Claud. He hath ta'en the infection; hold it up.

[Afide.

Pedro. Hath fhe made her affection known to Benedick?

Lean. No; and fwears fhe never will; that's her

torment.

Claud. 'Tis true, indeed; fo your daughter fays: Shall I, fays the, that have so oft encounter'd him with fcorn, write to him that I love him?

Leon. This fays fhe now, when she is beginning to write to him for fhe'll be up twenty times a night; and there she will fit in her fmock, 'till the have writ a fheet of paper-my daughter tells us all.

Claud. Now you talk of a fheet of paper, I remember a pretty jeft your daughter told us of.

Leon. Oh,-When she had writ it, and was reading it over, the found Benedick and Beatrice between the fheet?

Claud. That-

Leon. O, fhe tore the letter into a thousand halfpence; rail'd at herself, that fhe fhould be fo immodeft, to write to one that, he knew, would flout her: I measure him, fays fhe, by my own fpirit, for, I fhould ficut him if he writ to me; yea, though I love him, I should.

Claud. Then down upon her knees fhe falls, weeps, .

O, he tore the letter into a thousand half-pence ;] i. e. into a thousand pieces of the fame bignefs. This is farther explained by a paffage in As you Like it.

There were none principal; they were all like one another as half-pence are.

In both places the poet alludes to the old filver penny, which had a creafe running cross-wife over it, fo that it might be broke into two or four equal pieces, half-pence, or farthings.

THEOBALD.

How the quotation explains the paffage, to which it is applied, I cannot difcover. JOHNSON.

fobs,

fobs, beats her heart, tears her hair, prays, curses; O fweet Benedick! God give me patience!

Leon. She doth indeed; my daughter fays fo: and the ecftacy hath fo much overborne her, that my daughter is fometime afraid, fhe will do defperate outrage to herself: It is very true.

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

Claud. To what end? Hewould but make a sport of it, and torment the poor lady worse.

Pedro. An he fhould, it were an alms to hang him: She's an excellent fweet lady; and, (out of all suspicion) fhe is virtuous.

Claud. And fhe is exceeding wife.

Pedro. In every thing, but in loving Benedick. Leon. O my lord, wifdom 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 juft caufe, being her uncle and her guardian.

Pedro. I would, fhe had beftow'd this dotage on me; I would have daff'd all other refpects, and made her half myself. I pray you, tell Benedick of it, and hear what he will say.

Leon. Were it good, think you?

Claud. Hero thinks, furely fhe will die: for she fays, fhe will die if he love her not; aud fhe will die ere fhe make her love known; and she will die if he woo her, rather than fhe will bate one breath of her accuftom'd croffness.

Pedro. She doth well: if the fhould make tender of her love, 'tis very poffible, he'll fcorn it; for the man, as you know all, hath a contemptible spirit.7

9 contemptible spirit.] That is, a temper inclined to fcorn and contempt. It has been before remarked, that our authour ufes his verbal adjectives with great licence. There is therefore no need of changing the word with fir T. Hanmer to contemptuous. JOHNSON

Claud.

Claud. He is a very proper man.

Pedro. He hath, indeed, a good outward happi

nefs.

Claud. 'Fore God, and in my mind, very wife. Pedro. He doth, indeed, fhew some sparks that are like wit.

Leon. And I take him to be valiant.

Pedro. As Hector, I affure you: and in the managing of quarrels you may fay he is wife; for either he avoids them with great discretion, or undertakes them with a chriftian-like fear.

Leon. If he do fear God, he must neceffarily keep peace; if he break the peace, he ought to enter into a quarrel with fear and trembling.

Pedro. And fo will he do, for the man doth fear God, howfoever it seems not in him, by fome large jefts he will make. Well, I am forry for your niece: fhall we go feek Benedick, and tell him of her love? Claud. Never tell him, my lord; let her wear it out with good counsel.

Leon. Nay, that's impoffible; fhe may wear her heart out first.

Pedro. Well, we will hear further of it by your daughter; let it cool the while. I love Benedick well; and I could wish he would modeftly examine himself, to fee how much he is unworthy to have fo good a lady.

Leon. My lord, will you walk? dinner is ready. Claud. If he do not doat on her upon this, I will never truft my expectation.

[Afide.

Pedro. Let there be the fame net fpread for her, and that must your daughter and her gentlewomen carry. The fport will be, when they hold an opinion of one another's dotage, and no fuch matter; that's the fcene that I would fee, which will be meerly a dumb fhow. Let us fend her to call him to dinner.

[Afide.] [Exeunt.

Benedick

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Benedick advances from the arbour.

Bene. This can be no trick: The conference was fadly borne. They have the truth of this from Hero. They feem to pity the lady; it feems, her affections have the full bent. Love me! why, it must be requited. I hear, how I am cenfur'd: they fay, I will bear my felf proudly, if I perceive the love come from her; they fay too, that she will rather die than give any fign of affection.-I did never think to marry:-I must not feem proud :-happy are they that hear their detractions, and can put them to mending. They fay, the lady is fair; 'tis a truth, I can bear them witnefs. And virtuous;-'tis fo, I cannot reprove it. And wife-but for loving me.By my troth, it is no addition to her wit; nor no great argument of her folly, for I will be horribly in love with her. I may chance have fome odd quirks and remnants of wit broken on me, because I have rail'd fo long against marriage: But doth not the appetite alter? a man loves the meat in his youth, that he cannot endure in his age.-Shall quips and fentences, and thefe paper-bullets of the brain, awe a man from the career of his humour? No: the world muft be peopled. When I faid, I would die a batchelor, I did not think I fhould live till I were marry'd. Here comes Beatrice: By this day, fhe's a fair lady: I do spy fome marks of love in her.

Enter Beatrice.

Beat. Against my will, I am fent to bid you come in to dinner.

was fadly borne.] i. e. was feriously carried on. So in Whet ftone's Promos and Caffandra, 1578.

"The king feigneth to talk fadly with fome of his counsel.”

STEEVENS.

Bene.

Bene. Fair Beatrice, I thank you for your pains.

Beat. I took no more pains for those thanks, than you take pains to thank me; if it had been painful, I would not have come.

Bene. You take pleasure then in the meffage?

Beat. Yea, just as much as you may take upon a knife's point, and choak a daw withal:-You have no ftomach, fignior; fare you well. [Exit.

Bene. Ha! against my will I am fent to bid yon come in to dinner :-there's a double meaning in that. I took no more pains for thofe thanks, than you take pains to thank me;-that's as much as to fay, Any pains that I take for you is as eafy as thanks, If I do not take pity of her, I am a villain; if I do not love her, I am a Jew: I will go get her picture. [Exit.

ACT III.

SCENE I.

G

Continues in the Orchard.

Enter Hero, Margaret, and Urfula.

HERO.

OOD Margaret, run thee into the parlour; There fhalt thou find my coufin Beatrice, Propofing with the prince and Claudio : Whisper her ear, and tell her, I and Ursula Walk in the orchard, and our whole discourse Is all of her; fay, that thou overheard'st us; And bid her steal into the pleached bower, Where honey-fuckles, ripen'd by the fun, Forbid the fun to enter; like favourites, Made proud by princes, that advance their pride Against

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