The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

Silvia, this night I will enfranchise thee.

'Tis so; and here's the ladder for the purpose. Why, Phaethon, for thou art Merops' son, Wilt thou aspire to guide the heavenly car And with thy daring folly burn the world? Wilt thou reach stars, because they shine on thee?

156

160

Go, basc intruder! overweening slave!
Bestow thy fawning smiles on equal mates,
And think my patience, more than thy desert,
Is privilege for thy departure hence.
Thank me for this more than for all the favours
Which all too much I have bestow'd on thee.
But if thou linger in my territories
Longer than swiftest expedition
Will give thee time to leave our royal court,
By heaven! my wrath shall far exceed the love
I ever borc my daughter or thyself.
Be gone! I will not hear thy vain excuse; 168
But, as thou lov'st thy life, make speed from
hence.
[Exit.

164

Val. And why not death rather than living torment?

124

That longs for every thing that he can come by. Val. By seven o'clock I'll get you such a ladder.

Duke. This very night; for Love is like a child,

To die is to be banish'd from myself;
And Silvia is myself: banish'd from her
Is self from self, -a deadly banishment!
What light is light, if Silvia be not seen?
What joy is joy, if Silvia be not by?
Unless it be to think that she is by
And feed upon the shadow of perfection.
Except I be by Silvia in the night,

172

176

Duke. But hark thee; I will go to her alone: How shall I best convey the ladder thither? 128 Val. It will be light, my lord, that you may bear it

Under a cloak that is of any length.

Duke. A cloak as long as thine will serve the There is no music in the nightingale;
turn?
Val. Ay, my good lord.
Duke.

Then let me see thy cloak: 132

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. 136
[Pulls open VALENTINE'S cloak.
What letter is this same? What's here?-To
Silvia!

And here an engine fit for my proceeding!
I'll be so bold to break the seal for once.

My thoughts do harbour with my Silvia nightly; 140
And slaves they are to me that send them flying:
O! could their master come and go as lightly,
Himself would lodge where senseless they are

lying!

Unless I look on Silvia in the day,
There is no day for me to look upon.
She is my essence; and I leave to be,
If I be not by her fair influence
Foster'd, illumin'd, cherish'd, kept alive.
I fly not death, to fly his deadly doom:
Tarry I here, I but attend on death;
But, fly I hence, I fly away from life.

Enter PROTEUS and LAUNCE.

180

184

Launce. Can nothing speak? Master, shall I

strike?

200

148

Pro. Who would'st thou strike?

Mv 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

Val. No Valentine, if Silvia have forsworn me! What is your news?

216

Launce. Sir, there is a proclamation that you are vanished.

Pro. That thou art banished, O, that's the news,

From hence, from Silvia, and from me thy friend.
Val. O, I have fed upon this woe already, 220
And now excess of it will make me surfeit.
Doth Silvia know that I am banished?

Pro. Ay, ay; and she hath offer'd to the doom

223 Which, unrevers'd, stands in effectual force A sea of melting pearl, which some call tears: Those at her father's churlish feet she tender'd; With them, upon her knees, her humble self; Wringing her hands, whose whiteness so became them 228

As if but now they waxed pale for woe:
But neither bended knees, pure hands held up,
Sad sighs, deep groans, nor silver-shedding tears,
Could penetrate her uncompassionate sire; 232
But Valentine, if he be ta'en, must die.
Besides, her intercession chaf'd him so,
When she for thy repeal was suppliant,
That to close prison he commanded her,
With many bitter threats of biding there.

236

Val. No more; unless the next word that thou speak'st

Have some malignant power upon my life:
If so, I pray thee, breathe it in mine ear,
As ending anthem of my endless dolour.

Pro. Go, sirrah, find him out. Come, Valentine.

260

Val. O my dear Silvia! hapless Valentine! [Exeunt VALENTINE and PROTEUS. Launce. I am but a fool, look you; and yet I have the wit to think my master is a kind of a knave: but that's all one, if he be but one knave. He lives not now that knows me to be in love: yet I am in love; but a team of horse shall not pluck 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 milkmaid; 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. [Pulling out a paper.] Here is the catelog of her condition. Imprimis, She can fetch and carry. Why, a horse 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.

280

240

Pro. Cease to lament for that thou canst not

help,

not read.

293

And study help for that which thou lament'st.
Time is the nurse and breeder of all good. 244
Here if thou stay, thou canst not see thy love;
Besides, thy staying will abridge thy life.
Hope is a lover's staff; walk hence with that
And manage it against despairing thoughts. 248

Speed. Marry, the son of my grandfather. Launce. O, illiterate loiterer! it was the son of thy grandmother. This proves that thou

Thy letters may be here, though thou art hence; I canst not read.

300

Duke. And also, I think, thou art not ignorant

How she opposes her against my will.

