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Come, go with us, we'll look to that anon;
Embrace thy brother there, rejoice with him.
[Exeunt Antipholis S. and E.
S. Dro. There is a fat friend at your mafter's house,
That kitchen'd me for you to day at dinner;
She now shall be my fifter, not my wife.

E. Dro. Methinks, you are my glass, and not my brother:

I fee by you, I am a fweet-fac'd youth:
Will you walk in to fee ther goffiping?
S. Dro. Not I, Sir; you are my elder.
E. Dro. That's a queftion:

How shall I try it?

S. Dro. We'll draw cuts for the fenior:

'Till then, lead thou first.

E. Dro. Nay, then thus

[Embracing.

We came into the world, like brother and brother:

And now let's go hand in hand, not one before another.

[Exeunt.

MUCH

MUCH A DO

ABOUT

Ν Ο Τ Η Ι Ν G. HING.

DON PEDRO, Prince of Arragon.
Leonato, Governor of Meffina.

Don John, Baftard Brother to Don Pedro.

Cláudio, a young Lord of Florence, Favourite to Don Pedro.

Benedick, a young Lord of Padua, favour'd likewise by.
Don Pedro.

Balthazar, Servant to Don Pedro.
Antonio, Brother to Leonato.
Borachio, Confident to Don John.
Conrade, Friend to Borachio.

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Margaret,

Urfula, } two Gentlewomen, attending on Hero.

A Friar, Meffenger, Watch, Town-Clerk, Sexton, and Attendants.

SCENE, Meffina in Sicily.

The Story is from Ariofio, Orl. Fur. B. v.

РОРЕ.

MUCH

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING'.

ACT I. SCENE I.

A Court before Leonato's House.

Enter Leonato, Hero, and Beatrice, with a Messenger.

I

LEONATO.

Learn in this letter, that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this night to Melina.

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

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

Mell. But few of any Sort, and none of Name. Leon. A victory is twice itfelf, when the atchiever

' Much Ado about Nothing.] Innogen, (the Mother of Hero) in the oldeft Quarto that I have feen of this Play, printed in 1600, is mention'd to enter in two feveral Scenes. The fucceeding Editions have all continued her Name in the Dramatis Perfona. But I have ventur'd to expunge it; there being no mention of ber through the Play,

no one Speech addrefs'd to her, nor one Syllable spoken by her. Neither is there any one Paffage, from which we have any Reason to determine that Hero's Mother was living. It seems, as if the Poet had in his first Plan defign'd fuch a Character; which, on a Survey of it, he found would be fuperfluous; and therefore he left it out. THEOBALD.

brings home full numbers; I find here, that Don Pedro hath beftowed much honour on a young Florentine, call'd Claudio.

Mell. Much deferved on his part, and equally remembred by Don Pedro: he hath borne himself beyond the promfe 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 Melina will be very much glad of it.

Mell. I have already delivered him letters, and there appears much joy in him; even fo much, that joy could not fhew itself modeft enough, without a badge of bitterness.

Leon Did he break out into tears?

Melf. In great measure.

Leon. A kind overflow of kindnefs.

There are no

faces truer 3 than thofe that are fo wafh'd. How much

better is it to weep at joy, than to joy at weeping! Beat. I pray you, 4 is Signior Montanto return'd

from the wars or no?

Meff. I know none of that name, Lady; there was none iuch in the army of any Sort.

2

Leon. What is he that you afk for, Need!

joy could not fhew it felf modeft enough, without a badge of bitterness.] This is judiciously exprefs'd. Of all the tranfports of joy, that which is attended with tears is leaft offenfive; because, carrying with it this mark of pain, it allays the envy that usually attends another's happiness. This he finely calls a modeft joy, fuch a one as did not infult 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 fpeaker would reprefent as a Boafter or Bravado. WARBURT.

5

there was none Juch in the army of any fert.] Not meaning there was none fuch of any order or degree whatever, but that there was none fuch of any quality above the common.

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WARBURTON.

Hero.

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