You are already Love's firm votary;

And cannot foon revolt and change your mind.
Upon this warrant fhall you have accefs,

Where you with Silvia may confer at large :
For fhe is lumpish, heavy, melancholy,

And, for your friend's fake, will be glad of you;
Where you may temper her, by your perfuafion,
To hate young Valentine, and love my

friend.

Pro. As much as I can do, I will effect. But you, Sir Thurio, are not sharp enough: You must lay lime, to tangle her defires, By wailful fonnets, whofe compofed rhimes Should be full fraught with ferviceable vows. ` Duke. Much is the force of heav'n-bred poefy. Pro. " Say, that upon the altar of her beauty "You facrifice your tears, your fighs, your heart: "Write till your ink be dry; and with your tears "Moift it again; and frame fome feeling line, "That may discover fuch integrity:

"For Orpheus 'lute was ftrung with poets finews,
"Whofe golden touch could foften steel and ftones,
"Make tygers tame, and huge leviathans
"Forfake unfounded deeps, to dance on fands.
After your dire-lamenting elegies,

Vifit by night your lady's chamber window
With fome fweet confort: to their inftruments
Tune a deploring dump; the night's dead filence
Will well become fuch fweet complaining grievance.
This, or elfe nothing, will inherit her.

Duke. This difcipline fhews thou haft been in love.
Thu And thy advice this night I'll put in practice.
Therefore, fweet Protheus, my direction-giver,
Let us into the city prefently,

To fort fome gentlemen well fkill'd in mufic;
I have a fonnet, that will ferve the turn,

To give the onfet to thy good advice.

Duke. About it, Gentlemen.

Pro. We'll wait upop your Grace, till after fupper;

And afterwards determine our proceedings.

Duke. Ev'n now about it. I will pardon you.

[Exeunt.

ACT

ACT

IV.

SCENE I.

A fore, leading towards Mantua.

Enter certain Outlaws.

1 Out. Ellows, ftand faft: I fee a paffenger.

Fellow
FE

2 Out. If there be ten, fhrink not, but down with 'em.

Enter Valentine and Speed.

3 Out. Stand, Sir, and throw us what you have about you; if not, we'll make you, Sir, and rifle you. Speed. Sir, we are undone; these are the villains that all the travellers do fear fo much.

1 Out. That's not fo, Sir; we are your enemies. 2 Out. Peace; we'll hear him.

3

man.

Out. Ay, by my beard, will we; for he is a proper

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 fhould here disfurnifh 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

ftaid,

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 falfe vantage, or bafe treachery.

1 Out. Why, ne'er repent it, if it were done fo.
But were you banish'd for so small a fault?
Val. I was, and held me glad of fuch a doom.

2

1 Out:

1 Out. Have you the tongues?

Val. My youthful travel therein made me happy, Or elfe I often had been miferable.

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. Sirs, a word.

Speed. Mafter, be one of them: it's 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 fome of us are gentlemen, Such as the fury of ungovern'd youth Thruft from the company of awful men; Myfelf was from Verona banish'd, For practifing to fteal away a lady,

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

2 Out. And I from Mantua, for a gentleman Whom, in my mood, I stabb'd unto the heart.

I Out. And I for fuch like petty crimes as these.
But to the purpofe; for we cite our faults,
That they may hold excus'd our lawless lives;
And partly, feeing you are beautify'd
With goodly fhape, and by your own report
A linguist; and a man of fuch perfection,

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't.
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 filly women, or poor paffengers.

3 Out. No; we deteft fuch vile bafe practices.

Come,

Come, go with us. we'll bring thee to our crews.
And thew thee all the treasure we have got;
Which, with ourselves, fhall rest at thy dispose.

SCENE II.

[Exeunt.

Changes to an open place, under Silvia's apartment in Milan.

Enter Protheus.

Pro. Already I've been falfe to Valentine,
And now I must be as unjust to Thurio,
Under the colour of commending him,
I have accefs 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 falfehood to my friend;
When to her beauty I commend my vows,
She bids me think how I have been forfworn
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 the fpurns my love,
The more it grows, and fawneth on her ftill.
But here comes Thurio: now muft we to her window,
And give fome evening-mufic to her car.

Enter Thurio and musicians.

Thu. How now, Sir Protheus, are you crept before us? Pro. Ay, gentle Thurio; for, you know, that love Will creep in fervice where it cannot go.

Thu. Ay. but I hope, Sir, 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,

Let's tune, and to it luftily a while.

Gentlemen,

Enter Hoft, and Julia in boy's cloaths.

Hoft. Now, my young gueft, methinks you're ally

cholly: I pray you, why is it?

Ful.

Jul. Marry, mine host, because I cannot be merry. Hoft. Come, we'll have you merry; I'll bring you where you fhall hear mufic, and fee the gentleman that you ask'd for.

Jul. But fhall I hear him speak?

Hoft. Ay, that you shall.

Jul. That will be mufic.

Hoft. Hark, hark!

Jul. Is he among these?

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

S ON G.

Who is Silvia? what is fhe,

That all our fwains commend her ?
Holy, fair, and wife is fhe;
The heav'n fuch grace did lend her,
That he might admired be.

Is fhe kind, as fhe 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 excels each mortal thing

Upon the dull earth dwelling:

To her let us garlands bring.

Hoft. How now? are you fadder than you were be fore? how do you, man? the music likes you not. Jul. You mistake? the musician likes me not. Hoft. Why, my pretty youth?

Jul. He plays falfe, father.

Hoft. How, out of tune on the strings?

Jul. Not fo; but yet fo falfe, that he grieves my

very heart-ftrings.

Hoft. You have a quick ear.

ful. Ay, I would I were deaf! it makes me have a Dow heart.

Hoft. I perceive you delight not in music.

X 2

Ful