of their fortunes, and as to which all we wanted was, to see the man himself.-COLERIDGE, Lectures.

THE DRAMATIC ELEMENTS

Let us admire the marvellous blending of the three dramatic elements; we may almost call them the tragedy of Hero, the comedy of Beatrice, and the farce of Dogberry; with what art are these three contrasted and combined.LUCE, Handbook to Shakespeare's Works.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

ACT FIRST

SCENE I

Before Leonato's house.

Enter Leonato, Hero, and Beatrice, with
a Messenger.

Leon. I learn in this letter that Don Pedro of
Arragon comes this night to Messina.

Mess. He is very near by this: he was not three
leagues off when I left him.

Leon. How many gentlemen have you lost in
this action?

Mess. But few of any sort, and none of name.
Leon. A victory is twice itself when the achiever

brings home full numbers. I find here that
Don Pedro hath bestowed much honor on a 10
young Florentine called Claudio.

Mess. Much deserved on his part, and equally remembered by Don Pedro: he hath borne himself beyond the promise of his age; doing, in the figure of a lamb, the feats of a lion: he hath indeed better bettered expecta

16. "better bettered"; more surpassed.-C. H. H.

tion than you must expect of me to tell you
how.

Leon. He hath an uncle here in Messina will be
very much glad of it.

Mess. I have already delivered him letters, and there appears much joy in him; even so much, that joy could not show itself modest enough without a badge of bitterness. Leon. Did he break out into tears?

Mess. In great measure.

Leon. A kind overflow of kindness: there are
no faces truer than those that are so washed.
How much better is it to weep at joy than
to joy at weeping!
Beat. I pray you, is Signior Mountanto re-
turned from the wars or no?

Mess. I know none of that name, lady: there
was none such in the army of any sort.

Leon. What is he that you ask for, niece?
Hero. My cousin means Signior Benedick of
Padua.

Mess. O, he's returned; and as pleasant as ever
he was.

20

30

Beat. He set up his bills here in Messina and 40
challenged Cupid at the flight; and my
uncle's fool, reading the challenge, sub-
scribed for Cupid, and challenged him at
the bird-bolt. I pray you, how many hath

he killed and eaten in these wars? But how
many hath he killed? for, indeed, I promised
to eat all of his killing.

42. "subscribed"; signed.-C. H. H.