1 No list of persons is prefixed to the 4to. or folio editions. The deficiency

was first supplied by Rowe.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

ACT I. SCENE I.

Before LEONATO's House.

Enter LEONATO, HERO, BEATRICE, and others, with a Messenger 1.

Leon. I learn in this letter, that Don Pedro2 of Arragon comes this night to Messina.

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

Leon. How many gentlemen have you lost in this action?

Mess. But few of any sort, and none of name.

Leon. A victory is twice itself, when the achiever brings home full numbers. I find here, that Don Pedro hath bestowed much honour on a young Florentine, called Claudio.

Mess. Much deserved on his part, and equally remembered by Don Pedro: he hath borne himself beyond

1 —with a messenger.] The old stage-direction, in the 4to, 1600, as well as in the first folio, runs thus, explaining the relations of the parties to each other, in the absence of any list of characters. "Enter Leonato, governor of Messina, Innogen his wife, Hero his daughter, and Beatrice his niece, with a messenger." It is clear, therefore, that the mother of Hero made her appearance before the audience, although she says nothing throughout the comedy, and is not entitled to have her name placed in the Dramatis Persona.

2 Don PEDRO.] In the old copies, 4to. and folio, this name stands "Don Peter" here, as well as when Leonato speaks of him just afterwards; but on his entrance he is called Don Pedro in the stage-direction.

the promise of his age, doing in the figure of a lamb the feats of a lion: he hath, indeed, better bettered 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.

Mess. I have already delivered him letters, and there appears much joy in him; even so much, that joy could not show itself modest enough without a badge of bitterness.

Leon. Did he break out into tears?

Mess. In great measure.

Leon. A kind overflow of kindness. There are no faces truer than those that are so washed: how much better is it to weep at joy, than to joy at weeping?

Beat. I pray you, is signior Montanto returned from the wars, or no?

Mess. I know none of that name, lady: there was none such in the army of any sort.

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

Hero. My cousin means signior Benedick of Padua. Mess. O! he is returned, and as pleasant as ever he

was.

Beat. He set up his bills here in Messina1, and challenged Cupid at the flight ; and my uncle's fool, reading the challenge, subscribed for Cupid, and challenged him at the bird-bolt.-I pray you, how many hath he killed and eaten in these wars? But how many hath

I know none of that name, lady :] Beatrice asks after Benedick by a term of the fencing-school," Montanto," the humour of which the messenger does not appear to understand, and answers, "I know none of that name, lady." He set up his bills here in Messina,] "To set up bills" was to give publie notice of a challenge, by posting placards. 5 — challenged Cupid at the FLIGHT:] The "flight" was a species of arrow, apparently so called from the circumstance that it was used for flying long distances. Daniel, in a passage quoted by Steevens, distinguishes between "flight-shafts" and "sheaf-arrows." Civil Wars, b. viii. st. 15. The flight was contra-distinguished from the bird-bolt, mentioned just afterwards, which, instead of being long and slender, was short and thick, and calculated only to hit near objects.

he killed? for, indeed, I promised to eat all of his killing.

Leon. Faith, niece, you tax signior Benedick too much; but he'll be meet with you, I doubt it not. Mess. He hath done good service, lady, in these

wars.

Beat. You had musty victual, and he hath holp to eat it he is a very valiant trencher-man; he hath an excellent stomach.

Mess. And a good soldier too, lady.

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

Mess. A lord to a lord, a man to a man; stuffed with all honourable virtues".

Beat. It is so, indeed: he is no less than a stuffed 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 conflict four of his five wits' went halting off, and now is the whole man governed 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 sworn brother.

Mess. Is't possible?

6 STUFFED with all honourable virtues.] i. e. furnished. In her reply Beatrice plays upon the double meaning of the word.

- four of his five WITS went halting off,] The five senses, long before the time of Shakespeare, were called the five wits; and hence the intellectual powers, intended by Beatrice, were also supposed to be five in number. Of this, many proofs might be adduced if necessary. Edgar, in King Lear, A. iii. sc. 4, exclaims, "Bless thy five wits;" and Malone remarks, that Shakespeare in one of his Sonnets (141) distinguishes "the five wits" from the fire senses :— "But my fire wits, nor my fire senses, can

Dissuade one foolish heart from loving thee."

Beat. Very easily possible: he wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat, it ever changes with the next block 8.

Mess. I see, lady, the gentleman is not in your books.

Beat. No; an he were, I would burn my study. But, I pray you, who is his companion? Is there no young squarer now, that will make a voyage with him to the devil?

Mess. He is most in the company of the right noble Claudio.

Beat. 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 pound ere he be cured.

Mess. I will hold friends with you, lady.
Beat. Do, good friend.

Leon. You will never run mad, niece.

Beat. No, not till a hot January.

Mess. Don Pedro is approached.

Enter Don PEDRO, JOHN', CLAUDIO, BENEDICK, BALTHAZAR, and others.

2

D. Pedro. Good signior Leonato, are you 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 likeness of your grace; for trouble being gone, comfort should remain, but when you depart from me, sorrow abides, and happiness takes his leave.

8 with the next BLOCK.] i. e. The mould on which a hat is formed.

9 is there no young SQUARER now,] i. e. No young quarreller: to "square,” is now to take the first position for boxing.

1 John.] The modern editors call him "Don John," but in the ancient copies he is called "John," " John the bastard," and "Sir John," in the stage directions or in the prefixes to the speeches assigned to him.

2

ARE YOU come]. The folio reads "

you are come."