Beat. No, truly, but in friendly recompense. Leon. Come, cousin, I am sure you love the gentleman. Claud. And I'll be sworn upon 't that he loves her; For here's a paper, written in his hand, Hero. And here's another, Writ in my cousin's hand, stol'n from her pocket, Containing her affection unto Benedick. Bene. A miracle! here's our own hands against our hearts. Come, I will have thee; but, by this light, I take thee for pity. Beat. I would not deny you; — but, by this good day, I yield upon great persuasion, and, partly, to save your life, for I was told you were in a consumption. Bene. Peace! I will stop your mouth. How dost thou, Benedick, the married man? Bene. I'll tell thee what, Prince; a college of witcrackers cannot flout me out of my humour. Dost thou think I care for a satire, or an epigram? No: if a man will be beaten with brains, he shall wear nothing handsome about him. In brief, since I do purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any purpose that the world can say against it; and therefore never flout at me for [what] I have said against it; for man is a giddy thing, and this is my conclusion. - For thy part, Claudio, I did think to have beaten thee; but, in that thou art like to be my kinsman, live unbruis'd, and love my cousin. Claud. I had well hop'd thou would'st have denied Beatrice, that I might have cudgell'd thee out of thy single life, to make thee a double dealer; which, out of question, thou wilt be, if my cousin do not look exceeding narrowly to thee. Bene. Come, come, we are friends. Let's have a dance ere we are married, that we may lighten our own hearts, and our wives' heels. Leon. We'll have dancing afterward. Bene. First, of my word; therefore, play, music! -- Prince, thou art sad; get thee a wife, get thee a wife there is no staff more reverend than one tipp'd with horn. Enter a Messenger. Mess. My lord, your brother John is ta'en in flight, And brought with armed men back to Messina. Bene. Think not on him till to-morrow: I'll devise thee brave punishments for him. — Strike up, pipers. [Dance. Exeunt. NOTES ON MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. p. 229. p. 230. ACT FIRST. SCENE I. "Enter LEONATO":- Here the stage direction in folio and quarto is, "Enter Leonato Gouernour of Messina, Innogen his wife," &c.; and at the commencement of the next Act, "Enter Leonato, his brother, his wife," &c.; but as Imogen neither speaks nor is spoken to, and, (as Mr. Dyce has well observed,) could not remain upon the stage dumb at the interrupted nuptial of her daughter, and as she is not in any way alluded to, it is plain that she has no place among the Dramatis Personæ. The name is probably a transcript from the first draft of the play, in making which the author had a plan which he afterward abandoned. Don Pedro of Arragon":"Don Peter" in both folio and quarto, here and immediately after; but in the next stage direction, and afterward, "Don Pedro.” Signior Montanto Beatrice speaks of the soldier who dwells so much in her thoughts, by a term of the fencing school. of any sort -Plainly, none of any kind;' but Warburton and Mr. Dyce would have it, 'of any quality,' of any rank' - meaning high quality,' 'high rank.' But sort,' unless used absolutely, without qualification of degree or merit, as we sometimes use character' to mean 'good character,' cannot be thus arbitrarily raised from its inferior and general sense to one higher and particular; and no instance of such a use has been quoted. Throughout Shakespeare's works and those of his contemporaries it is used to mean class and condition, of all sorts; for instance, "The other sorte be even p. 230. p. 231. p. 232. " p. 233. p. 234. Seruingmen." A briefe Conceipte of English Pollicy. 4to. 1598. fol. 336. See Shakespeare's Scholar, p. 166. "He set up his bills here : - Posting small placards, was, in Shakespeare's day, the only mode of making matters public, except proclaiming them by a crier. The folio has " ease, a difference hardly So long as quarrel "Is there no young squarer some boys' square off' at each other, explanation of this word is superfluous. "Enter Don PEDRO, JOHN the Bastard," &c. :- Thus the direction of the folio, in which John is generally so styled; but sometimes John and Sir John. Leonato, you are come The quarto reads, are you come.” "Were you in doubt : The quarto adds "Sir." "This is the sum," &c. :- The quarto has " That is," &c. to tell us Cupid is a good hare-finder," &c.: — So much confusing comment has been made on this plain passage, that it is pardonable to point out that Benedick asks do you mean to tell us that the blind boy has the eyes of a greyhound, and that Vulcan's forge and anvil are used to work wood?' "Enter Don PEDRO": Both folio and quarto add, "JOHN the Bastard; but with evident error; for John afterward learns from Borachio what passes at this interview. it is not so, nor 'twas not so," &c. This is the burden of a fearful old story, as bloody as Blue Beard, without its whimsicality, which will be found in the Variorum Edition, related upon the authority of Blakeway. In the story is a motto, "Be bold, be bold, but not too bold," found also in The Faerie Queene, B. III. C. xi. 54. "I speak mine" The quarto, "spoke." in the force of his will": Warburton's professional eye first detected the allusion here to heresy, as defined in scholastic divinity; according to which it was not merely heterodox opinion, but a wilful adherence to |