THE PLAYS OF William Shakspeare, ACCURATELY PRINTED FROM The Text of the Corrected Copy left by the late, WITH GLOSSARIAL NOTES, AND A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF SHAKSPEARE. IN EIGHT VOLUMES. VOL. II. CONTAINING MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING....MIDSUMMER-NIGHT'S Stereotyped by J. Howe.....N. York. PHILADELPHIA: PUBLISHED BY H. C. CAREY, AND I. LEA, AND 1823. EN PERSONS REPRESENTED. Don Pedro, Prince of Arragon. Claudio, a young lord of Florence, favourite to Benedick, a young lord of Padua, favourite likewise of Don Pedro. Leonato, governor of Messina. Antonio, his brother. Balthazar, servant to Don Pedro. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. ACT I. SCENE I.-Before Leonato's house. Enter Leo--nato, Hero, Beatrice, and others, with a Messenger. Leonato. 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 hath bestowed much honour on a young Florentine, called Claudio. Mess. Much deserved on his part, and equally remembered 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 bettered 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. Mess. I have already delivered him letters, and there appears much joy in him; even so much, that joy could not show itself modest enough, without a badge of bitterness. (1) Kind. |