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apparel. I would to God, fome fch dar would conjure her; for, certainly, while fhe is here a man may live as quiet in hell as in a fanctuary, and peo le fin upon purpose, because they would go thither; fo, indeed, all difquiet, horror, and perturbation follow her.

Enter Claudio, Beatrice, Leonato and Hero,

Pedro. Look, here fhe comes.

Bene. Will your Grace command me any fervice to the world's end? I will go on the flightest errand now to the Antipodes, that you can devife to fend me on; I will fetch you a tooth-picker now from the fartheft inch of Afia; bring you the length of Prestor John's foot; fetch you a hair off the great Cham's beard; do you any ambassage to the pigmies, rather than hold three words conference with this harpy; you have no em→ ployment for me?

Pedro. None, but to defire your good company. Bene. O God, Sir, here's a dish I love not. I cannot endure this Lady Tongue,

[Exit. Pedro. Come, Lady, come; you have loft the heart of Signior Benedick.

Beat. Indeed, my Lord, he lent it me a while, and I gave him ufe for it, a double heart for a fingle one; marry, once before he won it of me with falfe dice, therefore your Grace may well fay, I have loft it.

Pedro. You have put him down, Lady, you have put him down.

Beat. So I would not he should do me, my Lord, left I should prove the mother of fools: I have brought Count Claudia, whom you fent me to seek.

Pedro. Why, how now, Count, wherefore are you fad?
Claud. Not fad, my Lord.

Pedro. How then? fick?
Claud. Neither, my Lord.

Beat. The Count is neither fad, nor fick, nor merry, nor well; but civil, Count, civil as an orange, and fomething of that jealous complexion.

Pedro. I'faith, Lady, I think your blazon to be true; though I'll be fworn, if he be fo, his conceit is false. VOL. II.

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Here

Here, Claudio, I have wooed in thy name, and fair Here is won; I have broke with her father, and his good will obtained; name the day of marriage, and God give thee joy.

Leon. Count, take of me my daughter, and with her my fortunes: his Grace hath made the match, and all grace fay, Amen, to it.

Beat. Speak, Count, 'tis your cue.—

Claud. Silence is the perfecteft herald of joy; I were but little happy, if I could fay how much. Lady, as you are mine, I am yours: I give away myself for you, and doat upon the exchange.

Beat. Speak, Coufin, or (if you cannot) ftop his mouth with a kifs, and let him not speak neither.

Pedro. In faith, Lady, you have a merry heart.

Beat. Yea, my Lord, I thank it, poor fool, it keeps on the windy fide of care; my coufin tells him in his ear that he is in her heart.

Claud. And fo fhe doth, coufin.

Beat. Good Lord, for alliance! thus goes every one to the world but I, and I am fun-burn'd; I may fit in a corner, and cry heigh ho! for a husband.

Pedro. Lady Beatrice, I will get you one.

Beat. I would rather have one of your Father's getting hath your Grace ne'er a brother like you? your Father got excellent husbands, if a maid could come by

them.

Pedro. Will you have me, Lady?

Beat. No, my Lord, unless I might have another for working-days; your Grace is too coftly to wear every day but, I beseech your Grace, pardon me, I was born to speak all' mirth and no matter.

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Pedro. Your filence most offends me, and to be merry best becomes you; for, out of question, you were born in a merry hour.

Beat. No, fure, my Lord, my mother cry'd; but then there was a ftar danc'd, and under that I was born. Coufins, God give you joy.

Leon. Niece, will you look to thofe things I told you of?

Beat.

Beat. I cry you mercy, Uncle: by your Grace's pardon. [Exit Beatrice. Pedro. By my troth, a pleafant-fpirited Lady.

Leon. There's little of the melancholy element in her, my Lord; the is never fad but when the fleeps, and not ever fad then; (8) for I have heard my daughter fay, the hath often dream'd of an happiness, and wak'd herfelf with laughing.

Pedro. She cannot endure to hear tell of a husband. Leon. O, by no means, the mocks all her wooers out of fuit.

Pedro. She were an excellent wife for Benedick.

Leon. O Lord, my Lord, if they were but a week marry'd, they would talk themselves mad.

Pedro. Count Claudio, when mean you to go to church?

Claud. To-morrow, my Lord; time goes on crutches, 'till love have all his rites.

Leon. Not 'till Monday, my dear fon, which is hence a just feven-night, and a time too brief too, to have all things an!wer my mind.

Pedro. Come, you shake the head at fo long a breathing; but, I warrant thee, Claudio, the time shall not go dully by us; I will in the Interim undertake one of Hercules's labours, which is to bring Signior Benedick and the Lady Beatrice into a mountain of affection the one with the other; I would fain have it a match, and I doubt not to fashion it, if you three will but minister fuch affiftance as I fhall give you direction.

