Nor, to his fervice, no fuch joy on earth! Pro. Enough; I read your fortune in your eye: Val. Even fhe; and is the not a heavenly faint? Val. Call her divine. Pro. I will not flatter her. Val. O, flatter me; for love delights in praises. Pro. When I was fick, you gave me bitter pills; And I muft minifter the like to you. Val. Then fpeak the truth of her; if not divine, Yet let her be a principality,5 Sovereign to all the creatures on the earth. Pro. Except my mistress. Val. Pro. Have I not reafon to prefer mine own? Pro. Why, Valentine, what braggardifm is this? Pro. Then let her alone. Val. Not for the world: why, man, fhe is mine own; And The first or principal of women. So the old writers ufe fate." She is a lady, a great state." Latymer. JOHNSON. Mr. M. Maton thus judiciously paraphrafes the fentiment of Valentine. "If you will not acknowledge her as divine, let her at least be confidered as an angel of the first order, fuperior to every thing on earth." STEEVENS. 6 She stands by herself. There is none to be compared to her JOHNSON. And I as rich in having fuch a jewel," Val. Ay, and we are betroth'd; With all the cunning manner of our flight, Some neceffaries that I needs muft ufe; And then I'll presently attend you. Val. Will you make haste? Pro. I will. Even as one heat another heat expels, Or as one nail by ftrength drives out another, Is it mine eye, or Valentinus' praife, 8 [Exit VAL. 7 The haven, where ships ride at anchor. MALONE. "Is is mine or Valentine's praife?" STEEVENS. Her Here Proteus queftions 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 praises, he had not indeed praised her any farther than giving his opinion of her in three words, when his friend afked it of him. Proteus had just feen Valentine's mistress, whom her lover had been lavishly praifing. His encomiums therefore heightened Proteus's ideas of her at the interview, it was the lefs wonder he should be uncertain which had made the strongest impreffion, Valentine's praises, or his own view of her. WARBURTON. Her true perfection, or my falfe trangreffion, 3 [Exit. 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 fhot be paid, and the hoftefs fay, welcome. Speed. Come on, you mad-cap, I'll to the alehoufe with you prefently; where, for one fhot of five pence, thou shalt have 9 Alluding to the figures made by witches, as reprefentatives of those whom they defigned to torment or deftroy. STEEVENS. King James afcribes thefe images to the devil, in his treatise of Daemonologie. S. W. 2 With more advice, is on further knowledge, on better confideration. 3 This is evidently a flip of attention, for he has feen her in the last fcene, and in high terms offered her his fervice. JOHNSON. I believe Proteus means, that, as yet, he had only feen her outward form, without having known her long enough to have any acquaintance with her mind. STEEVENS. have five thousand welcomes. But, firrah, how did thy mafter part with madam Julia? Laun. Marry, after they clofed in earneft, they parted very fairly in jeft. 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? 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. and Speed. What thou fay'ft? Laun. Ay, and what I do too: look thee, I'll but lean, my ftaff understands me. Speed. It ftands under thee, indeed. Laun. Why, ftand under and understand is all one. Laun. Afk 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 shalt never get fuch a fecret from me, but by a parable. Speed. "Tis well that I get it fo. But, Launce, how fay'ft thou, that my mafter is become a notable lover? 4 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 mistakest me. Laun. Why, fool, I meant not thee; I meant thy mafter. Speed. I tell thee, my mafter is become a hot lover. Laun. Why, I tell thee, I care not though he burn himfelf in love. If thou wilt go with me to the ale-house, fo; if 4 i. e. (as Mr. M. Mafon has elsewhere obferved) What fay'st thou to this circumftance, namely, that my mafter is become a notable lover? MALONE. if not, thou art an Hebrew, a Jew, and not worth the name of a Chriftian. Speed. Why? Laun. Because thou haft not so much charity in thee, as to go to the ale with a Christian: Wilt thou go? Speed. At thy fervice. SCENE VI." The fame. An Apartment in the Palace. Enter PROTEUS. Pro. To leave my Julia, fhall I be forfworn ; To wrong my friend, I fhall be much forfworn; Love bade me fwear, and love bids me forfwear : Unheedful vows may heedfully be broken; [Exeunt. But 5 Ales are merry meetings inftituted in country places. STEEVENS. 6 It is to be observed, that, in the folio edition there are no directions concerning the scenes; they have been added by the later editors, and may therefore be changed by any reader that can give more confiftency or regularity to the drama by fuch alterations. I make this remark in this place, because I know not whether the following foliloquy of Proteus is fo proper in the street. JOHNSON. The reader will perceive that the scenery has been changed, though Dr. Johnson's observation has been continued. STEEVENS. 7 To fuggeft is to tempt, in our author's language. The fenfe is, O tempting love, if thou baft influenced me to fin, teach me to excuse it. JOHNSON. |