3 Out. Stand, sir, and throw us that you have about you; If not, we 'll make you sit, and rifle you. SPEED. Sir, we are undone! these are the villains That all the travellers do fear so much. Val My friends, A man I am cross'd with adversity : 2 Out. Whither travel you? * A proper man!) Well-proportioned, comely man. hearse : VAL. From Milan. 1 Out. We'll have him ; sirs, a word. 3 OUT. Have you long sojourn'd there? SPEED. Master, be one of them ; VAL. Some sixteen months; and longer might It is an honourable kind of thievery. have stay'd, VAL. Peace, villain ! If crooked fortune had not thwarted me. 2 Out. Tell us this : have you anything to 1 Out. What, were you banish'd thence ? take to? Val. I was. VAL. Nothing but my fortune. 2 Out. For what offence ? 3 Out. Know then, that some of us are gentleVal. For that which now torments me to re men, Such as the fury of ungovern'd youth Myself was from Verona banished, For practising to steal away a lady, 1 Out. Why, ne'er repent it, if it were done so: An heir, and near allied unto the duke.. But were you banish'd for so small a fault? 2 OUT. And I from Mantua, for a gentleman, Val. I was, and held me glad of such a doom. Whom, in my mood, I stabb’d unto the heart. 1 Out. Have you the tongues ? 1 Out. And I, for such like petty crimes as VAL. My youthful travel therein made me these. happy; But to the purpose, -for we cite our faults, Or else I often had been miserable. That they may hold excus’d our lawless lives, 3 Out. By the bare scalp of Robin Hood's fat And, partly, seeing you are beautified friar, With goodly shape; and by your own report This fellow were a king for our wild faction ! A linguist; and a man of such perfection, . Of Robin Hood's fat friar,-) Friar Tuck, the well-known associate and quasi confessor of Robin Hood, whom Scott has immortalized in his “Ivanhoe," and of whom Drayton sings in his “Polyolbion," " Or Tuck the merry friar, which many a sermon made In praise of Robin Hoode, his outlawes and his trade." b of awful men :) Men of worth and station. “An awful man is to this day used in the North to denote a man of dignity." -THOMAS WHITE, 1793. c An heir, and near allied unto the duke.] The folio, 1623, reads, “And heire and Neece, alide ynto the Duke." The folio, 1664, corrected the first word; Theobald substituted near for neece. 're с As we do in our quality much want; Enter THURIO and Musicians. 2 Oct. Indeed, because you are a banish'd man, Tuu. How now, sir Proteus; are you crept Therefore, above the rest, we parley to you: before us? Are you content to be our general ? To make a virtue of necessity, Pro. Ay, gentle Thurio; for you know that love And live, as we do, in this wilderness? 3 Out. What say'st thou ? wilt thou be of our Will creep in service where it cannot go. consort ?! Tuu. Ay, but I hope, sir, that you love not here. Pro. Sir, but I do; or else I would be hence. Say, ay, and be the captain of us all : THU. Who ?° Silvia ? Pro. Ay, Silvia, -for your sake. you for 1 Out. But if thou scorn our courtesy, thou your own. Now, gendiest. tlemen, 2 Out. Thou shalt not live to brag what we Let 's tune, and to it lustily awhile. have offer'd. Enter Host, at a distance; and Julia, in boy's VAL. I take your offer, and will live with you ; clothes. Provided that you do no outrages On silly women, or poor passengers. Host. Now, my young guest! methinks you 3 Out. No, we detest such vile base practices. allycholly; I pray you, why is it? Come, go with us, we 'll bring thee to our crews, JUL. Marry, mine host, because I cannot be And show thee all the treasure we have got; merry. Which, with ourselves, all rest at thy dispose. Host. Come, we 'll have you merry: I'll bring [Exeunt. you where you shall hear music, and see the gentleman that you asked for. JUL. But shall I hear him speak ? shall. SCENE II.—Milan. Court of the Palace. JUL. That will be music. [Music plays. JUL. Is he among these ? Host. Ay: but peace, let's hear 'em. SONG. Who is Silvia ? what is she, That all our swains commend her ? But Silvia is too fair, too true, too holy, Holy, fair, and wise' is she, To be corrupted with my worthless gifts. The heaven such grace did lend her, When I protest true loyalty to her, That she might admired be. Is she kind as she 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. , spaniel-like, the more she spurns my love, Then to Silvia let us sing, The more it grows, and fawneth on her still. That Silvia is excelling; But here comes Thurio : now must we to her She excels each mortal thing, window, Upon the dull earth dwelling: And give some evening music to her ear. To her let us garlands bring. • In our quality-] Our profession or calling. Thus in “ Ham- the personal pronouns, &c. and uses one for the other (who for let,* Act II. sc. 2: whom, she for her, him for he); nor was this inaccuracy peculiar " Will they pursue the quality no longer than they can sing?" to him, being very common when he wrote, even among persons of good education."