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Bene. If their finging answer your faying, by my faith, you say honestly.

Pedro. The lady Beatrice hath a quarrel to you; the gentleman, that danc'd with her, told her fhe is much wrong'd by you.

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Bene. O, fhe misus'd me past the indurance of a block; an oak, but with one green leaf on it, would have answer'd her; my very vifor began to affume life, and scold with her; fhe told me, not thinking I had been myself, that I was the Prince's jefter, and that I was duller than a great thaw; hudling jeft upon jest, with fuch impaffible conveyance upon me, that I ftood like a man at a mark, with a whole army fhooting at me; he speaks Ponyards, and every word ftabs: if her breath were as terrible as her terminations, there were no living near her, fhe would infect to the North-Star; I would not marry her, though fhe were endowed with all that Adam had left him before he tranfgrefs'd; fhe would have made Hercules have turn'd Spit, yea, and have cleft his club to make the fire too. Come, talk not of her, you fhall find her the infernal Até in good apparel. I would to God, some scholar

8 fuch IMPOSSIBLE conveyance] We should read IMPASSABLE. A term taken from fencing, when the ftrokes are fo fwift and repeated as not to be parried or paffed off. WARB. I know not what to propofe. Impoffible feems to have no meaning here, and for impaffable.I have not found any authority. Spenfer ufes the word importable in a fenfe very congruous to this paffage, for insupportable, or not to be fuftained.

Both him charge on either fide With hideous ftrokes and importable pow'r, Which forced him his ground to traverse wide.

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It may be easily imagined, that the tranfcribers would change a word fo unusual, into that word moft like it which they could readily find. It must be however confeffed, that importable appears harsh to our ears, and I with a happier Critick may find a better word.

Sir Thomas Hanmer reads impetuous, which will ferve the purpofe well enough, but is not likeÏy to have been changed to impofible.

9 the infernal Até in good a;parel.] This is a pleasant allufion to the cuftom of ancient poets and painters, who reprefent the furies in raggs. WARB. would

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would conjure her; for, certainly, while fhe is here a man may live as quiet in hell as in a fanctuary, and people fin upon purpose, because they would go thither; fo, indeed, all difquiet, horror, and perturbation follow her.

SCENE V.

Enter Claudio, Beatrice, Leonato and Hero:

Pedro. Look, here fhe comes.

Bene. Will your Grace command me any service to the world's end? I will go on the flighteft errand now to the Antipodes, that you can devife to fend me on; I will fetch you a tooth-picker now from the fartheft inch of Afia; bring you the length of Prefter John's foot fetch you a hair off the great Cham's beard: do you any ambaffage to the pigmies, rather than hold three words conference with this harpy; you have no employment for me?

Pedro. None, but to defire your good company.

Bene. O God, Sir, here's a dish I love not. I cannot indure this Lady Tongue.

Pedro. Come, Lady, come; you have lost the heart of Signior Benedick.

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Beat. Indeed, my Lord, he lent it me a while, and gave him ufe for it, a double heart for a single one; marry, once before he won it of me with falfe dice, therefore your Grace may well fay, I have loft it.

Pedro. You have put him down, Lady, you have put him down.

Beat. So I would not he fhould do me, my Lord, left I fhould prove the mother of fools; I have brought Count Claudio, whom you fent me to feek.

Pedro. Why, how now, Count, wherefore are you fad?

Claud. Not fad, my Lord.

Pedro. How then? fick ?

Claud.

Claud. Neither, my Lord.

Beat. The Count is neither fad, nor fick, nor merry, nor well; but civil, Count, civil as an orange, and fomething of that jealous complexion.

Pedro. I'faith, Lady, I think your blazon to be true; though I'll be fworn, if he be fo, his conceit is false. Here, Claudio, I have wooed in thy name, and fair Hero is won; I have broke with her father, and his good will obtained; name the day of marriage, and God give thee joy.

Leon. Count, take of me my daughter, and with her my fortunes: his Grace hath made the match, and all grace fay, Amen, to it.

Beat. Speak, Count, 'tis your cue.

Claud. Silence is the perfecteft herald of joy; I were but little happy, if I could fay how much. Lady, as you are mine, I am yours: I give away myself for you, and doat upon the exchange.

