Leon. You may light upon a husband, that hath no beard. Beat. What should I do with h him? dress him in my apparel, and make him my waiting gentlewoman? He that hath a beard, is more than a youth; and he that hath no beard, is less than a man: and he that is more than a youth, is not for me; and he that is less than a man, I am not for him. Therefore I will even take sixpence in earnest of the bear-herd, and lead his apes into hell. Leon. Well then, go you into hell? Beat. Nos hut to the gate; and there will the devil meet me, like an old cuckold, with horns on his head, and say, Get you to heaven, Beatrice, get you to heaven; here's no place for you maids: so deliver I up my apes, and away to Saint Peter for the heavens; he shows me where the bachelors sit, and there live we as merry as the day is long. I Ant. Well, niece, [To HERO.] I trust, you will be ruled by your father. Beat. Yes, faith; it is my cousin's duty to make courtesy, and say, Father, as it please you:- but yet for all that, cousin, let him be a handsome, fellow, or else make another courtesy, and say, Father, as it please me. make e men some Leon. Well, niece, I hope to see you one day be to see you, one fitted with a husband. 25 Beat. Not till God other me tal than earth. Would it not grieve a woman to be over-mastered with a piece of valiant dust? to make an account of her life to a clod of wayward marl? No, uncle, I'll none: Adam's sons are my brethren; and truly, I hold it a sin to match in my kindred. Leon. Daughter, remember what I told you: if the prince do solicit you in that kind, you know your answer. Beat. The fault will be in the music, cousin, if you be not wood in good time: if the prince be too important1, tell him, there is measure 2 in every thing, and so dance out the answer. For hear me, Hero; Wooing, wedding, and repenting, is as a Scotch jig, a measure, and a cinque-pace: the first suit is hot and hasty, like a Scotch jig, and full was fantastical; the wedding, mannerlymodest, as a measure full of state and ancientry; and then comes repentance, and, with his bad legs, falls into the cinque-pace faster and faster, till he sink into his grave. Leon. Cousin, you apprehend passing shrewdly. Beat. I have a good eye, uncle; I can see a church by day-light. 125817 Leon. The revellers are entering: brother, make good room. Enter DON PEDRO, CLAUDIO, BENEDICK, BALTHAZAR ; DON JOHN, BORACHIO, MARGARET, URSULA, and others, masked. D. Pedro. Lady, will you walk about with your friend 3? Hero. So you walk softly, and look sweetly, and say nothing, I am yours for the walk; and, especially, when walk away. D. Pedro. With me in your company? Hero. I may say so, when I please. D. Pedro. And when please you to say so? Hero. When I like your favour, for God defend, the lute should be like the case 4! D. Pedro. My visor is Philemon's roof; within the house is Jove 5. 1 Importunate. A measure in old language, besides its ordinary meaning, signified also a dance. So, in Richard II. 'My legs can keep no measure in delight, When my poor heart no measure keeps in grief. The measures were grave solemn dances with slow and measured steps like the minuet; and therefore described as fall of state and ancientry. 3 Lover. 4 That is, God forbid that your face should be as homely and Coarse as your mask describes to the fable of Baucis and Philemon in Ovid, who 5 the old' couple as living in a thatched cottage: Hero. Why, then your visor should be thatch'd. D. Pedro. Speak low, if you speak love. [Takes her aside. Bene. Well, I would you did like me. Marg. So would not I, for your own sake; for I have many ill qualities. Bene. Which is one? Marg. I say my prayers aloud. Bene. I love you the better; the hearers may cry, Amen. Marg. God match me with a good dancer! Marg. And God keep him out of my sight, when the dance is done! Answer, clerk. Balth. No more words; the clerk is answered. Urs. I know you well enough; you are signior Antonio. Ant. At a word, I am not. head. Urs. I know you by the waggling of your Ant. To tell you true, I counterfeit him. Urs, You could never do him so ill-well, unless you were the very man: Here's his dry hand up and down; you are he, you are he. Ant. At a word, I am