Speed. But tell me true, will't be a match? Laun. Ask my dog; if he say ay, it will; if he say no, it will; if he shake his tail, and say nothing, it will. Speed. The conclusion is then, that it will. Laun. Thou shalt never get such a secret from me, but by a parable. Speed. 'Tis well that I get it so. But, Launce, how say'st thou, that my master is become a notable lover? Laun. I never knew him otherwise. 5 Without some treachery used to Valentine:- Now presently I'll give her father notice For Thurio, he intends, shall wed his daughter: But, Valentine being gone, I'll quickly cross, [ing. 10 By some sly trick, blunt Thurio's dull proceedLove, lend me wings to make my purpose swift, As thou hast lent me wit to plot this drift! [Exit. SCENE VII. Laun. A notable lubber, as thou reportest him to be. [me. Speed. Why, thou whoreson ass, thou mistakest 15 Laun. Why, fool, I meant not thee; I meant thy master. [lover. Speed. I tell thee, my master is become a hot Luun. Why, I tell thee, I care not though he burn himself in love. If thou wilt go with me to 20 the alehouse, so; if not, thou art an Hebrew, a Jew, and not worth the name of a Christian. Speed. Why? Laun. Because thou hast not so much charity in thee, as to go to the alehouse with a Christian: 25 wilt thon go? Speed. At thy service. SCENE VI. Enter Protheus. [Exeunt. 30 [oath, 35 Pro. To leave my Julia, shall I be forsworn; To love fair Silvia, shall I be forsworn; To wrong my friend, I shall be much forsworn ; And even that power which gave me first my Provokes me to this threefold perjury. Love bade me swear, and love bids me forswear: 'O sweet-suggesting love, if thou hast sinn'd, Teach me, thy tempted subject, to excuse it! At first I did adore a twinkling star, But now I worship a celestial sun. Unheedful vows may heedfully be broken; And he wants wit, that wants resolved will To learn his wit to exchange the bad for better.Fie, fie, unreverend tongue! to call her bad, Whose sovereignty so oft thou hast preferr'd With twenty thousand soul-confirming oaths. I cannot leave to love, and yet I do; But there I leave to love, where I should love. Julia I lose, and Valentine I lose: If I keep them, I needs must lose myself; If I lose them, this find I by their loss, For Valentine, myself; for Julia, Silvia. Julia's house in Verona. Enter Julia and Lucetta. Jul. Counsel, Lucetta; gentle girl, assist me ! And, even in kind love, I do conjure thee,Who art the table wherein all my thoughts Are visibly character'd and engrav'd,To lesson me; and tell me some good mean, How, with my honour, I may undertake journey to my loving Protheas. A Luc. Alas! the way is wearisome and long. Jul. A true-devoted pilgrim is not weary To measure kingdoms with his feeble steps; Much less shall she, that hath love's wings to fly; And when the flight is made to one so dear, Of such divine perfection, as sir Protheus. Luc. Better forbear, till Protheus make return. Jul. Oh, know'st thou not, his looks are my soul's Pity the dearth that I have pined in, [food? By longing for that food so long a time. Lest it should burn above the bounds of reason. 40 Jul. The more thou damm'st it up, the more it The current,thatwith gentle murmur glides, [burns: Thou know'st, being stopp'd, impatiently doth But, when his fair course is not hindered, [rage: He makes sweet music with the enamel'd stones, 45 Giving a gentle kiss to every sedge He overtaketh in his pilgrimage; 155 160 And make a pastime of each weary step, Luc. But in what habit will you go along? Competitor is confederate, assistant, part With twenty odd-conceited true-love knots; Luc. What fashion, madam, shall I make Jul. That fitsas well,as-"tell me,good my lord. "What compass will you wear your farthingale?" Why, even that fashion thou best lik'st, Lucetta. Luc. You must needs have them with a codpiece, madam. 5 10 Jul. That is the least, Lucetta, of my fear: Luc. All these are servants to deceitful men. Jul. Out,out, Lucetta'! that will be ill-favour'd. Luc. Then never dream on infamy, but go. Only deserve my love, by loving him; [Exeunt. SCENE I. ACT III. The Duke's palace in Milan. We have some secrets to confer about. [me. ;| 35 40I Sir Valentine her company, and my court : Now, tellme, Protheus, what's your will with me: 55 Enter Valentine. 