right clew to the mystery.  Much the same, all through, is to be said of Beatrice; who approves herself a thoroughly brave and generous character.  The swiftness and brilliancy of wit upon which she so much prides herself are at once forgotten in resentment and vindication of her injured kinswoman.  She becomes somewhat furious indeed, but it is a noble and righteous fury,—­the fury of kindled strength too, and not of mere irritability, or of a passionate temper.

As pride of wit bears a main part in shaping the ordinary conduct of these persons; so the Poet aptly represents them as being specially piqued at what pinches or touches them in that point.  Thus, in their wit-skirmish at the masquerade, what sticks most in Benedick is the being described as “the Prince’s jester,” and the hearing it said that, if his jests are “not marked, or not laughed at,” it “strikes him into melancholy”; while, on the other side, Beatrice is equally stung at being told that “she had her good wit out of The Hundred Merry Tales.”  Their keen sensitiveness to whatever implies any depreciation or contempt of their faculty in this kind is exceedingly well conceived.  Withal it shows, I think, that jesting, after all, is more a matter of art with them than of character.

As might be expected, the good repute of Benedick and Beatrice has been not a little perilled, not to say damaged, by their redundancy of wit.  But it is the ordinary lot of persons so witty as they to suffer under the misconstructions of prejudice or partial acquaintance.  Their very sparkling seems to augment the difficulty of coming to a true knowledge of them.  How dangerous it is to be so gifted that way, may be seen by the impression these persons have had the ill luck to make on one whose good opinion is so desirable as Campbell’s.  “During one half of the play,” says he, “we have a disagreeable female character in Beatrice.  Her portrait, I may be told, is deeply drawn and minutely finished.  It is; and so is that of Benedick, who is entirely her counterpart, except that he is less disagreeable.”  And again he speaks of Beatrice as an “odious woman.”  I am right sorry that so tasteful and genial a critic should have such hard thoughts of the lady.  In support of his opinion he quotes Hero’s speech, “Disdain and scorn ride sparkling in her eyes,” &c.; but he seems to forget that these words are spoken with the intent that Beatrice shall hear them, and at the same time think she overhears them; that is, not as being true, but as being suited to a certain end, and as having just enough of truth to be effective for that end.  And the effect which the speech has on Beatrice proves that it is not true as regards her character, however good it may be for the speaker’s purpose.  To the same end, the Prince, Claudio, and Leonato speak as much the other way, when they know Benedick is overhearing them; and what is there said in her favour is just a fair offset to what was before said against her.  But indeed it is plain enough that any thing thus spoken really for the ear of the subject, yet seemingly in confidence to another person, ought not to be received in evidence against her.