an you be a curfing hypocrite once, you must be look'd to.

Pedro. How now, two of my brother's men bound ? Borachio one?

Claud. Hearken after their offence, my Lord.

Pedro. Officers, what offence have thefe men done? Dogb. Marry, Sir, they have committed falfe report; moreover they have fpoken untruths; fecondarily,, they are flanders; fixth and laftly, they have bely'd a lady; thirdly, they have verify'd unjust things; and, to conclude they are lying knaves.

Pedro. First, I afk thee what they have done; thirdly, I ask thee what's their offence; fixth and lastly, why they are committed; and, to conclude, what you lay to their charge?

Claud. Rightly reafon'd, and in his own divifion; and, by my troth, there's one meaning well-fuited. Pedro. Whom have you offended, Masters, that you are thus bound to your anfwer? This learned conftable is too cunning to be understood. What's your offence?

Bora. Sweet Prince, let me go no further to mine anfwer: do you hear me, and let this Count kill me. I have deceiv'd even your very eyes; what your wifdoms could not difcover, thefe fhallow fools have brought to light, who in the night overheard me confeffing to this man, how Don John your brother incens'd me to flander the Lady Hero; how you were brought into the orchard, and faw me court Margaret in Hero's garments; how you difgrace'd her, when you should marry her. My villany they have upon record, which I had rather feal with my death, than repeat over to my fhame. The lady is dead upon mine and my master's falfe accufation; and, briefly, I defire nothing but the reward of a villain.

Pedro. Runs not this fpeech like iron through your blood?

Claud. I have drunk poison while he utter'd it. Pedro. But did my brother fet thee on to this? Bora. Yea, and paid me richly for the practice of it. Pedro. He is compos'd and fram'd of treachery; And fled he is upon this villany. F

VOL. II.

Claud.

Claud Sweet Hero! now thy image doth appear In the rare femblance that I lov'd it first.

Dogb. Come, bring away the plaintiffs; by this time our Sexton hath reform'd Signior Leonato of the matter; and, Masters, do not forget to specify, when time and place shall serve, that I am an afs.

Verg. Here, here comes Mafter Signior Leonato, and the Sexton too.

SCENE V. Enter Leonato and Sexton. Leon. Which is the villain? let me fee his eyes, "That when I note another man like him,

" I may avoid him; which of thefe is he?

Bora. If you would know your wronger, look on me. Leon. Art thou, art thou the flave, that with thy breath

Haft kill'd mine innocent child?

Bora. Yea, even I alone.

Leon. No, not fo, villain; thou bely'st thyself; Here ftand a pair of honourable men,

A third is fled, that had a hand in it.

I thank you, princes, for my daughter's death;
Record it with your high and worthy deeds;
'Twas bravely done, if you bethink you of it.

Claud. I know not how to pray your patience,
Yet I must speak: Chufe your revenge yourself;
Impose me to what penance your invention
Can lay upon my fin. Yet finn'd I not,
But in mistaking.

Pedro. By my foul, nor I;

And yet, to fatisfy this good old man,

I would bend under any heavy weight,

That he'll injoin me to.

Leon. You cannot bid my daughter live again That were impoffible; but, I pray you both,

Poffefs the people in Meffina here

How innocent fhe dy'd; and if your love
Can labour aught in fad invention,
Hang her an epitaph upon her tomb,
And fing it to her bones; fing it to-night s
To-morrow morning come you to my houfe;
And fince you could not be my fon-in-law,

Be

Be yet my nephew; my brother hath a daughter,
Almoft the copy
of my child that's dead,
And fhe alone is heir to both of us;

Give her the right you should have given her cousin, And fo dies my revenge.

Claud. O noble Sir !

Your over-kindnefs doth wring tears from me.

I do embrace your offer; and difpofe

For henceforth of poor Claudio.

Leon. To-morrow then I will expect your coming, To-night I take my leave. This naughty man Shall face to face be brought to Margaret, Who, I believe, was pack'd in all his wrong, Hir'd to it by your brother:

Bora. No, by my foul, fhe was not;

Nor knew not what fhe did, when the fpoke to me: But always hath been juft and virtuous,

In any thing that I do know by her.

