Bene. Fair Beatrice, I thank you for your pains. Beat. I took no more pains for those thanks, than you take pains to thank me; if it had been painful, I would not have come.

Bene. You take pleasure then in the meffage ?

Beat. Yea, just as much as you may take upon a knife's point, and choak a daw withal:-You have no ftomach, fignior; fare you well. [Exit. Bene. Ha! against my will I am fent to bid yon come in to dinner :-there's a double meaning in that. I took no more pains for thofe thanks, than you take pains to thank me ;-that's as much as to fay, Any pains that I take for you is as eafy as thanks, If I do not take pity of her, I am a villain; if I do not love her, I am a Jew: I will go get her picture. [Exit.

ACT III.

SCENE I.

Continues in the Orchard.

Enter Hero, Margaret, and Urfula.

HERO.

(OOD Margaret, run thee into the parlour;
There fhalt thou find my coufin Beatrice,

Propofing with the prince and Claudio:
Whisper her ear, and tell her, I and Urfula
Walk in the orchard, and our whole discourse
Is all of her; fay, that thou overheard'st us;
And bid her steal into the pleached bower,
Where honey-fuckles, ripen'd by the fun,
Forbid the fun to enter; like favourites,
Made proud by princes, that advance their pride
Against

2

Against that power that bred it: there will fhe hide her,

To listen our purpose: This is thy office,

Bear thee well in it, and leave us alone.

Marg. I'll make her come, I warrant you prefently.

Hero. Now, Urfula, when Beatrice doth
As we do trace this alley up and down,
Our talk muft only be of Benedick:
When I do name him, let it be thy part.
To praise him more than ever man did merit.
My talk to thee must be, how Benedick

Is fick in love with Beatrice: Of this matter
Is little Cupid's crafty arrow made,

That only wounds by hear-fay. Now begin.

Enter Beatrice, behind.

[Exit. come,

For look, where Beatrice, like a lapwing, runs
Close by the ground to hear our conference.
Urf. The pleafant'ft angling is to fee the fish
Cut with her golden oars the filver ftream,
And greedily devour the treacherous bait:
So angle we for Beatrice: who even now
Is couched in the woodbine coverture:
Fear you not my part of the dialogue.

Hero. Then go we near her, that her ear lofe nothing

Of the falfe fweet bait that we lay for it.-
No, truly, Urfula, fhe is too disdainful ;
I know, her fpirits are as coy and wild
As haggards of the rock.

Urf. But are you fure,

That Benedick loves Beatrice fo entirely?

Hero. So fays the prince, and my new trothed lord? Urf. And did they bid you tell her of it, madam? Hero. They did intreat me to acquaint her of it: But I perfuaded them, if they lov'd Benedick,

Το

To wish him wrestle with affection,
And never to let Beatrice know of it.

Urf. Why did you fo? Doth not the gentleman Deferve as full, as fortunate a bed,

As ever Beatrice fhall couch upon?

Hero. O God of love! I know, he doth deferve
As much as may be yielded to a man:
But nature never fram'd a woman's heart
Of prouder ftuff than that of Beatrice :
Difdain and fcorn ride fparkling in her eyes,
3 Mifprifing what they look on; and her wit
Values itfelf fo highly, that to her

All matter else feems weak: fhe cannot love,
Nor take no fhape nor project of affection,
She is fo felf-endeared.

Urf. Sure, I think fo;

And therefore, certainly it were not good
She knew his love, left the make sport at it.

Hero. Why, you fpeak truth. I never yet saw man, How wife, how noble, young, how rarely featur'd, But she would fpell him backward: if fair-fac'd, She'd fwear, the gentleman fhould be her fifter; * If black, why, Nature, drawing of an antick, Made a foul blot: if tall, a lance ill-headed; ' If low, an aglet very vilely cut:

Mifprifing

-] Defpifing, contemning. JOHNSON.

4 If black, why, Nature, drawing of an antick, Made a foul blot :-]

If

The antick was a buffoon character in the old English farces, with a blacked face, and a patch-work habit. What I would obferve from hence is, that the name of antick or antique, given to this character, fhews that the people had fome traditional ideas of its being borrowed from the ancient mimes, who are thus defcribed by Apuleius, Mimi centunculo, fuligine faciem obducti.

WARBURTON.

5 If low, an agat very vilely cut :] But why an aga!. if low? For what likenefs between a little man and an agat? The ancients, VOL. II.

T

indeed,

If fpeaking, why, a vane blown with all winds;
If filent, why, a block moved with none.
So turns fhe
fide out;
man the wrong
every
And never gives to truth and virtue that,
Which fimpleness and merit purchaseth.

Urf. Sure, fure, fuch carping is not commendable. Hero. No; for to be fo odd, and from all fashions, As Beatrice is, cannot be commendable.

But who dare tell her fo? If I should speak,
She'd mock me into air; O, fhe would laugh me
Out of myself, prefs me to death with wit.
Therefore let Benedick, like cover'd fire,
Confume away in fighs, wafte inwardly;
It were a better death than die with mocks,
Which is as bad as 'tis to die with tickling.
Urf. Yet tell her of it; hear what she will say.
Hero. No, rather I will go to Benedick,
And counsel him to fight against his paffion :
And, truly, I'll devife fome honeft flanders
To ftain my coufin with; One doth not know,
How much an ill-word may empoifon liking.
Urf. O, do not do your coufin fuch a wrong.
She cannot be fo much without true judgment,
(Having so swift and excellent a wit,

As fhe is priz'd to have) as to refuse

indeed, used this stone to cut upon; but very exquifitely. I make no question but the poet wrote;

-an aglet very vilely cut:

An aglet was the tag of thofe points, formerly fo much in fashion. Thefe tags were either of gold, filver, or brafs, according to the quality of the wearer; and were commonly in the shape of little images; or at leaft had a head cut at the extremity. The French call them, aiguillettes. Mezeray, fpeaking of Henry IIId's forrow for the death of the princefs of Conti, fays,-portant meme fur les aiguillettes des petites tetes de Mort. And as a tall man is before compared to a lance ill-headed; fo, by the fame figure, a little man is very aptly liken'd to an aglet ill-cut. WARBURTON.

So

So rare a gentleman as Benedick.
Hero. He is the only man in Italy,
Always excepted my dear Claudio.

Urf. I pray you, be not angry with me, madam, Speaking my fancy; fignior Benedick,

For fhape, for bearing, argument, and valour,
Goes foremost in report through Italy.

Hero. Indeed, he hath an excellent good name.
Urf. His excellence did earn it, ere he had it.
When are you marry'd, madam?

Hero. Why, every day; -to-morrow :- Came,

go in,

I'll fhew thee fome attires; and have thy counfel
Which is the best to furnish me to-morrow.

Urf. She's lim'd, I warrant you; we have caught
her, madam.

Hero. If it prove fo, then loving goes by haps; Some Cupids kill with arrows, fome with traps, [Exeunt,

8

Beatrice advancing.

Beat. What fire is in my ears? Can this be true? Stand I condemn'd for pride and scorn fo much? Contempt, farewel! and maiden pride, adieu! No glory lives behind the back of fuch. And, Benedick, love on, I will requite thee; Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand,? If thou doft love, my kindness fhall incite thee To bind our loves up in a holy band.

For

argument- -]This word feems here to fignify discourse

or, the powers of reafoning. JOHNSON.

• She's lim'd,—] She is enfnared and entangled as a sparrow with birdlime. JOHNSON.

8 What fire is in my ears?] Alluding to a proverbial faying of the common people, that their ears burn, when others are talking of them.

WARBURTON."

Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand ;] This image is taken

from