Much Ado about Nothing THERE lived in the palace at Messina two ladies, whose names were Hero and Beatrice.

Hero was the daughter,and Beatrice the niece,of Leonato,the governor of Messina.

Beatrice was of a lively temper and loved to divert her cousin Hero, who was of a more serious disposition,with her sprightly sallies.

Whatever was going forward was sure to make matter of mirth for the light-hearted Beatrice.

At the time the history of these ladies commences some young men of high rank in the army, as they were passing through Messina on their return from a war that was just ended,in which they had distinguished themselves by their great bravery,came to visit Leonato.

Among these were Don Pedro,the Prince of Arragon,and his friend Claudio, who was a lord of Florence;and with them came the wild and witty Benedick, and he was a lord of Padua.

These strangers had been at Messina before, and the hospitable governor introduced them to his daughter and his niece as their old friends and acquaintance.

Benedick,the moment he entered the room, began a lively conversation with Leonato and the prince.

Beatrice,who liked not to be left out of any discourse, interrupted Benedick with saying: "I wonder that you will still be talking, Signor Benedick. Nobody marks you".Benedick was just such another rattlebrain as Beatrice, yet he was not pleased at this free salutation; he thought it did not become a well-bred lady to be so flippant with her tongue;and he remembered,when he was last at Messina, that Beatrice used to select him to make her merry jests upon.

And as there is no one who so little likes to be made a jest of as those who are apt to take the same liberty themselves,so it was with Benedick and Beatrice; these two sharp wits never met in former times but a perfect war of raillery was kept up between them,and they always parted mutually displeased with each other.