Jul. How now! what means this passion at his

name?

Luc. Pardon, dear madam; 'tis a passing shame, That I, unworthy body as I am,

Should censure 2 thus on lovely gentlemen.
Jul. Why not on Proteus, as of all the rest?
Luc. Then thus, of many good I think him best.
Jul. Your reason?

Luc. I have no other but a woman's reason;

I think him so, because I think him so,

Jul. And wouldst thou have me cast my love on him?

Luc. Ay, if you thought your love not cast away. Jul. Why, he of all the rest hath never mov'd me. Luc. Yet he of all the rest, I think, best loves ye. Jul. His little speaking shows his love but small. Luc. Fire, that's closest kept, burns most of all. Jul. They do not love that do not show their love. Luc. O, they love least, that let men know their love. Jul. I would, I knew his mind.

Peruse this paper, madam.

Luc.
Jul. To Julia.-Say, from whom?
Luc.

That the contents will show.

at it thee?

Jul. Say, say; who gave Luc. Sir Valentine's page; and sent, I think, from Proteus:

He would have given it you, but I, being in the way, Did in your name receive it; pardon the fault, I

pray.

Jul. Now, by my modesty, a goodly broker4! Dare you presume to harbour wanton. lines? To whisper and conspire against my youth? Now, trust me, 'tis an office of great worth, And you an officer fit for the place.

2 To censure, in Shakspeare's time, generally signified to give one's judgment or opinion. Thus in The Winter's Tale, Act ii. Sc. 1:

————————— How blest am I

In my just censure? in my true opinion?"

3 Fire is here pronounced as a dissyllable

4 A matchmaker. It was sometimes used for a procuress.

Luc. Madam, it will not lie where it concerns, Unless it have a false interpreter. hombre 10 Jul. Some love of your's hath writ to you in rhyme. Luc. That I might sing it, madam, to a tune: Give me a note: your ladyship can set7. Jul. As little by such toys as may be possible: Best sing it to the tune of Light o' love. Luc. It is too heavy for so light a tune. Jul. Heavy? belike it hath some burden then. Luc. Ay, and melodious were it, would you sing it. Jul. And why not you?

Luc. I cannot reach so high..

Jul. Let's see your song:-How now, minion? Luc. Keep tune there still, so you will sing it out: And yet, methinks, I do not like this tune. Jul. You do not?

Luc. No, madam; it is too sharp.

Jul. You, minion, are too saucy.

Luc. Nay, now you are too flat,

And mar the concord with too harsh a descant 8:
There wanteth but a mean to fill your song.
Jul. The mean is drown'd with your unruly base.
Luc. Indeed, I bid the base for Proteus.
Jul. This babble shall not henceforth trouble me.
Here is a coil 10 with protestation!

[Tears the letter.

Go, get you gone; and let the papers lie:
You would be fingering them, to anger me.
Luc. She makes it strange; but she would be
best pleas'd

To be so anger'd with another letter.

[Exit.

Set is here used equivocally; in the preceding speech in the sense in which it is used by musicians, and in the present line in a quite different sensc. To set by in old language signifies, to make account of, to estimate. See the First Book of Samuel, xviii. 30. 8 Descant signified formerly what we now call variations. It has been well defined to be musical paraphrase. The mean is the tenor in music.

To bid the base means, to run pursue at the rustic game called allusion is somewhat obscure, but it challenge to an encounter." 10 i. c. bustle, stir.

fast, challenging another to Base, or Prisonbase. The appears to mean here, "to

Jul. I see you have a month's mind 13 to them. Luc. Ay, madam, you may say what sights you see; I see things too, although you judge I wink. Jul. Come, come, will't please you go? [Exeunt.

SCENE III.

The same. A Room in Antonio's House.

Enter ANTONIO and PANTHINO.

Ant. Tell me, Panthino, what sad1 talk was that, Wherewith my brother held you in the cloister? Pant. "Twas of his nephew Proteus, your son. Ant. Why, what of him?

Pant

He wonder'd, that your lordship Would suffer him to spend his youth at home; While other men, of slender reputation,

Put forth their sons to seek preferment out:
Some, to the wars, to try their fortune there;
Some, to discover islands far away;

Some, to the studious universities.
For any, or for all these exercises,

He said, that Proteus, your son, was meet;
And did request me, to impórtune you,

To let him spend his time no more at home,
Which would be great impeachment2 to his age,
In having known no travel in his youth.

Ant. Nor need'st thou much impórtune me to that Whereon this month I have been hammering. I have consider'd well his loss of time; And how he cannot be a perfect man, Not being try'd and tutor'd in the world: Experience is by industry achiev'd,

13 MONTH'S MIND, a longing, probably from "the longing of women, which takes place (or commences, at least) in the first month of pregnancy." This is the ingenious conjecture of John Croft, Esq. of York. The commentators have endeavoured to refer this passage to the month's minds, or periodical celebrations in memory of dead persons, usual in times of popery ;-but the phrase in this place can have no relation to them.

1 i. e. grave or serious.

2 Impeachment in this passage means reproach or imputation. VOL. I.

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