Page 1371 - Shakespeare - Vol. 2

alter? A man loves the meat in his youth that he cannot endure in his age.
Shall quips and sentences and these paper bullets of the brain awe a man
from the career of his humour? No, the world [230] must be peopled. When I
said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married.

Here comes Beatrice. By this day, she’s a fair lady! I do spy some marks of
love in her.

Enter Beatrice.

BEATRICE
Against my will I am sent to bid you come in to [235] dinner.

BENEDICK
Fair Beatrice, I thank you for your pains.

BEATRICE
I took no more pains for those thanks than you take pains to thank me; if it

had been painful, I would [240] not have come.

BENEDICK
You take pleasure then in the message?

BEATRICE
Yea, just so much as you may take upon a knife’s point, and choke a daw
withal. You have no stomach, signior; fare you well. [245]
Exit.

BENEDICK

Ha! ‘Against my will I am sent to bid you come in to dinner’ − there’s a
double meaning in that. ‘I took no more pains for those thanks than you took
pains to thank me’ − that’s as much as to say, ‘Any pains that I take for you
is as easy as thanks.’ If I do not take pity of [250] her, I am a villain; if I do
not love her, I am a Jew. I will go get her picture.

Exit.