. 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. [love? Val. How does your lady? and how thrives your 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 alter'd now? I have done penance for contemning love; Whose high imperious thoughts have punish'd me With bitter fafts, with penitential groans; With nightly tears, and daily heart-fore fighs. For, in revenge of my contempt of love, Love hath chac'd sleep 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 confefs, There is no wo to his correction ; Nor to his fervice, no fuch joy. on earth, Now no difcourfe, except it be of love; Pro. Enough: I read your fortune in your eye. Was this the idol, that you worship fo? Val. Even fhe; and is the not a heav'nly faint? Val. Call her divine. Pro. I will not flatter her. Val. O, flatter me; for love delights in praise. Pro. When I was fick, you gave me bitter pills; And I muft minifter the like to you. Val. Then fpeak the truth by her; if not divine, Yet let her be a principality, Sov'reign Sov'reign to all the creatures on the earth. Val. Sweet, except not any; Except thou wilt except against my love. 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. Val. Not for the world: why, man, fhe is mine own; And I as rich in having fuch a jewel, As twenty feas, if all their fand were pearl, Val. Ay, and we are betroth'd; nay more, our mar- With all the cunning manner of our flight, I muft unto the road, to disembarko dv [Exit Val. ; Ev'n as one heat another heat expels, 2 Is it mine THEN, or Valentino's Praife,] Here Protheus questions with himself, whether it is his own praife, or Valentine's, that makes him fall in love with Valentine's miftrefs. But not to infift on the abfurdity of falling in love through his own praifes, 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 praife? Protheus had juft feen Valentine's mistress, whom her lover had been lavishly praifing. His encomiums therefore heightening Protheus's idea of her at the interview, it was the lefs wonder he fhould be uncertain which had made the ftrongest impreffion, Valentine's praifes, or his own view of her. But But when I look on her perfections, SCENE Changes to a Street. Enter Speed and Launce. VIII. [Exit. AUNCE, by mine honefty, welcome to Speed. Ls Milan. 3 Launce. Forfwear not thy felf, 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 fhot be paid, and the hoftefs fay, welcome. Speed. Come on, you mad-cap; I'll to the alehouse with you prefently, where, for one shot of fivepence, thou shalt have five thousand welcomes. But, Sirrah, how did thy master part with madam Julia? Laun. Marry, after they clos'd in earnest, they parted very fairly in jest. Speed. But fhall fhe marry him? Laun. No. Speed. How then? fhall 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 ftands 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 fay'st? 3 It is Padua in the former editions. See the note on A& 3. Mr. Pope. Laun. Laun. Ay, and what I do too? look thee, I'll but lean, and my ftaff underftands me. Speed. It ftands under thee indeed. Laun. Why, ftand-under, and understand, is all one. Speed. But tell me true, will't be a match? Laun. Ask my dog: if he fay, ay, it will; if he fay, no, it will; if he shake his tail, and fay nothing, it will. Speed. The conclufion is then, that it will. Laun. Thou fhalt 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 otherwise. Speed. Than how? Laun. A notable Lubber, as thou reporteft him to be. Speed. Why, thou whorfon afs, thou mistak'st 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 tho' he burn himself in love: If thou wilt go with me to the alehouse, 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-house with a Chriftian: wilt thou go? Speed. At thy fervice. SCENE [Exeunt. IX. Enter Protheus folus. Pro. To leave my Julia, fhall I be forfworn; To love fair Silvia, fhall I be forsworn ; To wrong my friend, I fhall be much forfworn: And ev❜n that pow'r, which gave me first my oath, Provokes me to this threefold perjury. |