D. Pedro. And you too, gentle Hero? Hero. I will do any modest office, my lord, to help my 350 cousin to a good husband. D. Pedro. And Benedick is not the unhopefullest husband that I know. Thus far can I praise him he is of a noble strain, of approved valour, and confirmed If we can do this, Cupid is no longer an archer: his glory 360 [Exeunt. SCENE II.-The same. Enter DON JOHN and BORACHIO. D. John. It is so; the Count Claudio shall marry the daughter of Leonato. Bora. Yea, my lord; but I can cross it. 349. you too,] Q (omits comma); you to F. Q, F. 358. in] omitted Ff 3, 4. 355. honesty.] Ff 2-4; honesty, SCENE II. SCENE II.] Capell. The same] Cambridge edd.; Scene changes. Pope; Scene changes to another Apartment in Leonato's House. Theobald and later edd. (substantially). Enter Don John] Enter John Q, Ff. 2. Leonato.] Leonato, Q, F; Leonato; F 4; Leonato? Staunton. 354. strain] not probably = "stock" here, as e.g. in Julius Cæsar, v. i. 59, "O, if thou wert the noblest of thy strain," but "disposition," "quality,' as in The Merry Wives of Windsor, III. iii. 197: "Hang him, dishonest rascal! I would all of the same strain were in the same distress." 357. practise on] craftily work upon. The expression also means "plot against,' as in Antony and Cleopatra, II. ii. 38: "yet, if you three Did practise on my state, your being in Egypt Might be my question." 358, 359. queasy stomach] queasy = "I am over-fastidious, easily disgusted. So "'Twere best to let her have her Some half day's journey will bring down her stomach," etc. 1 D. John. Any bar, any cross, any impediment will be medicinable to me: I am sick in displeasure to him, and whatsoever comes athwart his affection ranges evenly with mine. How canst thou cross this marriage? Bora. Not honestly, my lord; but so covertly that no dishonesty shall appear in me. D. John. Show me briefly how. Bora. I think I told your lordship, a year since, how much I am in the favour of Margaret, the waitinggentlewoman to Hero. D. John. I remember. Bora. I can, at any unseasonable instant of the night, appoint her to look out at her lady's chamber-window. D. John. What life is in that, to be the death of this marriage? Bora. The poison of that lies in you to temper. Go you to the prince your brother; spare not to tell him that SCENE II. 5. medicinable] medicinal, healing, as in Cymbeline, III. ii. 33-34:"Some griefs are med'cinable; that is one of them, For it doth physic love"; and Bacon, The Advancement of Learning, Book II. x, § 9: "In preparation of medicines I do find strange that no man hath sought to make an imitation by art of natural baths and medicinable fountains." See Abbott, Shakes. Gram., § 3, for this active use of adjectives in -ble, etc. 6. affection] inclination, wish. Cf. Love's Labour's Lost, v. i. 93: "Sir, it is the king's most sweet pleasure and affection to congratulate the princess," etc. 18. What life . . . that] W. A. Wright cites Twelfth Night, I. iii. 117: "Tut, there's life in't man." 20. lies in] rests with. to temper] to mix, compound, as in Romeo and Juliet, III. v. 98, and Cymbeline, v. v. 250: 5 1Ο 15 20 25 “The queen, sir, very oft importuned wanton. me To temper poisons for her." a scorne to "Daily and hourly He tempts this blushing virgin with With melting words, and presents To be the stale to his unchaste de sire"; and iv. i. 62 post : “a common stale.” D. John. What proof shall I make of that? Bora. Proof enough to misuse the prince, to vex Claudio, to undo Hero, and kill Leonato. Look you for any other issue? Look D. John. Only to despite them, I will endeavour any- 30 thing. Bora. Go, then; find me a meet hour to draw Don Pedro and the Count Claudio alone: tell them that you know that Hero loves me; intend a kind of zeal both to the prince and Claudio, as,-in love of your brother's honour, who hath made this match, and his friend's reputation, who is thus like to be cozened with the semblance of a maid-that you have discovered thus. They will scarcely believe this without trial offer them instances, which shall bear no less likelihood than to see me at her chamber-window, hear me call Margaret Hero, hear Margaret term me 35-38. as,-in match,. 32. Don Pedro] Q (don); on Pedro Ff. maid-] Dyce, Capell (substantially as-... match;); as in (who is... a maid,) Theobald; (as in match). maid, Q, F. in love] Q; in a loue Ff. 39. scarcely] hardly Rowe. 26. What proof that?] What proof or evidence shall I offer? 27, 28. misuse vex ... undo kill] The right gradation; Borachio realizes upon whom the heaviest effects of his slander will fall, though vex used to bear a stronger meaning than is attached to it now, and signified distress, grieve. Cf. King Lear, v. iii. 313: "Vex not his ghost: O let him pass.' On misuse, see II. i. 222 ante. 30. despite] The only instance in which Shakespeare uses this word as a verb. Cf. The Rare Triumphs of Love and Fortune, i. (Hazlitt's Dodsley, vi. 150): : "What lives or draweth breath, but I can pleasure or despite ?" 