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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    Not Peer Reviewed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.
    Prince Why what effects of passion shewes she?
    Claud. Baite the hooke wel, this fish will bite.
    Leon. What effects my Lord? she wil sit you, you heard my
    945daughter tell you how.
    Claud. She did indeede.
    Prince How, how I pray you! you amaze me, I would haue
    thought her spirite had beene inuincible against all assaults of
    affection.
    950Leo. I would haue sworn it had, my lord, especially against
    Benedicke.
    Bene. I should think this a gull, but that the white bearded
    fellow speakes it: knauery cannot sure hide himself in such re-
    uerence.
    955Claud. He hath tane th'infection, hold it vp.
    Prince Hath shee made her affection knowne to Bene-
    dicke?
    Leonato No, and sweares shee neuer will, thats her tor-
    ment.
    960Claudio Tis true indeed, so your daughter saies: shall I, saies
    she, that haue so oft encountred him with scorne, write to him
    that I loue him?
    Leo. This saies she now when she is beginning to write to
    him, for sheel be vp twenty times a night, and there will she sit
    965in her smocke, til she haue writ a sheete of paper: my daughter
    tels vs all.
    Clau. Now you talk of a sheet of paper, I remember a prety
    iest your daughter told of vs.
    Leonato O when she had writ it, and was reading it ouer, she
    970found Benedicke and Beatrice betweene the sheete.
    Claudio That.
    Leon. O she tore the letter into a thousand halfpence, raild
    at her self, that she should be so immodest to write, to one that
    she knew would flout her, I measure him, saies she, by my own
    975spirit, for I should flout him, if he writ to me, yea thogh I loue
    him I should.
    Clau. Then downe vpon her knees she falls, weepes, sobs,
    beates her heart, teares her haire, prayes, curses, O sweet Bene-
    D2 dicke,