55I Learne in this letter, that don Peter of Arragon

66comes this night to Messina.

77Mess. He is very neare by this, he was not three

88leagues off when I left him.

99Leona. How many gentlemen haue you lost in this action?

1110Mess. But few of any sort, and none of name.

1211Leona. A victory is twice it selfe, when the atchiuer brings

1312home ful numbers: I find here, that don Peter hath bestowed

1413much honour on a yong Florentine called Claudio.

1614Mess. Much deseru'd on his part, and equally remembred

1715by don Pedro, he hath borne himselfe beyond the promise of

1816his age, doing in the figure of a lamb, the feats of a lion, he hath

1917indeed better bettred expectation then you must expect of me

2018to tell you how.

2119Leo. He hath an vnckle here in Messina will be very much

2220glad of it.

2321Mess. I haue already deliuered him letters, and there ap-

2422peares much ioy in him, euen so much, that ioy could not shew

2523itselfe modest enough, without a badge of bitternesse.

2724Leo. Did he breake out into teares?

2825Mess. In great measure.

A2

2926Leo. A kind ouerflow of kindnesse, there are no faces truer

3027then those that are so washt, how much better is it to weepe at

3128ioy, then to ioy at weeping?

3229Beatr. I pray you, is Signior Mountanto returnd from the

3330warres or no?

3431Messen. I know none of that name, ladie, there was none

3532such in the army of any sort.

3633Leonato What is he that you aske for neece?

3734Hero My cosen meanes Signior Benedicke of Padua.

3835Mess. O hee's returnd, and as pleasant as euer he was.

3936Bea. He set vp his bills here in Messina, and challengde

4037Cupid at the Flight, and my vncles foole reading the chalenge

4138subscribde for Cupid, and challengde him at the Burbolt: I

4239pray you, how many hath he kild and eaten in these warres?

4340but how many hath he kild? for indeede I promised to eate all

4441of his killing.

4542Leo. Faith neece you taxe Signior Benedicke too much,

4643but heele be meet with you, I doubt it not.

4744Mess. He hath done good seruice lady in these warres.

4845Beat. You had musty vittaile, and he hath holpe to eate it,

4946he is a very valiaunt trencher man, he hath an excellent sto-

5047macke.

5148Mess. And a good souldier too, lady.

5249Beat. And a good souldiour to a Lady, but what is he to a

5350Lord?

5451Mess. A lord to a lord, a man to a man, stufft with al hono-

5552rable vertues.

5653Beat. It is so indeed, he is no lesse then a stuft man, but for

5754the stuffing wel, we are al mortall.

5855Leo. You must not, sir, mistake my neece, there is a kind

5956of mery warre betwixt Signior Benedicke and her, they neuer

6057meet but there's a skirmish of wit betweene them.

6258Beat. Alas he gets nothing by that, in our last conflict, 4 of his

6359fiue wits went halting off, and now is the whole man gouernd

6460with one, so that if he haue wit enough to keep himself warm,

6561let him beare it for a difference between himself and his horse,

6662for it is all the wealth that he hath left, to be known a reasona-

6863ble creature, who is his companion now? he hath euery month

6964a new sworne brother.

7065Mess. Ist possible?

7166Beat. Very easily possible, he weares his faith but as the fa-

7267shion of his hat, it euer changes with the next blocke.

7368Mess. I see lady the gentleman is not in your bookes.

7569Beat. No, and he were, I would burne my study, but I pray

7670you who is his companion? is there no yong squarer now that

7771will make a voyage with him to the diuell?

7972Mess. He is most in the companie of the right noble Clau-

8073dio.

8174Beat. O Lord, he will hang vpon him like a disease, hee is

8275sooner caught than the pestilence, and the taker runs present-

8376ly madde, God help the noble Claudio, if he haue caught the

8477Benedict, it will cost him a thousand pound ere a be cured.

8678Mess. I will holde friends with you Ladie.

8779Beat. Do good friend.

8880Leon. You will neuer runne madde niece.

8981Beat. No, not till a hote Ianuary.

9082Mess. Don Pedro is approacht.

9385Pedro Good signior Leonato, are you come to meet your

9486trouble: the fashion of the world is, to auoyd cost, and you in-

9587counter it.

9688Leon. Neuer came trouble to my house, in the likenesse of

9789your grace, for trouble being gone, comfort should remaine:

9890but when you depart from mee, sorrow abides, and happines

9991takes his leaue.

10092Pedro You embrace your charge too willingly: I thincke

10193this is your daughter.

10294Leonato Her mother hath many times tolde me so.

10395Bened. Were you in doubt sir that you askt her?

10496Leonato Signior Benedicke, no, for then were you a child.

10697Pedro You haue it full Benedicke, wee may ghesse by this,

10798what you are, being a man, truely the Lady fathers her selfe:

A3 be

10899be happy Lady, for you are like an honourable father.

