Jul. How many women would do such a message?

Alas, poor Proteus! thou hast entertain'd

A fox to be the shepherd of thy lambs.
Alas, poor fool! why do I pity him,
That with his very heart despiseth me?
Because he loves her, he despiseth me;
Because I love him, I must pity him.

This ring 22 I gave him when he parted from me,
To bind him to remember my good will,

And now am I (unhappy messenger!)

To plead for that which I would not obtain;

To carry that which I would have refus'd;

To praise his faith which I would have disprais'd. 23

I am my master's true confirmed love,

But cannot be true servant to my master,

Unless I prove false traitor to myself.

Yet will I woo for him; but yet so coldly,

As, heaven it knows, I would not have him speed.
Enter SILVIA, attended.

Gentlewoman, good day. I pray you, be my mean
To bring me where to speak with Madam Silvia.

Sil. What would you with her, if that I be she?
Jul. If you be she, I do entreat your patience
To hear me speak the message I am sent on.
Sil. From whom?

Jul. From my master, Sir Proteus, Madam.
Sil. O! he sends you for a picture?

Jul. Ay, Madam.

Sil. Ursula, bring my picture there.

Go, give your master this: tell him from me,
One Julia, that his changing thoughts forget,
Would better fit his chamber, than this shadow.

Jul. Madam, please you peruse this letter.
Pardon me, Madam, I have unadvis'd
Deliver'd you a paper that I should not:
This is the letter to your ladyship.

Sil. I pray thee, let me look on that again.
Jul. It may not be: good Madam, pardon me.

[A picture brought.

22) Den Ring, den sie jetzt in Proteus' Namen der Silvia überbringen soll, hat sie ihm selbst beim Abschied geschenkt. Vgl. A. 2, Sc. 2.

23) Ich soll jetzt das an Silvia überbringen, was ich gerne von Silvia zurückgewiesen sähe; und ich soll ihr dessen Treue anpreisen, den ich gern von Silvia herabgewürdigt, geringgeschätzt sähe. So in Romeo and Juliet (A. 3, Sc. 5) or to dispraise my lord with that same tongue | Which he has prais'd him with above compare.

Sil. There, hold.

I will not look upon your master's lines:

I know, they are stuff'd with protestations, 24

And full of new-found oaths, 25 which he will break,
As easily as I do tear his paper.

Jul. Madam, he sends your ladyship this ring.

Sil. The more shame for him that he sends it me; For, I have heard him say, a thousand times,

His Julia gave it him at his departure.

Though his false finger have profan'd the ring,
Mine shall not do his Julia so much wrong.

Poor gentlewoman! my master wrongs her much.

Sil. Dost thou know her?

Jul. Almost as well as I do know myself:

To think upon her woes, I do protest,

That I have wept a hundred several times.

Sil. Belike, she thinks, that Proteus hath forsook her.

Jul. I think she doth, and that 's her cause of sorrow.

Sil. Is she not passing fair?

Jul. She hath been fairer, Madam, than she is.
When she did think my master lov'd her well,
She, in my judgment, was as fair as you;
But since she did neglect her looking-glass,
And threw her sun-expelling mask 26 away,
The air hath starv'd the roses in her cheeks,
And pinch'd the lily-tincture of her face,
That now she is become as black as I.

Sil. How tall was she?

24) So sagt vorher einmal Julia von einem Briefe des Proteus: Here is a coil with protestation. (Vgl. A. 2, Sc. 2, Anm. 20.)

25) So kommt new-tuned oaths in K. Henry V. A. 3, Sc. 6 vor.

26) Der Maske bedienten sich zu Sh.'s Zeit die Damen statt des Schleiers beim Ausgehen, um ihren zarten Teint vor der Sonne zu schützen. Seitdem die Maske nicht mehr das Gesicht der Julia vor dem Sonnenbrande hütet, ist das Roth auf ihrer Wange so verblüht und das Weisse darauf so rauh angefasst, dass sie einen brünetten Teint bekommen hat. Wie hier das verbale to pinch, so gebraucht in demselben Sinne Sh. das Substantiv in Antony and Cleopatra (A. 1, Sc. 5) think on me that am with Phabus amorous pinches black. black brünett, als Gegensatz von fair = von

feinem, weissem Teint.

Jul. About my stature; for, at pentecost, 27
When all our pageants of delight were play'd,
Our youth got me to play the woman's part,
And I was trimm'd in Madam Julia's gown,
Which served me as fit, by all men's judgments,
As if the garment had been made for me:
Therefore, I know she is about my height.
And at that time I made her weep a-good, 29
For I did play a lamentable part.
Madam, 't was Ariadne, passioning 30
For Theseus' perjury and unjust flight;
Which I so lively acted with my tears,
That my poor mistress, moved therewithal,
Wept bitterly, and, 'would I might be dead,
If I in thought felt not her very sorrow.

Sil. She is beholding to thee, gentle youth.

Alas, poor lady! desolate and left!

I weep myself, to think upon thy words.

Here, youth; there is my purse: I give thee this

For thy sweet mistress' sake, because thou lov'st her.

Farewell.

Jul. And she shall thank you for 't, if e'er you know her.

A virtuous gentlewoman, mild, and beautiful.

I hope my master's suit will be but cold,

Since she respects my mistress' 31 love so much.

Alas, how love can trifle with itself!

[Exit SILVIA.

Here is her picture. Let me see: I think,

If I had such a tire, 32 this face of mine

Were full as lovely as is this of hers;
And yet the painter flatter'd her a little,
Unless I flatter with myself too much.

Her hair is auburn, mine is perfect yellow: 33

If that be all the difference in his love,

27) Sh. dachte dabei an die altenglischen Schauspiele, ursprünglich religiöser Art, welche zu Pfingsten in verschiedenen Städten aufgeführt wurden, wie sich die Chester Whitsun Plays noch erhalten haben. pageant of delight = ein ergötzliches

Schauspiel, ein Schauspiel zur Belustigung.

