Then figh not fo, but let them go, And be you blith and bonny, Sing no more ditties, fing no more, Pedro. By my troth, a good fong. Pedro. Ha, no; no, 'faith; thou fing'ft well enough for a fhift. Bene. If he had been a dog that should have howl'd thus, they would have hang'd him, and I pray God his bad voice bode no mischief; I had as lief have heard the night-raven, come what plague could have come after it. Pedro. Yea marry: doft thou hear, Balthazar? I pray thee, get us fome excellent mufick; for to-morrow night we would have it at the Lady Hero's chamber-window. Balth. The beft I can, my Lord. [Exit Balthazar. Pedro. Do fo: farewel. Come hither, Leonato; what was it you told me of to-day, that your neice Beatrice was in love with Signior Benedick? Claud. O ay, ftalk on; ftalk on, the fowl fits. I did never think that Lady would have loved any man. Leon. No, nor I neither; but most wonderful, that she fhould fo doat on Signior Benedick, whom the hath in all outward behaviours feem'd ever to abhor. Bene. Is't poffible, fits the wind in that corner? [Afide. Leon. By my troth, my Lord, I cannot tell what to think of it; but that fhe loves him with an inraged affection, it is past the infinite of thought. Pedro. May be fhe doth but counterfeit. Claud. 'Faith, like enough. Leon. O God! counterfeit? there was never counterfeit of paffion came fo near the life of paffion as fhe difcovers it. Pedro. Pedro. Why, what effects of paffion fhews she? [Speaking low. Leon. What effects, my Lord? fhe will fit you, you heard my daughter tell you how. Claud. She did indeed. Pedro. How, how, I pray you? you amaze me; I would have thought her fpirit had been invincible against all affaults of affection. Leon. I would have fworn it had, my Lord, especially against Benedick. Bene. I fhould think this a gull, but that the whitebearded fellow fpeaks it; knavery cannot sure hide himself in fuch reverence. Claud. He hath ta'en th' infection, hold it up. [Afide. [Speaking Low. Pedro. Hath fhe made her affection known to Benedick? Leon. No, and fwears she never will, that's her torment. Claud. 'Tis true indeed, fo your daughter fays: fhall I, fays fhe, that have fo oft encounter'd him with fcorn, write to him that I love him? Leon. This fays fhe now, when fhe is beginning to write to him; for fhe'll be up twenty times a-night, and there will fhe fit in her fmock, 'till the have writ a sheet of paper; my daughter tells us all. Claud. Now you talk of a fheet of paper, I remember a pretty jeft your daughter told us of. Leon. O, when fhe had writ it, and was reading it over, fhe found Benedick and Beatrice between the sheet. Claud. That. Leon. O, fhe tore the letter into a thousand halfpence, rail'd at her felf, that fhe fhould be fo immodeft, to write to one that she knew wou'd flout her: I measure him, fays fhe, by my own fpirit, for I fhould flout him if he writ to me, yea, though I love him, I should. Claud. Then down upon her knees fhe falls, weeps, fobs, beats her heart, tears her hair, prays, curfes; O fweet Benedick! God give me patience! Leon. Leon. She doth indeed, my daughter fays fo, and the recftafie hath fo much overborn her, that my daughter is fometime afraid fhe will do a defperate outrage to her felf; it is very true. Pedro. It were good that Benedick knew of it by fome other, if fhe will not discover it. Claud. To what end? he would but make a sport of it, and torment the poor Lady worse. Pedro. If he fhould, it were an alms to hang him; fhe's an excellent sweet Lady, and (out of all fufpicion) she is virtuous. Claud. And fhe is exceeding wife. Pedro. In every thing, but in loving Benedick. Leon. O my Lord, wisdom and blood combating in fo tender a body, we have ten proofs to one, that blood hath the victory; I am forry for her, as I have juft caufe, being her uncle and her guardian. Pedro. I would fhe had bestow'd this dotage on me ; I would have dofft all other refpects, and made her half my felf; I pray you, tell Benedick of it, and hear what he will fay. Leon. Were