32. draw Don Pedro] Another instance of a better reading preserved by the Q. 34. intend] profess, pretend, as in Richard III., III. vii. 45: "The mayor is here at hand: intend some fear: Be not you spoke with, but by mighty suit.' 35-48. as, in love etc.] W. A. Wright, adopting Capell's punctuation, says that as means here "as for 35 40 example." From the rest of the speech it seems that the word serves to introduce a general outline of the plot against Hero, not a suggestion for one possible method of deceiving the prince and Claudio. 37. cozened] cheated, deceived, as in The Winter's Tale, Iv. iv. 254: "I was cozened by the way and lost all my money." 38. semblance] outward appearance. Cf. IV. i. 30 and v. i. 245 post, and King Lear, v. iii. 187: "To assume a semblance that very dogs disdain'd." 40. instances] proofs, as in 2 Henry IV., III. i. 103 : "To comfort you the more, I have received A certain instance that Glendower is dead." 42, 43. term me Claudio] Borachio evidently means to persuade Margaret to dress up in Hero's clothes and, thus disguised as her mistress, to act with him a love scene in which the servants shall pretend to be their "betters," a game well calculated to appeal to the mad-cap Margaret. Claudio is to be placed where he can witness this encounter between his betrothed and Claudio, and bring them to see this the very night D. John. Grow this to what adverse issue it can, I will Bora. Be you constant in the accusation and my cunning D. John. I will presently go learn their day of marriage. Bene. Boy! SCENE III.-Leonato's orchard. Enter BENEDICK. Enter BOY. [Exeunt. Boy. Signior? Bene. In my chamber-window lies a book: bring it hither to me in the orchard. Boy. I am here already, sir. 5 43. Claudio] Borachio Theobald and many editors. 45. so] omit Ff 3, 4. 46. truth] Q; truths F; proofs Collier MS. 46. Hero's] Rowe; Heroes Q, F; her Capell. 52. you] Q; thou Ff. 54. Exeunt] Rowe; Exit Q, Ff. ΙΟ Bene. I know that; but I would have thee hence, and here again. [Exit Boy.] I do much wonder that one man, seeing how much another man is a fool when he dedicates his behaviours to love, will, after he hath laughed at such shallow follies in others, become the argument of his own scorn by falling in love: and such a man is Claudio. I have known when there was no music with him but the drum and the fife; and now had he rather hear the tabor and the pipe: I have known when he would have walked ten mile afoot to see a good armour; and now will he lie ten nights awake, carving the fashion of a new doublet. He was wont to speak plain and to the purpose, like an honest man and a soldier, and now is he turned orthography; his words are a very fantastical banquet, 20 just so many strange dishes. May I be so converted and see with these eyes? I cannot tell; I think not: .] as Johnson; after sir Q, Ff. 15 II. love: and] Capell (semi 22. 20. orthography] 7. Exit colon); love, and Q, Ff 2, 3 (love, & F); love! and F 4. Ff; ortography Q; orthographist Capell (conj.); orthographer Rowe (1). not:] not? F 4. 7-36. I do much wonder etc.] Before the end of this scene, the whirligig of time sees Benedick himself "the argument of his own scorn." 9. behaviours] W. A. Wright: "The plural indicates the details of his behaviour, the various ways in which he shows that he is in love." Compare line 97 of this scene. II. argument] subject, theme, as in Sonnet lxxvi. 10: "I always write of you, And you and love are still my argument." For a different use of the word see III. i. 96 post. II, 12. and such... Claudio] With the change in Claudio described by Benedick in his next words we may compare the metamorphosis discovered by Speed in Valentine, after the latter had fallen in love with Silvia (The Two Gentlemen of Verona, II. i.). 13, 14. the drum fife . . . tabor pipe] Furness quotes Aubrey (ii. 319): "When I was a boy, before the late civil warres, the tabor and pipe were commonly used, especially Sundays and Holy-dayes. Now it is almost all lost; the drumme and trumpet have putte that peaceable musique to silence." ... 16. armour] suit of armour, as in Antony and Cleopatra, IV. viii. 27:"I'll give thee, friend, : An armour all of gold; it was a king's. 17. doublet] the upper part of a man's dress. 20. orthography] Rowe, in his second and was followed by many succeeding edition, changed this to orthographer, editors. The original reading is supconnection, from Love's Labour's Lost, ported by the passage, often cited in this 1. ii. 190: "Assist me, some extemporal god of rhyme, for I am sure I shall turn sonnet." But there is no need to find parallel expressions; Benedick's words are intended as a strong exaggeration and may be taken as such. |