Love hath chac'd seep 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 humbled me, as, I confess,
There is 5 no woe to his correction ;
Nor to his service, no such joy on earth.
Now, no discourse, except it be of love ;
Now can I break my faft, dine, fup, and neep,
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 she: and is she not a heavenly saint?
Pro. No, but she is an earthly paragon.
Val. Call her divine,
Pro. I will not flatter her.
Val. O fatter me; for love delights in praise.

Pro. When I was sick, you gave me bitter pills; And I must minister the like to you.

Val. Then speak the truth by her; if not divine, Yet let her be 6 a principality, Sovereign to all the creatures on the earth,

Pro. Except ny mistress.

L'al. Sweet, except not any;
Except thou wilt except against my love.

Pro. Have I not reason to prefer mine own?

Val. And I will help thee to prefer her too : She shall be dignified with this high honour, To bear my lady's train ; left the base earth Should from her vesture chance to steal a kiss; And, of so great a favour growing proud,

6

no woe to his correction ;) No misery that can be pared to the punishment inflicted by love. Herbert called for the prayers of the liturgy a little before his death, saying, None to them, none to ibem. Johnson.

- a principality,] The first or principal of women. So the old writers use ftate. She is a lady, a great state. Latymer. This look is called in ftates warlie, in others otherwise. Sir T. More. JOHNSON.

Dildain

Disdain to root the 7 summer-fwe!ling flower;
And make rough winter everlastingly.

Pro. Why, Valentine, what braggardism is this?

Val. Pardon me, Protheus : all I can, is nothing To her, whose worth makes other worthies nothing; 8 She is alone.

Pro. Then let her alone.
Val. Not for the world : why, man, she is mine

own;
And I as rich in having such a jewel,
As twenty seas, 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 see'st me doat upon my love.
My foolish rival, that her father likes,
Only for his possessions are so huge,
Is gone with her along, and I must after
For love, thou know'st, is full of jealousy.

Pre. But she loves you ?
Val. Ay, and we are betroth'd ; nay, more, our

marriage hour,
With all the cunning manner of our Aight,
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 these affairs to aid me with thy counsel

.
Pro. Go on before ; I shall enquire you forth.
I must unto the road, to disembark
Some necessaries that I needs must use;
And then I'll presently attend you.

Val. Will you make hafte?
Pro. I will.

[Exit l'al. Even as one heat another heat expels,

Or as one nail by strength drives out another ;
So the remembrance of my former love
Is by a newer object quite forgotten.
8 Is it mine eye, or Valentino's praise,
Her true perfection, or my false transgression,
That makes me, reasonless, to reason thus ?
She's fair ; and so is Julia, that I love;
That I did love, for now my love is thawd;
Which, like a waxen image 'gainst a fire,
Bears no impression 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;
And that's the reason I love him so little.
How shall I doat on her ' with more advice,
That thus without advice begin to love her?
2 'Tis but her picture I have yet beheld,
And that hath dazzeled my reason's light :
But when I look on her perfections,

Is it mine Then, or Valentino's praise,] Here Protheus questions with himself, whether it is his own praise, or Valen. tine's, that makes him fall in love with Valentine's miftrefs. But not to infift on the absurdity of falling in love through his own praises, he had not indeed' praised her 'any farther than giving his opinion of her in three words, when his friend asked it of him. In all the old editions we find the line printed thus :

Is it mine, or Valentino's praise??
A word is wanting. The line was originally thus :

Is it mine EYE, or Valentino's praise? Protheus had just seen Valentine's mistress, whom her lover had been lavishly praising. His encomiums therefore heightening Protheus's idea of her at the interview, it was the less wonder he should be uncertain which had made thic ftrongest impression, Valentine's praises, or his own view of her.

WARBURTON. with more advice,) With more prudence, with more discretion. Johnson.

2 'Tis but her picture) This is evidently a flip of attention, for he had seen het in the last scene,' and in high terms offered her his service. Johnson.

I believe Protheus means, that, as yet, he had seen only her outward form, without having known her long enough to have any acquaintance with her mind. STEEVÉNS.

There

There is no reason, but I shall be blind.
If I can check my erring love, I will ;
If not, to compass her l'il ufe

my

skill.

[Exit.

Enter Speed and Launce. Speed. Launce ! by mine honesty, welcome to 3 Milan.

Laun. Forswear not thyself, sweet 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 some certain shot be paid, and the hostess say, welcome.

Speed. Come on, you mad-cap; I'll to the ale. house with you presently; where, for one shot of fivepence, thou shalt have five thousand welcomes. But, firrah, how did thy master part with madam Julia?

Laun. Marry, after they clos’d in earnest, they parted very fairly in jest.

Speed. But shall she marry him?
Laun. No.
Speed. How then ? (all he marry her?
Laun. No, neither.
Speed. What, are they broken?
Laun. No, they are both as whole as a fish.
Speed. Why then how stands the matter with them?

Laun. Marry, thus : when it stands well with him, it ftands well with her.

Speed. What an ass art thou? I understand thee not. Speed. What thou say'st ?

Laun. Ay, and what I do too : look thee, I'll but lean, and my staff understands me.

Speed. It stands under thee indeed.
Laun. Why, stand-under, and under-stand, is all

ore.

Speed. But tell me true, will't be a match ?

Laun. Ask my dog: if he say, ay, it will; if he fay, no, it will; if he shake his tail, and say nothing, it will.

Speed. The conclusion is then, that it will.

Laun. Thou shalt never get such a secret from me, but by a parable.

Speed. 'Tis well that I get it so. But, Launce, how say'st thou that my master is become a notable lover?

Laun. I never knew him otherwise,
Speed. Than how?
Laun. A notable lubber, as thou reportest him to be.
Speed. Why, thou whorson ass, thou mistakest me.

Laun. Why, fool, I meant not thee; I meant thy master.

Speed. I tell thee, my master is become a hot lover,

Laun. Why, I tell thee, I care not though he burn himself in love. If thou wilt go with me to the alehouse, so; if not, thou art an Hebrew, a Jew, and not worth the name of a Christian.

Speed. Why?

Laun. Because thou hast not so much charity in thee, as to go the ale-house with a Chriftian : wilt thou go? Speed. At thy service.

(Exeunt. - The terms we sent were terms of weight, “ Such as we may perceive, amaz’d them all, “ And stagger'd many; who receives them right, “ Had need from head to foot well undersiand, " Not understood, this gift they have belides, " To flew us when our foes stand not upright.” Johns.

*

SCENE