Enter PROTHEUS. Sil. Have done, have done here comes the gentleman. Val. Welcome, dear Protheus: mistress, I befeech you, Confirm his welcome with fome special favour. Sil. Too low a mistress for so high a fervant. 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? Pro. That you are worthless. Enter Servant. Serv. Madam, my Lord your father would speak with you. (10) ́ Sil. I'll wait upon his pleafure: [Exit Serv.] Come, Sir Thurio, Go with me. Once more, my new fervant, welcome: (10) Thur. Madam, my Lord your father] This speech, in all the editions, is affigned. improperly to Thurio; but he has been all along upon the ftage, and could not know that the Duke wanted his daughter. Befides, the first line, and half of Silvia's anfwer, is evidently addressed to two perfons. A fervant, therefore, must come in and deliver the melage; and then Silvia goes out with Thurio. 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 Ladyfhip. [Exe. Sil. and Thu. 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-difcourfe. Val. Ay, Protheus, but that life is altered now; I have done penance for contemning love, Whofe high imperious thoughts have punished me Love hath chaced fleep from my enthralled eyes, There is no woe to his correction, Nor to his fervice, no fuch joy on earth. Pro. Enough; I read your fortune in your eye. Was this the idol that you worship fo? Val. Even fhe; and is fhe not a heav'nly faint? Pro. No, but he 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 fpeak the truth by her; if not divine, Yet let her be a principality, Sov'reign to all the creatures on the earth. 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 dignified with this high honour, To bear my Lady's train, leit the base earth Should from her vesture chance to steal a kifs, And, of fo great a favour growing proud, Difdain 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 ——— Pro. Then let her alone. [own; Val. Not for the world: why, man, fhe is mine With all the cunning manner of our flight, 2 Good Protheus, go with me to my chamber, Pro. I will. [Exit Val Even as one heat another heat expels, (11) Is it mine then, or Valentino's praife,? This fupplemental word, then, was first clapt in by Mr Rowe to help the labouring verfe, and fince embraced by Mr Pope. But let us fee what fenfe refults from it. What is Protheus questioning with himself, whether it is his own praise, or Valentine's, that makes him fall in love? But Protheus had not praised Silvia any farther than giving his opinion of her in three words, when his friend demanded it. In all the old editions, we find it thus; Is it mine, or Valentino's praife. The verfe halts fo, that fome one fyllable must be wanting; and that Mr Warburton has very ingenioufly, and, as I think, with certainty fupplied, as I have reftored in the text. Protheus had just seen Valentine's mistress; Valentine had praised her fo lavishly, that the description heightened Protheus's fentiments of her from the interview; fo that it was the lefs wonder that he should not know certainly, at firft, which made the strongest impreflion, Valentine's praises, or his own view of the original. And that I love him not as I was wont. SCENE changes to a Street. Enter SPEED and LAUNCEST [Exit Speed Launce, by mine honefty, welcome to Milan *l Lawn. Forfwear not thyfelf, sweet youth; for I am not welcome: I reckon this always, that a man is never undone 'till he be hanged, nor never welcome to a place till some certain fhọt be paid, and the hostefs fay, welcome. Speed. Come on, you mad-cap; I'll to the alehoufe with you prefently, where, for one shot of five-pence, thou shalt have five thousand welcomes. But, firrah, how did thy master part with madam Julia? Laun. Marry, after they closed in earnest, they parted very fairly in jeft. Speed. But fhall the marry him? Laun. No. Speed. How then? fhall he marry her? Laun. No, neither. Speed. What, are they broken? *It is Padua in the former editions. See the note on Mr Pope. VOL IV. |