ACT IV.

SCENE I.

A Foreft, leading towards Mantua.

Enter certain Out-laws.

1 Out. Fellows, ftand faft; I fee a paffenger.

2 Out. If there be ten, shrink not, but down with e'm.

Enter Valentine and Speed.

3 Out. Stand, fir, and throw us what you have about

you;

h

If not, we'll make you, 1 fir, and rifle you.

Speed. Sir, we are undone! these are the villains That all the travellers do fear fo much.

Val. My friends,—

1 Out. That's not fo, fir; we are your enemies.

2 Out. Peace; we'll hear him.

3 Out. Ay, by my beard, will we;

For he's a proper man.

Val. Then know, that I have little wealth to lofe

A man I am, crofs'd with adversity:

My riches are these poor habiliments,

Of which if you should here disfurnish me,

You take the fum and fubftance that I have. 2 Out. Whither travel you?

Val. To Verona.

1 Out. Whence came you ?

Val. From Milan.

3 Out. Have you long fojourn'd there?

Val. Some fixteen months; and longer might have staid, If crooked fortune had not thwarted me.

1 Out. What, were you banish'd thence?

Val. I was.

2 Out. For what offence?

Val. For that which now torments me to rehearse: I kill'd a man, whofe death I much repent; But yet I flew him manfully in fight,

Without false vantage, or bafe treachery.

1 Out. Why ne'er repent it, if it were done fo: But were you banish'd for fo small a fault!

Val. I was, and held me glad of fuch a doom.
the tongues ?

1 Out. Have you

Val. My youthful travel therein made me happy; Or else I often had been miferable.

i

3 Out. By the bare fcalp of Robin Hood's fat friar, This fellow were a king for our wild faction.

1 Out. We'll have him: firs, a word.

Speed. Mafter, be one of them;

It is a kind of honourable 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 fome of us are gentlemen, Such as the fury of ungovern'd youth

k

Thrust from the company of awful men:

Myfelf was from Verona banished,

1

For practising to steal away a lady,

An heir, and niece ally'd unto the duke.

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

ibare fcalp of Robin Hood's fat friar,]-the fhaven crown of Friar Tuck, companion and confeffor to Robert Earl of Huntington, when concealed under the character of Robin Hood.

* awful men :]-of the more orderly fort, fuch as we naturally reverence, or stand in awe of—lawful.

"Welcome within our awful banks again.”

HENRY IV, Pt. II. A& IV, S. I. York.

An heir, and niece ally'd unto the duke.]-An heiress, the niece of fome great perfon, and remotely allied to the duke-and near ally'd.

Whom

Whom, in my mood, I ftabb'd unto the heart.

1 Out. And I, for fuch 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, feeing you are beautify'd

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

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As we do in our quality much want,—

2 Out. Indeed, because you are a banish'd man, Therefore, above the reft, we parley to you: Are you content to be our general ?

To make a virtue of neceffity,

And live, as we do, in the wilderness?

3 Out. What fay'ft thou? wilt thou be of our confort? 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.

1 Out. But if thou fcorn our courtesy, thou dy'st.

2 Out. Thou shalt not live to brag what we have of

fer'd.

Val. I take your offer, and will live with you; Provided, that you do no outrages

On filly women, or poor paffengers.

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

Which, with ourselves, all reft at thy difpofe. [Exeunt.

SCEN NE

II.

Under Silvia's Apartment in Milan.

Enter Protheus.

Pro. Already have I been falfe to Valentine,

mood-rage, frenzy.

in our quality]-in our fituation, profeflion.

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 proteft true loyalty to her,
She twits me with my falfhood to my friend;
When to her beauty I commend my vows,
She bids me think, how I have been forsworn
In breaking faith with Julia whom I lov'd:
And, notwithstanding all her ° fudden quips,
The least whereof would quell a lover's hope,
Yet, fpaniel-like, the more fhe fpurns 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 mufic to her ear.

Enter Thurio and Muficians.

Thu. How now, fir Protheus? are you crept before us? Pro. Ay, gentle Thurio; for you know, that love

Will creep in service where it cannot go.

Thu. Ay, but, I hope, fir, that you love not here.
Pro. Sir, but I do; or elfe I would be hence.
Thu. Whom? Silvia?

Pro. Ay, Silvia,-for your fake.

Thu. I thank you for your own. Now, gentlemen, Let's tune, and to it luftily a while.

P

Enter Hoft, at a distance; and Julia in boy's cloaths. Hoft. Now, my young guest! methinks you're allycholly; I pray you, why is it?

ful. Marry, mine hoft, because I cannot be merry.

• fudden quips,]-bitter reproaches, taunting fcoffs; fmart repartees, fatirical jokes. Pallycholly;]-melancholly.

Hoft.

Hoft. Come, we'll have you merry: I'll bring you where you fhall hear mufick, and fee the gentleman that you afk'd for.

Jul. But fhall I hear him speak?
Hoft. Ay, that you fhall.

Jul. That will be mufic.

Hoft. Hark! hark!
Jul. Is he among thefe?

Hoft. Ay: but peace, let's hear 'em.

Who is Silvia? what is fhe,

That all our fwains commend her? Holy, fair, and wife is fhe;

The heavens fuch grace did lend her, That he might admired be.

Is fhe kind, as he is fair?

For beauty lives with kindness:
Love doth to her eyes repair,
To help him of his blindness ;
And, being help'd, inhabits there.

Then to Silvia let us fing,
That Silvia is excelling;
She excells each mortal thing,

Upon the dull earth dwelling:
To her let us garlands bring.

Hoft. How now? you are

fadder than you were before.

How do you, man? the mufic likes you not.

Jul. You mistake; the musician likes me not.

For beauty lives with kindness :]-Is chiefly esteemed for, cannot be enjoyed without, kindness.

are you fadder than you were before?

Hoft.