ACT III
SCENE IV | HERO's apartment. |
| Enter HERO, MARGARET, and URSULA |
HERO | Good Ursula, wake my cousin Beatrice, and desire |
| her to rise. |
URSULA | I will, lady. |
HERO | And bid her come hither. | 5 |
URSULA | Well. |
| Exit |
MARGARET | Troth, I think your other rabato were better. |
HERO | No, pray thee, good Meg, I'll wear this. |
MARGARET | By my troth, 's not so good; and I warrant your |
| cousin will say so. | 10 |
HERO | My cousin's a fool, and thou art another: I'll wear |
| none but this. |
MARGARET | I like the new tire within excellently, if the hair |
| were a thought browner; and your gown's a most rare |
| fashion, i' faith. I saw the Duchess of Milan's | 15 |
| gown that they praise so. |
HERO | O, that exceeds, they say. |
MARGARET | By my troth, 's but a night-gown in respect of |
| yours: cloth o' gold, and cuts, and laced with |
| silver, set with pearls, down sleeves, side sleeves, | 20 |
| and skirts, round underborne with a bluish tinsel: |
| but for a fine, quaint, graceful and excellent |
| fashion, yours is worth ten on 't. |
HERO | God give me joy to wear it! for my heart is |
| exceeding heavy. | 25 |
MARGARET | 'Twill be heavier soon by the weight of a man. |
HERO | Fie upon thee! art not ashamed? |
MARGARET | Of what, lady? of speaking honourably? Is not |
| marriage honourable in a beggar? Is not your lord |
| honourable without marriage? I think you would have | 30 |
| me say, 'saving your reverence, a husband:' and bad |
| thinking do not wrest true speaking, I'll offend |
| nobody: is there any harm in 'the heavier for a |
| husband'? None, I think, and it be the right husband |
| and the right wife; otherwise 'tis light, and not | 35 |
| heavy: ask my Lady Beatrice else; here she comes. |
| Enter BEATRICE |
HERO | Good morrow, coz. |
BEATRICE | Good morrow, sweet Hero. |
HERO | Why how now? do you speak in the sick tune? |
BEATRICE | I am out of all other tune, methinks. | 40 |
MARGARET | Clap's into 'Light o' love;' that goes without a |
| burden: do you sing it, and I'll dance it. |
BEATRICE | Ye light o' love, with your heels! then, if your |
| husband have stables enough, you'll see he shall |
| lack no barns. | 45 |
MARGARET | O illegitimate construction! I scorn that with my heels. |
BEATRICE | 'Tis almost five o'clock, cousin; tis time you were |
| ready. By my troth, I am exceeding ill: heigh-ho! |
MARGARET | For a hawk, a horse, or a husband? |
BEATRICE | For the letter that begins them all, H. | 50 |
MARGARET | Well, and you be not turned Turk, there's no more |
| sailing by the star. |
BEATRICE | What means the fool, trow? |
MARGARET | Nothing I; but God send every one their heart's desire! |
HERO | These gloves the count sent me; they are an | 55 |
| excellent perfume. |
BEATRICE | I am stuffed, cousin; I cannot smell. |
MARGARET | A maid, and stuffed! there's goodly catching of cold. |
BEATRICE | O, God help me! God help me! how long have you |
| professed apprehension? | 60 |
MARGARET | Even since you left it. Doth not my wit become me rarely? |
BEATRICE | It is not seen enough, you should wear it in your |
| cap. By my troth, I am sick. |
MARGARET | Get you some of this distilled Carduus Benedictus, |
| and lay it to your heart: it is the only thing for a qualm. | 65 |
HERO | There thou prickest her with a thistle. |
BEATRICE | Benedictus! why Benedictus? you have some moral in |
| this Benedictus. |
MARGARET | Moral! no, by my troth, I have no moral meaning; I |
| meant, plain holy-thistle. You may think perchance | 70 |
| that I think you are in love: nay, by'r lady, I am |
| not such a fool to think what I list, nor I list |
| not to think what I can, nor indeed I cannot think, |
| if I would think my heart out of thinking, that you |
| are in love or that you will be in love or that you | 75 |
| can be in love. Yet Benedick was such another, and |
| now is he become a man: he swore he would never |
| marry, and yet now, in despite of his heart, he eats |
| his meat without grudging: and how you may be |
| converted I know not, but methinks you look with | 80 |
| your eyes as other women do. |
BEATRICE | What pace is this that thy tongue keeps? |
MARGARET | Not a false gallop. |
| Re-enter URSULA |
URSULA | Madam, withdraw: the prince, the count, Signior |
| Benedick, Don John, and all the gallants of the | 85 |
| town, are come to fetch you to church. |
HERO | Help to dress me, good coz, good Meg, good Ursula. |
| Exeunt |