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

D. PEDRO. An he should, it were an alms to hang him. She's an excellent sweet lady; and, out of all suspicion, she is virtuous.

CLAUD. And she is exceeding wise.

D. PEDRO. In every thing but in loving Benedick. LEON. O, my lord, wisdom and blood combating in so tender a body, we have ten proofs to one that blood hath the victory. I am sorry for her, as I have just cause, being her uncle and her guardian.

D. PEDRO. I would she had bestowed this dotage on me: I would have daffed all other respects, and made her half myself. I pray you, tell Benedick of it, and hear what a' will say.

LEON. Were it good, think you?

CLAUD. Hero thinks surely she will die; for she says she will die, if he love her not; and she will die, ere she make her love known; and she will die, if he woo her, rather than she will bate one breath of her accustomed

crossness.

D. PEDRO. She doth well: if she should make tender of her love, 't is very possible he 'll scorn it; for the man, as you know all, hath a contemptible spirit.

CLAUD. He is a very proper man.

D. PEDRO. He hath indeed a good outward happiness. CLAUD. Before God! and in my mind, very wise.

154 dotage] doting affection. Cf. line 198, infra.

168 He... happiness] He chances to be of good appearance.

149

158

D. PEDRO. He doth indeed show some sparks that are like wit.

CLAUD. And I take him to be valiant.

D. PEDRO. As Hector, I assure you: and in the managing of quarrels you may say he is wise; for either he avoids them with great discretion, or undertakes them with a most Christian-like fear.

LEON. If he do fear God, a' must necessarily keep peace: if he break the peace, he ought to enter into a quarrel with fear and trembling.

D. PEDRO. And so will he do; for the man doth fear God, howsoever it seems not in him by some large jests he will make. Well, I am sorry for your niece. Shall we go seek Benedick, and tell him of her love?

CLAUD. Never tell him, my lord: let her wear it out with good counsel.

LEON. Nay, that's impossible: she may wear her heart out first.

D. 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 modestly examine himself, to see how much he is unworthy so 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.

D. PEDRO. Let there be the same net spread for her; and that must your daughter and her gentlewomen carry.

181 large] used like "broad" in the sense of licentious. Cf. IV, i, 91: "a liberal (i. e. coarse-tongued) villain."

184 wear out] efface, conquer her passion.

...

171

179

191

The sport will be, when they hold one an opinion of another's dotage, and no such matter: that's the scene that I would see, which will be merely a dumb-show. Let us send her to call him in to dinner.

[Exeunt Don Pedro, Claudio, and Leonato. BENE. [Coming forward] This can be no trick: the conference was sadly borne. They have the truth of this from Hero. They seem to pity the lady: it seems her affections have their full bent. Love me! why, it must be requited. I hear how I am censured: they say I will bear myself proudly, if I perceive the love come from her; they say too that she will rather die than give any sign of affection. I did never think to marry: I must not seem proud: happy are they that hear their detractions, and can put them to mending. They say the lady is fair,

't is a truth, I can bear them witness; and virtuous, — 't is so, I cannot reprove it; and wise, 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 some odd quirks and remnants of wit broken on me, because I have railed so 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 sentences and these paper bullets of the

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197-198 they hold . . . matter] one is here equivalent to "each one; "dotage is "doting affection" and has already been so employed at line 154, supra; "and no such matter means "nothing of the kind.”

202 sadly borne] seriously carried on.

219 paper bullets] epigrams from books.

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200

brain awe a man from the career of his humour? No, the world must be peopled. When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married. Here comes Beatrice. By this day! she's a fair lady: I do spy some marks of love in her.

Enter BEATRICE

BEAT. Against my will I am sent to bid you come in to dinner.

BENE. Fair Beatrice, I thank you for your pains.

BEAT. I took no more pains for those 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 message? BEAT. Yea, just so much as you may take upon a knife's point, and choke a daw withal. You have no stomach, signior: fare you well.

66

[Exit.

BENE. Ha! Against my will I am sent to bid you come in to dinner;" there's a double meaning in that. "I took no more pains for those thanks than you took 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 picture.

223

230

[Exit. 240

239-240 I am a Jen] Cf. 1 Hen. IV, II, iv, 172: "Or I am a Jew

else."

[graphic][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[graphic]

WOOD MARGARET, RUN
thee to the parlour;

There shalt thou find my cousin
Beatrice

Proposing with the prince and
Claudio:

Whisper her ear, and tell her, I
and Ursula

Walk in the orchard, and our whole discourse

Is all of her; say that thou overheard'st us;

And bid her steal into the
pleached bower,

Where honeysuckles, ripen'd by the sun,
Forbid the sun to enter; like favourites,

3 proposing] talking. Cf. line 12, infra, where" propose" is the substantive and means "talk."

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