fefs nothing, nor I deny nothing. I am forrry for coufin. Bene. By my fword, Beatrice, thou lov'st me. Beat. Do not fwear by it, and eat it. my Bene. I will fwear by it that you love me; and I will make him eat it, that fays, I love not you. Beat. Will you not eat your word? Bene. With no fauce that can be devis'd to it; I proteft, I love thee. Beat. Why then, God forgive me. Bene. What offence, fweet Beatrice? Beat. You have ftay'd me in a happy hour; I was about to proteft, I lov'd you. Bene. And do it with all thy heart. Beat. I love you with fo much of my heart, that none is left to protest. Bene. Come, bid me do any thing for thee. Beat. Kill Claudio. Bene. Ha! not for the wide world. • Beat. You kill me to deny; farewel. Bene. Tarry, fweet Beatrice. Beat. I am gone, tho' I am here; there is no love. in you; nay, I pray you, let me go. Bene. Beatrice, Beat. In faith, I will go. Bene. We'll be friends firft. Beat. You dare eafier be friends with me, than fight with mine enemy. Bene. Is Claudio thine enemy ? Beat. Is he not approved in the height a villain, that hath flander'd, fcorn'd, difhonour'd my kinfwoman! O, that I were a man! what! bear her in hand until they come to take hands, and then with publick accufation, uncover'd fländer, unmitigated rancour O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market-place. Bene. Hear me, Beatrice, Beat. Talk with a man out at a window ?—a proper faying! Bene. Nay, but Beatrice. Beat. Sweet Hero! fhe is wrong'd, fhe is flander'd, fhe is undone. Bene, Beat Beat Princes and Counts! furely, a princely teftimony, a goodly count-comfect, a fweet gallant, furely! O that I were a man for his fake! Or that I had any friend would be a man for my fake! but manhood is melted into curtefies, valour into compliment, and men are only turned into tongue, and trim ones too; he is now as valiant as Hercules, that only tells a lýe, and fwears it I cannot be a man with wifhing, therefore I will die a woman with grieving. Bene. Tarry, good Beatrice; by this hand, I love thee. Beat. Ufe it for my love fome other way than fwearing by it. Bene. Think you in your foul, the Count Claudio hath wrong'd Hero? Beat. Yea, as fure as I have a thought or a foul. Bene. Enough, I am engag'd; I will challenge him, I will kifs your hand, and fo leave you; by this hand, Claudio fhall render me dear account; as you hear of me, fo think of me; go comfort your coufin; I must fay, fhe is dead, and fo farewel. [Exeunt Enter Dogberry, Verges, Borachio, Conrade, the To. Cl. S our whole diffembly appear'd? Dogb. O, a ftool and a cushion for the fexton ! Sexton. Sexton. Which be the malefactors? Verg. Marry, that am I and my Partner. Dogb. Nay, that's certain, we have the exhibition to examine. Sexton. But which are the offenders that are to be examin'd? let them come before mafter constable. To. Cl. Yea, marry, let them come before me; what is your name, friend? Bora. Borachio. To. Cl. Pray, write down, Borachio. Yours, Sirrah? Conr. I am a gentleman, Sir, and my name is Conrade. To. Cl. Write down, mafter gentleman Conrade; mafters, do you ferve God? Both. Yea, Sir, we hope '. To. Cl. Write down, that they hope they ferve God: and write God first: for God defend, but God should go before fuch villains Mafters, it is proved already that you are little better than falfe knaves, and it will go near to be thought fo fhortly; how answer you for yourselves? Conr. Marry, Sir, we fay, we are none. To. Cl. A marvellous witty fellow, I affure you, but I will go about with him. Come you hither, firrah, a word in your ear, Sir; I say to you, it is thought you are both falfe knaves. Bora. Sir, I fay to you, we are none. To. Cl. Well, ftand afide; 'fore God, they are both in a tale; have you writ down, that they are none? Sexton, Mafter town clerk, you go not the way to 5 Both. Yea, Sir, ave hope. To. Cl. Write down that they hope they ferve God: and write God first; for God defend, but God Jhould go before fuch Vllains;-] This fhort Pafiage, which is truly humourous and in character, I have added from the old Quarto. Befides, it fupplies a Defect; for, without it, the Town Clerk afks a Queftion of the Prisoners, and goes on without ftaying for any Answer to it. R 4 THEOBALD. examine, examine, you must call the watch that are their accufers. 6 To. Cl. Yea, marry, that's the defteft way, let the Watch come forth; mafters, I charge you in the Prince's name accuse these men. Enter Watchmen. 1 Watch. This man faid, Sir, that Don John the Prince's brother was a villain. To. Cl. Write down, Prince John a villain; why this is flat perjury, to call a Prince's brother villain. Bora. Mafter town-clerk To. Cl. Pray thee, fellow, Peace; I do not like thy look, I promise thee. Sexton. What heard you him fay else? 2 Watch. Marry, that he had receiv'd a thousand ducats of Don John, for accufing the lady Hero wrongfully. To. Cl. Flat burglary, as ever was committed. Sexton. What elfe, fellow? I Watch. And that Count Claudio did mean, upon To. Cl. Yea, marry, that's the eafieft Way, let the Watch come forth.] This, eafieft, is a Sophiftication of our modern Editors, who were at a Lofs to make out the corrupted Reading of the old Copies. The Quarto, in too, and the firft and fecond Editions in Folio all concur in reading; Yea, marry, that's the efteft way, &c. A Letter happen'd to flip out at Prefs in the firft Edition; and 'twas too hard a Tafk for the fubfequent Editors to put it in, or his words, to difgrace Hero before the whole affembly, and not marry her. To. Cl. O villain! thou wilt be condemn'd into everlasting redemption, for this. Sexton. What else? 2 Watch. This is all. Sexton. And this is more, mafters, than you can dený. Prince John is this morning fecretly ftoll'n away Hero was in this manner accus'd, and in this very manner refus'd, and upon the grief of this fuddenly dy'd. Master Constable, let these men be bound and brought to Leonato ; I will go before, and fhew him their examination. Dogb. Come let them be opinion'd. 7 Sexton. Let them be in the bands of Coxcomb.] So the Editions. Mr. Theobald gives the words to Conrade, and fays, But why the Sexton should be fo pert upon his Brother Officers, there feems no reafon from any fuferior qualifications in him; or any fuf. picion he fhers f knowing their ignorance. This is ftrange. The Sexton throughout fhews as good fenfe in their Examination as any Judge upon the bench could do. And as to his fufpicion of their ignorance, he tells the Townclerk That he goes not the way to examine. The meannefs of his name hindered our Editor from feeing the Goodness of his Senfe. But this Sexton was an Ecclefiaftic of one of the inferior Orders called the Sacriftan, and not a Brother Officer, as the Editor calls him. I fuppofe the book from whence the Poet took his fubject was fome old English novel tranflated from the Italian, where [Exit. Conr. the word Sagristano was rendered Sexton. As in Fairfax's Godfrey of Boulogne. When Phoebus next unclos'd his wakeful eye, Up rofe the SEXTON of that place prophane. The paffage then in question is to be read thus, Sexton. Let them be in hand. Conr. Off, Coxcomb! Dogberry would have them pinion'd. The Sexton fays, it was fufficient if they were kept in fafe cuftody, and then goes out. When one of the watchmen comes up to bind them, Conrade fays, Of, Coxcomb! as he fays afterwards to the Conftable, Away! you are an ass.-But the Editor adds, The old Quarto gave me the firft umbrag, for placing it to Conrade. What these words mean I don't know: But I fufpect the old Quarto divides the paffage as I have done. WARB. There 1 |