Pro. She did, my lord, when Valentine was here.

Duke. Ay, and perversely she persevers so. 28 What might we do to make the girl forget The love of Valentine, and love Sir Thurio?

Pro. The best way is to slander Valentine With falsehood, cowardice, and poor descent, Three things that women highly hold in hate. Duke. Ay, but she'll think that it is spoke in hate.

Pro. Ay, if his enemy deliver it: Therefore it must with circumstance be spoken By one whom she esteemeth as his friend.

Because we know, on Valentine's report,
You are already Love's firm votary
And cannot soon revolt and change your mind.
Upon this warrant shall you have access
Where you with Silvia may confer at large;
For she is lumpish, heavy, melancholy,
And, for your friend's sake, will be glad of you;
Where you may temper her, by your persuasion
To hate young Valentine and love my friend. 65
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 desires
By wailful sonnets, whose composed rimes
Should be full-fraught with serviceable vows.
Duke. Ay,

Much is the force of heaven-bred poesy.

Pro. Say that upon the altar of her beauty You sacrifice your tears, your sighs, your heart. Write till your ink be dry, and with your tears Moist it again, and frame some feeling line 76 That may discover such integrity:

For Orpheus' lute was strung with poets' sinews,
Whose golden touch could soften steel and stones,
Make tigers tame and huge leviathans
Forsake unsounded deeps to dance on sands.
After your dire-lamenting elegies,
Visit by night your lady's chamber-window
With some sweet consort: to their instruments
Tune a deploring dump; the night's dead silence
Will well become such sweet-complaining griev-

ance.

This, or else nothing, will inherit her. Duke. This discipline shows thou hast been in love.

Thu. And thy advice this night I'll put in practice.

Therefore, sweet Proteus, my direction-giver,
Let us into the city presently

To sort some gentlemen well skill'd in music. 92
I have a sonnet that will serve the turn

To give the onset to thy good advice.

Duke. About it, gentlemen!

Pro. We'll wait upon your grace till after

supper,

And afterward determine our proceedings.

Duke. Even now about it! I will pardon you. [Exeunt.

ACT IV.

SCENE I.- A Forest between Milan and Verona. Enter certain Outlaws.

First Out. Fellows, stand fast; I see a passenger.

Sec. Out. If there be ten, shrink not, but down with 'em.

Enter VALENTINE and SPEED.

Myself was from Verona banished Third Out. Stand, sir, and throw us that you For practising to steal away a lady, have about ye; If not, we'll make you sit and rifle you. Speed. Sir, we are undone: these are the Who, in my mood, I stabb'd unto the heart. villains

That all the travellers do fear so much.

Val. My friends,

First Out. That's not so, sir; we are your enemies.

Sec. Out. Peace! we'll hear him.
Third Out. Ay, by my beard, will we, for he
is a proper man.

Val. Then know, that I have little wealth to
lose.

An heir, and near allied unto the duke.
Sec Out. And I from Mantua, for a gentleman,

First Out. And I for such like petty crimes
as these.

But to the purpose; for we cite our faults,
That they may hold excus'd our lawless lives;
And, partly, seeing you are beautified
With goodly shape, and by your own report 56
A linguist, and a man of such perfection
As we do in our quality much want-

Sec. Out. Indeed, because you are a banish'd

man,

Therefore, above the rest, we parley to you. 60
Are you content to be our general?
To make a virtue of necessity

And live, as we do, in this wilderness?

Third Out. What say'st thou? wilt thou be of our consort?

First Out. Whence came you?
Val. From Milan.

Third Out. Have you long sojourn'd there? Val. Some sixteen months; and longer might have stay'd

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.

First Out. But if thou scorn our courtesy, thou diest.

If crooked fortune had not thwarted me.
Sec. Out. What! were you banish'd thence?
Val. I was.

Sec. Out. Thou shalt not live to brag what we have offer'd.

Sec. Out. For what offence?

Val. I take your offer and will live with you, Provided that you do no outrages

Val. For that which now torments me to On silly women, or poor passengers. rehearse.

Val. I was, and held me glad of such a doom. SCENE II.-Milan. The Court of the DUKE'S

Pro. Already have I been false to Valentine,
And now I must be as unjust to Thurio.
Under the colour of commending him,
I have access 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 falsehood to my friend; 8
When to her beauty I commend my vows,
She bids me think how I have been forsworn
In breaking faith with Julia whom I lov'd:
And notwithstanding all her sudden quips,
44 The least whereof would quell a lover's hope,
Yet, spaniel-like, the more she spurns my love,
The more it grows, and fawneth on her still.

Sec. Out. Tell us this: have you anything to take to?

Val. Nothing, but my fortune.
Third Out. Know then, that some of us are
gentlemen,

Such as the fury of ungovern'd youth
Thrust from the company of awful men:

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