"Lau. Ay, and what I do too: look thee, I'll but "lean, and my ftaff understands me.

"Spe. It ftands under thee, indeed.

"Lau. Why, ftand-under and under-stand is all one. Spe. But, tell me true, will't be a match?

Lau. Ak my dog: if he fay, ay, it will; if he fay, no, it will; if he thake his tail, and say nothing, it will. Spe. The conclufion is then, that it will.

Lau. Thou fhalt never get such a secret from me, but by a parable.

Spe. 'Tis well, that I get it fo. But Launce, how say'st thou, that my mafter is become a notable lover? Lau. I never knew him otherwife.

Spe. Than how?

Lau. A notable lubber, as thou reporteft him to be. Spe. Why, thou whorfon afs, thou mistak'ft me. Lau. Why, fool, I meant not thee; I meant thy master. Spe. I tell thee, my mafter is become a hot lover. Lau. Why, I tell thee, I care not though he burn himfelf in love. If thou wilt go with me to the ale-house, fo; if not, thou art an Hebrew, a Jew, and not worth the name of a christian.

Spe. Why?

Lau. Becaufe thou haft not fo much charity in thee, as to go to the ale with a chriftian: Wilt thou go ?

Spe. At thy fervice.

[Exeunt

SCENE VI. The fame. A Room in the Palace.

Enter Protheus.

Pro. To leave my Julia, fhall I be forfworn;

To love fair Silvia, fhall I be forfworn;

To wrong my friend, I fhall be much forfworn;
And even that power, which gave me first my oath,
Provokes me to this threefold perjury:

Love bad me fwear, and love bids me forfwear:
O fweet fuggefting love, if thou haft fin'd,
Teach me, thy tempted fubject, to excuse it!
At first I did adore a twinkling ftar,
But now I worship a celeftial fun :
Unheedful vows may heedfully be broken;

And

And he wants wit, that wants refolved will
To learn his wit to exchange the bad for better:
"Fie, fie, unreverend tongue; to call her bad,
"Whose fovereignty fo oft thou haft prefer'd
"With twenty thoufand foul-confirming oaths.
"I cannot leave to love, and yet I do ;
"But there I leave to love, where I should love.
Julia I lofe, and Valentine I lofe:

If I keep them, I needs muft lofe myself;
If I lose them, This find I by their loss,-
For Valentine, myfelf; for Julia, Silvia.
I to myself am dearer than a friend ;
For love is ftill most precious in itself:
And Silvia (witnefs heaven, that made her fair)
Shews Julia but a fwarthy Ethiope

"I will forget that Julia is alive,
"Remembring that my love to her is dead;
"And Valentine I'll hold an enemy,

66

Aiming at Silvia as a sweeter friend.

"I cannot now prove conftant to myself,
"Without fome treachery us'd to Valentine:
This night he meaneth with a corded ladder
To climb celestial Silvia's chamber-window;
Myfelf in counsel, his competitor :

Now presently I'll give her father notice
Of their difguifing, and pretended flight;
Who, all enrag'd, will banish Valentine;
For Thurio, he intends fhall wed his daughter:
But, Valentine being gone, I'll quickly crofs,
By fome fly trick, blunt Thurio's dull proceeding.
Love, lend me wings to make my purpose fwift,
As thou haft lent me wit to plot this drift!

[Exis

SCENE VII. Verona. A Room in Julia's House. Enter Julia and Lucetta.

Jul. Counfel, Lucetta; gentle girl, assist me t And, even in kind love, I do conjure thee,

*Protheus feems to be not only loving, but also talking mad we have endeavoured to reduce him into compafs, though fome lines marked have great merit, as indeed has the whole foliloquy

C 4

Who

Who art the table wherein all my thoughts
Are visibly character'd and engrav'd,-
To leffon me; and tell me fome good mean,
How, with my honour, I may undertake
A journey to my loving Protheus.

Luc. Alas, the way is wearifome and long.
Jul. A true devoted pilgrim is not weary
To measure kingdoms with his feeble steps;
Much lefs fhall me, that hath love's wings to fly;
And when the flight is made to one fo dear,
Of fuch divine perfection, as Sir Protheus.

Luc. Better forbear, 'till Protheus make return.
Jul. O, know'st thou not, his looks are my foul's food
Pity the dearth that I have pined in,

By longing for that food fo long a time.

Didit thou but know the inly touch of love,

Thou would't as foon go kindle fire with fnow,

As feek to quench the fire of love with words.

