Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB
[blocks in formation]

Urs. Madam, you must come to your uncle; yonder's old coil at home: it is proved, my lady Hero hath been falsely accused, the Prince and Claudio mightily abused; and Don John is the author of all, who is fled and gone: will you come presently?

Beat. Will you go hear this news, signior? Bene. I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes; and, moreover, I go with thee to thy uncle's. [Exeunt.

will

SCENE III.-The inside of a church. Enter DON PEDRO, CLAUDIO, and Attendants, with musick and tapers.

Claud. Is this the monument of Leonato ?
Atten. It is, my lord.

Claud. [Reads from a scroll.]

Done to death by slanderous tongues
Was the Hero that here lies:
Death, in guerdon of her wrongs,
Gives her fame, which never dies:
So the life, that died with shame,
Lives in death with glorious fame.

[blocks in formation]

SCENE IV.-A room in Leonato's house.

Enter LEONATO, ANTONIO, Benedick, Bea

TRICE, URSULA, Friar, and HERO.

Friar. Did I not tell you, she was innocent?

Leon. So are the prince and Claudio, who ac-
cused her

Upon the error that you heard debated:
But Margaret was in some fault for this;
Although against her will, as it appears
In the true course of all the question.

Ant. Well, I am glad that all things sort so
well.

Bene. And so am I, being else by faith enforc'd

To call young Claudio to a reckoning for it.
Leon. Well, daughter, and you gentlewomen
all,

Withdraw into a chamber by yourselves;
And, when I send for you, come hither mask'd;
The prince and Claudio promis'd by this hour
To visit me:-You know your office, brother;
You must be father to your brother's daughter,

Hang thou there upon the tomb, [Affixing it. And give her to young Claudio.
Praising her when I am dumb.

[blocks in formation]

[Exeunt Ladies. Ant. Which I will do with confirm'd counte

nance.

[blocks in formation]

Leon. My heart is with your liking.
Friar. And my help.

Here comes the prince, and Claudio.

Enter Don PEDRO and CLAUDIO, with Attendants. D. Pedro. Good morrow to this fair assembly. Leon. Good morrow, prince ;-good morrow, Claudio ;

We here attend you: Are you yet determin'd To-day to marry with my brother's daughter? Claud. I'll hold my mind, were she an Ethiop. Leon. Call her forth, brother, here's the friar ready. [Exit Antonio.

D. Pedro. Good morrow, Benedick: Why, what's the matter,

That you have such a February face,
So full of frost, of storm, and cloudiness?
Claud. I think, he thinks upon the savage
bull:-

Tush, fear not, man, we'll tip thy horns with gold,

And all Europa shall rejoice at thee;
As once Europa did at lusty Jove,

When he would play the noble beast in love.

Bene. Bull Jove, sir, had an amiable low; And some such strange bull leapt your father's

[blocks in formation]

Claud. Another Hero?

Hero. Nothing certainer:

One Hero died defil'd; but I do live,
And, surely as I live, I am a maid.

D. Pedro. The former Hero! Hero, that is dead!

Leon. She died, my lord, but whiles her slander lived.

Friar. All this amazement can I qualify;
When, after that the holy rites are ended,
I'll tell you largely of fair Hero's death:
Mean time, let wonder seem familiar,
And to the chapel let us presently.

Beat. I answer to that name; [Unmasking.]
What is your will?

Bene. Do not you love me?
Beat. No, no more than reason.

Bene. Why, then your uncle, and the prince, and Claudio,

Have been deceived; for they swore you did. Beat. Do not you love me?

Bene. No, no more than reason.

Beat. Why, then my cousin, Margaret, and

Ursula,

Are much deceiv'd; for they did swear, you did.

Bene. They swore, that you were almost sick for me.

Beat. They swore, that you were well high dead for me.

Bene. 'Tis no such matter:-Then, you do not love me?

Beat. No, truly, but in friendly recompense. Leon. Come, cousin, I am sure you love the gentleman.

Claud. And I'll be sworn upon't, that he loves
her;

For here's a paper, written in his hand,
A halting sonnet of his own pure brain,
Fashion'd to Beatrice.

Hero. And here's another, Writ in my cousin's hand, stolen from her pocket,

Containing her affection unto Benedick.

Bene. A miracle! here's our own hands against our hearts!-Come, I will have thee; but, by this light, I take thee for pity.

Beat. I would not deny you; but, by this good day, I yield upon great persuasion; and, partly, to save your life, for I was told you were in a consumption.

Bene. Peace, I will stop your mouth. [Kissing her. D. Pedro. How dost thou, Benedick, the married man?

Bene. I'll tell thee what, prince; a college of wit-crackers cannot flout me out of my humour: Dost thou think, I care for a satire, or an epigram? No: if a man will be beaten with brains, he shall wear nothing handsome about him: In brief, since I do purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any purpose, that the world can say against it; and therefore never flout at me for what I have said against it; for man is a giddy thing, and this is my conclusion.-For thy part, Claudio, I did think to have beaten thee; but in that thou art like to be my kinsman, live ut:bruised, and love my cousin.

