Ant. If he could right himself with quarreling,
Some of us would lie low.
Claud. Who wrongs him?
Leon. Marry,

Thou, thou dost wrong me; thou dissembler,

as shall be proved upon thee by good witness.
I am a wise fellow; and, which is more, an of-
Acer; and, which is more, a householder; and,
which is more, as pretty a piece of flesh as any
is in Messina; and one, that knows the law, go
to; and a rich fellow enough, go to; and a fel-
low that hath had losses; and one that hath two
gowns, and every thing bandsome about him:-1
Bring him away. O that I had been writ down
[Exeunt.

-an ass.

ACT V.

SCENE 1.-Before LEONATO's House.

Enter LEONATO and ANTONIO.
Ant. If you go on thus, you will kill yourself;
And 'tis not wisdom, thus to second grief
Against yourself.

Leon. I pray thee, cease thy counsel,
Which falls into mine ears as profitless
As water in a sieve give not me counsel;
Nor let no comforter delight mine ear,
But such a one whose wrongs do snit with mine.
Bring me a father, that so lov'd his child,
Whose joy of her is overwhelm'd like mine,
And bid bim speak of patience;
Measure his woe the length and breadth
mine,

And let it answer every strain for strain;
As thus for thus, and such a grief for such,
In every lineament, branch, shape, and form 1
If such a one will smile, and stroke his beard;
Cry-sorrow, wag! and hem, when he should

at me:

I speak not like a dotard, nor a fool;
As, under privilege of age, to brag
What I have done being young, or what would
Were I not old: Know, Claudio, to thy head,
Thou hast so wrong'd mine innocent child and
That I am forc'd to lay my reverence by ;
And, with grey hairs, and bruise of many days,
Do challenge thee to trial of a man.

St

I say, thou hast belied mine innocent child;
Thy slander hath gone through and through her
And she lies buried with her ancestors: (beart,
Oh! in a tomb where never scandal slept,
Save this of her's fram'd by thy villany.
Claud. My villany!

Leon. Thine, Claudio; thine I say.
D. Pedro. You say not right, old man.
Leon. My lord, my lord,

of

I'll prove it on his body, if he dare?
Despite his nice fence, and his active practice,
His May of youth, and bloom of lustybood.
Claud. Away, I will not have to do with you.
Leon. Canst thou so daff me! Thos bast
kill'd my child;

If thou kill'st me, boy, thou shalt kill a iman.
Ant. He shall kill two of us, and Den indeed:
But that's no matter; let him kill one first;-
Win me and wear me,-let him answer me,-
Come, follow me, boy; come, boy, follow me
Sir boy, I'll whip you from your foining fence;
Nay, as I am a gentleman, I will.
Leon. Brother,-

Ant. Content yourself: God knows, I lov'd
my niece;

And she is dead, slander'd to death by villains;
That dare as well answer a man, indeed,
As I dare take a serpent by the tongue :
Boys, apes, braggards, Jacks, milksops -
Leon. Brother Antony,--

Ant. Hold you content: What, man! I knowW
them, yea,

groan ;

Patch grief with proverbs; make misfortune drunk

With candle-wasters; bring him yet to me,
And I of him will gather patience.

But there is no such man: For, brother, men
Can counsel, and speak comfort to that grief
Which they themselves not feel; but, tasting it,
Their counsel turns to passion, which before
Would give preceptial medicine to rage,
Fetter strong madness in a silken thread,
Charm ach with air, and agony with words;
No, no; 'tis all men's office to speak patieuce
To those that wring under the load of sorrow;
But no man's virtue, nor sufficiency,
To be so moral, when he shall endure
The like himself: therefore give me no counsel
My griefs cry louder than advertisement.
Ant. Therein do men from children nothing

differ.

thou:

Nay, never lay thy hand upon thy sword,
fear thee not.

My soul doth tell me, Hero is belied,
And that shall Claudio know, so shall the prince,
And all of them, that thus dishonour her.

Claud. Marry, beshrew my hand,

If it should give your age such cause of fear:
In faith, my hand meant nothing to my sword.
Leon. Tush, tush, man, never fleer and jest

Leon. I pray thee, peace: I will be flesh and
blood;

For there was never yet philosopher,
That could endure the tooth-ach patiently;
However they have writ the style of gods,
And made a pish at chance and sufferance.

Ant. Yet bend not all the harm upon yourself;
Make those, that do offend you, suffer too.
Leon. There thou speak'st reason: nay, I will
do so:

• Admonition.

Enter Don PEDRO and CLAUDIO. Ant. Here comes the prince, and Claudio, hastily.

And what they weigh, even to the stot
scruple :

Scambling, out-facing, fashion-mongʼring bors,
That lie, and cog, and float, deprave, d
Slander

Go antickly, and show outward hideous e,
And speak off half a dozen dangerous words,
How they might hurt their enemies if they darst
And this is all.

Leon. But, brother Antony,

Ant. Come, 'tis no matter;

Do not you meddle, let me deal in this.

