Enter BEATRICE.

Sweet Beatrice, wouldst thou come when I called thee?
Beat. Yea, signior; and depart when you bid me.
Bene. O, stay but till then!

Beat. Then" is spoken; fare you well now: and yet, ere I go, let me go with that I came for; 9 which is, with knowing what hath passed between you and Claudio.

Bene. Only foul words; and thereupon I will kiss thee.

Beat. Foul words is but foul wind, and foul wind is but foul breath, and foul hreath is noisome; therefore I will depart unkissed.

10

Bene. Thou hast frighted the word out of his right sense, so forcible is thy wit. But, I must tell thee plainly, Claudio undergoes my challenge, and either I must shortly hear from him, or I will subscribe him a coward. And, I pray thee now, tell me, for which of my bad parts didst thou first fall in love with me?

Beat. For them all together; which maintained so politic a state of evil, that they will not admit any good part to intermingle with them. But for which of my good parts did you first suffer love for me?

Bene. Suffer love! a good epithet. I do suffer love, indeed, for I love thee against my will.

Beat. In spite of your heart, I think. Alas, poor heart! If you spite it for my sake, I will spite it for yours; for I will never love that which my friend hates.

Bene. Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.

Beat. It appears not in this confession: there 's not one wise man among twenty that will praise himself.

Bene. An old, an old instance, 11 Beatrice, that lived in the time of good neighbours. If a man do not erect, in this age, his own tomb ere he dies, he shall live no longer in monument, than the bell rings, and the widow weeps.

Beat. And how long is that, think you?

Bene. Question: 12 why, an hour in clamour, and a quarter in rheum: therefore is it most expedient for the wise, (if Don Worm, 13 his conscience,

9) for fehlt in Q. und Fol.

10) Claudio lässt meine Ausforderung über sich ergehen, fällt ihr anheim.

11) Der Spruch Beatricens, dass kein weiser Mensch sich selbst lobe, mochte in der guten alten Zeit gegolten haben, wo die Nachbarn ihn lobten, er das Selbstlob also sparen konnte. Jetzt aber muss Jeder schon bei Lebzeiten für seinen Nachruhm und seine Verewigung durch ein Grabmal sorgen.

12) Das ist die Frage, auf welche die Antwort so lautet: die Wittwe weint eine Stunde mit lautem Klagegeschrei, und dann noch eine Viertelstunde still für sich.

13) worm = Wurm im Gewissen, der nagende Gewissensbiss, ist hier scherzhaft männlich personificirt und demgemäss titulirt, wie in Hamlet (A. 5, Sc. 1) der wirkliche Wurm weiblich: my lady worm.

2

find no impediment to the contrary) to be the trumpet of his own virtues as I am to myself. So much for praising myself, who, I myself will bear witness, is praiseworthy. And now tell me, how doth your cousin?

Beat. Very ill.

Bene. And how do you?

Beat. Very ill too.

Bene. Serve God, love me, and mend. There will I leave you too, for here comes one in haste.

Enter URSUla.

Urs. Madam, you must come to your uncle. Yonder 's old coil 14 at home: it is proved, my lady Hero hath been falsely accused, the prince and Claudio mightily abused; and Don John is the author of all, who is fled and gone. Will you come presently?

Beat. Will you go hear this news, signior?

Bene. I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes; and, moreover, I will go with thee to thy uncle's.

SCENE III.

The Inside of a Church.

[Exeunt.

Enter Don PEDRO, CLAUDIO, and Attendants, with music and tapers. Claud. Is this the monument of Leonato?

14) old coil reichlich viel Wirrwarr, mehr als genug Tumult. grave's Wörterbuch to keep an old coile or horrible stirre.

1) Q. und Fol. setzen dafür Epitaph und ignoriren, dass Claudio die folgenden Verse liest, ehe er sie an dem Grabe aufhängt.

gedruckt, als ob sie zu der Grabschrift gehören, während es doch die Worte sind, die Claudio spricht, während er das Geschriebene am Grabe aufhängt.

D. Pedro. Good morrow, masters: put your torches out. The wolves have prey'd; and look, the gentle day,

Before the wheels of Phoebus, round about

Dapples the drowsy east with spots of grey.

Thanks to you all, and leave us: fare you well.

Claud. Good morrow, masters: each his several way.
D. Pedro. Come, let us hence, and put on other weeds;

And then to Leonato's we will go.

Claud. And Hymen now with luckier issue speed 's, 8 Than this, for whom we render'd up this woe!

SCENE IV.

A Room in LEONATO's House.

[Exeunt.

Enter LEONATO, ANTONIO, BENEDICK, MARGARET, BEATRICE, URSULA, Friar, and HERO.

Friar. Did I not tell you she was innocent?

5) knight wird auch sonst von Frauen gesagt, die sich dem Dienste einer Gottheit, namentlich der Diana, gewidmet haben, und dem Orden derselben angehören; so in All's well that ends well (A 1, Sc. 3) Diana, no queen of virgins that would suffer her poor knight surprized, without rescue.

to expel.

6) Boswell erklärt: till death be spoken of, und Knight fasst to utter Vielleicht ist death nicht Nominativ, sondern mit der Präposition till zu verbinden: bis zum Tode werde es laut, d. h. der Refrain der Klage, heavily, heavily. Die Fol. hat heavenly, heavenly, aber vorher wie die Q. heavily.

