DON PEDRO, Prince of Arragon. Don John, Bastard Brother to Don Pedro. Claudio, a young Lord of Florence, Favourite to Don Pedro. Benedick, a young Lord of Padua, favour'd likewife by Don Pedro. Hero, Daughter to Leonato. Beatrice, Neice to Leonato. Margaret, two Gentlewomen, attending on Urfula, } Hero. 7 A Friar, Messenger, Watch, Town-Clerk, Sexton, and Attendants. SCENE, Messina in Sicily. (1) MUCH ADO about NOTHING. ACT I. SCENE, a Court before Leonato's House. Enter Leonato, Hero, and Beatrice, with a Messenger. I LEONATO: 195 Learn in this letter, that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this night to Meffina. Meff. 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? none of Name. Meff. But few of any Sort, and Leon. A victory is twice it felf, when the atchiever brings home full numbers; I find here, that Don Pe dro (1) Much Ado about Nothing.] Innogen, (the Mother of Hero) in the oldest Quarto that I have seen of this Play, printed in 1600, is mention'd to enter in two several Scenes. The fucceeding Editions have all continued her Name in the Dramatis Persons. But I have ventur'd to expunge it; there being no mention of her thro' the Play, no one Speech address'd to her, nor one Syllable spoken by her. Neither is there any dro hath bestowed much honour on a young Florentine, call'd Claudio. Meff. Much deserved on his part, and equally remembred by Don Pedro: he hath borne himself beyond the promise of his age, doing in the figure of a lamb the feats of a lion: he hath, indeed, better better'd expectation, than you must expect of me to tell you how. Leon. He hath an uncle here in Messina will be very much glad of it. Mej. I have already delivered him letters, and there appears much joy in him; even so much, that joy could not shew it felf modest enough, without a badge of bitterness. Leon. Did he break out into tears? Meff. In great measure. Leon. A kind overflow of kindness. There are no faces truer than those that are so wash'd. How much better is it to weep at joy, than to joy at weeping! Beat. I pray you, is Signior Montanto return'd from the wars or no? Mes. 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, Neice? Hero. My Cousin means Signior Benedick of Padua. Meff. O, he's return'd, and as pleasant as ever he *was. Beat. He set up his bills here in Messina, and challeng'd Cupid at the flight; and my Uncle's fool, reading the challenge, subscrib'd for Cupid, and challeng'd him at the bird-bolt. I pray you, how many hath he kill'd and eaten in these wars? but how many hath he kill'd? for, indeed, I promis'd to eat all of his killing. one Passage, from which we have any Reason to determine that Hero's Mother was living. It seems, as if the Poet had in his first Plan design'd such a Character; which, on a Survey of it, he found would be superfluous; and therefore he left it out. Leon. |