D. Pedro. Gentlemen both, we will not make
your patience.

My heart is sorry for your daughter's death:
But, on my honour, she was charg'd wb mo-
thing

But what was true, and very full of proof,
Leon. My lord, my lord,-

D. Pedro. I will not hear you.
Leon. No?
Brother, away :-I will be heard ;-
Ant. And shall,

Or some of us will smart for it.

D. Pedro. Good den, good den.
Cland. Good day to both of you.
Leon. Hear you, my lords,-

D. Pedro. We have some haste, Leonato.
Leon. Some haste, my lord !-well, fare you
well, my lord :-
Are you so hasty now ?-well, all is one.

D. Pedro. Nay, do not quarrel with us, good went to seek.

old man.

[Exeunt LEONATO and ANTONIO. Enter BENEDICK.

D. Pedro. See, see; here comes the man we

Claud. Now, signior! what news!

• Skill in fencing.

↑ Thrusting

Bene. Shall I speak a word in your ear?
Claud. God bless me from a challenge!
Bene. You are a villain;-I jest not-I will
make it good how you dare, with what you dare,
and when you dare:-Do me right, or I will
protest your cowardice. You have killed a sweet
lady, and her death shall fall heavy on you: Let
me hear from you.

Claud. Well, I will meet you, so I may have
good cheer.

D. Pedro. What, a feast? a feast?

lord, for your many courtesies I thank you : I
must discontinue your company: your brother,
the bastard, is fled from Messina: you have,
among you, killed a sweet and innocent lady:
For my lord Lack-beard, there, he and I shall
meet; and till then, peace be with him.
[Exit BENEDICK.

D. Pedro. Yea, that she did; but yet, for all that, an if she did not hate him deadly, she would love him dearly: the old man's daughter told us all.

D. Pedro. He is in earnest.
Claud. In most profound earnest; and, I'l
warrant you, for the love of Beatrice.
D. Pedro. And hath challenged thee?
Claud. Most sincerely.

D. Pedro. What a pretty thing man is, when he goes in his doublet and hose, and leaves off

bis wit!

Enter DOGBERRY, VERGES, and the WATCH,
with CONRADE and BORACHIO.
Claud. He is then a giant to an ape: but then
is an ape a doctor to such a man.

D. Pedro. But, soft you, let be; pluck up, my heart, and be sad! Did he not say my

brother was fled?

Dogb. Come, you, Sir; if justice cannot tame you, she shall ne'er weigh more reasons in her balance: nay, an you be a cursing hypocrite once, you must be looked to.

D. Pedro. How now, two of my brother's men bound! Borachio, one!

Claud. Ali, all; and moreover, God saw him
when he was hid in the garden.

D. Pedro. But when shall we set the savage
buil's horns on the sensible Benedick's head?
Claud. Yea, and text underneath, Here dwells
Benedick the married man!

Bene. Fare you well, boy; you know my
2. ind; I will leave you now to your gossip-like
hamour; you break jests as braggarts do their
Blades, which, God be thunked, hurt not.- My
+ Invited.

To give a challenge.

Claud. Hearken after their offence, my lord! D. Pearo. Officers, what offence have these men done?

Dogb. Marry, Sir, they have committed false report; moreover, they have spoken untruths: secondarily, they are slanders; sixth and lastly, they have belied a lady; thirdly, they have verified unjust things: and, to conclude, they are lying knaves.

D. Pedro. First, I ask thee what they have done; thirdly, I ask thee what's their offence; sixth and lastly, why they are committed; and, to conclude, what you lay to their charge.

Claud. Rightly reasoned, and in his own division; and, by my troth, there's one meaning well suited.

Claud. Pfaith, I thank him; he hath bid + me to a calf's-head and a capon; the which if I do not carve most curiously, say, my knife's naught. -Shall I not und a woodcock too?

Bene. Sir, your wit ambles well; it goes easily.

Bora. Sweet prince, let me go no further to mine auswer; do you hear me, and let this count kill me. I have deceived even your very D. Pedro. I'll tell thee how Beatrice praised eyes: what your wisdoms could not discover, thy wit the other day: 1 said, thou hadst a tine these shallow fools have brought to light; who, wit; True, says she, a fine little one: No, in the night, over-heard me confessing to this said 1, a great wit; Right, says she, a great man, how Don John your brother incensed + me ross one: Nay, said I, a good wit; Just, said to slander the lady Heio: how you were brought sbe, it hurts nobody: Nay, said 1, the gentle- into the orchard, and saw me court Margaret in man is wise; Certain, said she, a wise gentle-Hero's garmeut; how you disgraced her, when man: Nay, said I, he hath the tongues: That you should marry her: my villany they have I believe, said she, for he swore a thing to me upon record; which I had rather seal with my on Monday night, which he forswore on death, than repeat over to my shame: the lady Tuesday morning; there's a double tongue; is dead upon mine and my master's false accusathere's two tongues. Thus did she, an hour tion; and, briefly, I desire nothing but the retogether, transshape thy particular virtues; yet ward of a villain. at last she concluded with a sigh, thou wast the properest man in Italy.

