Bene. How doth the lady? Beat. Dead, I think;-help, uncle; Hero! why, Hero! - Uncle!-Signior Benedick! friar! Leon. O fate, take not away thy heavy hand! How now, cousin Hero? Dost thou look up? Cry shame upon her? Could she here deny Bene. Sir, sir, be patient: Beat. O, on my soul, my cousin is belied! Leon. Confirm'd, confirm'd! O, that is stronger made, Which was before barr'd up with ribs of iron! Friar. Hear me a little ; For I have only been silent so long, If this sweet lady lie not guiltless here Leon. Friar, it cannot be : Thou seest, that all the grace that she hath left, Why seek'st thou then to cover with excuse none: If I know more of any man alive, Friar. There is some strange misprision in the princes. Bene. Two of them have the very bent of honour; And if their wisdoms be misled in this, The practice of it lives in John the bastard, Whose spirits toil in frame of villainies. Leon. I know not; If they speak but truth of her, These hands shall tear her; if they wrong her ho nour, The proudest of them shall well hear of it. Nor fortune made such havoc of my means, Friar. And publish it that she is dead indeed : Leon. What shall become of this? What wi this do? Friar. Marry, this, well carried, shall on l behalf Change slander to remorse; that is some good: Shall come apparell'd in more precious habit, Than when she liv'd indeed :-then shall he mou The supposition of the lady's death Out of all eyes, tongues, minds, and injuries. Leon. Being that I flow in grief, The smallest twine may lead me. Friar. 'Tis well consented; presently away; For to strange sores strangely they strain the Beat. Ah, how much might the man deserve of me that would right her! Bene. Is there any way to show such friendship? Beat. It is a man's office, but not yours. Bene. I do love nothing in the world so well as you; Is not that strange? Bent. As strange as the thing I know not: It were as possible for me to say, I loved nothing so well as you: but believe me not; and yet I lie not; I confess nothing, nor I deny nothing:— I am sorry for my cousin. Bene. By my sword, Beatrice, thou lovest me. Bene. I will swear by it, that you love me; and I will make him eat it, that says, I love not you. Beat. Will you not eat your word? Bene. With no sauce that can be devised to it: I protest, I love thee. Beat. Why then, God forgive me! Bene. What offence, sweet Beatrice? Best. You have staid me in a happy hour; I was about to protest I loved you. Bene. And do it with all thy heart. Beat. I love you with so much of my heart, that none is left to protest. Bene. Come, bid me do any thing for thee. Beat. Princes, and counties! Surely, a princely testimony, a goodly count-confect; a sweet gallant, surely! O that I were a man for his sake! or that I had any friend would be a man for my sake! But manhood is melted into courtesies, valour into compliment, and men are only turned into tongue, and trim ones too: he is now as valiant as Hercules, that only tells a lie, and swears it: I cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will die a woman with grieving. Bene. Tarry, good Beatrice: By this hand, I love thee. Beat. Use it for my love some other way than swearing by it. Bene. Think you in your soul the count Claudio hath wronged Hero? Beat. Yea, as sure as I have a thought, or a soul. Bene. Enough, I am engaged, I will challenge him; I will kiss your hand, and so leave you: By this hand, Claudio shall render me a dear account: As you hear of me, so think of me. Go, comfort your cousin: I must say, she is dead; and so, farewell. [Exeunt. SCENE II.-A Prison. Enter DOGBERRY, VERGES, and Sexton, in gowns ; Sexton. But which are the offenders that are to be examined? let them come before master constable. Dogb. Yea, marry, let them come before me. What is your name, friend? Con. I am a gentleman, sir, and my name is Conrade. Dogb. Write down-master gentleman Conrade. - Masters, do you serve God? Con. Bora. Yea, sir, we hope. Dogb. Write down-that they hope they serve God:- and write God first; for God defend but God should go before such villains!- Masters, it is proved already that you are little better than false knaves; and it will go near to be thought so shortly. How answer you for yourselves? Con. Marry, sir, we say we are none. Dogb. A marvellous witty fellow, I assure you; but I will go about with him. - Come you hither, sirrah; a word in your ear, sir; I say to you, it is thought you are false knaves. Bora. Sir, I say to you, we are none. Sexton. Master constable, you go not the way to examine; you must call forth the watch that are their accusers. Dogb. Yea, marry, that's the eftest way: - - Let the watch come forth: - Masters, I charge you, in the prince's name, accuse these men. 1 Watch. This man said, sir, that Don John, the prince's brother, was a villain. Dogb. Write down-prince John a villain : Why this is flat perjury, to call a prince's brothervillain. Bora. Master constable, — Dogb. Pray thee, fellow, peace; I do not like thy look, I promise thee. Sexton. What heard you him say else? 2 Watch. Marry, that he had received a thousand ducats of Don John, for accusing the lady Hero wrongfully. Dogb. Flat burglary, as ever was committed. Sexton. What else, fellow? 