LEONATO's HOUSE. Enter Leonato, Benedick, Margaret, Urfula, Antonio, Friar, and Hero. Friar. Did not I tell you, fhe was innocent? Upon the error that you heard debated. Ant. Well, I am glad, that all things fort fo well. Bene. And fo am I, being elfe 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 fend for you, come hither mask'd: The prince and Claudio promis'd by this hour To vifit 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 countenance. Bene. Friar, I muft entreat your pains, I think. Friar. To do what, fignior? Bene. To bind me, or undo me, one of them.Signior Leonato, truth it is, good fignior, Your niece regards me with an eye of favour. Leon. That eye my daughter lent her; 'tis moft true. Bene. And I do with an eye of love requite her. Leon. The fight whereof, I think, you had from me, From Claudio and the prince; But what's your will? Bene. Your anfwer, fir, is enigmatical : But for my will, my will is, your good will May May stand with ours, this day to be conjoin'd Friar. And my help. Here comes the prince, and Claudio. Enter Don Pedro and Claudio, with Attendants. Pedro. Good morrow to this fair affembly. We here attend you; Are you yet determin'd the matter, That you have fuch a February face, So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness? Claud. I think, he thinks upon the favage bull: Tufh, fear not, man, we'll tip thy horns with gold, And fo all Europe fhall rejoice at thee; As once Europa did at lufty Jove, When he would play the noble beast in love. Bene. Bull Jove, fir, had an amiable low; And fome fuch ftrange bull leapt your father's cow; And got a calf in that fame noble feat, Much like to you, for you have just his bleat. Enter Antonio, with Hero, Beatrice, Margaret, and Urfula, mafk'd. Claud. For this I owe you: here come other reck'nings. Which is the lady I must feize upon ? Ant. This fame is fhe, and I do give you her. Claud. Claud. Why, then fhe's mine; fweet, let me fee Leon. No, that you fhall not, till you take her hand Before this friar, and fwear to marry her. Claud. Give me your hand; before this holy friar; I am your husband if you like of me. Hero. And when I liv'd, I was your other wife. [Unmasking, And when you lov'd, you were my other husband. Claud. Another Hero? Hero. Nothing certainer : One Hero dy'd defil'd; but I do live; And, furely, as I live, I am a maid. Pedro. The former Hero! Hero, that is dead! Friar. All this amazement can I qualify. Bene. Soft and fair, friar.Which is Beatrice? Beat. Why, no, no more than reason. Bene. Why, then your uncle, and the prince, and Claudio have been deceiv'd; they fwore you did. Beat. Do not you love me? Bene. Troth, no, no more than reafon. Bene. Why, then my coufin, Margaret and Urfula, Have been deceiv'd! for they did fwear you did. Bene. They fwore, you were almoft fick for me. Beat. They fwore, you were well-nigh dead for me. Bene. 'Tis no matter: Then, you do not love me? Beat, Beat. No, truly, but in friendly recompence. tleman. Claud. And I'll be fworn upon't, that he loves her; For here's a paper written in his hand, A halting fonnet of his own pure brain, Hero. And here's another, Writ in my coufin's hand, ftolen from her pocket, Containing her affection unto Benedick. Bene. A miracle! here's our own hands against our hearts! Come, I will have thee; but, by this light, I take thee for pity. Beat. I would not deny you; but, by this good day, I yield upon great perfuafion; and partly to fave your life, for I was told, you were in a confumption. 1 1 Bene. Peace, I will ftop your mouth [Kifling ber. Pedro. • I would not deny you, &c.] Mr. Theobald fays, is not this mock-reafoning? She would not deny him, but that he yields upon great perfuafion. In changing the negative, I make no doubt but I have retrieved the poet's humour: and fo changes not into yet. But is not this a mock-critic? who could not fee that the plain obvious fenfe of the common reading was this, I cannot find in my heart to deny you, but for all that I yield, after having ftood out great perfuafions to fubmiffion. He had faid, I take thee for pity, the replies, I would not deny thee, i, e. I take thee for pity too: but as I live, I am won to this compliance by importunity of friends. Mr. Theobald, by altering not to yet, makes it fuppofed, that he had been importunate, and that he had often denied, which was not the cafe. WARBURTON. 1 1 Bene. Peace, I will stop your mouth.] In former copies : Leon. Peace, I will flop your mouth. What can Leonato mean by this? "Nay, pray, peace, niece? "don't keep up this obftinacy of profeffions, for I have proofs to "ftop your mouth." The ingenious Dr. Thirlby agreed with me, that this ought to be given to Benedick, who, upon faying it, kiffes Beatrice, Pedro. How doft thou, Benedick, the married man ? Bene. I'll tell thee what, prince; a college of witcrackers cannot flout me out of my humour: Doft think, I care for a fatire or an epigram? No: if a man will be beaten with brains, he fhall wear nothing handsome about him: In brief, fince I do purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any purpose that the world can fay it against: and therefore never flout at me, for what I have faid against it; for man is a giddy thing, and this is my conclufion. For thy part, Claudio, I did think to have beaten thee; but in that thou art like to be my kinsman, live unbruis'd, and love my cousin. Claud. I had well hoped, thou wouldst have denied Beatrice, that I might have cudgell'd thee out of thy fingle life to make thee a double dealer; which, out of question, thou wilt be, if my coufin do not look exceeding narrowly to thee. Bene. Come, come, we are friends, let's have a dance ere we are marry'd, that we may lighten our own hearts, and our wives heels. Leon. We'll have dancing afterwards. Bene. First, o' my word; therefore, play, mufick. Prince, thou art fad, get thee a wife, get thee a wife: there is no staff more reverend than one tipt with horn, Enter Mellenger. Meff. My lord, your brother John is ta'en in flight, And brought with armed men back to Meffina. Beatrice, and this being done before the whole company, how natural is the reply which the prince makes upon it? How doft thou, Benedick, the married man? Befides, this mode of fpeech, preparatory to a falute, is familiar to our poet in common with other ftage-writers. THEOBALD. Bene, |