ACT III
SCENE II | A room in LEONATO'S house |
| Enter DON PEDRO, CLAUDIO, BENEDICK, and LEONATO |
DON PEDRO | I do but stay till your marriage be consummate, and |
| then go I toward Arragon. |
CLAUDIO | I'll bring you thither, my lord, if you'll |
| vouchsafe me. | 5 |
DON PEDRO | Nay, that would be as great a soil in the new gloss |
| of your marriage as to show a child his new coat |
| and forbid him to wear it. I will only be bold |
| with Benedick for his company; for, from the crown |
| of his head to the sole of his foot, he is all | 10 |
| mirth: he hath twice or thrice cut Cupid's |
| bow-string and the little hangman dare not shoot at |
| him; he hath a heart as sound as a bell and his |
| tongue is the clapper, for what his heart thinks his |
| tongue speaks. | 15 |
BENEDICK | Gallants, I am not as I have been. |
LEONATO | So say I methinks you are sadder. |
CLAUDIO | I hope he be in love. |
DON PEDRO | Hang him, truant! there's no true drop of blood in |
| him, to be truly touched with love: if he be sad, | 20 |
| he wants money. |
BENEDICK | I have the toothache. |
DON PEDRO | Draw it. |
BENEDICK | Hang it! |
CLAUDIO | You must hang it first, and draw it afterwards. | 25 |
DON PEDRO | What! sigh for the toothache? |
LEONATO | Where is but a humour or a worm. |
BENEDICK | Well, every one can master a grief but he that has |
| it. |
CLAUDIO | Yet say I, he is in love. | 30 |
DON PEDRO | There is no appearance of fancy in him, unless it be |
| a fancy that he hath to strange disguises; as, to be |
| a Dutchman today, a Frenchman to-morrow, or in the |
| shape of two countries at once, as, a German from |
| the waist downward, all slops, and a Spaniard from | 35 |
| the hip upward, no doublet. Unless he have a fancy |
| to this foolery, as it appears he hath, he is no |
| fool for fancy, as you would have it appear he is. |
CLAUDIO | If he be not in love with some woman, there is no |
| believing old signs: a' brushes his hat o' | 40 |
| mornings; what should that bode? |
DON PEDRO | Hath any man seen him at the barber's? |
CLAUDIO | No, but the barber's man hath been seen with him, |
| and the old ornament of his cheek hath already |
| stuffed tennis-balls. | 45 |
LEONATO | Indeed, he looks younger than he did, by the loss of a beard. |
DON PEDRO | Nay, a' rubs himself with civet: can you smell him |
| out by that? |
CLAUDIO | That's as much as to say, the sweet youth's in love. |
DON PEDRO | The greatest note of it is his melancholy. | 50 |
CLAUDIO | And when was he wont to wash his face? |
DON PEDRO | Yea, or to paint himself? for the which, I hear |
| what they say of him. |
CLAUDIO | Nay, but his jesting spirit; which is now crept into |
| a lute-string and now governed by stops. | 55 |
DON PEDRO | Indeed, that tells a heavy tale for him: conclude, |
| conclude he is in love. |
CLAUDIO | Nay, but I know who loves him. |
DON PEDRO | That would I know too: I warrant, one that knows him not. |
CLAUDIO | Yes, and his ill conditions; and, in despite of | 60 |
| all, dies for him. |
DON PEDRO | She shall be buried with her face upwards. |
BENEDICK | Yet is this no charm for the toothache. Old |
| signior, walk aside with me: I have studied eight |
| or nine wise words to speak to you, which these | 65 |
| hobby-horses must not hear. |
| Exeunt BENEDICK and LEONATO |
DON PEDRO | For my life, to break with him about Beatrice. |
CLAUDIO | 'Tis even so. Hero and Margaret have by this |
| played their parts with Beatrice; and then the two |
| bears will not bite one another when they meet. | 70 |
| Enter DON JOHN |
DON JOHN | My lord and brother, God save you! |
DON PEDRO | Good den, brother. |
DON JOHN | If your leisure served, I would speak with you. |
DON PEDRO | In private? |
DON JOHN | If it please you: yet Count Claudio may hear; for | 75 |
| what I would speak of concerns him. |
DON PEDRO | What's the matter? |
DON JOHN | To CLAUDIO |
| to-morrow? |
DON PEDRO | You know he does. |
DON JOHN | I know not that, when he knows what I know. | 80 |
CLAUDIO | If there be any impediment, I pray you discover it. |
DON JOHN | You may think I love you not: let that appear |
| hereafter, and aim better at me by that I now will |
| manifest. For my brother, I think he holds you |
| well, and in dearness of heart hath holp to effect | 85 |
| your ensuing marriage;--surely suit ill spent and |
| labour ill bestowed. |
DON PEDRO | Why, what's the matter? |
DON JOHN | I came hither to tell you; and, circumstances |
| shortened, for she has been too long a talking of, | 90 |
| the lady is disloyal. |
CLAUDIO | Who, Hero? |
DON PEDRO | Even she; Leonato's Hero, your Hero, every man's Hero: |
CLAUDIO | Disloyal? |
DON JOHN | The word is too good to paint out her wickedness; I | 95 |
| could say she were worse: think you of a worse |
| title, and I will fit her to it. Wonder not till |
| further warrant: go but with me to-night, you shall |
| see her chamber-window entered, even the night |
| before her wedding-day: if you love her then, | 100 |
| to-morrow wed her; but it would better fit your honour |
| to change your mind. |
CLAUDIO | May this be so? |
DON PEDRO | I will not think it. |
DON JOHN | If you dare not trust that you see, confess not | 105 |
| that you know: if you will follow me, I will show |
| you enough; and when you have seen more and heard |
| more, proceed accordingly. |
CLAUDIO | If I see any thing to-night why I should not marry |
| her to-morrow in the congregation, where I should | 110 |
| wed, there will I shame her. |
DON PEDRO | And, as I wooed for thee to obtain her, I will join |
| with thee to disgrace her. |
DON JOHN | I will disparage her no farther till you are my |
| witnesses: bear it coldly but till midnight, and | 115 |
| let the issue show itself. |
DON PEDRO | O day untowardly turned! |
CLAUDIO | O mischief strangely thwarting! |
DON JOHN | O plague right well prevented! so will you say when |
| you have seen the sequel. | 120 |
| Exeunt |