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Duke. You know him well?

Val. I knew him as myfelf; for from our infancy
We have convers'd, and spent our hours together:
And though myself have been an idle truant,
Omitting the fweet benefit of time

To cloath mine age with angel-like perfection,
Yet hath Sir Protheus (for that's his name)
Made ufe and fair advantage of his days;
His years but young, but his experience old;
His head unmellow'd, but his judgment ripe;
And, in a word, (for far behind his worth
Come all the praises that I now bestow)
He is compleat in feature, and in mind,
With all good grace to grace a gentleman *.

Duke. Befhrew me, fir, but, if he make this good,
He is as worthy for an emprefs' love

As meet to be an emperor's counsellor.
Well, fir; this gentleman is come to me,
With commendation from great potentates,
And here he means to spend his time a while:
I think, 'tis no unwelcome news to you.

Val. Should I have wifh'd a thing, it had been he.
Duke. Welcome him then according to his worth;
Silvia, I speak to you, and you, Sir Thurie ;-
For Valentine, I need not cite him to it:
I'll fend him hither to you presently.

[Exit.

Val. This is the gentleman, I told your ladyship,
Had come along with me, but that his miftrefs
Did hold his eyes lock'd in her crystal looks.

Sil. Belike, that now the hath enfranchis'd them
Upon fome other pawn for fealty.

Val. Nay, fure, I think, fhe holds them prisoners fill. Sil. Nay, then he should be blind: And, being blind, "How could he fee his way to feek out you?

Val. Why, lady, love hath twenty pair of eyes.
Thu. They fay that love hath not an eye at all.

Protheus's character is here amiably and powerfully delineated; we are frequently led to wonder how Shakespeare could delineate fo many fimilar perfonages with fuch abundant variety of colouring and prefervation.

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Val. To fee fuch lovers, Thurio, as yourself; Upon a homely object love can wink.

Sil. Have done, have done; here comes the gentleman.

Enter Protheus.

Val. Welcome, dear Protheus! -Miftrefs, I beseech you, Confirm his welcome with fome fpecial favour.

Sil. His worth is warrant for his welcome hither;
If this be he you oft have wish'd to hear from.
Val. Mistress, it is: fweet lady, entertain him
To be my fellow-fervant to your lady fhip.

Sil. Too low a mistress for fo high a fervant.
Pro. Not fo, fweet lady; but too mean a fervant
To have a look of such a worthy mistress.
Val. Leave off difcourfe of difability :-
Sweet lady, entertain him for your fervant.
Pro. My duty will I boast of, nothing else.
Sil. And duty never yet did want his meed:
Servant, you are welcome to a worthless mistress.
Pro. I'll die on him that fays fo, but yourself,
Sil. That you are welcome, Sir?

Pro. That you are worthless.

Enter an Attendant.

Att. Madam, my lord your father would fpeak with you.
Sil. I wait upon his pleasure-Come, fir Thurio,
Go you with me :-Once more, new fervant, welcome:
I'll leave you to confer of home affairs;

When you have done, we look to hear from you.
Pro. We'll both attend upon your ladyship.

[Exeunt Silvia, Thurio, Speed, and Att. Val. Now, tell me, how do all from whence you came? Pro. Your friends are well, and have them much commended.

Val. And how do yours?

Pro. I left them all in health.

Val. How does your lady? and how thrives your love? Pro. My tales of love were wont to weary you ;

I know, you joy not in a love-discourse.

Val. Ay, Protheus, but that life is alter'd now: I have done penance for contemning love; "Whofe high imperious thoughts have punish'd me

With bitter fafts, with penitential groans, "With nightly tears, and daily heart-fore fighs; "For, in revenge of my contempt of love, "Love hath chac'd fleep from my enthralled eyes, "And made them watchers of mine own heart's forrow. O gentle Protheus, love's a mighty lord;

And hath fo humbl'd me, as, I confefs,
There is no woe to his correction;

Nor, to his fervice, no fuch joy on earth!
Now, no difcourfe, except it be of love;
Now can I break my faft, dine, fup, and sleep,
Upon the very naked name of love.

Pro. Enough; I read your fortune in your eye:
Was this the idol that you worship so?

Val. Even fhe; and is the not a heavenly faint
Pro. No; but she is an earthly paragon.
Val. Call her divine.

