The idea of her life fhall fweetly creep Into his study of imagination; And every lovely organ of her life Shall come apparel'd in more precious habit, Into the eye and profpect of his foul, Than when fhe liv'd indeed :-then fhall he mourn, (If ever love had intereft in his liver,') And with he had not fo accufed her; No, though he thought his accufation true. Out of all eyes, tongues, minds, and injuries. BENE. Signior Lconato, let the friar advise you : And though, you know, my inwardnefs and love Is very much unto the prince and Claudio, Yet, by mine honour, I will deal in this As fecretly, and juftly, as your foul Should with your body. LEON. Being that I flow in grief, The smallest twine may lead me.* If ever love had intereft in his liver,] The liver, in conformity to ancient fuppofition, is frequently mentioned by Shakspeare as the feat of love. Thus Piftol reprefents Falstaff as loving Mrs. Ford-" with liver burning hot.' STEEVENS. 3 my inwardnefs-] i. e. intimacy. Thus Lucio, in Meafure for Meafure, fpeaking of the Duke, fays- I was an inward of his." Again, in King Richard III: "Who is moft inward with the noble duke?" STEEVENS. 4 The Smalleft twine may lead me.] This is one of our author's obfervations upon life. Men overpowered with diftrefs, eagerly FRIAR. 'Tis well confented; presently away; For to ftrange fores ftrangely they ftrain the Come, lady, die to live: this wedding day, Perhaps, is but prolong'd; have patience, and endure. [Excunt FRIAR, HERO, and LEONATO. BENE. Lady Beatrice, have you wept all this while? BEAT. Yea, and I will weep a while longer. BEAT. You have no reafon, I do it freely. BENE. Surely, I do believe your fair coufin is wrong'd. BEAT. Ah, how much might the man deserve of me, that would right her! BENE. Is there any way to fhow fuch friendship? BEAT. A very even way, but no fuch friend. BENE. May a man do it? liften to the first offers of relief, close with every scheme, and believe every promife. He that has no longer any confidence in himself, is glad to repofe his trust in any other that will undertake to guide him. JOHNSON. 5 Lady Beatrice, &c.] The poet, in my opinion, has shown a great deal of addrefs in this fcene. Beatrice here engages her lover to revenge the injury done her coufin Hero: and without this very natural incident, confidering the character of Beatrice, and that the ftory of her paffion for Benedick was all a fable, fhe could never have been eafily or naturally brought to confess she loved him, notwithstanding all the foregoing preparation. And yet, on this confeffion, in this very place, depended the whole fuccefs of the plot upon her and Benedick. For had the not owned her love here, they must have foon found out the trick, and then the defign of bringing them together had been defeated; and the would never have owned a paffion fhe had been only tricked into, had not her defire of revenging her coufin's wrong made her drop her capricious humour at once. WARBURTON. BEAT. It is a man's office, but not yours. BENE. I do love nothing in the world fo well as you; Is not that strange? BEAT. As ftrange as the thing I know not: It were as poffible for me to fay, I loved nothing fo well as you: but believe me not; and yet I lie not; I confefs nothing, nor I deny nothing:-I am forry for my cousin. BENE. By my fword, Beatrice, thou loveft me. BEAT. Do not fwear by it, and eat it. BENE. I will fwear by it, that you love me; and I will make him eat it, that fays, I love not you. BEAT. Will you not eat your word? BENE. With no fauce that can be devifed to it: I proteft, I love thee. BEAT. Why then, God forgive me! BENE. What offence, fweet Beatrice? BEAT. You have ftaid me in a happy hour; I was about to proteft, I loved you. BENE. And do it with all thy heart. BEAT. I love you with fo much of my heart, that none is left to protest. BENE. Come, bid me do any thing for thee. BEAT. Kill Claudio. BENE. Ha! not for the wide world. BEAT. You kill me to deny it: Farewell. BENE. Tarry, fweet Beatrice. BEAT. I am gone, though I am here; -There is no love in you:-Nay, I pray you, let me go. 4 I am gone, though I am here;] i. e. I am out of your mind already, though I remain here in perfon before you. STEEVENS. I cannot approve of Steevens's explanation of these words, and BENE. Beatrice,— BEAT. In faith, I will go. BENE. We'll be friends first. BEAT. You dare eafier be friends with me, than fight with mine enemy. BENE. IS Claudio thine enemy? 6 BEAT. Is he not approved in the height a villain,' that hath flander'd, fcorn'd, difhonour'd my kinfwoman?-O, that I were a man!-What! bear her in hand until they come to take hands; and then with publick accufation, uncovered flander, unmitigated rancour,-O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market-place. BENE. Hear me, Beatrice. BEAT. Talk with a man out at a window?-a proper faying! BENE. Nay but, Beatrice; BEAT. Sweet Hero!-fhe is wrong'd, fhe is flander'd, fhe is undone. BENE. Beat BEAT. Princes, and counties! Surely, a princely believe Beatrice means to fay, "I am gone," that is, "I am loft to you, though I am here.' In this fenfe Benedick takes them, and defires to be friends with her. M. MASON. Or, perhaps, my affection is withdrawn from you, though I am yet here. MALONE. 5 in the height a villain,] So, in King Henry VIII: "He's a traitor to the height." "In præcipiti vitium ftetit." Juv. I. 149. STEEVENS. 6 bear her in hand-] i. e. delude her by fair promifes. So, in Macbeth: 7 "How you were borne in hand, how cross'd," &c. STEEVENS. and counties!] County was the ancient general term for a nobleman. See a note on the County Paris in Romeo and Juliet. STEEVENS, teftimony, a goodly count-confect; a fweet gallant, furely! O that I were a man for his fake! or that I had any friend would be a man for my fake! But manhood is melted into courtefies, 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 fwears it :-I cannot be a man with wifhing, therefore I will die a woman with grieving. BENE. Tarry, good Beatrice: By this hand, I love thee. BEAT. Ufe it for my love fome other way than fwearing by it. BENE. Think you in your foul, the count Claudio hath wrong'd Hero? BEAT. Yea, as fure as I have a thought, or a foul. BENE. Enough, I am engaged, I will challenge him; I will kifs your hand, and fo leave you: By this hand, Claudio fhall render me a dear account: As you hear of me, fo think of me. Go, comfort your coufin: I muft fay, fhe is dead; and fo, farewell. [Exeunt. 7 --a goodly count-confect;] i. e. a fpecious nobleman made out of fugar. STEEVENS. 8 into courtefies,] i. e. into ceremonious obeifance, like the courtefies dropped by women. Thus, in Othello: Very good; well kifs'd! an excellent courtesy!" Again, in King Richard III: 9 "Duck with French nods, and apish courtesy." STEEVENS. and men are only turned into tongue, and trim ones too:] Mr. Heath would read tongues, but he mistakes the construction of the fentence, which is not only men but trim ones, are turned into tongue, i. e. not only common, but clever men, &c. STEEVENS. |