Jul. O, cry you mercy, sir, I have mistook ; This is the ring you sent to Silvia.

[Shows another ring. Pro. But, how cam'st thou by this ring? at my

depart, I gave this unto Julia.

Jul. And Julia herself did give it me; And Julia herself hath brought it hither.

Pro. How ! Julia !

Jul. Behold her that gave aim to all thy oaths, And entertain'd them deeply in her heart : How oft hast thou with perjury cleft the root 75? O Proteus, let this habit make thee blush ! Be thou asham'd, that I have took upon me Such an immodest rayment; if shame live In a disguise of love : It is the lesser blot, modesty finds, Women to change their shapes, than men their minds.

Pro, Than men their minds ! 'tis true : O heaven!

were man

But constant, he were perfect : that one error
Fills him with faults; makes him run through all sins :
Inconstancy falls off, ere it begins :
What is in Silvia's face, but I may spy
More fresh in Julia's with a constant eye?

Val. Come, come, a hand from either :
Let me be blest to make this happy close ;
'Twere pity two such friends should be long foes.

Pro. Bear witness, heaven, I have my wish for ever.
Jul. And I have mine.

Enter Out-laws, with Duke and Thurio. Out.

A prize, a prize, a prize! Val. Forbear, I say ; it is my lord the duke. Your grace

is welcome to a man disgrac'd,
Banished Valentine.
Duke,

Sir Valentine !
Thu. Yonder is Silvia; and Silvia's mine.

Val. Thurio give back, or else embrace thy death;,
Come not within the measure of my wrath :
Do not name Silvia thine; if once again,
Milan 76 shall not behold thee. Here she stands,
Take but possession of her with a touch ;-
I dare thee but to breathe upon my love.-

Thu. Sir Valentine, I care not for her, I;
I hold him but a fool, that will endanger
His body for a girl that loves him not :
I claim her not, and therefore she is thine.

Duke. The more degenerate and base art thou,
To make such means for her as thou hast done,
And leave her on such slight conditions.-
Now, by the honour of my ancestry,
I do applaud thy spirit, Valentine,
And think thee worthy of an empress' love.
Know then, I here forget all former griefs,
Cancel all grudge, repeal thee home again.-
Plead a new state in thy unrival'd merit,
To which I thus subscribe, -sir Valentine,
Thou art a gentleman, and well deriv'd;
Take thou thy Silvia, for thou hast deserv'd ber.

Val. I thank your grace; the gift hath made me

happy. I now beseech you, for your daughter's sake, To grant one boon that I shall ask of you.

Duke. I grant it, for thine own, whate'er it be.

Val. These banish'd men, that I have kept withal, Are men endued with worthy qualities ; Forgive them what they have committed here, And let them be recall'd from their exile : They are reformed, civil, full of good, And fit for great employment, worthy lord.

Duke. Thou hast prevail'd : I pardon them, and

thee;

Dispose of them, as thou know'st their deserts.
Come, let us go; we will include all jars
With triumphs, mirth, and rare solemnity.

Val. And, as we walk along, I dare be bold
With our discourse to make your grace to smile :
What think you of this page, my lord ?
Duke. I think the boy hath grace in him ; he

blushes. Val. I warant you, my

more grace

than boy. Duke. What mean you by that saying ?

Val. Please you, I'll tell you as we pass along,
That you will wonder, what hath fortuned.-
Come, Proteus ; 'tis your penance, but to hear
The story of your loves discovered :
That done, our day of marriage shall be yours;
One feast, one house, one mutual happiness.

[Exeunt.

lord ;

ANNOTATIONS

UPON THE

TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA.

ACT I.

THEOBALD.

scene, like

1-shapeless idleness.] The expression is fine, as implying that idleness prevents the giving any form or character to the manners.

WARBURTON. o-nay, give me not the boots.] A proverbial expression, though now disused, signifying, don't make a laughing stock of me; don't play with me. The French have a phrase, Bailler foin en corne; which Cotgrave thus interprets, To give one the boots; to sell him a bargain. s sir Proteus-] This whole

many

others in these plays (some of which I believe were written by Shakspeare, and others interpolated by the players) is composed of the lowest and most trifling conceits, to be accounted for only from the gross taste of the age he lived in; Populo ut placerent. I wish I had authority to leave them out; but I have done all I could, to set a mark of reprobation upon them throughout this edition.

That this, like many other scenes, is mean and vulgar, will be universally allowed; but that it was

VOL. I.

POPE.

P

interpolated by the players seems advanced without any proof, only to give a greater licence to criticism.

JOHNSON. *], a lost mutton, gave your letter to her a laced mutton;] Speed calls himself a lost mutton, because he had lost his master, and because Proteus had been proving him a sheep. But why does he call the lady a laced mutton? Wenchers are to this day called muttonmongers; and consequently the object of their passion must, by the metaphor, be the mutton. And Cotgrave, in his English-French Dictionary, explains laced mutton, une garse, putain, fille de joye. And Mr. Motteux has rendered this passage of Rabelais, in the prologue of his fourth book, Cailles coiphees mignonnement chantans, in this manner, coated quails and lac'd mutton waggishly singing. So that laced mutton has been a sort of standard phrase for girls of pleasure.

THEOBALD. Nash, in his Have with you to Saffron-Walden, 1595, speaking of Gabriel Harvey's incontinence, says "he would not stick to extoll rotten lac'd mutton." So in the Comedy of The Shoemaker's Holiday, or the Gentle Craft, 1610.

Why here's good lac'd mutton as I promised you.” Again in Whetstone's Promos and Cassandra, 1578:

“ And I smelt he lov'd lac'd mutton well." Again Heywood in his Love's Mistress, 1636; speaking of Cupid, says, “He is the hero of hie-hoes, admiral of ay-mes, and monsieur of mutton-lac'd.

STEEVENS.