879To slander Musicke any more then once.

880Prince. It is the witnesse still of excellencie,

881To put a strange face on his owne perfection,

882I pray thee sing, and let me woe no more.

883Balth. Because you talke of wooing, I will sing,

884Since many a wooer doth commence his suit,

885To her he thinkes not worthy, yet he wooes,

886Yet will he sweare he loues.

887Prince. Nay pray thee come,

888Or if thou wilt hold longer argument,

889Doe it in notes.

890Balth. Note this before my notes,

891Theres not a note of mine that's worth the noting.

892Prince. Why these are very crotchets that he speaks,

893Note notes forsooth, and nothing.

894Bene. Now diuine aire, now is his soule rauisht, is it

895not strange that sheepes guts should hale soules out of

896mens bodies? well, a horne for my money when all's

897done.

912Prince. By my troth a good song.

913Balth. And an ill singer, my Lord.

914Prince. Ha, no, no faith, thou singst well enough for a

915shift.

916Ben. And he had been a dog that should haue howld

917thus, they would haue hang'd him, and I pray God his

918bad voyce bode no mischiefe, I had as liefe haue heard

919the night-rauen, come what plague could haue come af-

920ter it.

921Prince. Yea marry, dost thou heare Balthasar? I pray

922thee get vs some excellent musick: for to morrow night

923we would haue it at the Lady Heroes chamber window.

924Balth. The best I can, my Lord. Exit Balthasar.

925Prince. Do so, farewell. Come hither Leonato, what

926was it you told me of to day, that your Niece Beatrice

927was in loue with signior Benedicke?

928Cla. O I, stalke on, stalke on, the foule sits. I did ne-

929uer thinke that Lady would haue loued any man.

930Leon. No, nor I neither, but most wonderful, that she

931should so dote on Signior Benedicke, whom shee hath in

932all outward behauiours seemed euer to abhorre.

933Bene. Is't possible? sits the winde in that corner?

934Leo. By my troth my Lord, I cannot tell what to

935thinke of it, but that she loues him with an inraged affe-

936ction, it is past the infinite of thought.

937Prince. May be she doth but counterfeit.

938Claud. Faith like enough.

939Leon. O God! counterfeit? there was neuer counter-

940feit of passion, came so neere the life of passion as she dis-

941couers it.

942Prince. Why what effects of passion shewes she?

943Claud. Baite the hooke well, this fish will bite.

944Leon. What effects my Lord? shee will sit you, you

945heard my daughter tell you how.

946Clau. She did indeed.

947Prin. How, how I pray you? you amaze me, I would

948haue thought her spirit had beene inuincible against all

949assaults of affection.

950Leo. I would haue sworne it had, my Lord, especially

951against Benedicke.

952Bene. I should thinke this a gull, but that the white-

953bearded fellow speakes it: knauery cannot sure hide

954himselfe in such reuerence.

955Claud. He hath tane th'infection, hold it vp.

956Prince. Hath shee made her affection known to Bene-

957dicke?

958Leonato. No, and sweares she neuer will, that's her

959torment.

960Claud. 'Tis true indeed, so your daughter saies: shall

961I, saies she, that haue so oft encountred him with scorne,

962write to him that I loue him?

963Leo. This saies shee now when shee is beginning to

964write to him, for shee'll be vp twenty times a night, and

965there will she sit in her smocke, till she haue writ a sheet

966of paper: my daughter tells vs all.

967Clau. Now you talke of a sheet of paper, I remember

968a pretty iest your daughter told vs of.

969Leon. O when she had writ it, & was reading it ouer,

970she found Benedicke and Beatrice betweene the sheete.

971Clau. That.

972Leon. O she tore the letter into a thousand halfpence,

973raild at her self, that she should be so immodest to write,

974to one that shee knew would flout her: I measure him,

975saies she, by my owne spirit, for I should flout him if hee

976writ to mee, yea though I loue him, I should.

977Clau. Then downe vpon her knees she falls, weepes,

978sobs, beates her heart, teares her hayre, praies, curses, O

979sweet Benedicke, God giue me patience.

980Leon. She doth indeed, my daughter saies so, and the

981extasie hath so much ouerborne her, that my daughter is

982somtime afeard she will doe a desperate out-rage to her

983selfe, it is very true.

984Princ. It were good that Benedicke knew of it by some

985other, if she will not discouer it.

986Clau. To what end? he would but make a sport of it,

987and torment the poore Lady worse.

988Prin. And he should, it were an almes to hang him,

989shee's an excellent sweet Lady, and (out of all suspition,)

990she is vertuous.

991Claudio. And she is exceeding wise.

992Prince. In euery thing, but in louing Benedicke.

993Leon. O my Lord, wisedome and bloud combating in

994so tender a body, we haue ten proofes to one, that bloud

995hath the victory, I am sorry for her, as I haue iust cause,

996being her Vncle, and her Guardian.

997Prince. I would shee had bestowed this dotage on

998mee, I would haue daft all other respects, and made her

999halfe my selfe: I pray you tell Benedicke of it, and heare

1000what he will say.

1001Leon. Were it good thinke you?

1002Clau. Hero thinkes surely she wil die, for she saies she

1003will die, if hee loue her not, and shee will die ere shee

1004make her loue knowne, and she will die if hee wooe her,

1005rather than shee will bate one breath of her accustomed

1006crossenesse.

1007Prin. She doth well, if she should make tender of her