The Key whereof my felf have ever kept;
And thence the cannot be convey'd away.

Pro. Know, noble Lord, they have devis'd a mean
How he her Chamber-Window will afcend,
And with a corded Ladder fetch her down;
For which the youthful Lover now is gone,
And this way comes he with it presently:
Where, if it pleafe you, you may intercept him.
But, good my Lord, do it fo cunningly,
That my Discovery be not aimed at;

For love of you, not hate unto my Friend,
Hath made me Publisher of this Pretence.

Duke. Upon mine Honour, he shall never know
That I had any Light from thee of this.

Pro. Adieu, my Lord; Sir Valentine is coming. [Ex. Pro.
Enter Valentine.

Duke. Sir Valentine, whether away fo faft?
Val. Please it your Grace, there is a Messenger
That ftays to bear my Letters to my Friends,
And I am going to deliver them.

Duke. Be they of much Import?

Val. The Tenure of them doth but fignifie My Health, and happy being at your Court.

Duke. Nay, then no matter; ftay with me a while;
I am to break with thee of fome Affairs

That touch me near; wherein thou must be fecret.
'Tis not unknown to thee, that I have fought
To match my Friend, Sir Thurio, to my Daughter.
Val. I know it well, my Lord, and fure the Match
Were rich and honourable; befides, the Gentleman
Is full of Virtue, Bounty, Worth and Qualities,
Befeeming fuch a Wife as your fair Daughter.
Cannot your Grace win her to fancy him?

Duke. No, truft me, she is peevish, fullen, froward,
Proud, disobedient, stubborn, lacking Duty,
Neither regarding that the is my Child,
Nor fearing me, as if I were her Father:
And may I fay to thee, this Pride of hers,
Upon advice, hath drawn my Love from her;
And where I thought the Remnant of mine Age
Should have been cherish'd by her Child-like Duty,

I now am full refolv'd to take a Wife,
And turn her out to who will take her in:
Then let her Beauty be her Wedding-Dowre;
For me and my Poffeffions fhe esteems not.

Val. What would your Grace have me to do in this?
Duke. There is a Lady in Verona here
Whom I affect; but the is nice and coy,
And nought efteems my aged Eloquence:
Now therefore would I have thee to my Tutor,
For long agone I have forgot to Court;
Befides, the Fashion of the Time is chang'd,
How, and which way I may bestow my felf,
To be regarded in her Sun-bright Eye.

Val. Win her with Gifts, if the refpects not Words; Dumb Jewels often in their filent kind,

More than quick Words, do move a Woman's Mind.
Duke. But fhe did fcorn a Present that I sent her.

Val. A Woman fometimes fcorns what beft contents her; Send her another; never give her o'er;

For Scorn at firft makes After-love the more.
If fhe do frown, 'tis not in hate of

you,
But rather to beget more Love in you:
If the do chide, 'tis not to have you gone;
For why, the Fools are mad if left alone.
Take no Repulfe, whatever fhe doth fay;
For, Get you gone, fhe doth not mean away:
Flatter, and praife, commend, extol their Graces;
Tho' ne'er fo black, fay they have Angels Faces.
That Man that hath a Tongue, I fay, is no Man,
If with his Tongue he cannot win a Woman.

Duke. But the, I mean, is promis'd by her Friends
Unto a youthful Gentleman of worth,

And kept feverely from Refort of Men,

That no Man hath Access by Day to her.

Val. Why then I would refort to her by Night. Duke. Ay, but the Doors be lockt, and Keys kept safe, That no Man hath Recourse to her by Night.

Val. What lets but one may enter at her Window? Duke. Her Chamber is aloft far from the Ground, And built fo fhelving, that one cannot climb it Without apparent hazard of his Life.

Val. Why then a Ladder quaintly made of Cords,
To caft up, with a pair of anchoring Hooks,
Would serve to fcale another Hero's Tower,

So bold Leander would adventure it.

Duke. Now as thou art a Gentleman of Blood,
Advise me where I may have fuch a Ladder.

Val. When would you use it? pray Sir, tell me that.
Duke. This very Night; for Love is like a Child
That longs for every thing that he can come by.
Val. By feven a Clock I'll get you fuch a Ladder.
Duke. But hark thee: I will go to her alone;
How shall I beft convey the Ladder thither?

Val. It will be light, my Lord, that you may bear it
Under a Cloak that is of any length.

Duke. A Cloak as long as thine will ferve the turn?
Val. Ay, my good Lord.

Duke. Then let me fee thy Cloak;

I'll get me one of fuch another length.

Val. Why any Cloak will ferve the turn, my Lord.
Duke. How fhall I fashion me to wear a Cloak?

I pray thee let me feel thy Cloak upon me.
What Letter is this fame? what's here? to Silvia?
And here an Engine fit for my Proceeding?
I'll be fo bold to break the Seal for once.

[Duke Reads.

My Thoughts do harbour with my Silvia nightly,
And Slaves they are to me that fend them flying:
Oh, could their Mafter come, and go as lightly,
Himfelf would lodge where, fenfeless, they are lying:
My Herald Thoughts in thy pure Bofom reft them,
While I, their King, that thither them importune,
Do curfe the Grace that with such Grace hath bleft them,
Because my felf do want my Servants Fortune :
I curse my felf, for they are fent by me,

That they should harbour where their Lord would be.

What's here? Silvia, this Night will I infranchise thee: 'Tis fo; and here's the Ladder for the Purpose.

Why Phaeton, for thou art Merop's Son,

Wilt thou aspire to guide the heav'nly Car?
And with thy daring Folly burn the World?

Wilt thou reach Stars, because they shine on thee?

Go,

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 Seas, if all their Sand were Pearl,
The Water Nectar, and the Rock 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 so huge,
Is gone with her along, and I muft after;
For Love, thou know'ft, is full of Jealoufie.
Pro. But fhe loves you?

Val. Ay,and we are betrothed; nay more, our Marriage 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 these Affairs to aid me with thy Counsel.
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 presently attend you.
Val. Will you make haste?

Pro. I will.

Even as one Heat another Heat expels,

Or as one Nail by Strength drives out another;
So the Remembrance of my former Love
Is by a newer Object quite forgotten:
Is it mine then, or Valentino's Praise?
Her true Perfection, or my falfe Tranfgreffion,
That makes me reafonlefs, to reafon thus?
She is 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.
O! but I love his Lady too too much;
And that's the Reafon I love him fo little.
How fhall I doat on her with more Advice,

[Exit Val.

That

That thus without Advice begin to love her?
'Tis but her Picture I have yet beheld,
And that hath dazled 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 compass her I'll use my Skill.

SCENE V.

Enter Speed and Launce.

[Exit.

Speed. Launce, by mine Honefty welcome to Padua. Laun. Forfwear not thy felf, fweet Youth; for I am not welcome: I reckon this always, that a Man is never undone 'till he is hang'd, nor never welcome a to Place, 'till fome certain Shot be paid, and the Hoftefs fay Welcome.

Speed. Come on, you Mad-cap; I'll to the Ale-house with you prefently, where, for one Shot of five Pence, thou shalt have five thoufand Welcomes. But, Sirrah, how did thy Master part with Madam Julia?

Laun. Marry, after they clos'd in earnest, 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 Fifh.

Speed. Why then, how ftands the Matter with them? Laun. Marry thus; when it ftands well with him, it

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.

Speed. What thou fay'st?

Laun. Ay, and what I do too: Look thee, I'll but lean,

and my Staff understands me.

Speed. It ftands under thee indeed.

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

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