Balth. O good my lord, tax not so bad a voice D. Pedro. It is the witness still of excellency, There's not a note of mine that's worth the noting. D. Pedro. Why these are very crotchets that he speaks; Note notes, forsooth, and nothing!! [Music. Bene. [Aside.] Now, divine air! now is his soul ravish'd!-Is it not strange, that sheeps' guts should hale souls out of men's bodies?-Well, a horn for my money, when all's done. THE SONG. Balth. Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more, One foot in sea, and one on shore; Then sigh not so, folio, 1623, only makes one entrance; and inserts the name of the singer of the song, Jack Wilson, instead of the character, "Enter Prince, Leonato, Claudio, and Jack Wilson," before the words "Come, shall we hear this music?" See the "Memoirs of Edward Alleyn,” p. 153, respecting "Mr. Wilson the singer," who dined with the founder of Dulwich College in 1620. 1 Note notes, forsooth, and NOTHING!] This is the reading of the old copies, and ought to be preserved in preference to noting, which Theobald substituted, and which has stood in the text ever since. Don Pedro means to play upon the similarity of sound between noting and "nothing," and to indicate his opinion of the worth of Balthazar's " crotchets." you blithe and bonny, And be your sounds of woe Into, Hey nonny, nonny. Sing no more ditties, sing no mo D. Pedro. By my troth, a good song. D. Pedro. Ha? no, no; faith, thou singest well enough for a shift. Bene. [Aside.] An he had been a dog that should have howled thus, they would have hang'd him; and, I pray God, his bad voice bode no mischief! I had as lief have heard the night-raven, come what plague could have come after it. D. Pedro. Yea, marry; dost thou hear, Balthazar? I pray thee, get us some excellent music, for to-morrow night we would have it at the lady Hero's chamber window. Balth. The best I can, my lord. D. Pedro. Do so farewell. [Exeunt BALTHAZAR and musicians.] Come hither, Leonato: what was it you told me of to-day? that your niece Beatrice was in love with signior Benedick? Claud. [Aside to Pedro.] O, ay:-stalk on, stalk on; the fowl sits. [Aloud.] I did never think that lady would have loved any man. Leon. No, nor I neither; but most wonderful, that she should so dote on signior Benedick, whom she hath in all outward behaviours seemed ever to abhor. Bene. [Aside.] Is't possible? Sits the wind in that corner? * Stalk on, stalk on; the fowl sits.] An allusion to the stalking-horse, by which the fowler anciently sheltered himself from the sight of the game. Leon. By my troth, my lord, I cannot tell what to think of it, but that she loves him with an enraged affection it is past the infinite of thought. D. Pedro. May be, she doth but counterfeit. Claud. 'Faith, like enough. Leon. O God! counterfeit! There was never counterfeit of passion came so near the life of passion, as she discovers it. D. Pedro. Why, what effects of passion shows she? Claud. [Aside.] Bait the hook well: this fish will bite. Leon. What effects, my lord? She will sit you,you heard my daughter tell you how. Claud. She did, indeed. D. Pedro. How, how, I pray you? You amaze me: I would have thought her spirit had been invincible against all assaults of affection. Leon. I would have sworn it had, my lord; especially against Benedick. Bene. [Aside.] I should think this a gull, but that the white-bearded fellow speaks it: knavery cannot, sure, hide himself in such reverence 3. Claud. [Aside.] He hath ta'en the infection: hold it up. D. Pedro. Hath she made her affection known to Benedick? Leon. No, and swears she never will: that's her torment. Claud. "Tis true, indeed; so your daughter says: "Shall I," says she, "that have so oft encountered him with scorn, write to him that I love him ?" Leon. This says she, now, when she is beginning to write to him; for she'll be up twenty times a night, and 3 knavery cannot, sure, hide HIMSELF in such reverence.] Hitherto "himself" has been printed itself in the modern editions; but Shakespeare meant to personify knavery. there will she sit in her smock, till she have writ a sheet of paper. My daughter tells us all. Claud. Now you talk of a sheet of paper, I remember a pretty jest your daughter told us of *. Leon. O!-when she had writ it, and was reading it over, she found Benedick and Beatrice between the sheet ? Claud. That. Leon. O! she tore the letter into a thousand halfpence; railed at herself, that she should be so immodest to write to one that she knew would flout her:-"I measure him," says she, " by my own spirit; for I should flout him, if he writ to me; yea, though I love him, I should." Claud. Then down upon her knees she falls, weeps, sobs, beats her heart, tears her hair, prays, curses;"O sweet Benedick! God give me patience!" 66 Leon. She doth indeed: my daughter says so; and the ecstasy hath so much overborne her, that my daughter is sometimes afeard she will do a desperate outrage to herself. It is very true. D. Pedro. It were good, that Benedick knew of it by some other, if she will not discover it. Claud. To what end? He would but make a sport of it, and torment the poor lady worse. D. Pedro. An he should, it were an alms to hang him. She's an excellent sweet lady, and out of all suspicion she is virtuous. Claud. And she is exceeding wise. D. Pedro. In every thing, but in loving Benedick. Leon. O! my lord, wisdom and blood combating in so tender a body, we have ten proofs to one, that blood hath the victory. I am sorry for her, as I have just cause, being her uncle and her guardian. D. Pedro. I would, she had bestowed this dotage on me; I would have daff'd all other respects, and made - your daughter told us of.] In the 4to, 1600, us or is transposed. her half myself. I pray you, tell Benedick of it, and hear what a' will say. Leon. Were it good, think you? Claud. Hero thinks surely, she will die; for she says, she will die if he love her not, and she will die ere she make her love known, and she will die if he woo her, rather than she will 'bate one breath of her accustomed crossness. D. Pedro. She doth well: if she should make tender of her love, 'tis very possible he'll scorn it; for the man, as you know all, hath a contemptible spirit". Claud. He is a very proper man. D. Pedro. He hath, indeed, a good outward happi ness. Claud. Before God, and in my mind, very wise. D. Pedro. He doth, indeed, show some sparks that are like wit. Leon. And I take him to be valiant. D. Pedro. As Hector, I assure you: and in the managing of quarrels you may say he is wise; for either he avoids them with great discretion, or undertakes them with a most Christian-like fear. Leon. If he do fear God, he must necessarily keep peace if he break the peace, he ought to enter into a quarrel with fear and trembling. D. Pedro. And so will he do; for the man doth fear God, howsoever it seems not in him by some large jests he will make. Well, I am sorry for your niece. Shall we go seek Benedick, and tell him of her love? Claud. Never tell him, my lord: let her wear it out with good counsel. Leon. Nay, that's impossible; she may wear her heart out first. D. Pedro. Well, we will hear farther of it by your 6 — a CONTEMPTIBLE spirit.] i. e. A contemptuous or scornful spirit. The word was used in this sense by many writers in the time of Shakespeare. 7 Shall we go SEEK Benedick,] See, folio, 1623. In a preceding speech, the folio has " you may see he is wise," instead of "say." |