not. Urs. Come, come; do you think I do not know you by your excellent wit? Can virtue hide itself? Go to, mum, you are he: graces there's an end. will appear, and Beat. Will you not tell me who told you so? Beat. Nor will you Bene. Not now. ou not tell me who you are? + Beat. That I was disdainful, and that I had my good wit out of the Hundred merry Tales– Well, this was signior Benedick that said so --Stipulis et cannd tecta palustri, ndal which Golding renders: "The roofe thereof was thatched all with straw and fennish reeder Jacques, in As You Like It, again alludes to it "O knowledge ill-inhabited, worse than Jove in a thatched house." 6 This was the term for a jest-book in Shakspeare's time, from Vol. II. 6* Bene. What's he? Beat. I am sure, you know him well enough. Beat. Did he never make you laugh? Beat. Why, he is the prince's jester; a very dull fool; only his gift is in devising impossible slanders: none but libertines delight in him; and the in his villany; commendation is not in his wit, but im; and the for he both pleaseth men, and angers them, and then they laugh at him, and beat him: I am sure, he is in the fleet: I would he had boarded 8 me. Bene. When I know the gentleman, I'll tell him what you say. Beat. Do, do: he'll but break a comparison or two on me; which, peradventure, not marked, or not laughed at, strikes him into melancholy; and then there's a partridge' wing saved, for the fool supper that night. [Music within.] Will at follow the leaders. We must Bene. In every good thing." Beat. Nay, if they lead to any ill, I will leave them at the next turning. [Dance, Then exeunt all but DON JOHN, BORACHIO, and CLAUDIO. D. John. Sure, my brother is amorous on Hero, and hath withdrawn her father to break with him speare's Jest Book.' a popular collection of that name, about which the commentators were much puzzled, until a large fragment was discovered in 1815, by my late lamented friend the Rev. J. Conybeare, Professor of Paetry in Oxhiswick press, under the title of Shakhad the gratification of printing a few few copies at the It was printed by Rastell, and therefore must have been published previous to 1533. Another collection of the same kind, Tales and Quicke Answeres,' printed, by Berthelette, and of nearly equal antiquity, was also reprinted at the same time; and it is remarkable that this collection is cited by Sir John Harrington under the title of the hundred merry tales.* It continued for a long period to be the popular name for collections of this sort, for in the London Chaunticlere, 1659, it is mentioned as being oried for sale by a ballad-man, Incredible, or inconceivable. 8 Boarded, besides its usual meaning, signified accosted. about it: The ladies follow her, and but one visor remains. per tant cushing a hom Bora. And that is Claudio: I know him by his bearing 9. D. John. Are not you signior Benedick? Claud. You know me well; I am he.W D. John. Signior, you are very near my brother in his love: he is enamoured on Hero; I pray you, dissuade him from her, she is no equal for his birth: you may do the part of an honest man in it. Claud. How know you he loves her? D. John. I heard him swear his affection. Bora. So did I too; and he swore he would marry her to-night. Mac D. John. Come, let us to the banquet. [Exeunt DON JOHN and BORACHIO. Claud. Thus answer I in name of Benedick, But hear these ill news with the ears of Claudio.'Tis certain so ;-the prince woos for himself. Friendship is constant in all other things, Save in the office and affairs of love: Therefore10, all hearts in love use their own tongues; Let every eye negotiate for itself, And trust no agent: for beauty is a witch, Against whose charms faith melteth into blood 11, This is an accident of hourly proof, Which I mistrusted not: Farewell therefore, Hero! Re-enter BENEDICK. Bene. Count Claudio? Claud. Yea, the same. Bene. Come, will you go with me? Claud. Whither? Bene. Even to the next willow, about your own business, count. What fashion will you wear the 9 Carriage, demeanour. 10 Let, which is found in the next line, is understood here. 11 Blood signifies amorous heat or passion. So, in All's Well that Ends Well, Act iii. Sc. 7: Now his important blood will nought deny, |