And made them watchers of mine own heart's sorrow. O gentle Proteus! Love's a mighty lord; There is no woe to his correction, Nor, to his service no such joy on earth. Now can I break my fast, dine, sup, and sleep, Pro. Enough; I read your fortune in your eye. Was this the idol that you worship so? Val. Even she; and is she not a heavenly saint? Pro. No; but she is an earthly paragon. Val. Call her divine. Pro. I will not flatter her. Val. Oh! flatter me; for love delights in praises. Pro. When I was sick, you gave me bitter pills; And I must minister the like to you. Val. Then speak the truth by her; if not divine, Yet let her be a principality, Sovereign to all the creatures on the earth. Pro. Except my mistress. Val. Sweet, except not any, Except thou wilt except against my love. Pro. Have I not reason to prefer mine own? Val. And I will help thee to prefer her too. She shall be dignified with this high honour, To bear my lady's train; lest the base earth Should from her vesture chance to steal a kiss, And, of so great a favour growing proud, Disdain to root the summer-swelling flower, And make rough winter everlastingly. Pro. Why, Valentine, what braggardism is this? Val. Pardon me, Proteus; all I can, is nothing To her, whose worth makes other worthies nothing. She is alone. Val. Not for the world. Why, man, she is mine own; And I as rich in having such a jewel, As twenty seas, if all their sand were pearl, Val. Ay, And we are betroth'd. Nay, more, our marriage-hour, Some necessaries that I needs must use; And then I'll presently attend you. Val. Will you make haste? Pro. I will.— Even as one heat another heat expels, [Exit VAL. Or as one nail by strength drives out another, Her true perfection, or my false transgression, That thus without advice begin to love her? SCENE V. The same. A Street. Enter SPEED and LAUNCE. Speed. [Exit. LAUNCE! by mine honesty, welcome to Padua. Laun. Forswear not thyself, 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 shot be paid, and the hostess say, 'Welcome.' Speed. Come on, you mad-cap, I'll to the ale-house with you presently; where, for one shot of five pence thou shalt have five thousand welcomes. But, sirrah, how did thy master part with.Madam Julia? Laun. Marry, after they closed in earnest, they parted very fairly in jest. Speed. But shall she 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 stands the matter with them? Laun. Marry, thus; when it stands well with him, it stands well with her. Speed. What an ass art thou! I understand thee not. Laun. What a block art thou, that thou canst not! My staff understands me. Speed. What thou say'st? Laun. Ay, and what I do too. Look thee, I'll but lean, and my staff understands me. Speed. It stands uuder thee, indeed. Laun. Why, stand-under and under-stand is all one. Speed. But tell me, true, will't be a match? Laun. Ask my dog. If he say, Ay, it will; if he say, No, it will; if he shake his tail, and say nothing, it will. Speed. The conclusion is then, that it will. Laun. Thou shalt never get such a secret from me, but by a parable. Speed. 'Tis well that I get it so. But, Launce, how say'st thou, that my master is become a notable lover? Laun. I never knew him otherwise. Speed. Than how? Laun. A notable lubber, as thou reportest him to be. Speed. Why, thou whoreson ass, thou mistakest me. Luun. Why, fool, I meant not thee; I meant thy master. Speed. I tell thee, my master has become a hot lover. Laun. Why, I tell thee, I care not though he burn himself in love. If thou wilt go with me to the alehouse, so; if not, thou art an Hebrew, a Jew, and not worth the name of a Christian. Speed. Why? Laun. Because thou hast not so much charity in thee, as to go to the ale with a Christian. Wilt thou go? Speed. At thy service. [Exeunt. SCENE VI. The same. An Apartment in the Palace. Enter PROTEUS. Proteus. Teive silvia, shall I be forewor; leave my Julia, shall I be forsworn; To wrong my friend, I shall be much forsworn; And even that power, which gave me first my oath, Provokes me to this three-fold perjury. Love made me swear, and Love bids me forswear. Unheedful vows may heedfully be broken; But there I leave to love, where I should love. If I keep them, I needs must lose myself. And Silvia-witness Heaven, that made her fair!- I will forget that Julia is alive, Now presently I'll give her father notice [Exit. |