749married, they would talke them
selues madde.
750Prince. Counte
Claudio, when meane you to goe to
752Clau. To morrow my Lord, Time goes on crutches,
753till Loue haue all his rites.
754Leonata. Not till monday, my deare
sonne, which is
755hence a iu
st seuen night, and a time too briefe too, to haue
756all things an
swer minde.
757Prince. Come, you
shake the head at
so long a brea
- 758thing, but I warrant thee
Claudio, the time
shall not goe
759dully by vs, I will in the
interim, vndertake one of
Her- 760cules labors, which is, to bring Signior
Benedicke and the
761Lady
Beatrice into a mountaine of a
ffe
ction, th'one with
762th'other, I would faine haue it a match, and I doubt not
763but to fa
shion it, if you three will but mini
ster
such a
ssi- 764stance as I
shall giue you dire
ction.
765Leonata. My Lord, I am for you, though it co
st mee
768Prin. And you to gentle
Hero?
769Hero. I will doe any mode
st o
ffice, my Lord, to helpe
770my co
sin to a good husband.
771Prin. And
Benedick is not the vnhopefulle
st husband
772that I know: thus farre can I prai
se him, hee is of a noble
773straine, of approued valour, and con
firm'd hone
sty, I will
774teach you how to humour your co
sin, that
shee
shall fall
775in loue with
Benedicke, and I, with your two helpes, will
776so pra
cti
se on
Benedicke, that in de
spight of his quicke
777wit, and his quea
sie
stomacke, hee
shall fall in loue with
778Beatrice: if wee can doe this,
Cupid is no longer an Ar
- 779cher, his glory
shall be ours, for wee are the onely loue
- 780gods, goe in with me, and I will tell you my drift.
Exit. 781 Enter Iohn and Borachio. 782Ioh. It is
so, the Count
Claudio shal marry the daugh
- 784Bora. Yea my Lord, but I can cro
sse it.
785Iohn. Any barre, any cro
sse, any impediment, will be
786medicinable to me, I am
sicke in di
splea
sure to him, and
787what
soeuer comes athwart his a
ffe
ction, ranges euenly
788with mine, how can
st thou cro
sse this marriage?
789Bor. Not hone
stly my Lord, but
so couertly, that no
790di
shone
sty
shall appeare in me.
791Iohn. Shew me breefely how.
792Bor. I thinke I told your Lord
ship a yeere
since, how
793much I am in the fauour of
Margaret, the waiting gentle
- 796Bor. I can at any vn
sea
sonable in
stant of the night,
797appoint her to look out at her Ladies chamber window.
798Iohn. What life is in that, to be the death of this mar
- 800Bor. The poy
son of that lies in you to temper, goe
801you to the Prince your brother,
spare not to tell him, that
802hee hath wronged his Honor in marrying the renowned
803Claudio, who
se e
stimation do you mightily hold vp, to a
804contaminated
stale,
such a one as
Hero.
805Iohn. What proofe
shall I make of that?
806Bor. Proofe enough, to mi
su
se the Prince, to vexe
807Claudio, to vndoe
Hero, and kill
Leonato, looke you for a
- 809Iohn. Onely to de
spight them, I will endeauour any
811Bor. Goe then,
finde me a meete howre, to draw on
812Pedro and the Count
Claudio alone, tell them that you
813know that
Hero loues me, intend a kinde of zeale both
814to the Prince and
Claudio (as in a loue of your brothers
815honor who hath made this match) and his friends repu
- 816tation, who is thus like to be co
sen'd with the
semblance
817of a maid, that you haue di
scouer'd thus: they will
scarce
- 818ly beleeue this without triall: o
ffer them in
stances which
819shall beare no le
sse likelihood, than to
see mee at her
820chamber window, heare me call
Margaret,
Hero; heare
821Margaret terme me
Claudio, and bring them to
see this
822the very night before the intended wedding, for in the
823meane time, I will
so fa
shion the matter, that
Hero shall
824be ab
sent, and there
shall appeare
such
seeming truths of
825Heroes di
sloyaltie, that iealou
sie
shall be cal'd a
ssurance,
826and all the preparation ouerthrowne.
827Iohn. Grow this to what aduer
se i
ssue it can, I will
828put it in pra
cti
se: be cunning in the working this, and
829thy fee is a thou
sand ducates.
830Bor. Be thou con
stant in the accu
sation, and my cun
- 831ning
shall not
shame me.
832Iohn. I will pre
sentlie goe learne their day of marri
-
834 Enter Benedicke alone. 837Bene. In my chamber window lies a booke, bring it
838hither to me in the orchard.
839Boy. I am heere already
sir.
Exit. 840Bene. I know that, but I would haue thee hence, and
841heere againe. I doe much wonder, that one man
seeing
842how much another man is a foole, when he dedicates his
843behauiours to loue, will after hee hath laught at
such
844shallow follies in others, become the argument of his
845owne
scorne, by falling in loue, &
such a man is
Claudio,
846I haue known when there was no mu
sicke with him but
847the drum and the
fife, and now had hee rather heare the
848taber and the pipe: I haue knowne when he would haue
849walkt ten mile afoot, to
see a good armor, and now will
850he lie ten nights awake caruing the fa
shion of a new dub
- 851let: he was wont to
speake plaine, & to the purpo
se (like
852an hone
st man & a
souldier) and now is he turn'd ortho
- 853graphy, his words are a very fanta
sticall banquet, iu
st so
854many
strange di
shes: may I be
so conuerted, &
see with
855the
se eyes? I cannot tell, I thinke not: I will not bee
856sworne, but loue may transforme me to an oy
ster, but Ile
857take my oath on it, till he haue made an oy
ster of me, he
858shall neuer make me
such a foole: one woman is faire, yet
859I am well: another is wi
se, yet I am well: another vertu
- 860ous, yet I am well: but till all graces be in one woman,
861one woman
shall not come in my grace: rich
shee
shall
862be, that's certaine: wi
se, or Ile none: vertuous, or Ile ne
- 863uer cheapen her: faire, or Ile neuer looke on her: milde,
864or come not neere me: Noble, or not for an Angell: of
865good di
scour
se: an excellent Mu
sitian, and her haire
shal
866be of what colour it plea
se God, hah! the Prince and
867Mon
sieur Loue, I will hide me in the Arbor.
868 Enter Prince, Leonato, Claudio, and Iacke Wilson. 869Prin. Come,
shall we heare this mu
sicke?
870Claud. Yea my good Lord: how
still the euening is,
871As hu
sht on purpo
se to grace harmonie.
872Prin. See you where
Benedicke hath hid him
selfe?
873Clau. O very well my Lord: the mu
sicke ended,
874Wee'll
fit the kid-foxe with a penny worth.
875Prince. Come
Balthasar, wee'll heare that
song again.
876Balth. O good my Lord, taxe not
so bad a voyce,
877To
slander mu
sicke any more then once.
878Prin. It is the witne
sse
still of excellency,
To