Claud. I had well hoped, thou would'st have denied Beatrice, that I might have cudgelled thee out of thy single life, to make thee a double dealer; which, out of question, thou wilt be, if my cousin do not look exceeding narrowly to

Bene. Soft and fair, friar.-Which is Bea- thee. trice?

VOL. I.

Bene. Come, come, we arc friends :-lct's have

[ocr errors]

a dance ere we are married, that we may lighten our own hearts, and our wives' heels.

Leon. We'll have dancing afterwards.

Bene. First, o' my word; therefore, play, musick.-Prince, thou art sad; get thee a wife, get thee a wife: there is no staff more reverend than one tipped with horn.

Enter a Messenger.

Mess. My lord, your brother John is ta'en in flight,

And brought with armed men back to Messina. Bene. Think not on him till to-morrow; I'll devise thee brave punishments for him.-Strike up, pipers. [Dance. Exeunt.

[blocks in formation]

Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword,
And won thy love, doing thee injuries;
But I will wed thee in another key,
With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling.

Enter EGEUS, HERMIA, LYSANDER, and DEME

TRIUS.

Ege. Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke! The. Thanks, good Egeus: What's the news with thee?

Ege. Full of vexation come I, with complaint
Against my child, my daughter Hermia.-
Stand forth, Demetrius ;-my noble lord,
This man hath my consent to marry her:-
Stand forth, Lysander;-and, my gracious duke,
This hath bewitch'd the bosom of my child :-
Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her
rhymes,

And interchang'd love-tokens with my child:
Thou hast by moon-light at her window sung,
With feigning voice, verses of feigning love;
And stolen the impression of her fantasy
With bracelets of thy hair, rings, gawds, conceits,
Knacks, trifles, nosegays, sweet-meats; messen-
gers

Of strong prevailment in anharden'd youth: With cunning hast thou filch'd my daughter's heart;

Turn'd her obedience, which is due to me,
To stubborn harshness:-And, my gracious duke,
Be it so she will not here before your grace
Consent to marry with Demetrius,

I beg the ancient privilege of Athens ;
As she is mine, I may dispose of her:
Which shall be either to this gentleman,
Or to her death; according to our law,
Immediately provided in that case.

The. What say you, Hermia? be advised,
fair maid:

To you your father should be as a god;

Therefore, fair Hermia, question your desires,
Know of your youth, examine well your blood,
Whether, if you yield not to your father's choice,
You can endure the livery of a nun;
For aye to be in shady cloister mew'd,
To live a barren sister all your life,
Chanting faint hymns to the cold fruitless moon.
Thrice blessed they, that master so their blood,
To undergo such maiden pilgrimage ;
But earthlier happy is the rose distill'd,
Than that, which, withering on the virgin thorn,
Grows, lives, and dies, in single blessedness.

Her. So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord,
Ere I will yield my virgin patent up
Unto his lordship, whose unwished yoke
My soul consents not to give sovereignty.
The. Take time to pause: and, by the next
new moon,

(The sealing-day betwixt my love and me,
For everlasting bond of fellowship,)
Upon that day either prepare to die,
For disobedience to your father's will;
Or else, to wed Demetrius, as he would;
Or on Diana's altar to protest,

For aye, austerity and single life.

Dem. Relent, sweet Hermia:—And, Lysander, yield

Thy crazed title to my certain right.

Lys. You have her father's love, Demetrius; Let me have Hermia's: do you marry him.

Ege. Scornful Lysander! true, he hath my
love;

And what is mine my love shall render him ;
And she is mine; and all my right of her
I do estate unto Demetrius.

Lys. I am, my lord, as well deriv'd as he,
As well possess'd; my love is more than his;
My fortunes every way as fairly rank'd,
If not with vantage, as Demetrius';

And, which is more than all these boasts can be, I am belov'd of beauteous Herinia:

One that compos'd your beauties; yea, and one Why should not I then prosecute my right?

To whom you are but as a form in wax,

By him imprinted, and within his power
To leave the figure, or disfigure it.
Demetrius is a worthy gentleman.
Her. So is Lysander.

The. In himself he is:

But, in this kind, wanting your father's voice, The other must be held the worthier.

Her. I would, my father look'd but with my

eyes.

The. Rather your eyes must with his judgment look.

Her. I do entreat your grace to pardon me. I know not by what power I am made bold; Nor how it may concern my modesty In such a presence here to plead my thoughts: But I beseech your grace, that I may know The worst that may befal me in this case, If I refuse to wed Demetrius.

The. Either to die the death, or to abjure For ever the society of men.

Demetrius, I'll avouch it to his head,
Made love to Nedar's daughter, Helena,
And won her soul; and she, sweet lady, dotes,
Devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry,

Upon this spotted and inconstant man.

The. I must confess, that I have heard so much,

And with Demetrius thought to have spoke thereof;

But, being over-full of self-affairs,
My mind did lose it.-But, Demetrius, come;
And come, Egeus; you shall go with me,
I have some private schooling for you both.-
For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself
To fit your fancies to your father's will;
Or else the law of Athens yields you up
(Which by no means we may extenuate,)
To death, or to a vow of single life.-
Come, my Hippolyta; what cheer, my love?-
Demetrius and Egeus, go along ;

I must employ you in some business

« AnteriorContinuar »