28) So die Fol. Manche Hgg. ändern willkührlich judgment.

30) to passion = einen Affect, namentlich der Liebe, darstellen oder empfinden. So in Venus and Adonis: Dumbly she passions, franticly she doteth.

31) my mistress, als Antithese zu my master, nennt Julia sich selbst, indem sie auch in ihrem Monolog den einmal angenommenen Charakter eines Dieners und Pagen beibehält. 32) Julia spricht von dem Kopfputz, in welchem Silvia sich hat malen lassen, der ihr Gesicht verschönt.

33) auburn bräunlich gelb, perfect yellow

= ganz blond.

34

I'll get me such a colour'd periwig.
Her eyes are grey as glass, 35 and so are mine:
Ay, but her forehead 's low, and mine 's as high.
What should it be, that he respects in her,
But I can make respective 37 in myself,

36

If this fond love were not a blinded god?
Come, shadow, 38 come, and take this shadow up,
For 't is thy rival. O thou senseless form!
Thou shalt be worshipp'd, kiss'd, lov'd, and ador'd,
And, were there sense in his idolatry,

My substance should be statue in thy stead. 39
I'll use thee kindly for thy mistress' sake,
That us'd me so, 40 or else, by Jove I vow,
I should have scratch'd out your unseeing eyes,
To make my master out of love with thee.

ACT V.

SCENE I.

The Same. An Abbey.

Enter EGLAMOUR.

Egl. The sun begins to gild the western sky,

And now it is about the very hour,

[Exit.

3+) Wenn der Unterschied, den Proteus zwischen Silvia und mir macht, bloss in der Farbe des Haares besteht, so will ich mir eine falsche Haartour (periwig) anschaffen, die solche Farbe hat wie Silvia's Haar. Auf die damals unter den Damen weitverbreitete Mode, falsches Haar wegen der modischeren Farbe statt des eigenen zu tragen, spielt Sh. auch in Merchant of Venice (A. 3, Sc. 2) an: So are those crisped snaky golden locks Upon supposed fairness, often known || To be the dowry of a second head. 35) Der graublaue, bläuliche Glanz der Augen wird mit dem des ebenso gefärbten Glases verglichen. Schon in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales kommt diese Vergleichung als eine schmeichelhafte vor: Ful semely her wimple ypinched was; || Her nose tretis; her eyen grey as glas. Coles' Dictionary übersetzt grey lateinisch mit caeruleus, glaucus. 36) scil. my forehead is as high, as her forehead is law. Julia hat also in der hohen Stirn einen Vorzug vor der Silvia voraus.

37) respective

=

hende to respect

beachtenswerth, der Berücksichtigung werth, in Bezug auf das vorhergebeachten, berücksichtigen. Häufiger gebraucht Sh. in etwas modificirtem Sinn = rücksichtsvoll, das Adjektiv respective.

38) Als Schatten, wie hier, hatte Julia sich schon vorher bezeichnet, A. 4, Sc. 2 and make it but a shadow, as I am, da sie aus Liebe zu Proteus sich ihres Wesens und Charakters entäussert hatte.

39) Wäre ein Sinn in der verliebten Abgötterei des Proteus, so würde er nicht das Bild der Silvia anbeten, sondern das wahre Wesen der Julia anstatt des Bildes. sense ist zugleich doppelsinnig Empfindungsvermögen. statue ist auch sonst in weiterm Bild, obgleich Sh. hier vielleicht das Wort in Bezug auf my substance allerdings auch im gewöhnlichen Sinn = Bildsäule, anwendet.

Sinne =

4) scil. that us'd me kindly.

=

-

Sil. Amen, amen! go on, good Eglamour,

Out at the postern by the abbey-wall.

I fear, I am attended by some spies.

Egl. Fear not: the forest is not three leagues off;

If we recover that, we are sure enough.

SCENE II.

The Same. A Room in the DUKE's Palace.

Enter THURIO, PROTEUS, and JULIA.

Thu. Sir Proteus, what says Silvia to my suit?
Pro. O, Sir! I find her milder than she was;

And yet she takes exceptions at your person.
Thu. What! that my leg is too long?

Pro. No, that it is too little.

Thu. I'll wear a boot to make it somewhat rounder.

Jul. [Aside.] But love will not be spurr'd to what it loaths. 1

Thu. What says she to my face?

Pro. She says it is a fair one.

Thu. Nay, then the wanton lies: my face is black. 2

Pro. But pearls are fair, and the old saying is,

Black men are pearls in beauteous ladies' eyes.

3

Jul. [Aside.] 'T is true, such pearls as put out ladies' eyes;

For I had rather wink than look on them.

Thu. How likes she my discourse?

Pro. Ill, when you talk of war.

Thu. But well, when I discourse of love and peace?

Jul. [Aside.] But better, indeed, when you hold your peace.

Thu. What says she to my valour?

Pro. O, Sir! she makes no doubt of that.

Jul. [Aside.] She needs not, when she knows it cowardice.

[Exeunt.

1) Diese Worte ertheilt die Fol. dem Proteus zu, Boswell in Uebereinstimmung mit den folgenden Bemerkungen der Julia, aber dieser.

2) Proteus fasst fair = schön, Thurio = hellfarbig, und als Gegensatz zu black = dunkelfarbig, brünett. Vgl. A. 4, Sc. 4, Anm. 26.

3) Malone citirt dazu aus Ray's Sprichwörtersammlung: a black man is a jewel in a fair woman's eye. Die folgende Rede theilt die Fol. dem Thurio zu, während Rowe sie mit Recht der Julia giebt.