1 Watch. And that count Claudio did mean, upon his words, to disgrace Hero before the whole assembly, and not marry her. Dogb. O villain! thou wilt be condemned into everlasting redemption for this. Sexton. What else? Dogb. God's my life! where's the sexton? let him write down the prince's officer, coxcomb. — Come, bind them: Thou naughty varlet! Con. Away! you are an ass, you are an ass. Dogb. Dost thou not suspect my place? Dost thou not suspect my years? O that he were here to write me down- an ass! but, masters, remember, that I am an ass; though it be not written down, yet forget not that I am an ass: - - No, thou villain, thou art full of piety, as shall be proved upon thee by good witness. I am a wise fellow; and, which is more, an officer; and, which is more, a housholder; and, which is more, as pretty a piece of flesh as any is in Messina; and one that knows the law, go to; and a rich fellow enough, go to; and a fellow that hath had losses; and one that hath two gowns, and every thing handsome about him: - Bring him away. O, that I had been writ down-an ass! [Exeunt. ACT V. Ant. If you go on thus, you will kill yourself; And 'tis not wisdom, thus to second grief Against yourself. Leon. Measure his woe the length and breadth of mine, groan; Patch grief with proverbs; make misfortune drunk But there is no such man: For, brother, men The like himself: therefore give me no counsel: Ant. Therein do men from children nothing differ. Leon. I pray thee, peace; I will be flesh and blood; For there was never yet philosopher, That could endure the tooth-ach patiently; Ant. Yet bend not all the harm upon yourself; Make those, that do offend you, suffer too. Leon. There thou speak'st reason: nay, I will do Enter BENEDICK. I speak not like a dotard, nor a fool; What I have done being young, or what would do, ay, thou hast belied mine innocent child; D. Pedro. See, see; here comes the man we went to seek. Claud. Now, signior! what news? D. Pedro. Welcome, signior: You are almost come to part almost a fray. Claud. We had like to have had our two noses snapped off with two old men without teeth. D. Pedro. Leonato and his brother: What think'st thou? Had we fought, I doubt, we should have been too young for them. Bene. In a false quarrel there is no true valour : Thy slander hath gone through and through her for we are high proof melancholy, and would fain Thine, Claudio; thine I say Claud. Away, I will not have to do with you. my child; You kill'st me, boy, thou shalt kill a man. Ant. He shall kill two of us, and men indeed; Leon. Brother, — Ant. Content yourself: God knows, I lov'd my And she is dead, slander'd to death by villains; As I dare take a serpent by the tongue : Aat. Hold you content: What, man! I know them, yea, And what they weigh, even to the utmost scruple: Leen. But, brother Antony,- Come, 'tis no matter; D. Pedra. Gentlemen both, we will not wake My heart is sorry for your daughter's death; I will not hear you. Beuther, away: - I will be heard ; Or some of us will smart for it. No? And shall, have it beaten away: Wilt thou use thy wit? Bene. It is in my scabbard; Shall I draw it? D. Pedro. Dost thou wear thy wit by thy side? Claud. Never any did so, though very many have been beside their wit. I will bid thee draw, as we do the minstrels; draw, to pleasure us. D. Pedrs. As I am an honest man, he looks pale: Art thou sick, or angry? Claud. What! courage, man! What though care killed a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care. Bene. Sir, I shall meet your wit in the career, an you charge it against me: I pray you, choose another subject. Claud. Nay, then give him another staff; this last was broke cross. D. Pedro. By this light, he changes more and more; I think, he be angry indeed. Claud. If he be, he knows how to turn his girdle. Bene. You are a villain;- I jest not- I will make it good how you dare, with what you dare, and when you dare:- Do me right, or I will protest your cowardice. You have killed a sweet lady, and her death shall fall heavy on you: Let me hear from you. Claud. Well, I will meet you, so I may have good cheer. D. Pedro. What, a feast? a feast? Claud. I'faith, I thank him; he hath bid me to a calf's head and a capon, the which if I do not carve most curiously say, my knife's naught. Shall I not find a woodcock too?. Bene. Sir, your wit ambles well; it goes easily. D. Pedro. I'll tell thee how Beatrice praised thy wit the other day I said, thou hadst a fine wit; True, says she, a fine little one: No, said I, a great wit; Right, says she, a great gross one: Nay, said I, a