| [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, 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. |
| 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: 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? |
| 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. |
| 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 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. |
| [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. |
| 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. 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; 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? | |
| 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, 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: 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: 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? |
| BEATRICE | [Unmasking] I answer to that name. What is your will? |
| 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? |
| 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. |
| 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, 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. |
| 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, 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 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 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. |
| 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. |
| 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, 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: I'll devise thee brave punishments for him. Strike up, pipers. |
| [Dance] | |
| [Exeunt] |