Luc. I do not feek to quench your love's hot fire; But qualify the fire's extream rage,

Left it should burn above the bounds of reason.

Jul. The more thou dam'ft it up, the more it burns: The current, that with gentle murmur glides,

Thou know'ft, being stop'd, impatiently doth rage;
But, when his fair courfe is not hindered,

He makes sweet musick with th' enamel'd stones,
Giving a gentle kifs to every fedge

He overtaketh in his pilgrimage;
And fo by many winding nooks he strays,
With willing sport to the wild ocean.
Then let me go, and hinder not my course:
I'll be as patient as a gentle ftream,
And make a paftime of each weary step,
'Till the laft step have brought me to my love,
And there I'll reft; as, after much turmoil,
A blessed foul doth in Elyftum *.

Luc. But in what habit will you go along?

There is great fertility of fancy, great energy of affection, in this speech. Julia's character is much heightened by it ; and a capable actress muft profit by it confiderably,

Jul. Not like a woman; for I would prevent
The loofe encounters of lascivious men :
Gentle Lucetta, fit me with fuch weeds
As may befeem fome well-reputed page

Luc. Why, then your ladyship muft cut your hair
"Jul. No, girl; I'll knit it up in filken ftrings,
"With twenty odd conceited true-love knots
"To be fantastick, may become a youth
"Of greater time than I shall fhew to be..

[ches

"Luc. What fashion, madam, fhall I make your bree"Jul. That fits as well, as, Tell me, good my lord, "What compass will you wear your farthingale?"Why, c'en what fashion thou best lik❜ft, Lucetta. [dam. "Luc. You must needs have them with a cod-piece, ma

Jul. Out, out, Lucetta! that will be ill-favour'd. "Luc. A round hofe, madam, now's not worth a pin, "Unless you have a cod-piece to flick pins on

Jul. Lucetta, as thou lov'ft me, let me have What thou th...k'ft meet, and is most mannerly. But tell me, wench, how will the world repute me For undertaking fo unftay'd a journey?

I fear me, it will make me fcandaliz❜d.

Luc. If you think fo, then stay at home, and go not.. Jul. Nay, that I will not.

Luc. Then never dream on infamy, but go:
If Protheus like your journey, when you come,
No matter who's difpleas'd, when you are gone
I fear me, he will scarce be pleas'd withal.

Jul. That is the leaft, Lucetta, of my fear:
A thousand oaths, an ocean of his tears,
And inftances of infinite of love,

Warrant me welcome to my Protheus.

Luc. All these are fervants to deceitful men †.
Jul. Bafe men, that use them to so base effect!
But truer ftars did govern Protheus' birth:
His words are bonds; his oaths are oracles ;

As women did not perform in Shakespeare's time, we perceive he, as often as poffible, avails himself of mafculine habiliments.

Never was a truer obfervation, than that profeffions violently impaffioned have a small tendency to ftability..

C 5

Mia

His love fincere, his thoughts immaculate;

His tears, pure meffengers fent from his heart;
His heart as far from fraud, as heaven from earth.

Luc. Pray heaven, he prove fo, when you come to him! Jul. Now, as thou lov'ft me, do him not that wrong, To bear a hard opinion of his truth :

Only deferve my love, by loving him;
And prefently go with me to my chamber,
To take a note of what I ftand in need of,
To furnish me upon my longing journey:
All that is mine I leave at thy dispose,
My goods, my lands, my reputation ;
Only, in lieu thereof, dispatch me hence:
Come, anfwer not, but to it presently;
I am impatient of my tarriance.

S

ACT III.

[Exeunt*.

SCENE I. Milan. Anti-room of the Palace.
Enter Duke, Protheus, and Thurio.

DUKE.

IR Thurio, give us leave, I pray, a while;
We have fome fecrets to confer about.-

[Exit Thurio.
Now tell me, Protheus, what's your will with me?
Pro. My gracious lord, that which I would discover,
The law of friendship bids me to conceal :

But, when I call to mind your gracious favours
Done to me, undeferving as I am,

My duty pricks me on to utter that

Which elle no worldly good should draw from me.
Know, worthy prince, Sir Valentine my friend;
This night intends to fteal away your daughter;
Myfelf am one made privy to the plot:

I know, you have determin'd to bestow her

Of the fecond act we have nothing to fay more than of the first ; nor, as we judge, much less; they are both very actable, and would probably meet very favourable attention.