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

my

oath,

To wrong my friend, I fhall be much forfworn;
And even that power, which gave me first
Provokes me to this threefold perjury.
Love bad me fwear, and love bids me forfwear :
Ofweet-fuggefting love, if thou haft finn'd,
Teach me, thy tempted fubject, to excufe it!
At first I did adore a twinkling ftar,
But now I worship a celeftial 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 fovereignty fo 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 should love.
Julia I lofe, and Valentine I lofe:

If I keep them, I needs must lose myself;
If I loose them, this find I by their lofs,
For Valentine, myself; for Julia, Silvia.
I to myself am dearer than a friend;
For love is still more precious 'in itself:
And Silvia, witness heaven, that made her fair!
Shews Julia but a fwarthy Ethiope,

fweet-fuggefting]-fweetly feducing.

foul-confirming oaths.]-her foul, to whom they were made. Pin itfelf-when it hath felf for its object.

I will forget that Julia is alive,

Remembring that my love to her is dead
And Valentine I'll hold an enemy,
Aiming at Silvia as a fweeter 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 counsel, his competitor :

Now presently I'll give her father notice
Of their disguifing, and 'pretended flight;
Who, all enrag'd, will banish Valentine
For Thurio, he intends, fhall 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!

Jul. Counsel, Lucetta; gentle girl, assist me!
And, even in kind love, I do conjure thee,—
Who art the table wherein all my thoughts
Are visibly 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 Protheus.

a competitor :]-confederate.

pretended-intended.

"What good could they pretend?"

[Exit.

MACBETH, Act II, S. 4. Roffe.

Luc.

Luc. Alas! the way is wearifome and long.
Ful. A true-devoted pilgrim is not weary
To measure kingdoms with his feeble steps;
Much less fhall fhe, that hath love's wings to fly;
And when the flight is made to one so dear,
Of fuch divine perfection, as fir Protheus.

Luc. Better forbear, till Protheus make return. Jul. Oh, know'ft thou not, his looks are my foul's food?

Pity the dearth that I have pined in,

By longing for that food fo long a time.
Didft thou but know the inly touch of love,
Thou would'ft 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 reafon.

Jul. The more thou damm'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 ftones,

Giving a gentle kiss to every sedge
He overtaketh in his pilgrimage;

And fo by many winding nooks he strays,
With willing sport, 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
And there I'll reft, as, after much turmoil,
A bleffed foul doth in Elyfium.

love;

Luc. But in what habit will you go along?
Jul. Not like a woman; for I would prevent

The

The loose encounters of lafcivious men: ::
Gentle Lucetta, fit me with fuch weeds
As may beseem some well-reputed page.

Luc. Why then your ladyship must cut your hair.
Jul. No, girl; I'll knit it up in filken strings,
Wth twenty odd-conceited true-love knots :
To be fantastic, may become a youth

Of greater time than I fhall fhew to be.

Luc. What fashion, madam, fhall I make your breeches? Jul. That fits as well, as-" tell me, good my lord, "What compass will you wear your farthingale ?" Why, even that fashion thou beft lik'ft, Lucetta.

Luc. You must needs have them with a cod-piece, madam.

Jul. Out, out, Lucetta! that will be ill-favour'd. Luc. A round hofe, madam, now's not worth a pin, Unless you have a cod-piece to stick pins on.

Jul. Lucetta, as thou lov'ft me, let me have What thou think'st meet, and is most mannerly: But tell me, wench, how will the world repute me, For undertaking so unstaid a journey?

I fear me, it will make me fcandaliz'd.

Luc. If you think fo, then stay at home, and go not.
Jul. Nay, that I will not.

Luc. Then never dream on infamy, but go.
If Protheus like your journey, when you come,
No matter who's difpleas'd, when you are gone:
I fear me, he will scarce be pleas'd withal.
Jul. That is the leaft, Lucetta, of my fear:
A thousand oaths, an ocean of his tears,
And inftances as infinite of love,
Warrant me welcome to my Protheus.

Luc. All these are servants to deceitful men.

Out, cut,]-Fy, fy.

t

inftances]-proofs.

Jul.

Jul. Bafe men, that use them to fo base effect!
But truer stars did govern Protheus' birth:

His words are bonds, his oaths are oracles;
His love fincere, his thoughts immaculate;
His tears, pure meffengers fent from his heart;
His heart as far from fraud, as heaven from earth.

Luc. Pray heaven, he prove fo, when you come to him! Jul. Now, as thou lov'ft me, do him not that wrong, To bear a hard opinion of his truth:

u

Only deferve my love, by loving him;
And prefently go with me to my chamber,
To take a note of what I ftand in need of,
To furnish me upon my " longing journey.
All that is mine I leave at thy difpofe,
My goods, my lands, my reputation;
Only, in lieu thereof, dispatch me hence.
Come, answer not, but to it presently;
I am impatient of my tarriance.

[Exeunt.

ACT III.

SCENE I.

The Duke's Palace at Milan.

Enter Duke, Thurio, and Protheus.

Duke. Sir Thurio, give us leave, I pray, awhile;" We have fome fecrets to confer about.

[Exit Thur. Now, tell me, Protheus, what's your will with me?

Pro. My gracious lord, that which I would discover, The law of friendship bids me to conceal :

But, when I call to mind your gracious favours
Done to me, undeferving as I am,

longing-longed for; amorous.

My