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1. Out. We'll have him. Sirs, a word.

Speed. Master, be one of them:

It is an honourable kind of thievery.

Val. Peace, villain!

2. Out. Tell us this: have you any thing to take to?
Val. Nothing, but my fortune.

3. Out. Know then, that some of us are gentlemen, Such as the fury of ungovern'd youth

Thrust from the company of awful 7 men:
Myself was from Verona banished,

For practising to steal away a lady,

An heir, and near 8 allied unto the duke.

2. Out. And I from Mantua, for a gentleman,

Who, in my mood, 9 I stabb'd unto the heart.

1. Out. And I, for such like petty crimes as these.

But to the purpose; for we cite our faults,

That they may hold excus'd our lawless lives;

And, partly, seeing you are beautified

With goodly shape; and by your own report
A linguist, and a man of such perfection,

As we do in our quality 10 much want

3. Out. Indeed, because you are a banish'd man, Therefore, above the rest, 11 we parley to you.

Are you content to be our general?

To make a virtue of necessity,

And live, as we do, in this wilderness?

3. Out. What say'st thou? wilt thou be of our consort? 12

Say, ay,

and be the captain of us all.

We'll do thee homage, and be rul'd by thee,

Love thee as our commander, and our king.

he is already

führte, spielt auch Sh. an in As you like it (A. 1, Sc. 1) They say,
in the forest of Arden, and a many merry men with him; and there they live like the
old Robin Hood of England.

7) awful, wofür Steevens lawful lesen wollte, fasst Johnson in dem gewöhnlichen
full
Sinn = reverend, worshipful; Malone wohl richtiger in dem seltneren Sinn =
of awe and respect for the laws of society and the duties of life. So in K. Henry IV.
Second Part (A. 4, Sc. 1) we come within our awful banks again.

8) near verbesserte Theobald das niece (Neece) der Fol.

Das And heir derselben

heir gebraucht

ältesten Ausgabe hatten schon die späteren Folioausgg. verbessert. Sh. auch sonst für heiress. So in Tempest (A. 2, Sc. 1) So is she heir of Naples. 9) mood leidenschaftliche Stimmung, Affect.

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10) Als quality Gewerbe, Profession, bezeichnet der Räuber euphemistisch sein Vagabunden- und Räuberleben.

11) above the rest = vor allen übrigen Gründen, die uns veranlassen, mit Euch zu unter

handeln.

12) consort, mit dem Tone auf der letzten Sylbe

Verkehr,

Genossenschaft.

1. Out. But if thou scorn our courtesy, thou diest.

2. Out. Thou shalt not live to brag what we have offer'd. Val. I take your offer, and will live with you; Provided that you do no outrages

On silly 13 women, or poor passengers.

3. Out. No; we detest such vile, base practices. Come, go with us: we 'll bring thee to our crews, 14 And show thee all the treasure we have got,

Which, with ourselves, all rest at thy dispose.

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[Exeunt.

Pro. Already have I been false to Valentine,

And now I must be as unjust to Thurio.
Under the colour of commending him,

I have access my own love to prefer;
But Silvia is too fair, too true, too holy,
To be corrupted with my worthless gifts.
When I protest true loyalty to her,

She twits me with my falsehood to my friend;
When to her beauty I command my vows,
She bids me think how I have been forsworn,
In breaking faith with Julia whom I lov'd:
And, notwithstanding all her sudden quips, 1
The least whereof would quell a lover's hope,
Yet, spaniel-like, the more she spurns my love,
The more it grows, and fawneth on her still.

But here comes Thurio. Now must we to her window,
And give some evening music to her ear.

Enter THURIO, and Musicians.

Thu. How now, Sir Proteus? are you crept before us?

Pro. Ay, gentle Thurio; for, you know, that love

Will creep in service where it cannot go.

13) silly = harmlos.

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14) Die Bande ist auf dem Theater nur durch einige Wenige (certain outlaws) repräsentirt; zu den übrigen Mitgliedern derselben soll Valentin nun gebracht werden. Für crews liest Dyce mit Collier's altem Corrector cave. Vielleicht wäre besser crew für crews zu lesen, wie Sh. das Wort sonst überall im Singular gebraucht.

1) her sudden quips sind die schnöden, schnippischen Antworten, mit denen Silvia rasch bei der Hand ist, wenn Proteus sie um Liebe anfleht.

2) Reed citirt dazu das schottische Sprichwort Kindness will creep where it cannot gang.

Thu. Ay; but I hope, Sir, that you love not here.

Pro. Sir, but I do; or else I would be hence.

Thu. Who? 3 Silvia?

Pro. Ay, Silvia, for your sake.

Thu. I thank you for your own. Now, gentlemen,

Let us tune, and to it lustily awhile.

Enter Hostess and JULIA, behind; JULIA in boy's clothes.

Host. Now, my young guest; methinks you 're allicholly: I pray you, why is it?

Jul. Marry, mine host, because I cannot be merry.

Host. Come, we 'll have you merry. I'll bring you where you shall hear music, and see the gentleman that you ask'd for.

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Who is Silvia? what is she,

That all our swains commend her?

Holy, fair, and wise is she;

The heaven such grace did lend her

That she might admired be.

Is she kind, as she is fair?

For beauty lives with kindness: 5
Love doth to her eyes repair,

To help him of his blindness;

And, being help'd, inhabits there. 6

Then to Silvia let us sing,

That Silvia is excelling;
She excels each mortal thing,

Upon the dull earth dwelling;

To her let us garlands bring.

