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Bora. Go then find me a meet hour, to draw Don Pedro, and the Count Claudio, alone; tell them, that you know, Hero loves me; intend a kind of zeal both to the Prince and Claudio, as in a love of your Brother's honour who hath made this match; and his friend's reputation, (who is thus like to be cozen'd with the femblance of a maid,) that you have difcover'd thus; they will hardly believe this without tryal: offer them inftances, which fhall bear no less likelihood than to fee me at her chamber-window; hear me call Margaret, Hero; hear Margaret term me Borachio; and bring them to fee this, the very night before the intended Wedding; for in the mean time I will so fashion the matter, that Hero fhall be abfent; and there fhall appear fuch seeming truths of Hero's difloyalty, that jealoufie fhall be call'd affurance, and all the preparation overthrown.

John. Grow this to what adverfe iffue it can, I will put it in practice: be cunning in the working this, and thy fee is a thousand ducats.

Bora. Be thou conftant in the accufation, and my cunning fhall not shame me.

John. I will presently go learn their day of marriage.

SCENE

[Exeunt.

VIII.

Changes to Leonato's Orchard.

Enter Benedick, and a Boy.

Bene. DOY,

Boy. Signior.

Bene. In my chamber window lies a book, bring it hither to me in the orchard,

Boy. I am here already, Sir.

[Exit Boy. Bene. I know that, but I would have thee hence, and here again. I do much wonder, that one man, feeing how much another man is a fool, when

he

he dedicates his behaviours to love, will, after he hath laught at fuch fhallow follies in others, become the argument of his own fcorn, by falling in love! and fuch a man is Claudio. I have known, when there was no mufick with him but the drum and the fife; and now had he rather hear the taber and the pipe; I have known, when he would have walk'd ten mile a-foot, to see a good armour; and now will he lye ten nights awake, carving the fashion of a new doublet. He was wont to fpeak plain, and to the purpose, like an honeft man and a foldier; and now he is turn'd orthographer, his words are a very fantaftical banquet, just so many strange dishes. May I be fo converted, and fee with these eyes? I cannot tell; I think not. I will not be fworn, but love may transform me to an oyfter; but I'll take my oath on it, 'till he have made an oyster of me, he fhall never make me fuch a fool: one woman is fair, yet I am well; another is wife, yet I am well; another virtuous, yet I am well. But 'till all graces be in one woman, one woman fhall not come in my grace. Rich fhe fhall be, that's certain; "wife, or I'll none; vir66 tuous, or I'll never cheapen her: fair, or I'll never "look on her;" mild, or come not near me; noble, or not I for an angel; of good discourse, an excellent mufician, and her hair fhall be of what colour it please God. Ha! the Prince and Monfieur Love! I will hide me in the arbour. [Withdraws.

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Enter Don Pedro, Leonato, Claudio, and Balthazar.

Pedro. Come, fhall we hear this musick?

Claud. Yea, my good lord; how ftill the evening is,

2 These words added out of the editions of 1623. Mr. Pope. 3 and her hair fhall be of what colour it please God.] i, e. She fhall not difcolour it; hinting at the fashion of difcolouring their hair, by art, when it was not of the colour in esteem.

As

As hufh'd on purpose to grace harmony!

Pedro. See you where Benedick hath hid himself? Claud. O very well, my lord; the mufick ended, 4 We'll fit the hid fox with a penny-worth.

Pedro. Come, Balthazar, we'll hear that Song again.
Balth. O good my lord, tax not so bad a voice
To flander mufick any more than once.

Pedro. It is the witness ftill of excellency,
To put a ftrange face on his own perfection;
I pray thee, fing; and let me woo no more.
Balth. Because you talk of wooing, I will fing;
Since many a wooer doth commence his fuit
To her he thinks not worthy, yet he wooes;
Yet will he fwear, he loves.

Pedro. Nay, pray thee, come;

Or if thou wilt hold longer argument,
Do it in notes.

