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MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.] The fory is taken from Ariofto, Orl. Fur. B. V. POPE.

It is true, as Mr. Pope has obferved, that fomewhat refembling the ftory of this play is to be found in the fifth book of the Orlando Furiofo. In Spencer'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 particulars to the play before us, than any other performance known to be extant. I have seen 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 story which I have just mentioned. viz. the 18th history in the third volume, no tranflation has hitherto been met with.

This play was entered at Stationers' Hall, Aug. 23, 1600.

STEEVENS.

Ariofto is continually quoted for the fable of Much ado about Nothing ; but I fufpect out poet to have been fatisfied with the Geneura of Turberville.

The tale (fays Harrington) is a pretie comical matter, and hath bin written in English verfe fome few years paft, learnedly and with good grace, by M. George Turbervil." Arifto, fol. 1591, p. 39. FARMER.

I fuppofe this comedy to have been written in 1600, in which year it was printed. See An Attempt to ascertain the Order of Shakspeare's Plays, Vol. I. MALONE.

ACT I. SCENE I.

Before LEONATO's Houfe.

Enter LEONA TU, HERO, BEATRICE, and Others, tik a Meffenger.

Leon. I learn in this letter, that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this night to Meflina.

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

Lean. How many gentlemen have you loft in this action? Me. But few of any fort, and none of name.

Leon. A victory is twice itfelf, when the atchiever brings home full numbers. I find here, that Don Pedro hath bestowed much honour on a young Florentine, called Claudio.

Me. Much deferved on his part, and equally remember'd by Don Pedro: He hath borne himfelf beyond the pro mife of his age: doing, in the figure of a la nb, the feats of a lion: he hath, indeed, better better'd expectation, than you muit· expect of me to tell you how.

Leon. He hath an uncle here in Meffina will be very much glad of it.

Me. I have already delivered him letters, and there appears much joy in him; even fo much, that joy could not fhow itself modeft enough, without a badge of bitterness.3

B 3

Leon.

2 Sort is rank, diftinction. I incline, however, to Mr. M. Mason's easier explanation. Of any fort, fays he, means of any kind whatsoever.

STEEVENS.

3 This is judiciously expreffed. Of all the tranfports of joy, that which is attended with tears is leaft offenfive; becaufe, carrying with it this mark of pain, it allays the envy that ufually attends another's happinefs. This he finely calls a modeft joy, such a one as did not infult the obferver by an indication of happiness unmixed with pain.

WARBURTON..

A badge being the diftinguishing mark worn in our author's time by the fervants of noblemen, &c. on the fleeve of their liveries, with his ufual licence he employs the words to fignify a mark or token in general. MALONE.

Leon. Did he break out into tears?

Mef. In

great measure.4

Leon. A kind overflow of kindnefs: There are no faces truer 5 than thofe that are fo wafhed. How much better is it to weep at joy, than to joy at weeping?

6

Beat. I pray you, is fignior Montanto returned from the wars, or no?

Me. I know none of that name, lady; there was none fuch in the army of any fort.7

Leon. What is he that you ask for, niece?

Hero. My coufin means fignior Benedick of Padua.

Meff. O, he is returned; and as pleafant as ever he was. Beat. He fet up his bills here in Meffina, and challenged Cupid at the flight and my uncle's fool, reading the challenge, fubfcribed for Cupid, and challenged him at the birdbolt.I pray you, how many hath he killed and eaten in

4 i. e. in abundance. STEEVENS.

5 That is, none bonefter, none more fincere. JOHNSON.

thefe

is fignior Montanto returned-] Mentante, in Spanish, is a buge two-banded fwerd, [a title] given, with much humour, to one [whom] the fpeaker would reprefent as a boafter or bravado. WARBURTON. Montanto was one of the ancient terms of the fencing-school.

STEEVENS. 7 Not meaning there was none fuch of any order or degree whatever, but that there was none fuch of any quality above the common.

WARBURTON, 8 Beatrice means, that Benedick published a general challenge, like a prize-fighter. STEEVENS.

9 Flight (as Mr. Douce obferves to me) does not here mean an arrow, but a fort of shooting called roving, or shooting at long lengths. The arrows ufed at this fport are called fight arrows, as were those used in battle for great diftances. STEEVENS.

2 The bird-bolt is a fhort thick arrow without a point, and spreading at the extremity so much, as to leave a flat furface, about the breadth of a fhilling. Such are to this day in ufe to kill rooks with, and are shot from a crofs bow. STEEVENS.

