love you, [70 PHEBE) if I could.-To-morrow
meet me all together.-I will marry you, [To
PHEBE] if ever I marry woman, and I'll be
married to-morrow:-I will satisfy you, [7o OR-
LANDO] if ever I satisfied man, and you shall be
married to-morrow :-I will content you, [To
SILVIUS] if what pleases you contents you, and
you shall be married to-morrow.-As you, [To
ORLANDO] love Rosalind, meet; as you, (To
SILVIUS] love Phebe, meet; And as I love no
woman, I'll meet.-So fare you well; I have left
you commands.

Sil. I'll not fail if I live.
Phe. Nor 1.

Orl. Nor I.

To show the letter that I writ to you.

Ros. I care not, if I have: it is my study,
To seem despiteful and ungentle to you:
You are there follow'd by a faithful shepherd;
Look upon him, love him; he worships you.
Phe. Good shepherd, tell this youth what 'tis

Ros. And I for no woman.

Sil. It is to be all made of faith and ser-
vice ;-
And so am I for Phebe.

Phe. And I for Ganymede.
Orl. And I for Rosalind.

Phe. And so am 1 for Ganymede.
Orl. And so am I for Rosalind.
Ros. And so am I for no woman.

Phe. If this be so, why blame you me to love

you ?

To ROSALIND.

Sil. If this be so, why blame you me to love
you?
{To PHEBE.
Orl. If this be so, why blame you me to love
you?

Ros. Who do you speak to, why blame you
me to love you?

Orl. To her that is not here, nor doth not

hear.

Ros. Pray you, no more of this; 'tis like the bowling of Irish wolves against the moon.-1 will help you, [To SILVIUS] if I can:-1 would

• luvite.

Touch. it any man doubt that, let him put me to my purgation. I have trod a measure; f have flattered a lady: I have been politic with my friend, smooth with my enemy; I have undone three tailors; I have had four quarrels, and like to have fought one.

Jaq. And how was that ta'en up?

Touch. 'Faith, we met, and found the quarrel was upon the seventh cause.

Jaq. How seventh cause ?-Good my lord, like this fellow.

Duke S. I like him very well.

Touch. God'ild you, Sir; I desire you of the like. I press in here, Sir, amongst the rest of the country copulatives, to swear, and to forswear; according as marriage binds, and blood breaks :-A poor virgin, Sir, an ill favoured thing, Sir, but mine own; a poor humour of mine, to take that that no man else will: Rich honesty M dwells like a miser, Sir, in a poor-house as your pearl, in your foul oyster.

Duke S. By my faith, he is very swift and Bententious.

Hym. Peace ho! I bar confusion,
'Tis I must make conclusion

Of these most strange events:
Here's eight that must take hands,
To join in Hymen's bands,

According to the measure of their states.
Meantime, forget this new-fall'n dignity,
And fall into our rustic revelry :-
you
Play, music ;-and
brides
grooms all,
With measure heap'd in joy to the measures
fall.

and bride

If truth holds true contents. *
You and you no cross shall part

[To ORLANDO and ROSALIND.
You and you are heart in heart:

Jaq. Sir, by your patience; If I heard you
rightly,

[To OLIVER and CELIA.
You [To PHEBE] to his love must accord,
Or have a woman to your lord :-
You and you are sure together,

The duke hath put on a religious life,
And thrown into neglect the pompous court?
Jaq. de B. He hath.

Jaq. To him will I; out of these convertites
[To TOUCHSTONE and AUDREY. There is much matter to be heard and learn'd.-
You to your former honour I bequeath;
As the winter to foul weather.
Whiles a wedlock-hymn we sing,
Feed yourselves with questioning;
That reason wonder may diminish,
How thus we met, and these things finish.

SONG.

Wedding is great Juno's crown,

O blessed bond of board and bed!
'Tis Hymen peoples every town;
High wedlock then be honoured:
Honour, high honour and renown,
To Hymen, god of every town!

Duke. S. O my dear niece, welcome thou art
to me;

Even daughter, welcome in no less degree.
Phe. I will not eat my word, now thou art
mine;

Thy faith my fancy to thee doth combine. +
[To SILVIUS.

Enter JAQUES DE BOIS.

Jaq. de B. Let me have audience for a word

or two:

I am the second son of old Sir Rowland,
That bring these tidings to this fair assembly -
Duke Frederick, hearing how that every day
Men of great worth resorted to this forest,
Address'd a mighty power! which were on foot,
In his own conduct, purposely to take
His brother here, and put him to the sword:
And to the skirts of this wild wood he came;
Where, meeting with an old religious man,
After some question with him, was converted
Both from his enterprise, and from the world:
His crown bequeathing to his banish'd brother
And all their lands restor'd to them again
That were with him exil'd: This to be true,
I do engage my life.