7) Q. und Fol. ertheilen diese Worte einem Lord zu, demselben, den sie auch vorher It is, my lord antworten lassen. Das Richtige sah Rowe. Für rite setzen die alten Ausgg. right, was auch Rowe noch beibehielt.

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8) speed 's d. h. speed us, im Conjunctiv als Wunsch, liest Thirlby für das indicativische speeds, das hier wenig passen will.

1) Manche Hgg. lassen die Margaret fort, obwohl Q. und Fol. sie ausdrücklich unter den auftretenden Personen nennen.

Leon. So are the prince and Claudio, who accus'd her
Upon the error that you heard debated:
But Margaret was in some fault for this,
Although against her will, as it appears
In the true course of all the question.

Ant. Well, I am glad that all things sort so well.
Bene. And so am I, being else by faith 2 enforc'd
To call young Claudio to a reckoning for it.

Leon. Well, daughter, and you gentlewomen all,
Withdraw into a chamber by yourselves,

And, when I send for you, come hither mask'd:
The prince and Claudio promis'd by this hour

[Exeunt Ladies.

You must be father to your brother's daughter,

And give 3 her to young Claudio.

Ant. Which I will do with confirm'd countenance.
Bene. Friar, I must entreat your pains, I think.
Friar. To do what, signior?

Bene. To bind me, or undo 4

me; one of them.

Signior Leonato, truth it is, good signior,

Your niece regards me with an eye of favour.

Leon. That eye my daughter lent her: 't is most true.
Bene. And I do with an eye of love requite her.
Leon. The sight whereof, 5 I think, you had from me,
From Claudio, and the prince. But what 's your will?
Bene. Your answer, Sir, is enigmatical:

But, for my will, my will is, your good will
May stand with ours, this day to be conjoin'd
In the state of honourable marriage:

In which, good friar, I shall desire your help.

Leon. My heart is with your liking.
Friar.

Here come the prince and Claudio. 7

And my help.

2) durch das der Beatrice geleistete Gelübde.

3) to give für to give away die Braut dem Bräutigam übergeben, was nach der Englischen Trauungssitte Sache des nächsten männlichen Blutsverwandten ist.

*) to undo doppelsinnig = lösen, im Gegensatze zu to bind = ehelich verbinden, und vernichten, unglücklich machen.

=

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5) Den Blick, mit dem Euer Auge sie liebevoll ansieht, erhieltet Ihr durch mein, Claudio's und des Prinzen Zuthun. Auf diese ihm unverständlichen Worte bezieht sich Benedick's Antwort: Your answer, Sir, is enigmatical.

6) So Q. und Fol., wo also in the als eine Sylbe und marriage dreisylbig zu lesen ist. Manche Hgg. verkennen das und setzen estate für state.

7) Diese Zeile fehlt in der Fol.

Enter Don PEDRO and CLAUDIO, with Attendants.
Good morrow to this fair assembly. 8

D. Pedro.

Leon. Good morrow, prince; good morrow, Claudio: We here attend you. Are you yet determin'd

To-day to marry with my brother's daughter?

Claud. I'll hold my mind, were she an Ethiop. 9

Leon. Call her forth, brother: here's the friar ready. [Exit ANTONIO.
D. Pedro. Good morrow, Benedick. Why, what 's the matter,

That you have such a February face,

So full of frost, of storm, and cloudiness?

Claud. I think, he thinks upon the savage bull. 10

Tush! fear not, man, we 'll tip thy horns with gold,
And all Europa shall rejoice at thee,

As once Europa did at lusty Jove,

When he would play the noble beast in love.

Bene. Bull Jove, Sir, had an amiable low;

And some such strange bull leap'd your father's cow,
And got a calf in that same noble feat,

Much like to you, for you have just his bleat.

Re-enter ANTONIO, with the Ladies masked.

Claud. For this I owe you, here come other reckonings.

Which is the lady I must seize upon?

Ant. This same is she, and I do give you her. 12
Claud. Why, then she 's mine.

11

Sweet, let me see your face.
Leon. No, that you shall not, till you take her hand
Before this friar, and swear to marry her.

Claud. Give me your hand before this holy friar:

I am your husband, if you like of me.

Hero. And when I liv'd, I was your other wife. 13

And when you lov'd, you were my other husband.
Claud. Another Hero?

[Unmasking.

8) assembly ist viersylbig (assembely) zu lesen.

9) Ethiop Mohrin, eine gewöhnliche Bezeichnung weiblicher Hässlichkeit bei Sh. 10) Vgl. A. 1, Sc. 1, Anm. 44 und A. 5, Sc. 1, Anm. 35.

Anspielungen auf den Mythus von dem aus Liebe zur Europa in einen Stier verwandelten Zeus kehren bei Sh. öfter wieder, hier mit dem Wortspiel zwischen Europa als Welttheil, und Europa = die Geliebte des Zeus, die Tochter Agenor's.

11) Für diesen Spott will ich Euch die Antwort schuldig bleiben, will ich Euch später bezahlen, denn hier kommen noch andere Rechnungen, die ich abzumachen habe.

12) Diesen Vers, den Q. und Fol. dem Leonato beilegen, gab Theobald dem Antonio, in Uebereinstimmung mit dem, was vorher verabredet war. Vgl. oben Anm. 3. 13) your other wife Eure frühere, erste Frau. In demselben Sinne steht my other mein erster Gatte.

husband