And here's another, Hero. Writ in my cousin's hand, stolen from her pocket, Containing her affection unto Benedick. 90 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 persuasion, and partly to save your life, for I was told you were in a consumption. Bene. Peace! I will stop your mouth. 96 [Kissing her. D. Pedro. How dost thou, Benedick, the married man? Bene. I'll tell thee what, prince; a college of wit-crackers cannot flout me out of my humour. Dost thou think I care for a satire or an epigram? No: if a man will be beaten with brains, a' shall wear nothing handsome about him. In brief, since I do purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any purpose that the world can say against it; and therefore never flout at me for what I have said against it, for man is a giddy thing, and this is my conclusion. For thy part, Claudio, I did think to have beaten thee; but in that thou art like to be my kinsman, live unbruised, and love my cousin. 108 Claud. I had well hoped thou wouldst have denied Beatrice, that I might have cudgelled thee out of thy single life, to make thee a double-dealer; which, out of question, thou wilt be, if my cousin do not look exceeding narrowly to thee. Bene. Come, come, we are friends: let's have a dance ere we are married, that we may lighten our own hearts and our wives' heels. Leon. We'll have dancing afterward. 115 Bene. First, of my word; therefore play, music. — Prince, thou art sad; get thee a wife, get thee a wife: there is no staff more reverend than one tipped with horn. Enter a Messenger. Mess. My lord, your brother John is ta'en in flight, 120 And brought with armed men back to Messina. devise thee brave punishments for him. Strike up, [Dance. Exeunt. ISRAEL GOLLANCZ'S NOTES TO MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING I. i. 186. Like the old tale, etc. The English story of "Mr. Fox" alluded to here was first written down by Blakeway, who contributed to Malone's Variorum Edition a version of the tale he had heard from an old aunt.1 II. i. 190-191. as melancholy as a lodge in a warren; the phrase suggests "the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers," Isaiah, i. 8. II. ii. 39, 40. hear Margaret term me Claudio. Some editors substitute "Borachio” for “Claudio” here, in order to relieve the difficulty; but, as the Cambridge editors point out, "Hero's supposed offence would not be enhanced by calling one lover by the name of the other. Perhaps the author meant that Borachio should persuade her to play, as children say, at being Hero and Claudio." II. iii. 32. Enter DON PEDRO, CLAUDIO, and LEONATO. The Folio reads, " Enter Prince, Leonato, Claudio, and Jack Wilson." The latter was probably the singer who took the part of Balthasar. 1 See Jacobs' English Fairy Tales. |