D. Pedro. Runs not this speech like iton through your blood?

Claud. For the which she wept heartily, and said, she cared not.

Claud. I have drunk poison, whiles he utter'd it.

D. Pedro. But did my brother set thee on to this?

D. Pedro. Whom have you offended, masters, that you are thus bound to your answer? this learned constable is too cunning to be understood: What's your offence?

Verg. Here, here comes master signior Leonato, and the Sexton too.

Dogb. I leave an arrant knave with your worship; which, I beseech your worship, to correct yourself, for the example of others.

Leon. Which is the villain? Let me see his God keep your worship: I wish your worship well; God restore you to health: I humbly give you leave to depart; and if a merry meeting may be wished, God prohibit it.-Come, neighbour.

[Exeunt DOG BERRY, VERGES, and WATCH Leon. Until to-morrow morning, lords, farewell.

Re-enter LEONATO and ANTONIO, with the
Sexton.

eyes;

That when I note another man like him,
I may avoid hin: Which of these is he?
Bora. If you would know your wrouger look

on me.

Leon. Art thou the slave, that with thy breath hast kill'd

Mine innocent child?

And so dies my revenge.

Claud. O noble Sir,

Your over-kindess doth wring tears from me!

I do embrace your offer; and dispose
For henceforth of poor Claudio.

Leon. To-morrow then I will expect your
coming;

To-night I take my leave.-This naughty man
Shall face to face be brought to Margaret,
Who, I believe, was pack'd in all this wrong,
Hir'd to it by your brother.

Bora. No, by my soul, she was not;

Leon. Go, I discharge thee of tny prisoner, and I thank thee.

But ways hath been just and virtuons,
In any thing that I do know by her.

Dogb. Moreover, Sir, (which, indeed, is not under white and black,) this plaintiff here, the offender, did call me ass: I beseech you, let it be remembered in his punishment. And also, the watch heard them talk of one Deformed: they say, he wears a key in his ear, and a lock hanging by it; and borrows money in God's name; the which he hath used so long, and never paid, that now men grow hard-hearted, and will lend nothing for God's sake: Pray you, examine bim upon that point.

Leon. I thank thee for thy care and honest pains.

Dogb. Your worship speaks like a most thankful and reverend youth and I praise God for

you.

Leon. There's for thy pains.
Dogb. God save the foundation !

† Acquaint.

That he'll enjoin me to.

Leon. I cannot bid you bid my daughter live,
That were impossible; but, I pray you both,
Possess the people in Messina here
How innocent she died: and, if your love
Can labour aught in sad invention,
Haug her an epitaph upon her tomb,

And sing it to her bones; sing it to-night :-
To-morrow morning come you to my house;
And since you could not be my son-in-law,
Be yet my nephew: my brother hath a daugh-Beatrice: I give thee the bucklers.

ter,

Ant. Farewell, my lords; we look for you

to-morrow.

• Command.

D. Pedro. We will not fail.

Claud. To-night I'll mourn with Hero.

[Exeunt Don PEDRO and CLAUDIO, Leon. Bring you these fellows on; we'll talk with Margaret,

How her acquaintance grew with this lewd •
fellow.
[Exeunt.

: Combined.

SCENE II.-LEONATO's Garden,

Enter BENEDICK and MARGARET, meeting. Bene. Pray thee, sweet mistress Margaret, deserve well at my hands, by helping me to the speech of Beatrice.

Almost the copy of my child that's dead,
And she alone is heir to both of us;

Bene. If you use them, Margaret, you mast

Give her the right you should have given her put in the pikes with a vice; and they are dun

cousin,

gerous weapons for maids.

Marg. Will you then write me a soubet in praise of my beauty?

Bene. In so high a style, Margaret, that so man living shall come over it: for, in most comely truth, thou deservest it.

Marg. To have no man come over me ! why, shall I always keep below stairs?

Bene. Thy wit is as quick as the greybound's mouth, it catches.

Marg. And your's as blunt as the fencer's foils, which hit, but hurt not.

Bene. A most manly wit, Margaret, it will not hurt a woman; and so, I pray thee, cail

And knows me, and knows me,
How pitiful I deserve,—

I mean in singing; but in loving,-Leander the
good swimmer, Troilus the first emploser of
pandars, and a whole book full of these qu«>
dam carpet-inongers, whose names yet ma
smoothly in the even road of a blank verse, why,

Nor knew not what she did, when she spoke to they were never so truly turned over and over as

me;

my poor self, in love: Marry, I cannot show it in rhyme; I have tried; I can find out no rhyme to lady but baby, an innocent rhyme; for soLTE, horn, a hard rhymne; for school, fool, a badbling rhymne; very omunions endings: No, I was not born under a rhyming planet, nor I cannot woo in festival terms, †

Murg. Give us the swords, we have bucklers of our own.

Marg. Well, I will call Beatrice to you, wba,
I think, bath legs.
Bene. And therefore will come.

[Exit MARGARET.

[Singing.]

The god of love,
That sits above,

1 Reward. I