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  • Title: Much Ado About Nothing (Quarto 1, 1600)
  • Editor: Gretchen Minton
  • ISBN: 978-1-55058-516-2

    Copyright Gretchen Minton. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Editor: Gretchen Minton
    Not Peer Reviewed

    Much Ado About Nothing (Quarto 1, 1600)

    about Nothing.
    Beat. Speake cosin, or (if you cannot) stop his mouth with a
    710kisse, and let not him speake neither.
    Pedro Infaith lady you haue a merry heart.
    Beatr. Yea my lord I thanke it, poore foole it keepes on the
    windy side of Care, my coosin tells him in his eare that he is in
    her heart
    715Clau. And so she doth coosin.
    Beat. Good Lord for aliance: thus goes euery one to the
    world but I, and I am sun-burnt, I may sit in a corner and crie,
    heigh ho for a husband.
    Pedro Lady Beatrice, I will get you one.
    720Beat. I would rather haue one of your fathers getting: hath
    your grace ne're a brother like you? your father got excellent
    husbands if a maide coulde come by them.
    Prince Will you haue me? lady.
    Beatr. No my lord, vnles I might haue another for work-
    725ing-daies, your grace is too costly to weare euery day: but I
    beseech your grace pardon me, I was born to speake all mirth,
    and no matter.
    Prince Your silence most offends me, and to be merry, best
    becomes you, for out a question, you were borne in a merry
    730hower.
    Beatr. No sure my lord, my mother cried, but then there
    was a starre daunst, and vnder that was I borne, cosins God
    giue you ioy.
    Leonato Neece, will you looke to those things I tolde you
    735of?
    Beat I crie you mercy vncle, by your graces pardon.
    exit Beatrice.
    Prince By my troth a pleasant spirited lady.
    Leon. Theres little of the melancholy element in her my
    740lord, she is neuer sad, but when she sleeps, & not euer sad then:
    for I haue heard my daughter say, she hath often dreampt of
    vnhappines, and wakt her selfe with laughing.
    Pedro She cannot indure to heare tell of a husband.
    745Leonato O by no meanes, she mockes al her wooers out of
    sute.
    C3 Prince