Servant, you are 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 worthless.

Enter Servant.

Serv. Madam, my Lord your father would speak with you. (10)

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.
Prt. We'll both attend upon your Ladyship.

[Exe. Sil. and Thu.

Val. Now tell me, how do all from whence

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

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 penance 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 chac'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.

(10) Thur. Madam my Lord your father] This fpeech in all the editions is affign'd improperly to Thurio; but he has been all along upon the ftage, and could not know that the Duke wanted his daughter. Befides, the firft line and half of Silvia's answer is evidently addrefs'd to two perfons. A fervant, therefore, muft come in and deliver the meffage; and then Silvia goes out with Thurio.

Now

Now no difcourfe, except it be of love;

Now can I break my fait, dine, fup, and sleep
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 the not a heav'nly faint ?
Pro. No; but he is an earthly paragon.

Val. Call her divine.

Pro. I will not flatter her.

Val. O, flatter me; for love delights in praise. 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 miflrefs.

Val. Sweet, except not any;
Except thou wilt except againft 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 bafe earth
Should from her vetare chance to fteal a kifs;
And of fo great a favour growing proud,
Dildain to root the fummer-fwelling flower;
And make rough winter everlastingly.

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, she 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,
Becaufe 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 muft after ;
I 4

For

For love, thou know'ft, is full of jealousy.
Pro. But fhe loves you?

Val.Ay, and we are betroth'd; nay more,our marriage
hour,

With all the cunning manner of our flight,
Determin'd of; how I muft 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,

[Exit Val.

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 praife, (11)
Her true perfection, or my falfe tranfgreffion,
That makes me, reafonlefs, to reafon thus ?
She's fair; and fo is Julia, that I love;
That I did love, for now my love is thaw'd;
dier one than.

(11) Is it mine then, or Valentino's praife,] This fupplemental word, then, was first clapt in by Mr. Rowe to help the lab'ring verfe, and fince embrac'd by Mr. Pope. But let us fee, what fenfe refults from it. What is Protheus questioning with himself, whether it is his own praise, or Valentine's, that makes him fall in love? But Protheus had not prais'd Silvia any farther than giving his opinion of her in three words, when his friend demanded it. In all the old editions, we find it thus;

Isis mine, or Valentin's praife.

The verfe halts io, that fome one fyllable must be wanting; and that Mr. Warburton has very ingeniously, and, as I think, with certainty supply'd, as I have reftor'd in the text. Protheus had juft fren Valentine's mistress; Valentine had prais'd her fo lavishly, that the defcription heighten'd Protheus's fentiments of her from the interView; fo that it was the lefs wonder that he fhould not know certainly, at first, which made the ftrongest impreffion, Valentine's praifes, or his own view of the original:

I her mien of Mr. Malore.

Which,

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.
Oh! 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,
That thus without advice begin to love her?
'Tis but her picture I have yet beheld,
And that hath dazzled fo my reafon's light:
But when I look on her perfections,
There is no reason, but I shall be blind.
If I can check my erring love, I will;
If not, to compafs her I'll ufe my fkill.

Speed.

SCENE changes to a Street.

Enter Speed and Launce.

[Exit..

Launce, by mine honefty, welcome to + Mila

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.

Speed. 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, firrah how did thy mafter part with madam Julia?

Laun. Marry, after they clos'd in earnest, they parted. very fairly in jest.

Speed. But fhall fhe marry him?

L'aun. 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 fiffi.

Speed. Why then how ftands the matter with them ?

It is Padua in the former editions. See the note on Act 3.

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'ft?

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

Speed. It stands under thee, indeed.

Laun. Why, ftand-under, and understand, is all one.
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 fhalt never get fuch a secret from me, but by a parable.

Speed. "Tis well, that I get it fo; but, Launce, how fay'ft thou, that my master is become a notable lover? Laun. I never knew him otherwise.

Speed. Than how?

Laun. A notable lubber, as thou reporteft him to be. Speed. Why, thou whorefon ass, thou mistak'st me. Laun. Why, fool, I meant not thee; I meant thy master. Speed. I tell thee, my mafter is become a hot lover. Laun. Why, I tell thee, I care not tho' he burn himself in love: If thou wilt go with me to the alehoufe, fo; if not, thou art an Hebrew, a Jew, and not worth the name of a Chriftian.

Speed. Why?

Laun. Because thou haft not so much charity in thee, as to go to the ale-house with a Chriftian: wilt thou go? Speed. At thy fervice. [Exeunt.

Enter Protheus folus.

Pro. To leave my Julia, fhall 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 :