Thu. They fay that love hath not an eye at all. Val. To fee fuch lovers, Thurio, as yourself: Upon a homely object love can wink.

SCENE VI. Enter Protheus.

Sil. Have done, have done: here comes the gentleman. Val Welcome, dear Protheus: Mistress, I beseech you, Confirm his welcome with some special favour.

Sil. His worth is warrant for his welcome hither,
If this be he you oft have wifh'd to hear from.
Val. Mistress, it is: fweet Lady, entertain him
To be my fellow-fervant to your Ladyfhip.

Sil. Too low a miftrefs for fo high a fervant.
Pro, Not fo, fweet Lady; but too mean a fervant
To have a look of fuch a worthy mistress.
Val. Leave off discourse of difability;
Sweet Lady, entertain him for your fervant.
Pro. My duty will I boaft of, nothing else.
Sil. And duty never yet did want his meed:
Servant, you're welcome to a worthless mistress.
Pro. I'll die on him that fays fo, but yourself..
Sil. That you are welcome.

Pro. That you are worthlefs.

Enter Servant.

Serv. Madam, my Lord your father would fpeak with

you.

Sil. I'll wait upon his pleafure: [Exit Serv.] Come, Sir Thurio,

Go with me.

Once more, my new fervant, welcome: I'll leave you to confer of home affairs;

When you have done, we look to hear from you.
Pro. We'll both attend upon your Ladyfhip.

[Exeunt Sil. and Thi

SCENE VIE

Val. Now tell me, how do all from whence

you came? Pro. Your friends are well, and have them much com

mended.

Val. And how do yours?

Pro.. I left them all in health.

Val. How does your lady? and how thrives your love?
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 perance for contemning love;
Whofe 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 chas'd fleep 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 woe to his correction;

Nor to his fervice, no fuch joy on earth;
Now no difcourfe, except it be of love:
Now can I break my fast, dine, fup, and fleep
Upon the very naked name of Love.

Pro. Enough: I read your fortune in your eye.
Was this the idol that you worship fo?

Val. Even fhe; and is fhe not a heav'nly faint?
Pro. No; but fhe is an earthly paragon.

Val. Call her divine.

Pro. I will not flatter her.

Val. O flatter me; for love delights in praife. Pro. When I was fick, you gave me bitter pills; And I must minifter the like to you.

Val. Then fpeak the truth by her; if not divine, Yet let her be a principality,

Sov'reign

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 reafon to prefer mine own?
Val. And I will help thee to prefer her too:
She fhall be dignify'd with this high honour,
To bear my lady's train, left the base earth
Should from her velture chance to steal a kifs;,
And, of fo great a favour growing proud,
Difdain to root, the fummer-fwelling flower;
And make rough winter everlaftingly.
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,
The water nectar, and the rocks pure gold.
Forgive me, that I do not dream on thee,
Because thou feeft me doat upon my love.
My foolish rival, that her father likes,
Only for his poffeffions are fo huge,
Is gone with her along, and I must after;
For love, thou know'ft is full of jealoufy.
Pro. But fhe loves you?

Val. Ay, and we are betroth'd; nay more, our mar
riage-hour,

With all the cunning manner of our flight,

Determin'd of; how I must climb her window,
The ladder made of cords; and all the means.
Plotted and 'greed on for my happiness.
Good Protheus, go with me to my chamber,
In thefe affairs to aid me with thy counfel.

Pro. Go on before; I fhall enquire you forth.
I must unto the road, to difembark
Some neceffaries that I needs must use;

And then I'll prefently attend you

Val. Will you make haste?

Pro. I will.

Ev'n as one heat another heat expels,

Or as one nail by ftrength drives out another;
So the remembrance of

my

former love

Is by a newer object quite forgotten.

Is it mine eye, or Valentino's praise,

Her true perfection, or my falfe tranfgreffion,
That makes me, reafonlefs, to reason thus?
She's fair; and fo is Julia that I love;
That I did love, for now my love is thaw'd;
Which, like a waxen image 'gainst a fire,
Bears no impreffion of the thing it was.
Methinks, my zeal to Valentine is cold;
And that I love him not as I was wont.

[Exit Val

O! but I love his lady too, too, much;

And that's the reafon I love him fo little.
How shall I doat on her with more advice,
That thus without advice begin to love her?
'Tis but her picture I have yet beheld,
And that has dazzled fo my reafon's light:
But when I look on her perfections,
There is no reafon but I fhall be blind.
If I can check my erring love, I will;
If not, to compafs her I'll ufe my fkill.

SCENE VIII. Changes to a freet.
Enter Speed and Launce.

[Exi

Speed. Launce, by miné honefty, welcome to Milan. Laun. Forfwear not thyself, 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.

Sped. Come on, you mad-cap; I'll to the ale-house

with you prefently, where, for one fhot of five pence, thou fhalt have five thoufand welcomes. But, Sirrah, how did thy master part with Madam Julia?

Laun. Marry, after they clos'd in earneft, they parted very fairly in jeft.

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 ftands the matter with them? Laun. Marry, thus: when it stands well with him, it ftands well with her*.

-it ftands 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?

Speed:

Laun. Ay, and what I do too look thee, I'll but lean and my

ftaff understands me.

Speed. It ftands under thee indeed.

Laun. Why, ftand under, and understand, is all one.

Speed. But tell me true, &c.

Speed. But tell me true, will't be a match?

Laun. Afk my dog: if he fay, Ay, it will; if he fay, No, it will; if he thake 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't thou, that my mafter is become a notable lover? Laun. I never knew him otherwife.

Speed. Than how?

Laun. A notable lubber as thou reporteft him to be.
Speed. Why, thou whorefon afs, thou mistak'ft me.
Laun. Why, fool, I meant not thee; I meant thy

mafter.

Speed. I tell thee, thy mafter is become a hot lover. Laun. Why, I tell thee, I care not tho' he burn himfelf in love: if thou wilt go with me to the ale-house, fo if not, thou art an Hebrew, à Jew, and not worth the the name of a Christian.

Speed Why?

Laun. Because thou hast not so much charity in thee, as to go to the ale-house with a Chriftian: wilt thou

go?

Speed. At thy fervice.

[Exeunt

SCENE IX. Enter Protheus folus.
Pro. To leave my Julia, shall I be forfworn:
To love fair Silvia, fhall I be forfworn;
To wrong my friend, I shall be much forfworn:
And ev'n that pow'r, which gave me first my oath,
Provokes me to this threefold perjury.

Love bade me fwear, and love bids me forfwear i
Ofweet fuggefting love! if I have finn'd,

Teach me, thy tempted fubject, to excufe it.
At first I did adore a twinkling flar,
But now I worship a celeftial fun.
Unheedful vows may heedfully be broken;
And he wants wit, that wants refolved will
To learn his wit t' exchange the bad for better.
Fie, fie, unreverend tongue! to call her bad,
Whofe fov'reignity fo oft thou haft preferr'd