110100Be. If Signior Leonato be her father, she would not haue

111101his head on her shoulders for all Messina as like him as she is.

113102Beat. I wonder that you will still be talking, signior Bene-

114103dicke, no body markes you.

115104Bene. What my deere lady Disdaine! are you yet liuing?

117105Bea. Is it possible Disdaine should die, while she hath such

118106meete foode to feede it, as signior Benedicke? Curtesie it selfe

119107must conuert to Disdaine, if you come in her presence.

121108Bene. Then is curtesie a turne-coate, but it is certaine I am

122109loued of all Ladies, onelie you excepted: and I would I could

123110finde in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for truely I loue

124111none.

125112Beat. A deere happinesse to women, they would else haue

126113beene troubled with a pernitious suter, I thanke God and my

127114cold blood, I am of your humour for that, I had rather heare

128115my dog barke at a crow, than a man sweare he loues me.

130116Bene. God keepe your Ladiship stil in that mind, so some

131117Gentleman or other shall scape a predestinate scratcht face.

133118Beat. Scratching could not make it worse, and twere such

134119a face as yours were.

135120Bene. Well, you are a rare parrat teacher.

136121Beat. A bird of my tongue, is better than a beast of yours.

138122Ben. I would my horse had the speed of your tongue, and

139123so good a continuer, but keep your way a Gods name, I haue

140124done.

141125Beat. You alwayes end with a iades tricke, I knowe you of

142126olde.

143127Pedro That is the summe of all: Leonato, signior Claudio,

144128and signior Benedicke, my deere friend Leonato, hath inuited

145129you all, I tell him we shall stay here, at the least a moneth, and

146130he heartily praies some occasion may detaine vs longer, I dare

147131sweare he is no hypocrite, but praies from his heart.

149132Leon. If you sweare, my lord, you shall not be forsworne,

150133let mee bidde you welcome, my lord, being reconciled to the

151134Prince your brother: I owe you all duetie.

153135Iohn I thanke you, I am not of many wordes, but I thanke

154136you

155137Leon. Please it your grace leade on?

156138Pedro Your hand Leonato, we wil go together.

158140Clau. Benedicke, didst thou note the daughter of Signior (Leonato?

160141Bene. I noted her not, but I lookte on her,

161142Clau. Is she not a modest yong ladie?

162143Bene. Do you question me as an honest man should doe,

163144for my simple true iudgement? or would you haue me speake

164145after my custome, as being a professed tyrant to their sex?

166146Claudio No, I pray thee speake in sober iudgement.

167147Bene. Why yfaith me thinks shees too low for a hie praise,

168148too browne for a faire praise, and too litle for a great praise, on-

169149lie this commendation I can affoord her, that were shee other

170150then she is, she were vnhansome, and being no other, but as she

171151is, I do not like her.

172152Claudio Thou thinkest I am in sport, I pray thee tell mee

173153truelie how thou lik'st her.

174154Bene. Would you buie her that you enquier after her?

176155Claudio Can the world buie such a iewel?

177156Bene. Yea, and a case to putte it into, but speake you this

178157with a sad brow? or doe you play the flowting iacke, to tell vs

179158Cupid is a good Hare-finder, and Vulcan a rare Carpenter:

180159Come, in what key shall a man take you to go in the song?

182160Claudio In mine eie, shee is the sweetest Ladie that euer I

183161lookt on.

184162Bened. I can see yet without spectacles, and I see no such

185163matter: theres her cosin, and she were not possest with a fury,

186164exceedes her as much in beautie, as the first of Maie dooth the

187165last of December: but I hope you haue no intent to turne hus-

188166band, haue you?

189167Claudio I would scarce trust my selfe, though I had sworne

190168the contrarie, if Hero would be my wife.

191169Bened. Ist come to this? in faith hath not the worlde one

192170man but he will weare his cappe with suspition? shall I neuer

193171see a batcheller of three score againe? go to yfaith, and thou wilt

194172needes thrust thy necke into a yoke, weare the print of it, and

195173sigh away sundaies: looke, don Pedro is returned to seeke you.

A4 Enter

198175Pedro What secret hath held you here, that you followed

199176not to Leonatoes?

200177Bene. I would your Grace would constraine me to tell.

202178Pedro I charge thee on thy allegeance.

203179Ben. You heare, Count Claudio, I can be secret as a dumb

204180man, I woulde haue you thinke so (but on my allegiance,

205181marke you this, on my allegiance) he is in loue, with who? now

206182that is your Graces part: marke how short his answer is, with

207183Hero Leonatoes short daughter.

209184Clau. If this were so, so were it vttred.

210185Bened. Like the olde tale, my Lord, it is not so, nor twas

211186not so: but indeede, God forbid it should be so.

212187Claudio If my passion change not shortly, God forbid it

213188should be otherwise.

214189Pedro Amen, if you loue her, for the Lady is very well

215190worthy.

216191Claudio You speake this to fetch me in, my Lord.