-MALONE. and subsequently : f Holy, fair, and wise is she,-) Mr. Collier's corrector reads, "Come, give us a taste of your quality." wise as free; free is certainly a most inappropriate epithet applied of our consort 1] of our fellowship, confederacy, fraternity. to Silvia. Proteus had just before described her as e'll bring thee to our crews,-) Mr. Collier's corrector reads, “ too fair, too true, too holy;" care; Mr. Singer, cares original text; but can hardly believe crews to be what the poet and true, no doubt, was the becoming term ; but as the object of the serenade was to make her break faith, it would have been d Her sudden quips,-) Her angry gibes, scoffs, taunts. somewhat out of place in the song; and hence wise was substituted • Who!) "Our author, throughout his plays, has confounded 29 d I have not ventured to alter the in its stead. Jul. Where is Launce? Host. Gone to seek his dog; which, tomorrow, 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. Tuu. Where meet we? [Exeunt THURIO and Musicians. Host. How now? are you sadder than you were before ? How do you, man ? the music likes you not." JUL. You mistake; the musician likes me not. JUL. Not so; but yet so false that he grieves my very heart-strings. Host. You have a quick ear. Jul. Ay, I would I were deaf ! it makes me have a slow heart. Host. I perceive you delight not in music. 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, told me; he loved her out of all nick." Silvia appears 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, Sil. Sir Proteus, as I take it. your will ? a The music likes you not.] That is, pleases you not. b Out of all nick.) Beyond all reckoning. It was the custom formerly to reckon by the nicks or notches cut upon the tallystick. Steevens, in a note to this passage, quotes a very apposite passage from Rowley's play of " A Woman never Vexed," where “I have carried morrow. d Sın. You hare your wish ; my will is even this,- | Jul. Not so; but it hath been the longest night That presently you hie you home to bed. That e'er I watch'd, and the most heaviest." Thou subtle, perjur'd, false, disloyal man ! [Exeunt. SCENE III.-The same. Enter EGLAMOUR. EGL. This is the hour that madam Silvia Entreated me to call, and know her mind; There's some great matter she'd employ me in.--. Pro. I grant, sweet love, that I did love a lady; Madam, madam! Silvia appears above, at her window. Sı. Say that she be; yet Valentine, thy friend, EGL. Your servant, and your friend ; Survives ; to whom, thyself art witness, One that attends your ladyship’s command. I am betroth’d: And art thou not asham’d Sil. Sir Eglamour, a thousand times goodTo wrong him with thy importunacy? PRO. I likewise hear that Valentine is dead. EGL. As many, worthy lady, to yourself. SIL. And so suppose am I; for in his grave According to your ladyship’s impose, I am thus early come, to know what service (Think not I flatter, for I swear I do not,) Or, at the least, in hers sepulchre thine. Valiant, wise, remorseful, well accomplish'd. JUL. He heard not that. [Aside. Thou art not ignorant what dear good will Pro. Madam, if your heart be so obdurate, I bear unto the banish'd Valentine ; Vouchsafe me yet your picture for my love, Nor how my father would enforce me marry The picture that is hanging in your chamber; Vain Thurio, whom my very soul abhorr’d. To that I 'll speak, to that I 'll sigh and weep : Thyself hast lov'd; and I have heard thee say, For, since the substance of your perfect self No grief did ever come so near thy heart Is else devoted, I am but a shadow ; As when thy lady and thy true love died, And to your shadow will I make true love. Upon whose grave thou vow'dst pure chastity. (1) Jul. If 't were a substance, you would, sure, Sir Eglamour, I would to: Valentine, deceive it, To Mantua, where, I hear, he makes abode ; And make it but a shadow, as I am. [Aside. And, for the ways are dangerous to pass, Srl. I am very loth to be your idol, sir; I do desire thy worthy company, And on the justice of my flying hence, As wretches have o'er-night, To keep me from a most unholy match, That wait for execution in the morn. Which Heaven and fortune still reward with [Exeunt PROTEUS ; and SILVIA, from above. plagues. Jul. Host, will you go? I do desire thee, even from a heart Host. By my halidom, I was fast asleep. As full of sorrows as the sea of sands, JUL. Pray you, where lies sir Proteus ? To bear me company, and go with me: Host. Marry, at 'my house: trust me, I think If not, to hide what I have said to thee, 't is almost day. That I may venture to depart alone. Shall become you well-] i.e." since your falsehood shall udapt, or render you fil, to worship shadows.' Become here answers to the Latin convenire, and is used according to its genuine Saxon meaning." --DOUCE. b By my halidom,-) "Halidome, or holidome, an old word used by old countrywomen by manner of swearing; by my halidome, of the Saxon word, haligdome, ex, halig, i.e. sanctum, and dome, dominium aut judicium." - MINSIEU's Dict., folio, 1617. e Most heaviest.] The use of the double superlative is not peculiar to Shakespeare; it is found in all the authors of his time, Your ladyship's impose,-) Impose is bidding, injunction, requirement. é Remorseful,-) Compassionate, full of pity. G. CHAPMAN's Iliad, 1598. |