Much Ado About Nothing | Page 3

you either delete this "Small Print!" and all
other references to Project Gutenberg, or:

[1] Only give exact copies of it. Among other things, this requires that
you do not remove, alter or modify the etext or this "small print!"
statement. You may however, if you wish, distribute this etext in
machine readable binary, compressed, mark-up, or proprietary form,
including any form resulting from conversion by word pro- cessing or
hypertext software, but only so long as *EITHER*:
[*] The etext, when displayed, is clearly readable, and does *not*
contain characters other than those intended by the author of the work,
although tilde (~), asterisk (*) and underline (_) characters may be used
to convey punctuation intended by the author, and additional characters
may be used to indicate hypertext links; OR
[*] The etext may be readily converted by the reader at no expense into
plain ASCII, EBCDIC or equivalent form by the program that displays
the etext (as is the case, for instance, with most word processors); OR
[*] You provide, or agree to also provide on request at no additional
cost, fee or expense, a copy of the etext in its original plain ASCII form
(or in EBCDIC or other equivalent proprietary form).
[2] Honor the etext refund and replacement provisions of this "Small
Print!" statement.
[3] Pay a trademark license fee to the Project of 20% of the net profits
you derive calculated using the method you already use to calculate
your applicable taxes. If you don't derive profits, no royalty is due.
Royalties are payable to "Project Gutenberg
Association/Carnegie-Mellon University" within the 60 days following
each date you prepare (or were legally required to prepare) your annual
(or equivalent periodic) tax return.
WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU
DON'T HAVE TO?
The Project gratefully accepts contributions in money, time, scanning
machines, OCR software, public domain etexts, royalty free copyright
licenses, and every other sort of contribution you can think of. Money

should be paid to "Project Gutenberg Association / Carnegie-Mellon
University".
*END*THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN
ETEXTS*Ver.04.29.93*END*

This etext was prepared by the PG Shakespeare Team, a team of about
twenty Project Gutenberg volunteers.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
by William Shakespeare

DRAMATIS PERSONAE
DON PEDRO, Prince of Arragon. DON JOHN, his bastard Brother.
CLAUDIO, a young Lord of Florence. BENEDICK, a young Lord of
Padua. LEONATO, Governor of Messina. ANTONIO, his Brother.
BALTHAZAR, Servant to Don Pedro. BORACHIO, follower of Don
John. CONRADE, follower of Don John. DOGBERRY, a Constable.
VERGES, a Headborough. FRIAR FRANCIS. A Sexton. A Boy.
HERO, Daughter to Leonato. BEATRICE, Niece to Leonato.
MARGARET, Waiting-gentlewoman attending on Hero. URSULA,
Waiting-gentlewoman attending on Hero.
Messengers, Watch, Attendants, &c.
SCENE. Messina.

Act 1.
Scene I. Before LEONATO'S House.
[Enter LEONATO, HERO, BEATRICE and others, with a Messenger.]
LEONATO. I learn in this letter that Don Pedro of Arragon comes this
night to Messina.
MESSENGER. He is very near by this: he was not three leagues off
when I left him.
LEONATO. How many gentlemen have you lost in this action?
MESSENGER. But few of any sort, and none of name.
LEONATO. 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.
MESSENGER. 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.
LEONATO. He hath an uncle here in Messina will be very much glad
of it.
MESSENGER. 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.
LEONATO. Did he break out into tears?
MESSENGER. In great measure.
LEONATO. 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 to
joy at weeping!
BEATRICE. I pray you, is Signior Mountanto returned from the wars
or no?
MESSENGER. I know none of that name, lady: there was none such in
the army of any sort.
LEONATO. What is he that you ask for, niece?
HERO. My cousin means Signior Benedick of Padua.
MESSENGER. O! he is returned, and as pleasant as ever he was.
BEATRICE. He set up his bills here in Messina and challenged Cupid
at the flight; and my uncle's fool, reading the challenge, subscribed for
Cupid, and challenged him at the bird-bolt. I pray you, how many hath
he killed and eaten in these wars? But how many hath he killed? for,
indeed,