Love hath chased sleep from my enthralled eyes, And made them watchers of mine own heart's sor row. O, gentle Proteus, Love 's a mighty lord; And hath so humbled me, as, I confess, Nor, to his service, no such joy on earth! 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. O, 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, 2 Sovereign to all the creatures on the earth. Pro. Except my mistress. Val. Sweet, except not any; Pro. Have I not reason to prefer mine own? No misery that can be compared to the punishment in2 The first or principal of women. flicted by love. She shall be dignified with this high honor,— 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. Pro. Then let her 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, Is gone with her along; and I must after, Pro. But she loves you ? Val. Ay, and we are betrothed; nay, more, our marriage hour, With all the cunning manner of our flight, Pro. Go on before; I shall inquire you Even as one heat another heat expels, forth: [Exit Val. Or as one nail by strength drives out another, 4 The haven where ships ride at anchor. 2 Alluding to the figures made by witches, as representatives of those whom they designed to torment or destroy. On farther knowlege. 4 Her outside form. There is no reason but I shall be blind. [Exit. SCENE V. A street. Enter SPEED and LAUNCE. Speed. Launce! by mine honesty, welcome to Milan. Launce. 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 1 be paid, and the hostess say, welcome. Speed. Come on, you mad-cap, I'll to the alehouse 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? Launce. Marry, after they closed in earnest, they parted very fairly in jest. Speed. But shall she marry him? Launce. No. Speed. How then? Shall he marry her? Launce. No, neither. Speed. What, are they broken? Launce. No, they are both as whole as a fish. Score, reckoning. Speed. Why then, how stands the matter with them? Launce. Marry, thus; when it stands well with him, it stands well with her. Speed. What an ass art thou! I understand thee not. Launce. What a block art thou, that thou canst not! My staff understands me. Speed. What thou say'st? Launce. Ay, and what I do too: look thee I'll but lean, and my staff understands me. Speed. It stands under thee, indeed. Launce. Why, stand under and understand is all one. Speed. But tell me true, will 't be a match? Launce. 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. Launce. 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? Launce. I never knew him otherwise. Speed. Than how? Launce. A notable lubber, as thou reportest him to be. What say'st thou to this circumstance? |