АСТ

CT IV.

SCENE, a Foreft leading towards Mantua,

Enter certain Out-laws.

1 OUT-LAW.

FELLOWS, ftand faft: I fee a paffenger.

2 Out. If there be ten, fhrink not, but down with them.

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,

I 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 croffed with adverfity;

My riches are these poor habiliments,
Of which if you fhould here disfurnish me,
You take the fum and fubftance that I have.
2 Out. Whither travel you?

Val. To Verona.

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

3 Out. Have you long fojourned there? Val. Some fixteen months; and longer might have staid,

If crooked fortune had not thwarted me.

1 Out. What, were you banished thence?

Val. I was.

2 Out. For what offence?

[rehearse:

Val. For that which now torments me to reI killed a man, whofe death I much repent; But yet I flew him manfully in fight,

Without falfe 'vantage or base treachery.

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

Val. My youthful travail 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 honour. able kind of thievery.

Val. Peace, villain.

2 Out. Tell us this; have you any thing to take to?

Val, Nothing but my fortune.

[men,

3 Out. Know then, that fome of us are gentleSuch as the fury of ungoverned youth Thruft from the company of awful men: Myfelf was from Verona banished,

For practifing to fteal away a lady,

An heir, and near allied unto the Duke. (14)

(14) An heir aid piece allied unto the Duke] Thus all the impreffions, from the fift downwards. But our l'oct would never have expreffed himfelt fo ftupidly as to tell us, this Lady was the Duke's niece, and allied to him for her alliance was, certainly, fufficiently included in the first term. Our Author meant to fay, fhe was an heiress, and near allied to the Duke: an expreflion the most natural that can be for the purpose, and very frequently used by the stage-poets. So in Romeo and Juliet ;

2

2 Out. And I from Mantua, for å gentleman Whom, in my mood, I tabbed unto the heart.

1 Out. And I for fuch like petty crimes as these. But to the purpofe; for we cite our faults, That they may hold excused our lawless lives; And, partly, feeing you are beautified With goodly fhape, and by your own report A linguit, and a man of fuch perfection, As we do in our quality much want;

2 Out. Indeed, because you are a banished man, Therefore, above the reft, we parley to you; Are you content to be our General? To make a virtue of neceflity,

And live, as we do, in the wilderness?

3 Out. What fayeft thou? wilt thou be of our Say Ay, and be the captain of us all:

[confort? We'll do thee homage, and be ruled by thee; Love thee as our commander, and our King.

1 Out. But if thou fcorn our courtesy, thou dyeft. 2 Out. Thou shalt not live to brag what we have offered.

Val. I take your offer, and will live with you;

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 allied
To thofe that forced me to this cruel course.

So in B. Johnfon's Every Man out of his humour ;

——fome fuch cross-wooing, with a clown to their fervingman, better than to be thus near and familiarly allied to the time.

So in Law-Tricks, by John Day;

That notwithstanding my wife's near alliance
Under the Duke, I purchased a divorce.

And fo in Soliman and Perfeda;

Fly, ere the Governor have any news,

Whofe near ally he was, and chief delight.

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

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 fhew thee all the treasure we have got, Which, with ourselves, fhall reft at thy difpofe.

[Exeunt.

SCENE changes to an open plac', under Silvia's Apartment in Milan.

Enter PROTHEUS.

Pro. Already I've been falfe to Valentine,
And now I must be as unjust to Thurio.
Under the colour of commending him,
I have access my own love to prefer:
But Silvia is too fair, too true, too holy,
To be corrupted with my worthlefs gifts.
When I protest true loyalty to her,

She twits me with my falfehood to my friend
When to her beauty I commend my vows,
She bids me think how I have been forfworn
In breaking faith with Julia whom I loved.
And notwithstanding all her fudden quips,
The leaft whereof would quell a lover's hope,
Yet, fpaniel-like, the more fhe fpurns my love,
The more it grows, and fawneth on her ftill.
But here comes Thurio: now must we to her win-
And give fome evening mufic to her ear. [dow,

Enter THURIO and Muficians.

Thu. How now, Sir Protheus, are you crept before us?

Pro. Ay, gentle Thurio; for, you know, that love Will creep in fervice where it cannot go.

Thu. Ay, but I hope, Sir, that you love not here. VOL, IV.

F

Pro. Sir, but I do; or else I would be hence. Thu. Whom? Silvia?

Pro. Ay, Silvia, for your fake.

Thu. I thank you, for your own: now, Gentlemen, Let's tune, and to it luftily a while.

Enter Hoft, and JULIA in bey's cloaths.

Hoft Now, my young gueft, methinks you're allycolly: I pray you, why is it?

Jul. Marry, mine hoft, because I cannot be

merry.

Hoft. Come, we'll have you merry; I'll bring you where you fhall hear mufic, and fee the gentleman that you asked for.

Jul. But fhall I hear him speak?
Hoft. Ay, that your fhall.

Jul. That will be mufic.

Hoft. Hark, hark!

Jul. Is he among thefe?

Hoft. Ay; but peace, let's hear 'em.

SONG.

Who is Silvia ? what is fhe,

That all our fwains commend her?
Holy, fair and wife is the,

The heav'n fuch grace did lend her,
That the might admired be.

Is fhe kind, as fhe is fair?

For beauty lives with kindness.
Love.doth to her eyes repair,

To help him of his blindness:

And being helped, inhabits there.

Then Silvia let us fing,

That Silvia is excelling;
She excels each mortal thing

Upon the dull earth dwelling:

To her let us garlands bring.