For such is a friend now; treacherous man!
Thou hast beguiled my hopes; nought but mine eye
Could have persuaded me: now I dare not say
I have one friend alive; thou wouldst disprove me.
Who should be trusted now, when one's right hand
Is perjured to the bosom? Proteus,

I am sorry I must never trust thee more,

But count the world a stranger for thy sake.

The private wound is deepest: O time most accurst, 'Mongst all foes that a friend should be the worst!

PRO. My shame and guilt confounds me. Forgive me, Valentine: if hearty sorrow

Be a sufficient ransom for offence,

I tender 't here; I do as truly suffer

As e'er I did commit.

Then I am paid;

VAL.
And once again I do receive thee honest.
Who by repentance is not satisfied

Is nor of heaven nor earth, for these are pleased.
By penitence the Eternal's wrath 's appeased:
And, that my love may appear plain and free,
All that was mine in Silvia I give thee.
JUL. O me unhappy!

PRO. Look to the boy.

[Swoons.

67 The reading of the Second, Third, and Fourth Folios. The First Folio omits now.

71 A twelve-syllabled line, a rare irregularity in Shakespeare's early

plays.

82-83 Critics are unanimous in condemning as the fruit of hasty composition Valentine's unhesitating surrender of Silvia to Proteus.

70

80

VAL. Why, boy! why, wag! how now! what's the matter? Look up; speak.

JUL. O good sir, my master charged me to deliver a ring to Madam Silvia, which, out of my neglect, was never done.

PRO. Where is that ring, boy?

JUL.

PRO. How! let me see:

Here 't is; this is it.

Why, this is the ring I gave to Julia.

JUL. O, cry you mercy, sir, I have mistook :

This is the ring you sent to Silvia.

PRO. But how camest thou by this ring? At my depart

I gave this unto Julia.

JUL. And Julia herself did give it me; And Julia herself hath brought it hither.

PRO. How! Julia!

JUL. Behold her that gave aim to all thy oaths, And entertain❜d 'em deeply in her heart.

How oft hast thou with perjury cleft the root!

O Proteus, let this habit make thee blush!
Be thou ashamed that I have took upon me
Such an immodest raiment, if shame live
In a disguise of love:

It is the lesser blot, modesty finds,

Women to change their shapes than men their minds.

101 that gave aim . . . oaths] the object at which all your oaths were aimed.

103 cleft the root] hit the root (of her heart), the centre of the target; an allusion to cleaving the pin in archery.

90

100

PRO. Than men their minds! 't is true.

were man

O heaven,

110

But constant, he were perfect! That one error

Fills him with faults; makes him run through all the

sins:

Inconstancy falls off ere it begins.

What is in Silvia's face, but I may spy
More fresh in Julia's with a constant eye?
VAL. Come, come, a hand from either:
Let me be blest to make this happy close;
'T were pity two such friends should be long foes.
PRO. Bear witness, Heaven, I have my wish for ever.
JUL. And I mine.

Enter OUTLAWS, with DUKE and THURIO

OUTLAWS. A prize, a prize, a prize!

VAL. Forbear, forbear, I say! it is my lord the duke. Your Grace is welcome to a man disgraced,

THU. Yonder is Silvia; and Silvia's mine.

VAL. Thurio, give back, or else embrace thy death; Come not within the measure of my wrath;

Do not name Silvia thine; if once again,

Verona shall not hold thee. Here she stands:
Take but possession of her with a touch:
I dare thee but to breathe upon my love.

120

130

129 Verona] This is the reading of the old editions. The sense demands a change to Milan or Milano. Cf. III, i, 81, supra. The error is probably due to the author's hasty composition.

THU. Sir Valentine, I care not for her, I:
I hold him but a fool that will endanger
His body for a girl that loves him not:

I claim her not, and therefore she is thine.

DUKE. The more degenerate and base art thou,
To make such means for her as thou hast done,
And leave her on such slight conditions.
Now, by the honour of my ancestry,

I do applaud thy spirit, Valentine,
And think thee worthy of an empress' love:
Know, then, I here forget all former griefs,
Cancel all grudge, repeal thee home again,
Plead a new state in thy unrival'd merit,
To which I thus subscribe: Sir Valentine,
Thou art a gentleman, and well derived;

Take thou thy Silvia, for thou hast deserved her.
VAL. I thank your grace, the gift hath made me
happy.

I now beseech you, for your daughter's sake,

To grant one boon that I shall ask of you.

DUKE. I grant it, for thine own, whate'er it be.
VAL. These banish'd men that I have kept withal

Are men endued with worthy qualities:

Forgive them what they have committed here,

And let them be recall'd from their exile:

140

150

137 To make such means for her] To adopt such unworthy measures to secure her. "One that made means to come by what he had." Cf. Rich. III, V, iii, 248.

144 Plead... merit] Declare or decree a new estate or rank for you in view of your unrivalled merit.

L.

They are reformed, civil, full of good,

And fit for great employment, worthy lord.

DUKE. Thou hast prevail'd; I pardon them and thee;
Dispose of them as thou know'st their deserts.
Come, let us go: we will include all jars
With triumphs, mirth, and rare solemnity.

VAL. And, as we walk along, I dare be bold
With our discourse to make your Grace to smile.
What think you of this page, my lord?

DUKE. I think the boy hath grace in him; he blushes.
VAL. I warrant you, my lord, more grace than boy.
DUKE. What mean you by that saying?

VAL. Please you, I'll tell you as we pass along,
That you will wonder what hath fortuned.
Come, Proteus; 't is your penance but to hear
The story of your loves discovered:

That done, our day of marriage shall be yours;
One feast, one house, one mutual happiness.

[Exeunt.

160

170