ACT V SCENE IV	A room in LEONATO'S house.
	Enter LEONATO, ANTONIO, BENEDICK, BEATRICE, MARGARET, URSULA, FRIAR FRANCIS, and HERO
FRIAR FRANCIS	Did I not tell you she was innocent?
LEONATO	So are the prince and Claudio, who accused her
	Upon the error that you heard debated:
	But Margaret was in some fault for this,	5
	Although against her will, as it appears
	In the true course of all the question.
ANTONIO	Well, I am glad that all things sort so well.
BENEDICK	And so am I, being else by faith enforced
	To call young Claudio to a reckoning for it.	10
LEONATO	Well, daughter, and you gentle-women all,
	Withdraw into a chamber by yourselves,
	And when I send for you, come hither mask'd.
	Exeunt Ladies
	The prince and Claudio promised by this hour
	To visit me. You know your office, brother:	15
	You must be father to your brother's daughter
	And give her to young Claudio.
ANTONIO	Which I will do with confirm'd countenance.
BENEDICK	Friar, I must entreat your pains, I think.
FRIAR FRANCIS	To do what, signior?	20
BENEDICK	To bind me, or undo me; one of them.
	Signior Leonato, truth it is, good signior,
	Your niece regards me with an eye of favour.
LEONATO	That eye my daughter lent her: 'tis most true.
BENEDICK	And I do with an eye of love requite her.	25
LEONATO	The sight whereof I think you had from me,
	From Claudio and the prince: but what's your will?
BENEDICK	Your answer, sir, is enigmatical:
	But, for my will, my will is your good will
	May stand with ours, this day to be conjoin'd	30
	In the state of honourable marriage:
	In which, good friar, I shall desire your help.
LEONATO	My heart is with your liking.
FRIAR FRANCIS	And my help.
	Here comes the prince and Claudio.	35
	Enter DON PEDRO and CLAUDIO, and two or three others
DON PEDRO	Good morrow to this fair assembly.
LEONATO	Good morrow, prince; good morrow, Claudio:
	We here attend you. Are you yet determined
	To-day to marry with my brother's daughter?
CLAUDIO	I'll hold my mind, were she an Ethiope.	40
LEONATO	Call her forth, brother; here's the friar ready.
	Exit ANTONIO
DON PEDRO	Good morrow, Benedick. Why, what's the matter,
	That you have such a February face,
	So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness?
CLAUDIO	I think he thinks upon the savage bull.	45
	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.
BENEDICK	Bull Jove, sir, had an amiable low;	50
	And some such strange bull leap'd your father's cow,
	And got a calf in that same noble feat
	Much like to you, for you have just his bleat.
CLAUDIO	For this I owe you: here comes other reckonings.
	Re-enter ANTONIO, with the Ladies masked
	Which is the lady I must seize upon?	55
ANTONIO	This same is she, and I do give you her.
CLAUDIO	Why, then she's mine. Sweet, let me see your face.
LEONATO	No, that you shall not, till you take her hand
	Before this friar and swear to marry her.
CLAUDIO	Give me your hand: before this holy friar,	60
	I am your husband, if you like of me.
HERO	And when I lived, I was your other wife:
	Unmasking
	And when you loved, you were my other husband.
CLAUDIO	Another Hero!
HERO	Nothing certainer:	65
	One Hero died defiled, but I do live,
	And surely as I live, I am a maid.
DON PEDRO	The former Hero! Hero that is dead!
LEONATO	She died, my lord, but whiles her slander lived.
FRIAR FRANCIS	All this amazement can I qualify:	70
	When after that the holy rites are ended,
	I'll tell you largely of fair Hero's death:
	Meantime let wonder seem familiar,
	And to the chapel let us presently.
BENEDICK	Soft and fair, friar. Which is Beatrice?	75
BEATRICE	Unmasking
BENEDICK	Do not you love me?
BEATRICE	Why, no; no more than reason.
BENEDICK	Why, then your uncle and the prince and Claudio
	Have been deceived; they swore you did.
BEATRICE	Do not you love me?	80
BENEDICK	Troth, no; no more than reason.
BEATRICE	Why, then my cousin Margaret and Ursula
	Are much deceived; for they did swear you did.
BENEDICK	They swore that you were almost sick for me.
BEATRICE	They swore that you were well-nigh dead for me.	85
BENEDICK	'Tis no such matter. Then you do not love me?
BEATRICE	No, truly, but in friendly recompense.
LEONATO	Come, cousin, I am sure you love the gentleman.
CLAUDIO	And I'll be sworn upon't that he loves her;
	For here's a paper written in his hand,	90
	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.	95
BENEDICK	A miracle! here's our own hands against our hearts.
	Come, I will have thee; but, by this light, I take
	thee for pity.
BEATRICE	I would not deny you; but, by this good day, I yield
	upon great persuasion; and partly to save your life,	100
	for I was told you were in a consumption.
BENEDICK	Peace! I will stop your mouth.
	Kissing her
DON PEDRO	How dost thou, Benedick, the married man?
BENEDICK	I'll tell thee what, prince; a college of
	wit-crackers cannot flout me out of my humour. Dost	105
	thou think I care for a satire or an epigram? No:
	if a man will be beaten with brains, a' 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	110
	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 unbruised and love my cousin.	115
CLAUDIO	I had well hoped thou wouldst 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
	exceedingly narrowly to thee.	120
BENEDICK	Come, come, we are friends: let's have a dance ere
	we are married, that we may lighten our own hearts
	and our wives' heels.
LEONATO	We'll have dancing afterward.
BENEDICK	First, of my word; therefore play, music. Prince,	125
	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
Messenger	My lord, your brother John is ta'en in flight,
	And brought with armed men back to Messina.
BENEDICK	Think not on him till to-morrow:	130
	I'll devise thee brave punishments for him.
	Strike up, pipers.
	Dance
	Exeunt