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Marg. Give us the swords; we have bucklers
of our own.-Well, I will call Beatrice to you, who
I think hath legs.
Bene.

55

And therefore will come.

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I mean in singing; but in loving,-Leander the
good swimmer, Troilus the first employer of brokers,
and a whole bookfull of these quondam carpet-
mongers, whose names yet run smoothly in the
even road of a blank verse,-why, they were never
so truly turned over and over as my poor self in
love. Marry, I cannot show it in rhyme; I have
tried: I can find out no rhyme to "lady'
" but
"baby," an innocent rhyme; for "scorn," "horn,"
-a hard rhyme; for "school," "fool,”- -a babbling
rhyme; very ominous endings: no, I was not born
under a rhyming planet, nor I cannot woo in festi-
val terms.56-____

Enter BEATRICE.

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.

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Bene. Question:59-why, an hour in clamour, and a quarter in rheum: therefore is it most expedient for the wise (if Don Worm, his conscience, find no impediment to the contrary) to be the trumpet of his own virtues, as I am to myself. So Beat. Yea, signior, and depart when you bid witness, is praiseworthy. And now tell me, how much for praising myself, who, I myself will bear

Sweet Beatrice, wouldst thou come when I called thee?

me.

Bene. Oh, 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; 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 breath is noisome; therefore I will depart unkissed.

doth your cousin?

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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 sub-presently? scribe 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

and buckler practice; and, passing into current use, meant 'I yield,' I own myself defeated.'

54. The god of love, &c. This was the commencement of an old song of the time.

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55. Quondam carpet-mongers. "Quondam" is a word (generally used jocosely) for 'having formerly existed.' Carpetmongers" has been said to have the same signification as 'carpet knights; that is, knights who have received knighthood on a carpet, in times of peace, by mere court favour. But, by "" carpet-mongers," Benedick rather seems to mean those who are lovers of case, frequenters of carpets, kneeling or lyingperhaps both, kneeling and telling lies-at ladies' feet.

56. Festival terms. Fine language; phraseology fit for a grand occasion. "Festival terms " here is like "speaks holiday" in "Merry Wives." See Note 10, Act iii. of that play.

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. [Exeunt.

57. An old instance. Shakespeare sometimes uses the word "instance" for maxim or proverbial saying.

58. In the time of good neighbours. In the time when good fellowship and neighbourly feeling prevailed; when men would give credit to each other for their respective merits.

59. Question. Into this single word is colloquially condensed: 'That is your question-now comes my answer.'

60. Rheum. Shakespeare uses this word variously; here, and elsewhere, for the aqueous matter from the lachrymal glands,

tears.

61. Old coil. "Old" signifies abundant, excessive; "coil " means confusion, bustle, uproar, noise, tumult. In Act iii. sc. 3, we have :-"The wedding being there to-morrow, there is a great coil to-night." See Note 23, Act i., "Two Gentlemen of Verona ;" and Note 56, Act i., "Merry Wives."

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62. Done to death. An old form of 'put to death;' originating, probably, in the French idiom, faire mourir.

63. Guerdon. Recompense, compensation.

64 Knight. Applied to maidens as well as to men, by poetical writers formerly; probably in its meaning of disciple or follower, as vowed to Diana the virgin goddess, who was addicted to the knightly sport of the chase.

65 Heavily, heavily. This is the reading of the Quarto here: which is given in the Folio, 'Heavenly, heavenly.' But it appears to us that "Heavily, heavily "is a repeated burthen to the song.

66. Margaret. In all the old copies, this character makes her appearance here; though most modern editors omit her name

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.67

Bene. And so am I, being else by faith 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 To visit me.-You know your office, brother: You must be father to your brother's daughter, And give her to young Claudio. [Exeunt ladies. Ant. Which I will do with confirm'd countenance. Bene. Friar, I must entreat your pains, I think. F. Fran. To do what, signior?

Bene. To bind me, or undo 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: 'tis most

true.

Bene. And I do with an eye of love requite her. Leon. The sight whereof 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.
F. Fran.
And my help.-
Here come the prince and Claudio.

Enter DON PEDRO and CLAUDIO, with Attendants.
D. Pedro. Good morrow to this fair assembly.
Leon. Good morrow, prince; good morrow,
Claudio:

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from the list of those who now enter. But she has been acquitted of having willingly participated in the plot against her mistress's honour and peace, therefore the poet allowed her to take her place as usual by her lady's side in the last scene of the play. That she is spoken of in the third person by Leonato does not prove her absence any more than the Friar's saying of Hero, "Did I not tell you she was innocent?" proves Hero to be absent. The train of ladies seem to enter on the stage somewhat by themselves; as is shown by Leonato's addressing them specially, after speaking with the gentlemen around him, in the words-"Well, daughter, and you gentlewomen all," &c. 67. All things sort so well. See Note 30, Act iv. 63. We here attend you.

"Attend" was sometimes used in the sense of 'await,' 'expect;' French, attendre.

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So full of frost, of storm, and cloudiness?

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

Re-enter ANTONIO, with the Ladies masked. Which is the lady I must seize upon?

Ant. This same is she, and I do give you her." Claud. Why, then she's mine.-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: [Unmasking.

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

Hero. Nothing certainer:

One Hero died defiled; but I do live,
And surely as I live, I am a maid.

D. Pedro. The former Hero! Hero that is dead!

Leon. She died, my lord, but whiles her slander liv'd.

F. Fran. All this amazement can I qualify:
Whenafter that the holy rites are ended,
I'll tell you largely of fair Hero's death:
Meantime, let wonder seem familiar,
And to the chapel let us presently.

Bene. Soft and fair, friar.—Which is Beatrice ?
Beat. [Unmasking.] I answer to that name.
What is your will?

Bene. Do not you love me?

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Troth, no; no more than reason.

Beat. Why, then, my cousin, Margaret, and Ursula

Are much deceiv'd; for they did swear you did. Bene. They swore that you were almost sick

for me.

Bene. 'Tis no such matter.-Then, you do not love me?

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,

A halting sonnet of his own pure brain,
Fashion'd to Beatrice.

Hero.

And here's another, Writ in my cousin's hand, stolen 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."

[Kissing her. D. Pedro. How dost thou, Benedick, the married man?

Bene. I'll tell thee what, prince; a college of wit-crackers 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 unbruised, and love my cousin.

Claud. I had well hoped thou wouldst have denied Beatrice, that I might have cudgelled 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.

Enter a Messenger.

Mess. My lord, your brother John is ta'en in
fight,

And brought with armèd men back to Messina.
Bene. Think not on him till to-morrow: I'll

Beat. They swore that you were well-nigh dead devise thee brave punishments for him.-Strike up,

for me.

69. I do give you her. This speech is wrongly assigned in the old copies to Leonato: and Theobald first showed that it belongs to Antonio, who has just promised to perform the part of "father" to Hero, and "give her to young Claudio."

70. Whenafter. An old form of 'when;' like 'whenas,' 'whenever,' &c.

pipers!

[Dance. Exeunt.

71. I will stop your mouth. This speech is also assigned to Leonato in the old copies; one of the many manifestly misprinted prefixes to be found there. See Note 11, Act ii.

72. Giddy. Used for fickle, variable, inconstant, unstable. 73. A double-dealer. A term for those who were false to their vows in love or marriage. See Note 20, Act v.

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