M U CH A DO

ABOUT

N O T H I N G.

A 2

Dramatis Personæ.

DON PEDRO, Prince of Arragon.
Leonato, Governor of Messina.
Don John, Bastard Brother to Don Pedro.
Claudio, a young Lord of Florence, Favourite to Don

Pedro.
Benedick, a young Lord of Padua, favour'd likewise by

Don Pedro.
Balthazar, Servant to Don Pedro.
Antonio, Brother to Leonato.
Borachio, Confident to Don John.
Conrade, Friend to Borachio.

two
Verges,
Hero, Daughter to Leonato.
Beatrice, Neice to Leonato.
Margaret,
Ursula,

two Gentlewomen, attending on Hero.

}

A Frier, Meffenger, Watch, Town-Clerk, Sexton, and

Attendants.

Enter Leonato, Hero, and Beatrice, with a

Melenger.

LEON AT 0.
Learn in this letter, thac Don Pedro of

Arragon comes this night to Meffina.
1

Mely He is very near by this; lie was not three leagues off when I left him.

Leon. How many gentlemen have you lost in this action ?

Mel. But few of any Sort, and none of Name.

Leon. A victory is twice it self, when the atchiever brings home full numbers ; I find here, that Don Pe

dro (1) Much Ado about Not bing] Innogen, (the Mother of Hero) in the oldest Quarto that I have seen of this Play, printed in 1600, is mention'd to enter in two several Scenes. The fuca ceeding Editions have all continued her Name in the Dra. matis Persona. But I have ventur'd to expunge it ; there being no mention of her thro' the Play, no one Speech address’d to her, nor one Syllable spoken by her. Neither is there any

A 3

one

you how.

dro hath bestow'd much honour on a young Florentine, call'd Claudio.

Mej. Much deserved on his part, and equally remembred by Don Pedro: he hath borne himself beyond the promise of his age, doing in the figure of a limb the feats of a lion : he hath, indeed, better better'd expectation, than you must expect of me to tell

Leon. He hath an uncle here in Mefina will be very much glid of it.

Mel'. I have already delivered him letters, and there appears much joy in him; even so much, that joy could not thew it self modelt enough, without a badge of bitterness.

Leon. Did he break out into tears?
Mef. In great measure.

Lion. A kind overflow of kindness. There are no faces truer than those that are foʻwash'd. How much better is it to weep at joy, than to joy at weeping ?

Beat. I pray you, is Signior Montanto return'd from the wars or no ?

Mel. I know none of that name, Lady; there was none fucb in the army any

Sort.
Leon. What is he that you ask for, Neice?
Hero. My Cousin means Sigrior Benedick of Padua.
Mej. O, he's return'd, and as pleasant as ever be

of

Beal. He set up his bills here in Mefina, and chal. leng'd Cupid at the flight ; and my Unce's fool, reading the challenge, subscrib’d for Cupid, and challeng'd hiin at the bird bolt. I pray you, how many bath he kili'd and eaten in these wars? hath he kill'd ? for, indeed, I promis d to eat all of his killing

but how many

one Passage, from which we have any Reason to determine that Hero's Mother was living. It seems, as if the Poet had in his first Plan design'd such a Character ; which, on a Survey of it, he found would be superfluous ; and therefore be lest it out.

Leon.