60 Duke. Sir Valentine, whither away so fast? That is, wish'd or desired journey. 3 Aim This interjection is still used in the North. means guess, in this instance. That is, be not guessed. That is, of this claim made to your daughter. Pretence implies design. D Duke. Val. I know it well, my lord; and sure,the match Were rich and honourable; besides, the gentleman 10| Is full of virtue, bounty, worth, and qualities Beseeming such a wife as your fair daughter: Cannot your grace win her to fancy him? 15 Duke. No,trustme;sheis peevish, sullen, froward, Val. What would your grace have me to do in Val. Why, then, a ladder,quaintly made of cords, Duke. Now, as thou art a gentleman of blood, Val. When would you use it?pray,sir, tell me that. Duke.This very night; for love is like a child, That longs for every thing that he can come by. Val. By seven o'clock I'll get you such a ladder. Duke. But hark thee; I will go to her alone; How shall I best convey the ladder thither? [it Val. It will be light, my lord, that you may bear Under a cloak, that is of any length. [turn? Duke. A cloak as long as thine will serve the Val. Ay, my good lord. Duke. Then let me see thy cloak; I'll get me one of such another length. I I [lord. Val. Why, any cloak will serve the turn, my What letter is this same? what's here? To Silvia? 45 Thank me for this, more than for all the favours, Duke. But she did scorn a present that I sent her. Vul. Why then I would resort to her by night. That is, what hinders. Will give thee time to leave our royal court, 55 60 [Exit. Fal. And why not death, rather than living tor- For is the same as for that, since. Except I be by Silvia in the night, Enter Protheus and Launce. Pro. Run, boy, run, run, and seek him out. Pro. What seest thou? But Valentine, if he be ta’en, must die. 5 With many bitter threats of 'biding there. [speak'st, 10 Pro.Ceaseto lament for that thou can'st not help, Laun. Him we go to find: there's not an bair 15 Hope is a lover's staff; walk hence with that, on's head, but 'tis à Valentine. And manage it against despairing thoughts. Val. No Valentine, indeed, for sacred Silvia!-35 am in love: but a team of horse shall not pluck Hath she forsworn me? Pro. No, Valentine. Val.No Valentine, if Silvia have forsworn me!- Pro. Ay, ay; and she hath offer'd to the doom, 1 that from me: nor who 'tis I love, and yet 'tis a woman: but what woman, I will not tell myself, and yet 'tis a milk-maid: yet 'tis not a maid, for she hath had gossips: yet 'tis a maid, for she is her master's maid, and serves for wages.-She hath more qualities than a water-spaniel-which is much in a bare christian." Here is the cat-log [pulling out a paper] of her conditions.-Imprimis, She can fetch and carry. Why, a horse 45 can do no more; nay, a horse cannot fetch, but only carry; therefore, is she better than a jade.-Item, She can milk, look you; a sweet virtue in a maid with clean hands. Enter Speed. |50| Speed. How now, signíor Launce? what news with your mastership? 55 Laun. With my master's ship? why, it is at sea. Speed. Weil, your old vice still; mistake the word: What news then in your paper? Laun.The blackest news that ever thou heard'st. The phrase of, to fly his doom used here for by flying, or in flying, is a gallicism. The sense is, By avoiding the execution of his sentence I shall not escape death. Before the meaning of this address of letters to the bosom of a mistress can be understood, it should be known that women antiently had a pocket in the fore part of their stays, in which they not only carried love-letters and love-tokens, but even their money and materials for needle-work. In many parts of England the country girls still observe the same practice. 3 One knave may signify a knave on one occasion, a single knave. We still use a double villain for a villain beyond the common rate of guilt. 