Leon. My Lord, I am for you, though it coft me ten nights watchings.

Claud. And I, my Lord.

Pedro. And you too, gentle Hero?

(8) For 1 bave heard my daughter fay, fhe bath often dream'd of unhappiness, and wak'd berself with laughing.] Tho' all the impreffions agree in this reading, furely, 'tis abfolutely repugnant to what Leonate intends to fay, which is this; "Beatrice is never fad, but when she "fleeps; and not ever fad then; for the hath often dream'd of fomething merry, (an happiness, as the poet phrases it,) and wak'd her"felt with laughing."

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Hero

Hero. I will do any modeft office, my Lord, to help my Coufin to a good husband.

Pedro. And Benedick is not the unhopefulleft husband that I know: thus far I can praise him, he is of a noble ftrain, of approv'd valour, and confirm'd honesty. I will teach you how to humour your Coufin, that she shall fall in love with Benedick; and I with your two helps, will fo practife on Benedick, that in defpite of his quick wit, and his queafy ftomach, he fhall fall in love with Beatrice: if we can do this, Cupid is no longer an archer, his glory fhall be ours, for we are the only Love-Gods; go in with me, and I will tell you my drift. [Exeunt.

SCENE changes to another Apartment in Leonato's Houfe.

John. I

Enter Don John and Borachio.

Tis fo, the Count Claudio fhall marry the
Daughter of Leonato.

Bora. Yea, my Lord, but I can cross it.

John. Any bar, any crofs, any impediment will be medicinable to me; I am fick in difpleasure to him; and whatsoever comes athwart his affection, ranges evenly with mine. How canft thou cross this marriage Bora. Not honeftly, my Lord, but fo covertly that no dishonesty shall appear in me.

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John. Shew me briefly how.

Bora. I think, I told your lordship a year fince, how much I am in the favour of Margaret, the waitinggent'ewoman to Hero.

John. I remember.

Bora. I can, at any unfeasonable inftant of the night, appoint her to look out at her Lady's chamber-window. John. What life is in That, to be the death of this marriage?

Bora. The poifon of That lies in you to temper; go you to the Prince your brother, ipare not to tell him, that he hath wrong'd his Honour in marrying the re

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nown'd

nown'd Claudio, (whose estimation do you mightily hold up) to a contaminated Stale, fuch a one as Hero. John. What proof fhall I make of That?

Bora. Proof enough, to mifufe the Prince, to vex Claudio, to undo Hero, and kill Leonato; look you for any other iffue?

John. Only to defpite them, I will endeavour any thing.

(9) Bora. Go then find me a meet hour, to draw Don

(9) Bora. Go thn, find me a meet kour to draw Don Pedro and the Co nt Claudio, alone, tell them that you know Hero kves me;--Offer them inftances which shall bear no lefs likelihood than to fee pe at ber chamber-window ; "bear me call Margaret, Hero; bear Margaret term me CLAUDIO; and bring them to fee this the very night before the intended wedding.] Thus the whole ftream of the editions from the first Quarto downwards. I am obliged here to give a fhort account of the Plot depending, that the emendation I have made may appear the more clear and unquestionable. The bufinefs ftands thus: Claudio, a favourite of the Arragon Prince, is, by his in terceffions with her father, to be married to fair Hero. Don Joku » natural brother of the Prince, and a hater of Claudio, is in his spleen zealous to difappoint the match, Borachio, a rafcally dependant os Don John, offers his affiftance, and engages to break off the marriage by this ftratagem. "Tell the Prince and Claudio (fays he) that Hero "is in love with Me; they won't believe it; offer them proofs, as "that they fhall fes me converfe with her in her chamber-window; "I am in the good graces of her waiting-woman Margaret; and I'll "prevail with Margaret at a dead hour of night to perfonate her "mistress Hero; do you then bring the Prince and Claudio to o er"hear our difcourfe; and They fhall have the torment to hear ma "address Margaret by the name of Hero, and her fay fweet things "to me by the name of Claudio.". -This is the fubftance of Borachio's device to make Hero fufpected of disloyalty, and to break off her match with Claudio. But in the name of common fenfe, could it difplease Claudio to hear his mistress making ufe of his name tenderly? If he faw another man with her, and heard her call him Claudio, he might reafonably think her betray'd, but not have the fame reafon to accufe her of difloyalty. Befides, how could her naming Claudio make the Prince and Claudio believe that the lov'd Berachio, as he defires Don John to infinuate to them that the did? The circumstances weigh'd, there is no doubt but the paffage ought to be reform'd, as I have fettled in the text.

---bear me call Margaret, Hero; bear Margaret term me BORACHIQ, I made this correction in my SHAKESPEARE refter'd, and Mr. Pope has thought fit tacitly to embrace it in his last edition.

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Pedro.

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