good wit; Just, said she, it hurts no body: Nay, said I, the gentleman is wise; Certain, said she, a wise gentleman: Nay, said I, he hath the tongues; That I believe, said she, for he swore a thing to me on Monday night, which he forswore on Tuesday morning; there's a double tongue; there's two tongues. Thus did she, an hour together, transshape thy particular virtues; yet, at last, she concluded with a sigh, thou wast the properest man in Italy. Claud. For the which she wept heartily, and said, she cared not. D. Pedro. Yea, that she did; but yet, for all that, an if she did not hate him deadly, she would [Exeunt LEONATO and ANTONIO. love him dearly: the old man's daughter told us all, K Claud. All, all; and moreover, God saw him when he was hid in the garden. D. Pedro. But when shall we set the savage bull's horns on the sensible Benedick's head? Claud. Yea, and text underneath, Here dwells Benedick the married man? Bene. Fare you well, boy! you know my mind; I will leave you now to your gossip-like humour: you break jests as braggarts do their blades, which, God be thanked, hurt not. My lord, for your many courtesies I thank you: I must discontinue your company: your brother, the bastard, is filed from Messina: you have, among you, killed a sweet and innocent lady: For my lord Lack-beard, there, he and I shall meet; and till then, peace be with him. [Erit BENEDICK. D. Pedro. He is in earnest. Claud. In most profound earnest ; and I'll warrart you, for the love of Beatrice. D. Pedro. And hath challenged thee? D. Pedro. What a pretty thing man is, when he goes in his doublet and hose, and leaves off his wit! Enter DOGBERRY, VERGES, and the Watch, with CONRADE and BORACHIO. Claud. He is then a giant to an ape: but then is an ape a doctor to such a man. D. Pedro. But, soft you, let be; pluck up, my heart, and be sad! Did he not say, my brother was fled? Dogb. Come, you, sir; if justice cannot tame you, she shall ne'er weigh more reasons in her balance: nay, an you be a cursing hypocrite once, you must be looked to, D. Pedro. How now, two of my brother's men bound! Borachio, one! Claud. Hearken after their offence, my lord! D. Pedro. Officers, what offence have these men done? Dogb. Marry, sir, they have committed false report; moreover, they have spoken untruths; secondarily, they are slanders; sixth and lastly, they have belied a lady; thirdly, they have verified unjust things: and, to conclude, they are lying knaves. D. Pedro. First, I ask thee what they have done; thirdly, I ask thee what's their offence; sixth and lastly, why they are committed; and, to conclude, what you lay to their charge? Claud. Rightly reasoned, and in his own division; and, by my troth, there's one meaning well suited. D. Pedro. Whom have you offended, masters, that you are thus bound to your answer? this learned constable is too cunning to be understood: What's your offence? Bora. Sweet prince, let me go no further to mine answer; do you hear me, and let this count kill me. I have deceived even your very eyes: what your wisdoms could not discover, these shallow fools have brought to light; who, in the night, overheard me confessing to this man, how Don John your brother incensed me to slander the lady Hero; how you were brought into the orchard, and saw me court Margaret in Hero's garments; how you disgraced her, when you should marry her: my villainy they have upon record; which I had rather seal with my death, than repeat over to my shame : the lady is dead upon mine and my master's false accusation; and, briefly, I desire nothing but the reward of a villain. D. Pedro. Runs not this speech like iron through your blood? Claud. I have drunk poison, whiles he uttered it, D. Pedro. But did my brother set thee on to this? Bora. Yea, and paid me richly for the practice of it. D. Pedro. He is compos'd and fram'd of treachery: -- And fled he is upon this villainy. Claud. Sweet Hero! now thy image doth appear In the rare semblance that I loved it first. Dogb. Come, bring away the plaintiffs; by this time our Sexton hath reformed signior Leonato of the matter: And masters, do not forget to specify, when time and place shall serve, that I am an ass. Verg. Here, here comes master signior Leonato, and the Sexton too. Re-enter LEONATO and ANTONIO, with the Sexton. me. Leon. Art thou the slave, that with thy breath hast kill'd Mine innocent child? Bora. Yea, even I alone. Leon. No, not so, villain; thou bely'st thyself; Here stand a pair of honourable men, A third is fled, that had a hand in it: — I thank you, princes, for my daughter's death; Record it with your high and worthy deeds 'Twas bravely done, if you bethink you of it. Claud. I know not how to pray your patience, D. Pedro. Leon. I cannot bid you bid my daughter live, Your over kindness doth wring tears from me! Leon. To-morrow then I will expect your com ing; To-night I take my leave. — This naughty man Bora. |