4 Gossips, not only signify those who are sponsors for a child in baptisin, but the tattling women who attend lyings-in. › Bare has two senses; mere and naked. Lunce uses it in both, and opposes the naked female to the waterspaniel cover'd with hairs of remarkable thickness. D 2 Speed. Laun. Fie on thee, jolt-head; thou can'st not [thee? 5 Laun. I will try thee: Tell me this: Who begot Speed. Marry, the son of my grandfather. Laun. O illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother': this proves, that thou canʼst not read. Speed. Come, fool, come; try me in thy paper. Speed. Hem, She brews good ale. Laun. And therefore comes the proverb,- Laun. That's as much as to say, Can she so? Laun. What need a man care for a stock with Speed. Item, She can spin. Laun. Then may I set the world on wheels, when she can spin for her living. Speed. Item, She will often praise her liquor. Laun. If her liquor be good, she shall: if she will not, I will; for good things should be praised, Speed. Item, She is too liberal. Laun. Of her tongue she cannot; for that's writ down, she is slow of: of her purse she shall not; tor that I'll keep shut: now of another thing she may; and that I cannot help. Well, proceed. Speed. Item, She hath more hair than wit, and 10more ults than hairs, and more wealththanjaults. Laun. Stop there; I'll have her: she was mine, and not mine, twice or thrice in that last article: Rehearse that once more. 15 20 Speed. Item, She hath more hair than wit,— Laan. More hair than wit,-it may be; I'll prove it: The cover of the salt hides the salt, and therefore it is more than the salt: the hair, that covers the wit, is more than the wit; for the greater hides the less. What's next? Speed. And more faults than hairs,— Laun. That's monstrous: Oh, that that were lout! Speed. And more wealth than faulis. Laun. Why, that word makes the faults gra25cious: Well, I'll have her: And if it be a match, as nothing is impossible,― Speed. Item, She hath many nameless virtues. Laun. That's as much as to say, bastard vir- 30 tues; that, indeed, know not their fathers, and therefore have no names. Speed. Here follow her vices. Laun. Close at the heels of her virtues. Speed. Item, She is not to be kiss'd fusting, 35 in respect of her breath. Laun. Well, that fault may be mended with a breakfast; Read on. Speed. Item, She hath a sweet mouth'. Speed. Item, She is slow in words. Laun. O villain! that set down among her 45 vices? To be slow in words, is a woman's only virtue: I pray thee, out with't; and place it for her chief virtue. Speed. Item, She is proud. Speed. What then? Laun. Why, then will I tell thee,—that thy master stays for thee at the north-gate. Speed. For me? Laun. For thee? ay; who art thou? he hath staid for a better man than thee. Speed. And must I go to him? Laun. Thou must run to him, for thou hast staid so long, that going will scarce serve thy turn. Speed. Why didst not tell me sooner? pox on your love-letters! Laun. Now will he be swing'd for reading my letter; an unmannerly slave, that will thrust himself into secrets !—I'll after, to rejoice in the boy's correction. [Exeunt. SCENE II. Enter Duke and Thurio, and Protheus behind. Now Valentine is banish'd from her sight. Laun. Out with that too; it was Eve's legacy, 50 That I am desperate of obtaining her. and cannot be taken from her. Speed. Item, She hath no teeth. Laun. I care not for that neither, because I love crusts. Speed. Item, She is curst. Laun. Well; the best is, she hath no teeth to bite. Duke. This weak impress of love is as a figure It is undoubtedly true that the mother only knows the legitimacy of the child. Launce probably infers, that if he could read, he must have read this well-known observation. 2 St. Nicholas presided over scholars, who were therefore call'd St. Nicholas's clerks. That is, a stocking. 4 Dr. Johnson is of opinion that sweet mouth implies the same with what is now vulgarly called a sweet tooth, a luxurious desire of dainties and sweetmeats; while Mr. Steevens believes, that by a sweet mouth is meant that she sings sweetly. Liberal, is licentious and gross in language. Gracious, in old language, means graceful. That is, cut, carv'd in ice. Pro. |