brings home full numbers; I find here, that Don Pedro hath bestowed much honour on a young Florentine, call'd Claudio. • Meff. Much deserved on his part, and equally remembred by Don Pedro: he hath borne himself beyond the promse 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 Messina will be very much glad of it. Meff. I have already delivered him letters, and there appears much joy in him; even so much, that joy could not shew itself modest enough, without a badge of bitterness. Leon. Did he break out into tears? Meff. In great measure. Leon. A kind overflow of kindness. There are no faces truer than those that are so wash'd. How much better is it to weep at joy, than to joy at weeping L Beat. I pray you, is Signior Montanto return'd from the wars or no? 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, Need! 2joy could not shew it felf modeft enough, without a badge of bitterness.] This is judiciously express'd. Of all the transports of Joy, that which is attended with tears is least offenfive; because, carrying with it this mark of pain, it allays the envy that usually attends another's happiness. This he finely calls a modest joy, such a one as did not insult the observer by an ** indication of happiness unmixed with pain. WARBURTON. no faces truer] That is, none honefter, none more fin cere. 4 -is Signior Montanto return'd.] Montante, in Spanish, is a huge two-handed fword, given, with much humour, to one, the speaker would représent as a Boafter or Bravado. WARBURT. s there was none fuch in the army of any fort.] Not meaning there was none fuch of any order or degree whatever, but that there was none such of any quality above the common. : WARBURTON. Hero. Hero. My Cousin means Signior Benedick of Padua. Meff. O, he's return'd, and as pleasant as ever he was. Beat. He fet up his bills here in Messina, and challeng'd Cupid at the flight; and my Uncle's fool, reading the challenge, subscrib'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. 1 Leon. Faith, Neice, you tax Signior Benedick too much; but he'll be meet with you, I doubt it not, Meff. 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 stomach. Meff. And a good foldier too, Lady. Beat. And a good foldier to a lady? but what is he to a lord? Meff. A lord to a lord, a man to a man, stufft with all honourable virtues. Beat. It is so, indeed: he is no less than a stufft man: but for the stuffing, - well, we are all mortal. Leon. You must not, Sir, mistake my Niece; there is a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her; they never meet, but there's a skirmish of Wit between them. Beat. Alas, he gets nothing by That. In our last 7 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 a difference between himself and his horse; 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 possible; he wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat, it ever changes with the next block. Meff. I fee, Lady', the gentleman is not in your books. ر Beat. No; an he were, I would burn my Study. 7-four of his five wits] In our author's time, wit was the general term for intellectual powers. So Davies on the Soul, Wit, Seeking truth, from cause to cause afcends, And never rests till it the first attain; Will, Seeking good, finds many middle ends, But never stays till it the last And in another part, vain, Then doth the wit, admitting all for true, Build fond conclusions on those idle grounds; The wits seem to have reekoned five, by analogy to the five senses, or the five inlets of ideas. : 8 wit enough to keep himfelf WARM,] But how would that make a difference between him and his horfe? We should read, Wit enough to keep himself. FROM HARM. This fuits the fatirical turn of her speech, in the character she would give of Benedick; and this would make the difference spoken of. For 'tis the nature of horses, when wounded, to run upon the point of the weapon. WARBURTON. 9 be wears his faith] Not religious Profeffion, but Profeffion of friendship; for the speak+ er gives it as the reason of her asking, who was now his Companion? that he had every month a new sworn brother. WARBURTON. *the gentleman is not in your books.] This is a phrase used, I believe, by more than understand it. To be in one's books is to be in one's codicils or will, to be among friends fet down for legacies. But, 2 But, I pray you, who is his companion ? is there no young squarer now, that will make a voyage with him to the devil? Meff. He is most in the company of the right noble Claudio. Bent. O lord, he will hang upon him like a disease; he is sooner caught than the pestilence, and the taker runs presently mad. God help the noble Claudio, if he have caught the Benedick, it will cost him a thousand pounds ere he be cur'd. Meff. I will hold friends with you, Lady. Beat. Do, good friend. Leon. You'll ne'er run mad, Neice. Meff. Don Pedro is approach'd. SCENE II. Enter Don Pedro, Claudio, Benedick, Balthazar, and Don John. Pedro. Good Signior Leonato, you are come to meet your trouble: the fashion of the world is to avoid cost, and you encounter it. Leon. Never came trouble to my house in the like. ness of your Grace; for trouble being gone, comfort should remain; but when you depart from me, forrow abides, and happiness takes his leave. Pedro. You embrace your charge too willingly: I think this is your daughter. Leon. Her mother hath many times told me fo. 2 young Squarer-] A Squarer I take to be a choleric, quarrelfome fellow, for in this sense Shakespeare uses the word to Square. So in Midsummer Night's Dream-it is faid of Oberon and Titanir, that they never meet but VOL. III. they square. So the sense may be, Is there no hot-blooded youth that will keep him company through all his mad pranks ? 3 You embrace your charge-] That is, your burthen, your en cumbrance. N Bené. Bene. Were you in doubt, Sir, that you afkt her? Leon. Signior Benedick, no; for then were you a child Pedro. You have it full, Benedick, we may guess by this what you are, being a man: truly the lady fathers herself; be happy, lady, for you are like an honourable father. Bene. If Signior Leonato be her father, she would not have his head on her shoulders for all Meffina, as like him as she is. Beat. I wonder, that you will still be talking, Signior Benedick; no body marks you. Bene. What, my dear lady Disdain! are you yet living? Beat, Is it possible, Disdain should die, while she hath such meet food to feed it, as Signior Benedick? Courtesie itself must convert to Disdain, if you come in her prefence. Bene. Then is courtesie a turncoat; but it is certain, I am lov'd of all ladies, only you excepted; and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for truly I love none. Beat. A dear happiness to women; they would elfe have been troubled with a pernicious suitor. I thank God and my cold blood, I am of your humour for that; I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow, than a man swear he loves me. Bene. God keep your ladyship still in that mind! so some gentleman or other shall scape a predeftinate fcratcht face. Beat. Scratching could not make it worse, an 'twere fuch a face as yours were. Bene. Well, you are a rare parrot-teacher. Beat. A bird of my tongue is better than a beaft of yours. Bene. I would, my horse had the speed of your tongue, and fo good a continuer; but keep your way o'God's name, I have done. 4 Beat. |