a difference, is a term in heraldry. So, in Hamlet, Ophelia fays: you may wear yours with a difference. STEEVENS.

-be wears bis faith-] Not religious profeffion, but profeffion of friendship. WARBURTON.

. 7 - with the next block.] A block is the mould on which a hat is formed. The old writers fometimes ufe the word block, for the hat Itfelf. STEEVENS.

8 the gentleman is not in your books.] This is a phrase used, I believe, by more than understand it. To be in one's books is to be in one's codicils or will, to be among friends fet down for legacies. JOHNSON

I rather

Beat. No: an he were, I would burn my study. But, I pray you, who is his companion? Is there no young fquarer now, that will make a voyage with him to the devil?

Meff. He is moft in the company of the right noble Claudio.

Beat. O lord! he will hang upon him like a disease: he is fooner caught than the peftilence, and the taker runs presently mad. God help the noble Claudio! if he have caught the Benedick, it will coft him a thousand pound ere he be cured.

Meff. I will hold friends with you, lady.

Beat. Do, good friend.

Leon. You'll ne'er run mad, niece.
Beat. No, not till a hot January.

Meff. Don Pedro is approach'd.

I rather think that the books alluded to, are memorandum-books, like the vifiting-books of the prefent age. It appears to have been anciently the custom to chronicle the small beer of every occurrence, whe ther literary or domeftic, in Table-books.

It fhould feem from the following paffage in the Taming of the Shrew, that this phrafe might have originated from the Herald's Office:

"A herald, Kate! oh, put me in thy books!"

After all, the following note in one of the Harleian MSS. No. 847, may be the best illuftration:

"W. C. to Henry Fradham, Gent. the owener of this book:
"Some write their fantafies in verfe

"In theire bookes where they friendshippe fhewe,
"Wherein oft tymes they doe rehearfe

"The great good will that they do owe, &c." STEEVENS. To be in a man's books originally meant, to be in the lift of his rezainers. Sir John Mandevile tells us, alle the mynftrelles that comen before the great Chan ben witholden with him, as of his houfhold, and entred in his bookes, as for his own men." "" FARMER.

A fervant and a lover, in Cupid's Vocabulary, were fynonymous. Hence perhaps the phrafe to be in a perfon's books-was applied equally to the lover and the menial attendant. MALONE.

9-young fquarer-] A Squarer I take to be a cholerick, quarrelfome fellow, for in this fenfe Shakspeare uses the word to fquare. So, in the Midfummer Night's Dream, it is faid of Oberon and Titania, that they never meet but they fquare. So the fenfe may be, Is there no hotblooded youth that will keep him company through all his mad pranks ?

P z

JOHNSON.

Enter

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