Dogb. Moreover, Sir, which indeed is not under white and black, this plaintiff here, the offender, did call me afs. I beseech you, let it be remember'd in his punishment; " and alfo the watch heard them talk of

one deformed. They say he wears a key in his ear, and a lock hanging by it; and borrows money in "God's name, the which he hath us'd fo long, and never paid, that now men grow hard-hearted, and "will lend nothing for God's fake. Pray you, exa"mine him upon that point."

Leon. I thank thee for thy care and honest pains. Dogb. Your worfhip fpeaks like a moft thankful and reverend youth: and I praife God for you. Leon. There's for thy pains.

Dogb. God fave the foundation!

Lean. Go, I discharge thee of thy prifoner; and I thank thee.

Dogb. I leave an errant knave with your Worship, which I beseech your Worship to correct yourself, for the example of others. God keep your worship; I wish your Worship well. God restore you to health: I humbly give you leave to depart; and if a merry meeting may be with'd, God prohibit it. Come, neighbour. [Exeunt.

Leon Until to-morrow morning, Lords, farewel. Ant. Farewel, my Lords; we look for you to-mor

row.

Pedro. We will not fail.

Claud. To-night I'll mourn with Hero.

Leon Bring you these fellows on; we'll talk with Margaret,

How her acquaintance grew with this lewd fellow.
[Exeunt feverally.

SCENE VI. Changes to Leonato's houfe..
Enter Benedick and Margaret.

Bene. Pray thee, fweet Miftrefs Margaret, deserve. well at my hands, by helping me to the fpeech of Beatrice.

Marg. Will you then write me a fonnet in praise of my beauty

Bene. In fo high a ftyle, Margaret, that no man living fhall come over it; for, in most comely truth, thou deferveft it.

Marg. To have no man come over me? Why fhall I always keep above stairs?

Bene. Thy wit is as quick as the greyhound's mouth; it catches.

Marg. And your's as blunt as the fencer's foils, which hit, but hurt not.

Bene. A most manly wit, Margaret, it will not hurt a woman; and fo, I pray thee, call Beatrice; I give thee the bucklers.

Marg. Give us the fwords; we have bucklers of our

own.

Bene. If you ufe them, Margaret, you must put in the pikes with a vice, and they are dangerous weapons for maids.

Marg. Well, I will call Beatrice to you, who I think, hath legs [Exit Margaret.

Bene. And therefore will come. [Sings.] The God of love that fits above, and knows me, and knows me, how pitiful I deferve,-I mean, in finging; but in loving, Leander the good swimmer, Troilus the first employer of pandars, and the whole book full of those

quondam

quondam carpet-mongers, whofe names yet run fmooth. ly in the even road of a blank verfe; why; they were never fo truly turn'd over and over, as my poor felf, in love; marry I cannot fhew it in rhime; I have try'd; I can find out no rhime to lady but baby, an innocent's rhime; for fcorn, horn, a hard rhime; for school, fool, a babling rhime; very ominous endings; no, I was not born under a rhiming planet, for I cannot woo in festival terms.

SCENE VII. Enter Beatrice.

Sweet Beatrice, would't thou come when I call thee? Beat. Yea, Signior, and depart when you bid me. Bene. O, ftay 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 pafs'd between you and Claudio. Bene. Only foul words; and thereupon I will kifs thee.

Beat. Foul words are but foul wind, and foul wind is but foul breath, and foul breath is noifome; therefore I will depart unkiss'd.

Bene. Thou haft frighted the word out of its right fenfe, fo forcible is thy wit; but, I must tell thee plainly, Claudio undergoes my challenge; and either I must fhortly hear from him, or I will fubfcribe 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 maintain'd fo 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 fuffer love, indced, for I love thee against my will."

Beat. In fpight of your heart, I think; alas! poor heart, if you fight it for my fake, I will fpight it for your's; for I will never love that which my friend hates.

Bene Thou and I are too wife to woo peaceably. Beat. It appears not in this confeffion; there's not one wife man among twenty that will praife himself. Bene." An old, an old instance, Beatrice, that liv'd in the time of good neighbours;" if a man do not

F 3

erect