[TO DUKE S. Your patience, and your virtue well deserves it:

Duke. S. Welcome, young man;
Thou offer'st fairly to thy brothers' wedding:
The one bis lands withheld; and to the other,
A land itself at large, a potent dukedom
First, in this forest, let us do those ends
That here were well begun, and well begot:
And after, every of this happy number,
That have endur'd shrewd days and nights
with us,
Shall share the good of our returned fortune,

You [To ORLANDO] to a love, that your true
faith doth merit:-
You [To OLIVER] to your land, and love, and
great allies:-

You [To SILVIUS] to a long and well deserved bed ;

And you [To TOUCHSTONE] to wrangling; for thy loving voyage

Is but for two months victual'd:-So to your
pleasures;

I am for other than for dancing measures.
Duke S. Stay, Jaques, stay.

Jaq. To see no pastime, I-what you would
have

I'll stay to know at your abandon'd cave.

[Exit. Duke. S. Proceed, proceed we will begin these rites,

And we do trust they'll end in true delights.
(A dance,

EPILOGUE.

Ros. It is not the fashion to see the lady the epilogue: but it is no more unhandsome, than to see the lord the prologue. If it be true, that good uine needs no bush, 'tis true, that a good play needs no epilogue: Yet to good wine they do use good bushes; and good plays prove the better by the help of good epilogues. What a case am I in then, that am neither a good epilogue, nor cannot insinuate with you in the behalf of a good play! I am not furnished like a beggar, therefore to beg will not become ine: my way is, to conjure you; and I'll begin with the women. I charge you, O women, for the love you bear to men, to like as much of this play as please them and so I charge you, O men, for the love you bear to women, (as I perceive by your simpering, none of you hate them,) that between you and the women, the play may please. If I were a woman, I would kiss as many of you as had beards that pleased me, complexions that liked me,t and breaths that I defied not: and, I am sure, as many as have good beards, or good faces, or sweet breaths, will, for my kind offer, when I make [Exeunt. bid me farewell. curt'sy,

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

LITERARY AND HISTORICAL NOTICE.

IN the fifth book of Orlands Furioso, and in B. II. c. iv. of Spenser's Fairie Queene, a story partly similar to the fable of this drama may be found; but a novel in the Histoires Tragiques of Belleforest (Laken from Bandello) approaches nearest to the design, aud probably suggested the idea, of Much ado about Nor thing. The plot is pleasingly intricate; the characters novel and striking; the dialogue exceedingly were cious, and well supported to the end. Beatrice and Benedick are two of the most sprightly and amening characters that Shakspeare ever drew. Wit, humour, nobility, and courage, are combined in the ans though his sallies are not always restrained by reverence or discretion: and if the levity of the forme is somewhat opposed to the becoming reserve and delicacy of the female character, it shows to mare advantage the steadiness of her friendship, and the amiable decision of her character, when urging ber lover to challenge his most intimate friend; and as the best claim upon her affection, to risk ha life in vindicating the purity of her injured companion

ACT I.

SCENE 1.-Before LEONATO's House. Enter LEONATO, HERO, BEATRICE, and others,

with a MESSENGER.

SCENE, Messina,

Leon. I learn in this letter, that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this night to Messina.

Mess. He is very near by this; he was not three leagues off when I left him.

Leon. How many gentlemen have you lost in

this action?

·

Mess. But few of any sort, and none of

name.

Leon. A victory is twice itself, when the achiever brings home full numbers. I find here, that Don Pedro bath bestowed much honour on a young Florentine, called Claudio.

Mess. Much deserved on his part, and equally remembered by Don Pedro: He bath borne himself beyond the promise of his age; doing, in the figure of a lamb, the feats of a lion: he hath, indeed, better bettered expectation, than you must expect of me to tell you how.

• Kind

Two foolish Oficer

HERO, Daughter to Leonato.
BEATRICE, Niece to Leonato.

MARGARET, Gentlewomen attending on Hero-
URSULA,

Messengers, Watch, and Attendants.

Leon. He hath an uncle here in Messina will be very much glad of it.

Mess. I have already delivered him letten and there appears much joy in him; even so much, that joy could not show itself modest enough, without a badge of bitterness. Leon. Did he break out into tears ? Mess. In great measure.

Leon. A kind overflow of kindness: There are no faces truer than those that are so washed. How much better is it to weep at joy, than te joy_at weeping?

Beat. I pray you, is signior Montante returned from the wars, or no?

Mess. I know none of that name, lady; there was none such in the army of any sort.

Leon. What is he that you ask for, niece ? Hero. My cousin means signior Benedick of Padua.

Mess. Oh he is returned; and as pleasant as ever be was.

Beat. He set up his bills here in Messina, and challenged Cupid at the flight: + and my uncle's fool, reading the challenge, subscribed ↑ At long lengthe

Abundance