Hath made me publisher of this pretense. Duke. Upon mine honor, he shall never know That I had any light from thee of this. Pro. Adieu, my Lord; Sir Valentine is coming. 50 [Exit. Enter Valentine. Duke. Sir Valentine, whither away so fast? That touch me near, wherein thou must be 60 'Tis not unknown to thee that I have sought To match my friend Sir Thurio to my daugh ter. Val. I know it well, my lord; and, sure, the match Were rich and honorable; besides, the gentle man Is full of virtue, bounty, worth and qualities Beseeming such a wife as your fair daughter: Cannot your grace win her to fancy him? Duke. No, trust me; she is peevish, sullen, froward, Proud, disobedient, stubborn, lacking duty; Neither regarding that she is my child, Not fearing me as if I were her father: And, may I say to thee, this pride of hers, 55 70 too much Upon advice, hath drawn my love from her; I now am full resolved to take a wife, And turn her out to who will take her in Tch,tch Then let her beauty be her wedding-dower; For me and my possessions she esteems not. Val. What would your Grace have me to do in this? Duke. There is a lady in Verona here Whom I affect; but she is nice and coy, 80 And nought esteems my aged eloquence: For long agone I have forgot to court; Besides, the fashion of the time is changed,- Val. Win her with gifts, if she respect not words: 90 More than quick words do move a woman's mind. Duke. But she did scorn a present that I sent her. Val. A woman sometimes scorns what best con tents her. Send her another; never give her o'er; For scorn at first makes after-love the more. Take no repulse, whatever she doth say; 100 For 'get you gone,' she doth not mean 'away!' That man that hath a tongue, I say, is no man, Val. Why, then, I would resort to her by night. 110 Duke. Aye, but the doors be lock'd, and keys kept safe, That no man hath recourse to her by night. Val. What lets but one may enter at her window? Duke. Her chamber is aloft, far from the ground, And built so shelving, that one cannot climb it Val. Why, then, a ladder, quaintly made of cords, 120 Advise me where I may have such a ladder. Val. When would you use it? pray, sir, tell me that. Duke. This very night; for Love is like a child, That longs for everything 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? 130 Val. It will be light, my lord, that you may bear it Duke. Then let me see thy cloak: I'll get me one of such another length. Val. Why, any cloak will serve the turn, my lord. Duke. How shall I fashion me to wear a cloak? I pray thee, let me feel thy cloak upon me. And here an engine fit for my proceeding. [Reads. 'My thoughts do harbor with my Silvia nightly; And slaves they are to me, that send them 141 flying: O, could their master come and go as lightly, Himself would lodge where senseless they are lying! My herald thoughts in thy pure bosom rest them; While I, their king, that thither them importune, Do curse the grace that with such grace hath bless'd them, Because myself do want my servants' for tune: I curse myself, for they are sent by me, That they should harbor where their lord would be.' What's here? 150 'Silvia, this night I will enfranchise thee.' Go, base intruder! overweening slave! 160 Will give thee time to leave our royal court, Be gone! I will not hear thy vain excuse; But, as thou lovest thy life, make speed from hence. [Exit. Val. And why not death rather than living tor-ment? To die is to be banish'd from myself; 170 153. Legend variously described Phaethon as the son of Helios by Merops' wife, and as a son of Merops himself. Johnson supposed the Duke to insist on the baser origin by way of additional disparagement to Valentine, but this is both needlessly abstruse and opposed to the explanatory "for." He probably means only "for thou art indeed Phoebus."-C. H. H. |