Pro. I will not flatter her.

Val. O, flatter me; for love delights in praife. Pro. When I was fick you gave me bitter pills; And I must minifter the like to you.

Val. Then speak the truth by her; if not divine,
Yet let her be a principality,

Sovereign to all the creatures on the earth.
Pro. Except my mistress.

Val. Sweet, except not any;

Except thou wilt except against my love.
Pro. Have I not reafon to prefer mine own?
Val. And I will help thee to prefer her too:
She fhall be dignify'd with this high honour,-
To bear my lady's train; left the base earth
Should from her vefture chance to fleal a kifs,
And, of fo great a favour growing proud,
Disdain to root the fummer-fwelling flower,
And make rough winter everlastingly.

Pro. Why, Valentine, what bragadifm is this?
Val. Pardon me, Protheus: all I can is nothing
To her whofe worth makes other worthies nothing;
She is alone-

Bragadifm, a coined word of extraordinary fabrication; but we have Braggado, and Braggadocio, to countenance it.

Pro. Why, then let her alone.

Val. Not for the world: why, man, he is mine own ; And I as rich in having fuch a jewel,

As twenty feas, if all their fand were pearl,
The water nectar, and the rocks pure gold.
Forgive me, that I do not dream on thee,
Because thou fee'ft me doat upon my love.
My foolish rival, that her father likes,
Only for his poffeffions are so huge,
Is gone with her along; and I must after
For love, thou know'ft, is full of jealousy.
Pro. But he loves you?

Val. Ay, and we are betroth'd;

;

Nay, more, my Protheus, our marriage hour,
With all the cunning manner of our flight,
Determin'd of: how I must climb her window;
The ladder made of cords; and all the means
Plotted and 'greed on, for my happiness.
Good Protheus, go with me to my chamber,
In thefe affairs to aid me with thy counfel.
Pro. Go on before; I shall enquire you forth:
I must unto the road, to difembarque
Some neceffaries that I needs must use,
And then I'll presently attend on you.
Val. Will you make haste?
Pro. I will.-

[Exit Valentine.

Even as one heat another heat expels,
Or as one nail by ftrength drives out another,
So the remembrance of my former love
Is by a newer object quite forgotten.
Is it mine own, or Valentino's praise,
Her true perfection, or my falfe tranfgreffion,
That makes me, reafonlefs, to reafon thus ?
She's fair; and fo is Julia that I love ;-
That I did love; for now my love is thaw'd,
Which, like a waxen image 'gainst a fire,
Bears no impreffion of the thing it was.
Methinks, my zeal to Valentine is cold,
And that I love him not as I was wont:
O, but I love his lady too too much;
'nd that's the reason I love him fo little.

How

How fhall I doat on her with more advice,
That thus without advice begin to love her
'Tis but her picture I have yet beheld,
And that hath dazzl'd fo my reason's light;
But when I look on her perfections,
There is no reason but I shall be blind.
If I can check my erring love, I will;
If not, to compass her I'll use

my skill

SCENE V. The fame. A Street.

Enter Speed and Launce, meeting.

[Exit.

Spe. Launce! by mine honefty, welcome to Milan. Lau. Forfwear not thyfelf, fweet youth; for I am not welcome. I reckon this always-That a man is never undone, 'till he be hang'd; nor never welcome to a place, 'till fome certain fhot be pay'd, and the hostess say, welcome.

Spe. Come on, you mad-cap, I'll to the ale-house with you presently; where, for one fhot of five pence, thou fhalt have five thousand welcomes. But, firrah, how did thy mafter part with madam Julia?

Lau. Marry, after they clos'd in earneft, they parted very fairly in jest.

Spe. But fhall fhe

Lau. No.

marry him?

Spe. How then, shall he marry her?

Lau. No, neither.

Spe. What, are they broken?

Lau. No, they are both as whole as a fish.

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Spe. Why then, how ftands the matter with them? "Lau. Marry, thus; when it ftands well with him, sit ftands well with her.

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"Spe. What an afs art thou? I understand thee not. "Lau. What a block art thou, that thou can't not? my ftaff understands me.

"Spe. What thou say'st ?

That Shakespeare perfectly knew the ficklenefs, as well as the unfteadiness of love, clearly appears by Romeo's change from Rofaline to Juliet; and here, from Julia to Silvia.

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