Beat. Speak, Coufin, or (if you cannot) stop his mouth with a kiss, and let him not speak neither. Pedro. In faith, Lady you have a merry heart. Beat. Yea, my Lord, I thank it, poor fool, it keeps on the windy fide of care; my coufin tells him in his ear, that he is in her heart.

Claud. And fo she doth, coufin,

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Beat. Good Lord, for alliance! thus goes every

1. Thus goes every one to the world but I, and I am funburnt.] What is it, to go to the world? perhaps, to enter by marriage into a fettled ftate: but why is the unmarried Lady funburnt? I believe we should read, thus goes every one to the wood but I, and I am funburnt. Thus does every one but I find a fhelter, and I am left exposed to wind and fun. The nearest way to the wood, is a phrafe for the readieft means to any end. It is faid of

a woman, who accepts a worse match than thofe which she had refused, that he has paffed through the wood, and at laft taken a crooked stick. But conjectural criticism has always fomething to abate its confidence. Shakespeare, in All's well that ends well, ufes the phrafe, to ga to the world, for marriage. So that my emendation depends only on the oppofition of wood to fun-burnt.

one to the world but I, and I am fun-burn'd; I may fit in a corner, and cry heigh bo! for a husband. Pedro. Lady Beatrice. I will get you one.

Beat. I would rather have one of your Father's getting hath your Grace ne'er a brother like you? your Father got excellent Hufbands, if a maid could come by them.

Pedro. Will you have me, Lady?

Beat. No, my Lord, unless I might have another for working-days; your Grace is too coftly to wear every day but, I beseech your Grace, pardon me, I was born to speak all mirth and no matter.

Pedro. Your filence most offends me, and to be merry best becomes you; for, out of question, you were born in a merry hour.

Beat. No, fure, my Lord, my mother cry'd; but then there was a star danc'd, and under that I was born. -Coufins, God give you joy.

Leon. Niece, will you look to thofe things I told

you of?

Beat. I cry you mercy, Uncle: by your Grace's pardon. [Exit Beatrice,

SCENE VI.

Pedro. By my troth a pleasant-fpirited Lady. Leon. There's little of the melancholy element in her, my Lord; fhe is never fad but when the fleeps, and not ever fad then; for I have heard my daughter fay, she hath often dream'd of an unhappiness, and wak'd herself with laughing.

Pedro. She cannot endure to hear tell of a husband.

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Leon. O, by no means, fhe mocks all her wooers out of fuit.

Pedro. She were an excellent wife for Benedick.

Leon. O Lord, my Lord, if they were but a week marry'd, they would talk themselves mad.

Pedro. Count Claudio, when mean you to go to church?

Claud. To morrow, my Lord; time goes on crutches, 'till love have all his rites.

Leon. Not 'till Monday, my dear fon, which is hence a just seven-night, and a time too brief too, to have all things answer my mind.

Pedro. Come, you shake the head at so long a breathing; but, I warrant thee, Claudio, the time shall not go dully by us. I will in the Interim undertake one of Hercules's labours, which is, 'to bring Signior Benedick and the Lady Beatrice into a mountain of affection the one with the other; I would fain have it a match, and I doubt not to fashion it, if you three will but minister fuch affistance as I fhall give you direction.

Leon. My Lord, I am for you, though it cost me ten nights watchings.

Claud. And I, my Lord.

Pedro. And you too, gentle Hero?

Hero. I will do any modeft office, my Lord, to help my Cousin to a good husband.

Pedro. And Benedick is not the unhopfulleft husband that I know: thus far I can praife him, he is of a noble ftrain, of approv'd valour, and confirm'd honesty.

3 To bring Benedick and Beatrice into a mountain of affection the one with the other] Amountain of affection with one another is a strange expreffion, yet I know not well how to change it. Perhaps it was originally written, to bring Benedick and Beatrice into a mooting of affection; to

bring them, not to any more meetings of contention, but to a mooting or converfation of love, This reading is confirmed by the propofition with; a mountain with each other, or affection a th each other, cannot be used, but a mooting with each other is proper and regular.

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