Thurston del II Dan den Berghe Soul Much ado about Nothing Page 57 Pub1 Augft 1798 by Edwarding 98 Pall Mall. Much Ado about Nothing, COMEDY, BY WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE. ACCURATELY PRINTED FROM THE TEXT OF Mr. STEEVENS's LAST EDITION. Drnamented with Plates. London: PUBLISHED BY E. HARDING, NO. 98, PALL-MALL; J. WRIGHT, PICCADILLY; G. SAEL, STRAND; 1798. OBSERVATIONS. THE ftory is taken from Ariofto, Orl. Fur. B. V. POPE. It is true, as Mr. Pope has obferved, that fomewhat refem. bling the story of this play is to be found in the fifth book of the Orlando Furiofo. In Spenfer's Faery Queen, B. II. c. iv. as remote an original may be traced. A novel, however, of Belleforeft, copied from another of Bandello, feems to have furnished Shakspeare with his fable, as it approaches nearer in all its parti culars to the play before us, than any other performance known to be extant. I have feen fo many verfions from this once popular collection, that I entertain no doubt but that a great majority of the tales it comprehends, have made their appearance in an English drefs. Of that particular ftory which I have juft mentioned, viz. the 18th history in the third volume, no translation has hitherto been met with. This play was entered at Stationers' Hall, Aug. 23, 1600. STEEVENS. Ariosto is continually quoted for the fable of Much ado about Nothing; but I fufpect our poet to have been fatisfied with the Geneura of Turberville. "The tale (fays Harington) is a pretie comical matter, and hath bin written in English verse fome few years paft, learnedly and with good grace, by M. George Turbervil." Ariofto, fol. 1591, p. 39. FARMER. I fuppofe this comedy to have been written in 1600, in which year it was printed. MALONE. PERSONS REPRESENTED. Don PEDRO, Prince of Arragon. Don JOHN, his baftard brother. CLAUDIO, a young lord of Florence, favourite to Don Pedro. BENEDICK, a young lord of Padua, favoured likewife by LEONATO, governor of Meffina. BALTHAZAR, fervant to Don Pedro. CONRADE, VERGES, A Friar. A Boy. } followers of Don John, two foolish officers. HERO, daughter to Leonato. MARGARET, } gentle-women attending on Hero. Meffengers, Watch, and Attendants. SCENE, Meffina. |