How fhall I dote on her with more advice,
That thus without advice begin to love her?
'Tis but her picture I have yet beheld,
And that hath dazzled 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.

[Exit.

SCENE V.

The fame. A Street.

Enter SPEED and LAUNCE.

Speed. Launce! by mine honefty, welcome to Milan. Laun. 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 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 five-pence, thou shalt have five thousand welcomes. But, firrah, how did thy mafter part with madain Julia ?

Laun. Marry, after they closed in earnest, they parted very fairly in jest.

Speed. But fhall fhe marry him?

Laun. No.

Speed. How then? Shall 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 ftands the matter with them?

Laun.

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

Speed. What an afs art thou? I understand thee not. Laun. What a block art thou, that thou canst not? My staff understands me.

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, ftand under and understand is all one.
Speed. But tell me true, will't be a match?

Laun. Afk my dog: if he say, ay, it will; if he say, no, it will; if he shake his tail, and fay nothing, it will. Speed. The conclufion 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 fo. But, Launce, how fay't thou, that my mafter is become a notable lover? Laun. I never knew him otherwife.

Specd. Than how?

Laun. A notable lubber, as thou reporteft him to be. Speed. Why, thou whorfon afs, thou mistakest me. Laun. Why, fool, I meant not thee; I meant thy maf

ter.

Speed. I tell thee, my mafter 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 alehoufe, fo; if not, thou art an Hebrew, a Jew, and not worth the name of a Chriftian.

Speed. Why?

Laun. Because thou haft not fo much charity in thee, as to go to the ale with a Christian: Wilt thou go? Speed. At thy fervice.

7

[Exeunt.

SCENE

SCENE VI.

The fame. An Apartment in the Palace.

Enter PROTEUS.

Pro. To leave my Julia, fhall I be forfworn;
To love fair Silvia, thall I be forfworn;

To wrong my friend, I fhall be much forfworn;
And even that power, which gave me first my oath,
Provokes me to this threefold perjury.

Love bade me fwear, and love bids me forfwear :
O fweet-fuggefting love, if thou haft finn'd,
Teach me, thy tempted subject, to excufe it!
At first I did adore a twinkling star,
But now I worship a celestial fun.

Unheedful vows may heedfully be broken;
And he wants wit, that wants refolved will
To learn his wit to exchange the bad for better.-
Fie, fie, unreverend tongue! to call her bad,
Whose sovereignty so oft thou haft preferr❜d ·
With twenty thousand foul-confirming oaths.
I cannot leave to love, and yet I do;

But there I leave to love, where I fhould love.
Julia I lofe, and Valentine I lofe :

If I keep them, I needs mult lofe myself;
If I lose them, thus find I by their loss,
For Valentine, myself; for Julia, Silvia.
I to myself am dearer than a friend;
For love is ftill more precious in itself :

And Silvia, witnefs heaven, that made her fair!
Shews Julia but a fwarthy Ethiope.

I will forget that Julia is alive,

Rememb'ring that my love to her is dead;

And

And Valentine I'll hold an enemy,
Aiming at Silvia as a sweeter friend.
I cannot now prove conftant to myself,
Without fome treachery us'd to Valentine :-
This night, he meaneth with a corded ladder
To climb celeftial Silvia's chamber-window;
Myself in counfel, his competitor :
Now prefently I'll give her father notice
Of their dif uifing, and pretended flight;
Who, all enrag'd, will banish Valentine;
For Thurio, he intends, shall wed his daughter:
But, Valentine being gone, I'll quickly cross,
By fome fly trick, blunt Thurio's dull proceeding.
Love, lend me wings to make my purpose swift,
As thou haft lent me wit to plot this drift!

[Exit.

SCENE VII.

Verona. A Room in Julia's House.

Enter JULIA and LUCETTA.

Jul. Counfel, Lucetta; gentle girl, affift me!
And, even in kind love, do conjure thee,-
Who art the table wherein all my thoughts
Are vifibly character'd and engrav'd,—
To leffon me; and tell me fome good mean,
How, with my honour, I may undertake
A journey to my loving Proteus.

Luc. Alas! the way is wearifome and long.
Jul. A true-devoted pilgrim is not weary
To measure kingdoms with his feeble steps;
Much less shall the, that hath love's wings to fly;

And

And when the flight is made to one so dear,
Of such divine perfection, as fir Proteus.

Luc. Better forbear, till Proteus make return.

Jul. O, know'st thou not, his looks are my foul's food? Pity the dearth that I have pined in,

By longing for that food so long a time.

Didft thou but know the inly touch of love,
Thou would't as foon go kindle fire with fnow,
As feek to quench the fire of love with words.

Luc. I do not feek to quench your love's hot fire;
But qualify the fire's extreme rage,

Left it should burn above the bounds of reason.

Jul. The more thou dam'ft it up, the more it burns;
The current, that with gentle murmur glides,
Thou know'ft, being ftopp'd, impatiently doth rage;
But, when his fair course is not hindered,

He makes sweet mufick with the enamel'd stones,
Giving a gentle kiss to every fedge
He overtaketh in his pilgrimage;

And fo by many winding nooks he strays,
With willing fport, to the wild ocean.
Then let me go, and hinder not my course:
I'll be as patient as a gentle stream,
And make a paftime of each weary step,

Till the last step have brought me to my love;
And there I'll rest, as, after much turmoil,
A bleffed foul doth in Elyfium.

Luc. But in what habit will you go along?
Jul. Not like a woman; for I would prevent
The loose encounters of lafcivious men :
Gentle Lucetta, fit me with fuch weeds

As

may befeem fome well-reputed page.

Luc. Why then your ladyship must cut your hair.
Jul. No, girl; I'll knit it up in filken ftrings,
Ꭰ

With