[Music plays.

Host. How now? are you sadder than you were before? How do you,

man? the music likes you not.

3) Auch hier setzen viele Hgg. whom für who. Vgl. A. 3, Sc. 1, Anm. 31.

*) Dieselbe komische Entstellung aus melancholy hat Sh. in Merry Wives of Windsor (A. 1, Sc. 4) she is given to allicholly and musing.

5) Die Schönheit hat nur Bestand, wenn sich Freundlichkeit und Huld ihr zugesellt. 6) Amor schlägt seine bleibende Wohnung in Silvia's Augen auf, nachdem dieselben ihn von seiner Blindheit geheilt haben.

Jul. You mistake: the musician likes me not. 7

Host. Why, my pretty youth?

Jul. He plays false, father.

Host. How? out of tune on the strings?

Jul. Not so; but yet so false, that he grieves my very heartstrings.
Host. You have a quick ear.

Jul. Ay; I would I were deaf! it makes me have a slow heart. 8
Host. I perceive, you delight not in music.

Jul. Not a whit, when it jars so.

Host. Hark! what fine change is in the music.

Jul. Ay, that change is the spite.

Host. You would have them always play but one thing?

Jul. I would always have one play but one thing.

But, host, doth this Sir Proteus, that we talk on,

Often resort unto this gentlewoman?

Host. I tell you what Launce, his man,

all nick. 9

Jul. Where is Launce?

told me,

he lov'd her out of

Host. Gone to seek his dog; which, to-morrow, by his master's command, he must carry for a present to his lady.

Jul. Peace! stand aside: the company parts.

Pro. Sir Thurio, fear not you: I will so plead,

That you shall say my cunning drift excels.

Thu. Where meet we?

Pro. At saint Gregory's well.

Thu.

Farewell.

[Exeunt THURIO and Musicians.

Enter SILVIA above, at her window.

Pro. Madam, good even to your ladyship.

Sil. I thank you for your music, gentlemen.

Who is that, that spake?

Pro. One, lady, if you knew his pure heart's truth,

You would quickly learn to know him by his voice.
Sil. Sir Proteus, as I take it.

Pro. Sir Proteus, gentle lady, and your servant.
Sil. What is your will?

") Julia spricht doppelsinnig: der Musiker gefällt mir nicht, und der Musiker liebt mich nicht. to like construirt Sh. in beider Beziehung. Ebenso doppelsinnig steht gleich darauf to play false, und endlich change, in musikalischem Sinne und im gewöhnlichen Sinne der Wörter.

8) quick ear = ein rasch auffassendes Ohr, feines Gehör, ist dem slow heart schweres, nicht leicht vergessendes oder wechselndes Herz, entgegengesetzt.

nick, eigentlich die in das Kerbholz eingeschnittene Rechnung, sagt der Wirth mit einem ihm naheliegenden Tropus ausser aller Berechnung, über alle Massen.

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Pro.

That I may compass 10

yours.

Sil. You have your wish: my will is even this, That presently you hie you home to bed.

Thou subtle, perjur'd, false, disloyal man!

Think'st thou, I am so shallow, so conceitless, 11

To be seduced by thy flattery,

That hast deceiv'd so many with thy vows?
Return, return, and make thy love amends.

For me,
by this pale queen of night 12 I swear,
I am so far from granting thy request,
That I despise thee for thy wrongful suit,
And by and by intend to chide myself,
Even for this time I spend in talking to thee.

Pro. I grant, sweet love, that I did love a lady;
But she is dead.

Jul.

[Aside.] "T were false, if I should speak it; 13 For, I am sure, she is not buried.

Sil. Say, that she be; 14 yet Valentine, thy friend, Survives, to whom thyself art witness,

I am betroth'd; and art thou not asham'd

To wrong him with thy importunacy? 15

Pro. I likewise hear, that Valentine is dead.

Sil.
And so, suppose, am I; for in his grave,
Assure thyself, my love is buried.

16

Pro. Sweet lady, let me rake it from the earth.
Sil. Go to thy lady's grave, and call hers 17 thence:

Or, at the least, in hers sepulchre thine.

Jul. [Aside.] He heard not that. 18

Pro. Madam, if your heart be so obdurate,

Vouchsafe me yet your picture for my love,

The picture that is hanging in your chamber:

10) Johnson erklärt to compass hier mit to gain, Douce mit to perform, to accomplish. Wahrscheinlich wollte Sh. den Proteus das Wort in ersterm Sinne, Silvia in ihrer Antwort aber dasselbe im letztern Sinne auffassen lassen.

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12) So heisst der Mond in As you like it (A. 3, Sc. 2) thrice-crowned queen of night. 13) Wenn ich das Wort nähme, so würde es sich zeigen, dass das falsch ist, was Proteus sagt.

14) Angenommen auch, dass Deine Geliebte todt wäre, so lebt doch Valentin noch. 15) importunacy dringende, lästige Bitte, betont Sh. auf der dritten Sylbe.

16) Das her grave der ersten Fol. verbesserte schon die zweite Folioausgabe in his grave. 17) scil. her love, wie in der folgenden Zeile thine für thy love steht: begrabe, wenn Du Julia's Liebe nicht aus dem Grabe erwecken kannst, in ihrer gestorbenen Liebe auch die Deinige, statt dieselbe mir zuzuwenden. to sepulchre begraben, betont Sh.

auf der zweiten Sylbe.

18) Er hörte nicht, dass ich oder dass meine Liebe begraben sei.

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