Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub

Pedro. Why, what effects of paffion shews she?

Claud. Bait the hook well; this fish will bite. [Afide. Leon. What effects, my lord! She will fit,

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 spirit had been invincible against all affaults of affection.

Leon. I would have fworn it had my lord; efpecially against Benedick.

Bene. [Afide.] I fhould think this a gull, but that the white-bearded fellow fpeaks it: knavery cannot, fure, hide himself in fuch reverence.

Claud. He hath ta'en the infection; hold it up. [Afide. Pedro. Hath she made her affection known to Benedick? Leon. No; and fwears fhe never will: that's her tor

ment.

Claud. 'Tis true, indeed; fo your daughter fays: Shall 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 she is beginning to write to him: for she'll be up twenty times a night; and there she will fit in her fmock, 'till fhe have writ a fheet of paper :—my daughter tells us all.

Claud. Now you talk of a sheet of paper, I remember a pretty jeft your daughter told us of.

Leon. Oh,-When she had writ it, and was reading it over, the found Benedick and Beatrice between the fheet?

Claud. That.

m

Leon. O, fhe tore the letter into a thoufand half-pence;

half-pence;]-pieces of the fize of half a filver penny, formerly creased and indented fo as to be readily divided into two, or four equal

parts.

Hh 3

rail'd

rail'd at herself, that she should be so immodest to write to one that she knew would flout her: I measure him, says 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 Sweet Benedick! God give me patience!

Lecn. She doth indeed; my daughter fays fo: and the ecftacy hath fo much overborne her, that my daughter is fometime afraid fhe will do defperate outrage to herself; It is very true.

Pedro. It were good, that Benedick knew of it by fome other, if fhe will not difcover it.

Claud. To what end? He would but make a sport of it, and torment the poor lady worse.

Pedro. An he should, it were an alms to hang him: She's an excellent fweet lady; and, out of all fufpicion, fhe 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 just cause, being her uncle and her guardian.

[ocr errors]

Pedro. I would, fhe had beftow'd this dotage on me; I would have daff'd all other refpects, and made her half myfelf: 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 she says, fhe will die if he love her not; and fhe will die ere fhe make her love known; and fhe will die if he woo her,

wisdom and blood]-prudence and paffion.

[ocr errors]

daff'd]-laid afide, dropt.

rather

rather than she will bate one breath of her accuftom'd croffness.

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 contemptible spirit.

Claud. He is a very proper man.

Pedro. He hath, indeed, a good outward happiness.
Claud. 'Fore God, and in my mind, very wife.

Pedro. He doth, indeed, fhew some sparks that are like wit.

Leon. And I take him to be valiant.

Pedro. As Hector, I affure you: and in the managing of quarrels you may fay he is wife; for either he avoids them with great difcretion, or undertakes them with 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 seems not in him, by fome large jefts he will make. Well, I am forry for your niece: Shall we go feek Benedick, and tell him of her love?

Claud. Never tell him, my lord; let her wear it out with good counfel.

Leon. 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 trust my expectation.

[Afide.

P contemptible]-contemptuous.

fear]-of excess.

Hh 4

Pedro.

Pedro. Let there be the fame net fpread for her, and that must your daughter and her gentlewomen carry: The sport 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 fhow. Let us fend her to call him to dinner. [Afide] Exeunt.

Benedick advances from the arbour.

Bene. This can be no trick: The conference was' fadly borne. They have the truth of this from Hero. They seem to pity the lady; it feems, 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 myself 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 must not feem proud :-happy are they that hear their detractions, and can put them to mending. They fay, the lady is fair; 'tis a truth, I can bear them witnefs: and virtuous;-'tis fo, I cannot reprove it and wife-but for loving me:-By my troth, it 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 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 quips, 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 bachelor, 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.

'fadly borne.]-seriously carried on.

Enter

Enter Beatrice.

Beat. Against my will, I am fent to bid you come in to 'dinner.

Bene. Fair Beatrice, I thank you for

your pains. 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 as much as you may take upon a knife's point, and choak a daw withal :-You have no ftomach, fignior; fare you well.

[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 take pains to thank me-that's as much as to say, Any pains that I take for you is as easy 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 pic[Exit.

ture.

ACT III. SCENE I.

Continues in the Orchard.

Enter Hero, Margaret, and Urfula.

Hero. Good Margaret, run thee into the parlour; There fhalt thou find my coufin Beatrice 'Propofing with the prince and Claudio:

Whisper her ear, and tell her, I and Urfula

Walk in the orchard, and our whole discourse

[ocr errors]

Against my will, I am fent]-I fhould otherwife have done it volun

tarily.

Propofing]-Difcourfing, converfing.

« AnteriorContinuar »