Balth. Note this before my notes,

There's not a note of mine, that's worth the noting. Pedro. Why, these are very crotchets that he speaks, Note, notes, forfooth, and noting.

Bene. Now, divine air; now is his foul ravish'd! is it not ftrange, that sheeps guts should hale fouls out of mens bodies? well, a horn for my money, when all's done.

The SON G.

Sigh no more, ladies, figh no more,
Men were deceivers ever;
One foot in fea, and one on shore,
To one thing conftant never :
Then figh not fo, but let them go,
And be you blith and bonny;
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into hey nony, nony.

4 We'll fit the kid-fox-] This is a new fpecies of animals of the Editor's creation. We should read the hid fox, i. e. the fox who had hid himself.

Sing no more ditties, fing no mo

Of dumps fo dull and heavy;
The frauds of men were ever so,
Since fummer was first leafy:
Then figh not fo, &c.

Pedro. By my troth, a good Song.
Balth. And an ill finger, my lord.

Pedro. Ha, no, no, faith; thou fing'ft well enough for a shift.

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Bene. "If he had been a dog, that should have "howl'd thus, they would have hang'd him; and, I pray God, his bad voice bode no mischief: I had as lief have heard the night-raven, come what plague could have come after it.

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Pedro. Yea, marry, dost thou hear, Balthazar ? pray thee, get us fome excellent mufick; for tomorrow night we would have it at the lady Hero's chamber-window.

Balth. The best I can, my lord. [Exit Balthazar. Pedro. Do fo: farewel. Come hither, Leonato ; what was it you told me of to-day, that your Neice Beatrice was in love with Signior Benedick?

Claud. O, ay;stalk on, stalk on, the fowl fits. I did never think, that lady would have loved any man.

Leon. No, nor I neither; but most wonderful, that fhe should fo doat on Signior Benedick, whom the hath in all outward behaviours feem'd ever to abhor.

Bene. Is't poffible, fits the wind in that corner?

[Afide. Leon. By my troth, my lord, I cannot tell what to think of it; but that the loves him with an inraged affection,-it is past the definite of thought.

Pedro:

5 but that he loves him with an inraged affection, it is paft the INFINITE of thought.] It is impoffible to make Senfe and Grammar of this fpeech. And the reason is, that the two VOL. II.

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Pedro. May be, fhe doth but counterfeit.
Claud. Faith, like enough.

Leon. O God! counterfeit? there was never counterfeit of paffion came so near the life of paffion, as fhe discovers it.

Pedro. Why, what effects of paffion shews she? Claud. Bait the hook well, this fifh will bite.

[Afide.

Leon. What effects, my lord? she will fit you, you heard my daughter tell you how.

Claud. She did, indeed.

Pedro. How, how, I pray you? you amaze me: I would have thought, her fpirit had been invincible against all affaults of affection.

Leon. I would have fworn, it had, my lord; efpecially against Benedick.

Bene. [Afide.] I should think this a gull, but that the white-bearded fellow fpeaks it; knavery cannot, fure, hide himself in fuch reverence.

Claud. He hath ta'en th' infection, hold it up.

[Afide.

beginnings of two different fentences are jumbled together and
made one. For but that he loves him with an inraged af
fection,-is only part of a fentence which fhould conclude thus,
is moft certain. But a new idea ftriking the fpeaker, he leaves
this fentence unfinished, and turns to another,- It is paft the in-
finite of thought-which is likewife left unfinished; for it fhould
conclude thus- -to say how great that affection is. Thefe
broken disjointed fentences are usual in converfation. However
there is one word wrong, which yet perplexes the sense, and that
is INFINITE. Human thought cannot fure be called infinite
with any kind of figurative propriety. I fuppofe the true read-
ing was DEFINITE. This makes the paffage intelligible. It
is past the DEFINITE of thought-i. e. it cannot be defined
or conceived how great that affection is. Shakespear ufes the
word again in the fame fenfe in Cymbeline.

For Idiots, in this cafe of favour, would
Be wifely DEFINITE.

pronounce or determine in the cafe.

i. e. could tell how to

Pedro.

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