Pro. A little time, my Lord, will kill that grief.
Duke. So I believe; but Thurio thinks not fo.
Protheus, the good conceit I hold of thee,
(For thou haft fhown fome fign of good defert)
Makes me the better to confer with thee.

Pro. Longer than I prove loyal to your Grace,
Let me not live to look upon your Grace.
Duke. Thou know'ft, how willingly

would effec The match between Sir Thurio and my daughter. Pro. I do, my Lord.

Duke. And alfo, I do think, thou art not ignorant How the oppofes her against my will.

Pro. She did, my Lord, when Valentine was here.
Duke. Ay, and perverfely fhe perievers fo.
What might we do to make the girl forget
The love of Valentine, and love Sir Thurio?
Pro. The best way is to flander Valentine
With falfhood, cowardice, and poor
defcent:
Three things, that women highly hold in hate.

Duke. Ay, but he'll think, that it is fpoke in hite
Pro. Ay, if his enemy deliver it:

Therefore it muft, with circumftance, be spoken
By one, whom the esteemeth as his friend.

Duke. Then you must undertake to flander him.
Pro. And that, my Lord, I fhall be loth to do
'Tis an ill office for a Gentleman;

Especially, against his very friend.

Duke. Where your good word cannot advantage him, Your flander never can endamage him;

Therefore the office is indifferent,

Being intreated to it by your friend.

Pro. You have prevail'd, my Lot: if I can do it,

By ought that I can fpeak in his difpraife,

She fhall not long continue love to him.

But fay, this weed her love from Valentine, (13)

It follows not, that he will love Sir Thurio.

(13) But fay, this weed her love-] This caft of reafoning very near refembles that of Darius in the Andria of Terence, A&t-2. Sc. 2.

Ridiculum Caput !

Quafi neceffe fit, fi huic non dat, te illam uxorem ducers.

VOL. I.

K

Thu

Thu. Therefore as you unwind her love from him, Left it fhould ravel, and be good to none,

You must provide to bottom it on me:

Which must be done, by praifing me as much
As you in worth difpraife Sir Valentine.

Duke. And, Protheus, we dare truft you in this kind,
Because we know, on Valentine's report,
You are already love's firm votary;

And cannot foon revolt and change your mind.
Upon this warrant, fhall you have accefs,
Where you with Silvia may confer at large:
For the is lumpih, heavy, melancholy.
And, for your friend's fake, will be glad of you;
Where you may temper her by your perfuafion,
To hate young Valentine, and love my friend.
Pro. As much as I can do, I will effect,
But you, Sir Thurio, are not sharp enough;
You must lay lime, to tangle her defires,
By wailful fonnets, whofe compofed rhimes
Should be full fraught with ferviceable vows.
Duke. Much is the force of heav'n-bied poefy.
Pro. Say, that upon the altar of her beauty
You facrifice your tears, your fighs, your heart:
Write, 'till your ink be dry; and with your tears
Moift it again; and frame fome feeling line,
That may difcover fuch integrity:

For Orpheus' lute was ftrung with poets finews;
Whofe golden touch could foften feel and stones,
Make tygers tame, and huge Leviathans
Forfake unfounded deeps, to dance on fands.
After your dire-lamenting clegies,

Vifit by night your Lady's chamber-window
With fome fweet confort: to their inftruments
Tune a deploring dump; the night's dead filence
Will well become fuch fweet complaining grievance.
This, or elfe nothing, will inherit her.

Duke. This difcipline fhews, thou haft been in love.
Thu. And thy advice this night I'll put in practice;
Therefore, fweet Protheus, my direction-giver,
Let us into the city prefently

Το

To fort fome Gentlemen well fkill'd in mufic;
I have a fonnet, that will ferve the turn,

To give the onfet to thy good advice.

Duke. About it, Gentlemen.

Pro. We'll wait upon your Grace, 'till after fupper; And afterwards determine our proceedings. Duke. Ev'n now about it. I will pardon you. [Exeunt.

SCENE, a Foreft, leading towards Mantua. Enter certain Out-laws.

1 OUT-LAW.

Ellows, ftand faft: I fee a paffenger.

FE

2 Out. If there be ten, fhrink not, but down with 'em. Enter Valentine and Speed.

3 Out. Stand, Sir, and throw us what you have about you; if not, we'll make you, Sir, and rifle you. Speed. Sir, we are undone; thefe are the villains, that all the travellers do fear fo much.

