Pro. When I was sick, you gave me bitter pills; this

And I must minister the like to you.

any,

Val. Then speak the truth by her; if not divine, Yet let her be a principality 9,orgenden besd Sovereign to all the creatures on the earth. Pro. Except my mistress. Val. Sweet, except not Except thou wilt except against my love. d Pro. Have I not reason to prefer mine own? Val. And I will help thee to prefer her too: She shall be dignified with this high honour, To bear my lady's train; lest the base earth Should from her vesture chance to steal a kiss, And, of so great a favour growing proud, Disdain to root the summer-swelling flower, And make rough winter everlastingly.

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 the wo

own;

And I as rich in having such a jewel,dy bek
As twenty seas, if all their sand were pearl,
The water nectar, and the rocks pure gold.
Forgive me, that I do not dream on thee,
Because thou seest me dote upon my love..
My foolish rival, that her father likes,
Only for his possessions are so huge, o
Is gone with her along; and I must after,

For love, thou know'st, is full of jealousy. 21
Pro. But she loves you?

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

With all the cunning manner of our flight,

9 A principality is an angel of the first order. VOL. I.

SCENE V. The same. A Street.

Enter SPEED and LAUNCE.

Speed, Launce! by mine honesty, welcome to Milan.

Laun. 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 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?

Laun. Marry, after they closed in earnest, they parted very fairly in jest.

Speed. But shall she 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 fish. Speed. Why then, how stands the matter with them?

Laun. Marry, thus: when it stands well with him, it stands 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 thon say'st?

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, stand under and understand is all one. Speed. But tell me true, will't be a match? Laun. 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.

Unheedful vows may heedfully be broken;
And he wants wit, that wants resolved will
To learn his wit to exchange the bad for better.-
Fie, fie, unreverend tongue! to call her bad,
Whose sovereignty so oft thou hast preferr'd
With twenty thousand soul-confirming oaths.
I cannot leave to love, and yet I do;
But there I leave to love, where I should love.
Julia I lose, and Valentine I lose:
If I keep them, I needs must lose myself;
If I lose them, thus find I by their loss,
For Valentine, myself; for Julia, Silvia.
I to myself am dearer than a friend;
For love is still most precious in itself:
And Silvia, witness heaven, that made her fair!
Shews Julia but a swarthy Ethiope.

I will forget that Julia is alive,
Rememb'ring that my love to her is dead;
And Valentine I'll hold an enemy,
Aiming at Silvia as a sweeter friend.

I cannot now prove constant to myself,
Without some treachery used to Valentine:-
This night, he meaneth with a corded ladder
To climb celestial Silvia's chamber-window;
Myself in counsel, his competitor 2:

Now presently I'll give her father notice
Of their disguising, and pretended 3 flight;
Who, all enrag'd, will banish Valentine;
For Thurio, he intends, shall wed his daughter:
But, Valentine being gone, I'll quickly cross,
By some sly trick, blunt Thurio's dull proceeding.
Love, lend me wings to make my purpose swift,
As thou hast lent me wit to plot this drift! [Exit.

2 i. e. myself who am his competitor or rival, being admitted to his counsel. Competitor here means confederate, assistant, partThus in Ant. Cleop. Act v. Sc. 1.

ner.

That thou my brother, my competitor

In top of all design, my mate in empire,

Friend and companion in the front of war.

3 i. e. proposed or intended flight. The verb prétendre has the same signification in French.