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Dramatis Perfonæ,

DON PEDRO, Prince of Arragon.
Leonato, Governor of Meffina.

Don John, Baftard Brother to Don Pedro.

Claudio, a young Lord of Florence, Favourite to Don
Pedro.

Benedick, a young Lord of Padua, favour'd likewise by
Don Pedro.

Balthazar, Servant to Don Pedro.

Antonio, Brother to Leonato.
Borachio, Confident to Don John.
Conrade, Friend to Borachio.

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A Friar, Messenger, Watch, Town-Clerk, Sexton, and
Attendants.

SCENE, Melina in Sicily.

The Story is from Arinfo Orl. Fur. B. v.

POPE.

MUCH

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. I

ACT I. SCENE I.

A Court before Leonato's Houfe.

Enter Leonato, Hero, and Beatrice, with a Messenger.

I

LEONATO.

Learn in this letter, that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this night to Melfina.

Mell. He is very near by this; he was not three leagues off when I left him.

Leon. How many gentlemen have you loft in this

action?

Mell. But few of any Sort, and none of Name. Leon. A victory is twice itfelf, when the achiever

'Much Ado about Nothing.] Innogen, (the Mother of Hero) in the oldeft Quarto that I have feen of this Play, printed in 1600, is mention'd to enter in two feveral Scenes. The fucceeding Editions have all continued her Name in the Dramatis Perfona. But I have ventur'd to expunge it; there being no mention of her through the Play,

no one Speech address'd to her, nor one Syllable spoken by her. Neither is there any one Paffage, from which we have any Reafon to determine that Hero's Mother was living. It feems, as if the Poet had in his firft Plan defign'd fuch a Character; which, on a Survey of it, he found would be fuperfluous; and therefore he left it out. THEOBALD.

brings home full numbers; I find here, that Don Pedro hath beftowed much honour on a young Florentine, call'd Claudio.

Mell. Much deferved on his part, and equally remembred by Don Pedro: he hath borne himself beyond the promise of his age, doing in the figure of a lamb the feats of a lion: he hath, indeed, better better'd expectation, than you must expect of me to tell you how.

Leon. He hath an uncle here in Melfina will be very much glad of it.

Mell. I have already delivered him letters, and there appears much joy in him; even fo much, that joy could not fhew itself modeft enough, without a badge of bitterness.

Leon. Did he break out into tears?
Mell. In great measure.

Leon. A kind overflow of kindness.

3

There are no faces truer than those that are fo wafh'd. How much better is it to weep at joy, than to joy at weeping! Beat. I pray you, is Signior Montanto return'd from the wars or no?

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Meff. I know none of that name, Lady; there was none fuch in the army of any Sort.

Leon. What is he that you ask for, Neice?

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Hero. My Coufin means Signior Benedick of Padua. Melf. O, he's return'd, and as pleasant as ever he

was.

Beat. He fet up his bills here in Meffia, and challeng'd Cupid' at the flight; and my Uncle's fool, reading the challenge, fubfcrib'd for Cupid, and challeng'd him at the bird-bolt. I pray you, how many hath he kill'd and eaten in these wars? but how many hath he kill'd? for, indeed, I promis'd to eat all of his killing.

Leon. Faith, Neice, you tax Signior Benedick too much; but he'll be meet with you, I doubt it not. Mell. He hath done good service, Lady, in these

wars.

Beat. You had musty victuals, and he hath holp to eat it; he's a very valiant trencher-man, he hath an excellent ftomach.

Meff. And a good foldier too, Lady.

Beat. And a good foldier to a lady? but what is he to a lord?

Melf. A lord to a lord, a man to a man, stufft with all honourable virtues.

Beat. It is fo, indeed: he is no less than a ftufft man: but for the ftuffing,-well, we are all mortal.

Leon. You must not, Sir, mistake my Neice; there is a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her; they never meet, but there's a fkirmish of Wit between them.

Beat. Alas, he gets nothing by That. In our last

6 challeng'd Cupid at the flight;] The difufe of the bow makes this paffage obfcure. Be nedick is reprefented as challenging Cupid at archery. To challenge at the flicht is, I believe, to wager who shall shoot the arrow furtheft without any particular mark. To challenge at the

bird-bolt, feems to mean the fame as to challenge at children's archery, with fmall arrows fuch as are difcharged at birds. In Twelfth Night Lady Olivia oppofes a bird-bolt to a cannon bullet, the lightest to the heaviest of miffive weapons.

con

8

conflict, four of his five wits went halting off, and now is the whole man govern'd with one: So that if he have wit enough to keep himself warm, let him bear it for difference between himself and his horfe; for it is all the wealth that he hath left, to be known a reasonable creature. Who is his companion now? he hath every month a new fworn brother. Meff. Is it poffible?

Beat. Very eafily poffible; he wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat, it ever changes with the next block.

I

Mel. I fee, Lady, the gentleman is not in your

books.

Beat. No; an he were, I would burn my Study.

7-four of his five wits] In our authour's time wit was the general term for intellectual powers. So Davies on the Soul, Wit, Seeking truth from caufe to caufe afcends,

And never refts till it the first

attain;

Will, Jeeking good, finds many mid

dle ends,

But never flays till it the laft

do gain. And in another part,

But if a phrenzy do poffefs the brain,

It fo diflurbs and blots the form of things,

As fantaly proves altogether

vain, And to the wit no true relation brings.

Then doth the wit, admitting all

for true, Build fond conclufions on thofe idle grounds;

The wits feem to have reckoned five, by analogy to the five fenfes, or the five inlets of ideas.

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