Comedy of Much ado about nothing Author:William Shakespeare Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ACT I. Scene I. Before Leonato's House. Enter Leonato, Hero, and Beatrice, with a Messenger. Leonato. I learn in this letter that Don Pedro of Arragon... more » 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 f1gure of a lamb the feats of a lion : he hath indeed better bettered expectation than you must expect of me to tell you how. 15 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? 21 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 Montauto 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 ? 3o Hero. My cousin means Signior Benedick of Padua. Messenger. O, he 's 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...« less