The meaning of the whole is-Benedick, from a vain conceit of his influence over women, challenged Cupid at roving (a particular kind of archery, in which flight-arrows are ufed.) In other words, he challenged him to foot at bearts. The fool, to ridicule this piece of vanity, in his turn challenged Benedick to shoot at crows with the cross-bow and birdbolt; an inferior kind of archery ufed by fools, who, for obvious reafons, were not permitted to shoot with pointed arrows: Whence the proverb-" A fool's bolt is foon fhot." DOUCE..

thefe wars? But how many hath he killed? for, indeed, I promifed to eat all of his killing.

Leon. Faith, niece, you tax fignior Benedick too much;' but he'll be meet with you, I doubt it not.

Meff. He hath done good fervice, lady, in thefe wars.

Beat. You had mufty victual, and he hath holp to at it :he is a very valiant trencher-man, he hath an excellent ftomach.

Meff. And a good foldier too, lady,

Beat. And a good foldier to a lady ;-But what is he to a lord?

Meff. A lord to a lord, a man to a man; ftuffed with allhonourable virtues.4

Beat. It is fo, indeed; he is no lefs than a ftuffed man: but for the ftuffing,-Well, we are all mortal."

Leon. You must not, fir, miftake my niece: there is a kind of merry war betwixt fignior Benedick and her: they never meet, but there is a fkirmish of wit between them. Beat. Alas, he gets nothing by that. In our laft conflict, four of his five wits went halting off, and now is the whole man governed with one: fo that if he have wit enough to keep himself warm, let him bear it for a difference between himself and his horse; 7 for it is all the wealth he hath left, to be known a reafonable creature.- Who is his companion now? He hath every month a new fworn brother.

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3 This is a very common expreffion in the midland counties, and fignifies be'll be your match, he'll be even with you.

STEEVENS,

4 Stuffed, in this first inftance, has no ridiculous meaning, Un homme bien etoffé, fignifies, in French, a man in good circumstances.

STEEVENS.

5 Beatrice starts an idea at the words ftuff'd man; and prudently checks herself in the purfuit of it. A ftuff'd man was one of the many cant phrafes for a cuckold. FARMER.

6 In our author's time wit was the general term for intellectual powers.

The zuits feem to have been reckoned five, by analogy to the five fenfes, or the five inlets of ideas. JOHNSON.

7 Such a one has wit enough to keep himself warm, is a proverbial expreffion. To bear any thing for a difference, is a term in heraldry. So, in Hamlet, Ophelia fays:

66 -you may wear your rue with a difference." STEEVENS. ➡sworn brother.] i. e. one with whom he hath fworn (as was

Me. Is it poffible?

Beat. Very easily poffible: he wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat, it ever changes with the next block.

Meff. I fee, lady, the gentleman is not in your books. Beat. No: an he were, I would burn my ftudy. But, I pray you, who is his companion? Is there no young squarer now, that will make a voyage with him to the devil?

2

Me. He is moft in the company of the right noble Claudio. Beat. O Lord! he will hang upon him like a disease: he is fooner caught than the peftilence, and the taker runs prefently mad. God help the noble Claudio! if he have caught the. Benedick, it will coft him a thoufand pound ere he be cured. Me. I will hold friends with you, lady.

Beat. Do, good friend.

Leon. You will never run mad, niece,

Beat. No, not till a hot January.

Me. Don Pedro is approach'd.

ever? OTT

Enter Don PEDRO, attended by BALTHAZAR and others; Don JOHN, CLAUDIO, and BENEDICK.

D. Pedro. Good fignior Leonato, you are come to meet

anciently the custom among adventurers) to fhare fortunes.

your

STEEVENS.

7 Not religious profeffion, but profeffion of friendship; for the fpeaker gives it as the reafon of her afking, who was now his companion? that be bad every month a new fworn brother. WARBURTON.

8 A block is the mould on which a hat is formed.

The old writers fometimes ufe the word block, for the hat itself.

STEEVENS.

9 This is a phrafe ufed, I believe, by more than understand it. To be in one's books is to be in one's codicils or will, to be among friends fet down for legacies. JOHNSON.

I rather think that the books alluded to, are memorandum-books, like the vifiting books of the present age. STEEVENS.

This phrafe has not been exactly interpreted. To be in a man's books, originally meant to be in the lift of his retainers. Sir John Mandeville tells us, "alle the mynftrelles that comen before the great Chan ben witholden with him, as of his houfhold, and entred in his bookes, as for his own men." FARMER.

A fervant and a lover were in Cupid's Vocabulary, fynonymous. Hence perhaps the phrafe to be in a perfon's books-was applied equally to the lover and the menial attendant. MALONE.

2 Ajquarer I take to be a cholerick, quarrel fome fellow, for in this fenfe Shakspeare ufes the word to fquare. So the fenfe may be, Is there

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