S. Dro. Your goods, that lay at hoft, fir, in the Centaur. S. Ant. He fpeaks to me; I am your mafter, Come, go with us; we'll look to that anon: [Exeunt Antipholis S. and E. E. Dro. Methinks, you are my glass, and not my brother: I fee by you, I am a fweet-fac'd youth: How fhall I try it? S. Dro. We'll draw cuts for the fenior: Till then, lead thou first. E. Dro. Nay, then thus[Embracing. We came into the world, like brother and brother: And now let's go hand in hand, not one before ano ther. [Exeunt: IN this play we find more intricacy of plot than diftinction of character; and our attention is lefs forcibly engaged, because we can guess in great measure how it will conclude. Yet the poet feems unwilling to part with his fubject, even in this last and unneceffary scene, where the fame mistakes are continued, till they have loft the power of affording any entertainment at all. STEEVENS. MUCH DON PEDRO, Prince of Arragon. Don John, Baftard Brother to Don Pedro. Claudio, a young Lord of Florence, Favourite to Dont Pedro. Benedick, a young lord of Padua, favour'd likewife by Balthazar, fervant to Don Pedro. Verges, Dogberry, } two foolish Officers. Hero, Daughter to Leonato. Beatrice, Niece to Leonato. Margaret} Urfula. two Gentlewomen attending on Hero. A Friar, Meffenzer, Watch, Town-Clerk, Sexton, and Attendants. SCENE Mefina in Sicily. POPE.. The ftory is from Ariofto Orl. Fur. b. v. It is true, as Mr. Pope has obferved, that fomething resembling the ftory of this play is to be found in the fifth book of the Orlando Furiofo. In Spenfer's Fairy Queen, as remote an original may be traced. A novel however, of Belleforest, copied from another of Bandello, seems to have furnished Shakespeare with his fable, as it approaches nearer in all its circumftances to the play before us, than any other performance known to be extant. I have seen fo many tranflations from this once popular collection, that I entertain no doubt but that the great majority of them have made their appearance in an English drefs. Of that particular story which I have juft mentioned, viz. the 18th history in the third volume, I have hitherto met with none. STEEVENS. MUCH ACT I. SCENE I. Before Leonato's bouse. Enter Leonato, Hero, and Beatrice, with a Meffenger. LEONATO. I Learn in this letter, that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this night to Meffina. Meff. 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 ? Meff. But few of any fort, and none of name. Leon. A victory is twice itself, when the atchiever brings home full numbers. I find here, that Don Pedro hath bestowed much honour on a young Flo rentine, call'd Claudio. 'Much Ado about Nothing.] Innogen, (the mother of Hero) in the oldest quarto that I have feen of this play, printed in 1600, is mentioned to enter in two feveral scenes. The fucceeding editions have all continued her name in the Dramatis Perfone. But I have ventured to expunge it; there being no mention of her through the play, no one fpeech addrefs'd to her, nor one fyllable spoken by her. Neither is there any one paffage, from which we have any reason to determine that Hero's mother was living. It seems, as if the poet had in his first plan design'd fach a character: which, on a furvey of it, he found would be fuperfluous; and therefore he left it out. THEOBALD. VOL. II. Mel |