it good, think you? Claud. Hero thinks furely fhe will die, for fhe fays fhe will die if he love her not, and fhe will die ere the make her love known; and fhe will die if he woo her, rather than fhe will bate one breath of her accuftom'd crofsnefs. Pedro. She doth well; if fhe fhould make tender of her love, 'tis very poffible he'll fcorn it; for the man, as you know all, hath a 3 'contemptuous fpirit. Claud. He is a very proper man. Pedro. He hath indeed a good outward happiness. wit. Leon. And I take him to be valiant. Pedro. As Hector, I affure you; and in the managing of quarrels you may fee he is wife; for either he avoids 3 contemptible them them with great discretion, or undertakes them with a chriftian-like fear. a Well, I am forry for your neice: fhall we go fee Benedick, and tell him of her love? Claud. Never tell him, my Lord; let her wear it out with good counsel. Leen. Nay, that's impoffible, fhe may wear her heart out first. Pedro. Well, we will hear further of it by your daughter; let it cool the while. I love Benedick well, and I could wish he would modeftly examine himself, to see how much he is unworthy to have fo good a Lady. Leon. My Lord, will you walk? dinner is ready. Claud. If he do not dote on her upon this, I will never truft my expectation. Pedro. Let there be the fame net fpread for her, and that muft your daughter and her gentlewoman carry; the fport will be, when they hold an opinion of one another's dotage, and no fuch matter; that's the scene that I would fee, which will be meerly a dumb fhew; let us fend her to call him in to dinner. [Exeunt. SCENE X. Benedick advances from the arbour. Bene. This can be no trick, the conference was fadly born; they have the truth of this from Hero, they seem to pity the Lady; it seems her affections have the full bent. Love me! why, it must be requited: I hear how I am cenfur'd; they fay I will bear my felf proudly, if I perceive the love come from her; they fay too, that she will rather die than give any fign of affection I did never think to marry-I muft not feem proud-happy are they that hear their detractions, and can put them to mending: (a) a chriftian-like fear. Leon. If he do fear God, he muft neceffarily keep peace; if he break the peace, he ought to enter into a quarrel with fear and trembling. Pedro, And fo will he do, for the man doth fear God, how foever it feems not in him, by fome large jests he will make. Well, &c. E I mending: they fay the Lady is fair; 'tis a truth, I can bear them witnefs: and virtuous; 'tis fo, I cannot reby my troth, prove it: and wife, but for loving meit is no addition to her wit, nor no great argument of her folly; for I will be horribly in love with her, I may chance to have fome odd quirks and remnants of wit broken on me, because I have rail'd fo long against marriage; but doth not the appetite alter? a man loves the meat in his youth, that he cannot endure in his age. Shall quipps and fentences, and these paper bullets of the brain, awe a man from the career of his humour? no: the world must be peopled. When I faid I would die a batchelor, I did not think I fhould live 'till I were marry'd. Here comes Beatrice: by this day, fhe's a fair Lady, I do fpy fome marks of love in her. Enter Beatrice. Beat. Against my will I am fent to bid you come in to dinner. Bene. Fair Beatrice, I thank for Beat. I took no more pains for thofe thanks, than you take pains to thank me; if it had been painful, I would not have come. Bene. You take pleasure then in the meffage. Beat. Yea, juft fo much as you may take upon a knife's point, and choak a daw withal: you have no ftomach, Signior; fare well. you [Exit. Bene. Ha! against my will I am fent to bid you come in to dinner: there's a double meaning in that. I took no more pains for thofe thanks, than you took pains to thank me; that's as much as to fay, any pains that I take for you are as eafie as thanks. If I do not take pity of her, I am a villain; if I do not love her, I am a Jew; I will go get her picture. [Exit. |