Val. My friends,

1 Out. That's not fo, Sir; we are your enemies. 2 Out. Peace; we'll hear him.

3 Out. Ay, by my beard, will we; for he is a proper man, Val. Then know, that I have little wealth to lofe; A man I am, crofs'd with adversity;

My riches are thefe poor habiliments,

Of which if you thould here disfurnish me,

You take the fum and fubftance that I have. 2 Out. Whither travel you?

Val, To Verona.

I Out. Whence came you?
Val. From Milan.

3 Out. Have you long fojourn'd there?

Val. Some fixteen months; and longer might have ftaid,

If crooked fortune had not thwarted me.

1 Out. What, were you banish'd thence?

Val. I was.

2 Out. For what offence?

Val. For that, which now torments me to rehearse : I kill'd a man, whofe death I much repent; But yet I flew him manfully in fight, Without falfe vantage or bafe treachery.

1 Out. Why ne'er repent it, if it were done fo. But were you banifh'd for fo fmall a fault? Val. I was, and held me glad of fuch a doom. 1 Out. Have you the tongues?

Val. My youthful travel therein made me happy, Or elfe I often had been miferable.

3 Out. By the bare fcalp of Robin Hood's fat friar, This fellow were a King for our wild faction.

1 Out. We'll have him. Sirs, a word.

Speed. Mafter, be one of them; it's an honourable kind of thievery.

Val. Peace, villain.

2 Out. Tell us this; have you any thing to take to? Val. Nothing, but my fortune.

3 Out. Know then, that fome of us are Gentlemen, Such as the fury of ungovern'd youth

Thruft from the company of awful men:

Myfelf was from Verona banifhed,

For practising to fteal away a Lady,

An heir, and near ally'd unto the Duke. (14)

2 Out.

(14) An beir and niece ally'd unto the Duke.] Thus all the impreffons, from the first downwards. But our Poet would never have expreffed himself fo ftupidly, as to tell us, this Lady was the Duke's Niece, and ally'd to him: For her alliance was, certainly, fufficiently ncluded in the first term. Our Author meant to fay, the was an beirefs, and near ally'd to the Duke: an expreffion the most natural that can be for the purpose, and very frequently used by the StagePoets.

So in Romeo and Juliet.

This Gentleman, the Prince's near ally.

So in Beaumont and Fletcher's Sea-Voyage.

yet that we may learn

Whether they are the fame, or near ally'd
To thofe, that forc'd me to this cruel courfe.

2 Out. And I from Mantua, for a Gentleman
Whom, in my mood, I ftabb'd unto the heart.
1 Out. And I for fuch like petty crimes as thefe,
But, to the purpofe; for we cite our faults,
That they may hold excus'd our lawless lives;
And, partly, feeing you are beautify'd
With goodly fhape, and by your own report
A linguift; and a man of fuch perfection,
As we do in our quality much want;

2 Out. Indeed, because you are a banish'd man,
Therefore, above the reft, we parley to you;
Are you content to be our General ?

To make a virtue of neceffity,

And live, as we do, in the wilderness?

3 Out. What fay'ft thou? wilt thou be of our confort? Say, ay; and be the captain of us all :

We'll do thee homage, and be rul'd by thee;
Love thee as our commander, and our King.

1 Out. But if thou fcorn our courtefy, thou dy'ft. 2 Out. Thou shalt not live to brag what we have offer'd. Val. I take your offer, and will live with you; Provided, that you do no outrages

On filly women, or poor paffengers.

3 Out. No, we deteft fuch vile bafe practices, Come, go with us, we'll bring thee to our crews, And thew thee all the treasure we have got; Which, with ourselves, shall reft at thy difpofe.

So in B. Job fon's Every Man out of his Humour.

[Exeunt.

-fome fuch cross-wooing, with a clown to their fervingman,

better than to be thus near and familiarly ally'd to the time.

So in Law Tricks, by John Day.

That notwithstanding my wife's near alliance

Under the Duke, I purchas'd a divorce.

And fo in Soliman and Perfeda;

Fly, ere the Governor have any news,

Whole near ally he was, and chief del ght.

And in a number of paffages more, that might be quoted.