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Shakespeare on Stage
Folger Shakespeare Library, Twelfth Night. To Jun. 9, 2013.
American Shakespeare Center, The Duchess of Malfi. To Jun. 15, 2013.
American Shakespeare Center, Love's Labour's Lost. To Jun. 15, 2013.
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Much Ado About Nothing (Quarto 1, 1600)

Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: Grechen Minton
Not Peer Reviewed
Much adoe
905Conuerting all your soundes of woe,
Into hey nony nony.

Sing no more ditties, sing no moe,
Of dumps so dull and heauy,
The fraud of men was euer so,
910Since summer first was leauy,
Then sigh not so, &c.

Prince By my troth a good song.
Balth. And an ill singer my lord.
Prince Ha, no no faith, thou singst wel enough for a shift.
Ben. And he had bin a dog that should haue howld thus,
they would haue hangd him, and I pray God his bad voice
bode no mischeefe, I had as liue haue heard the night-rauen,
come what plague could haue come after it.
Prince Yea mary, doost thou heare Balthasar? I pray thee
get vs some excellent musique: for to morow night we would
haue it at the ladie Heroes chamber window.
Balth. The best I can my lord.
Exit Balthasar.
925Prince Do so, farewell. Come hither Leonato, what was
it you told mee of to day, that your niece Beatrice was in loue
with signior Benedicke?
Cla. O I, stalke on, stalk on, the foule sits. I did neuer think
that lady would haue loued any man.
930Leo. No nor I neither, but most wonderful, that she should
so dote on signior Benedicke, whome she hath in all outward
behauiors seemd euer to abhorre.
Bene. Ist possible? sits the wind in that corner?
Leo. By my troth my Lord, I cannot tell what to thinke of
935it, but that she loues him with an inraged affection, it is past the
infinite of thought.
Prince May be she doth but counterfeit.
Claud. Faith like enough.
Leon. O God! counterfeit? there was neuer counterfeit of
940passion, came so neare the life of passion as she discouers it.
Prince