217192Pedro By my troth I speake my thought.

218193Claudio And in faith, my Lord, I spoke mine.

219194Bened. And by my two faiths and troths, my Lorde, I

220195spoke mine.

221196Clau. That I loue her, I feele.

222197Pedro That she is worthy, I know.

223198Bened. That I neither feele how she should be loued, nor

224199know how she should be worthie,

is the opinion that fire can

225200not melt out of me, I will die in it at the stake.

227201Pedro Thou wast euer an obstinate heretique in the de-

228202spight of Beauty.

229203Clau. And neuer could maintaine his part, but in the force

230204of his wil.

231205Bene. That a woman conceiued me, I thanke her: that she

232206brought me vp, I likewise giue her most humble thankes: but

233207that I will haue a rechate winded in my forehead, or hang my

234208bugle in an inuisible baldricke, all women shall pardon mee:

235209because I will not doe them the wrong to mistrust any, I will

236210doe my selfe the right to trust none: and the fine is, (for the

237211which I may go the finer,) I will liue a bacheller.

239212Pedro I shall see thee ere I die, looke pale with loue.

240213Bene. With anger, with sickenesse, or with hunger, my

241214Lord, not with loue: proue that euer I loose more blood with

242215loue then I will get againe with drinking, picke out mine eies

243216with a Ballad-makers penne, and hang me vp at the doore of a

244217brothel house for the signe of blinde Cupid.

246218Pedro Well, if euer thou dost fall from this faith, thou wilt

247219prooue a notable argument.

248220Bene. If I do, hang me in a bottle like a Cat, and shoote at

249221me, and he that hits me, let him be clapt on the shoulder, and

250222calld Adam.

251223Pedro Well, as time shal trie: in time the sauage bull doth

252224beare the yoake.

253225Bene. The sauage bull may, but if euer the sensible Bene-

254226dicke beare it, plucke off the bulls hornes, and set them in my

255227forehead, and let me be vildly painted, and in such great let-

256228ters as they write, here is good horse to hyre: let them signi-

257229fie vnder my signe, here you may see Benedicke the married

258230man.

259231Claudio If this should euer happen, thou wouldst be horn

260232madde.

261233Pedro Nay, if Cupid haue not spent all his quiuer in Venice,

262234thou wilt quake for this shortly.

263235Bened. I looke for an earthquake too then.

264236Pedro Well, you will temporize with the howres, in the

265237meane time, good signior Benedicke, repaire to Leonatoes,

266238commend me to him, and tell him I will not faile him at sup-

267239per, for indeede he hath made great preparation.

269240Bened. I haue almost matter enough in mee for suche an

270241Embassage, and so I commit you.

271242Clau. To the tuition of God: from my house if I had it.

273243Pedro The sixt of Iuly: your louing friend Benedicke.

274244Bened. Nay mocke not, mocke not, the body of your dis-

275245course is sometime guarded with fragments, and the guardes

276246are but slightly basted on neither, ere you flowt old ends any

277247further, examine your conscience, and so I leaue you.

B1 Claudio

279248Claudio My liege, your Highnesse nowe may doe mee

280249good.

281250Pedro My loue is thine to teach, teach it but how,

282251And thou shalt see how apt it is to learne

283252Any hard lesson that may do thee good.

284253Clau. Hath Leonato any sonne, my lord?

285254Pedro No childe but Hero, shees his onely heire:

286255Doost thou affect her Claudio?

287256Claudio O my lord,

288257When you went onward on this ended action,

289258I lookt vpon her with a souldiers eie,

290259That likt, but had a rougher taske in hand,

291260Than to driue liking to the name of loue:

292261But now I am returnde, and that warre-thoughts,

293262Haue left their places vacant: in their roomes,

294263Come thronging soft and delicate desires,

295264All prompting mee how faire yong Hero is,

296265Saying I likt her ere I went to warres.

297266Pedro Thou wilt be like a louer presently,

298267And tire the hearer with a booke of words,

299268If thou dost loue faire Hero, cherish it,

300269And I wil breake with hir, and with her father,

270And thou shalt haue her: wast not to this end,

301271That thou beganst to twist so fine a storie?

302272Clau. How sweetly you do minister to loue,

303273That know loues griefe by his complexion!

304274But lest my liking might too sodaine seeme,

305275I would haue salude it with a longer treatise.

306276Pedro What need the bridge much broder then the flood?

307277The fairest graunt is the necessitie:

308278Looke what wil serue is fit: tis once, thou louest,

309279And I wil fit thee with the remedie,

310280I know we shall haue reuelling to night,

311281I wil assume thy part in some disguise,

312282And tell faire Hero I am Claudio,

313283And in her bosome ile vnclaspe my heart,

314284And take her hearing prisoner with the force

315285And strong incounter of my amorous tale:

316286Then after, to her father will I breake,

317287And the conclusion is, she shal be thine,

318288In practise let vs put it presently.