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5 S CE NE VI.

Enter Protheus.

Pro. To leave my Julia, fhall I be forfworn; To love fair Silvia, fhall I be forfworn;

To wrong my friend, I fhall be much forfworn:
And even that power, which gave me firft my oath,
Provokes me to this threefold perjury.

Love bad me fwear, and love bids me forfwear:
"O sweet-suggesting love, if thou hast sinn'd,
Teach me, thy tempted fubject, to excuse it!
At first I did adore a twinkling ftar,
But now I worship a celeftial fun,

Unheedful vows may heedfully be broken;
And he wants wit, that wants refolved will
To learn his wit to exchange the bad for better.
Fie, fie, unreverend tongue! to call her bad,
Whose fovereignty fo oft thou haft preferr'd
With twenty thousand foul-confirming oaths.
I cannot leave to love, and yet I do :

But there I leave to love, where I should love :
Julia I lofe, and Valentine I lofe:

If I keep them, I needs must lose myself:
If I lose them, this find I by their lofs,

5 It is to be observed, that in the firft folio edition, the only edition of authority, there are no directions concerning the fcenes; they have been added by the later editors, and may therefore be changed by any reader that can give more confiftency or regularity to the drama by fuch alterations. I make this remark in this place, becaufe I know not whether the following foliloquy of Protheus is fo proper in the street.

JOHNSON. Ofweet-fuggefting love,—] To fuggeft is to tempt in our author's language. So again:

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Knowing that tender youth is foon fuggefted." The fenfe is. O tempting love, if thou haft influenced me to fin, teach me to excufe it. Dr. Warburton reads, if I have finn'd; but, I think, not only without neceffity, but with lefs elegance. JOHNSON.

For

For Valentine, myfelf; for Julia, Silvia.
I to myself am dearer than a friend;
For love is ftill moft precious in itself:

And Silvia, witness heaven, that made her fair!
Shews Julia but a fwarthy Ethiope.

I will forget that Julia is alive,
Remembring that my love to her is dead;
And Valentine I'll hold an enemy,
Aiming at Silvia as a fweeter friend.
I cannot now prove conftant to myself
Without fome treachery us'd to Valentine:
This night, he meaneth with a corded ladder
To climb celeftial Silvia's chamber-window;
7 Myself in counfel, his competitor.
Now prefently I'll give her father notice
Of their difguifing, and pretended flight;
Who, all enrag'd, will banish Valentine;
For Thurio, he intends, fhall wed his daughter.
But, Valentine being gone, I'll quickly cross,
By fome fly trick, blunt Thurio's dull proceeding.
Love, lend me wings to make my purpose swift,
9 As thou haft lent me wit to plot this drift! [Exit.

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Jul. Counfel, Lucetta; gentle girl, affift me; And, even in kind love, I do conjure thee, Who art the table wherein all my thoughts Are visibly character'd and engrav'd,

Myfelf, who am his competitor or rival, being admitted to his countel. JOHNSON.

-pretended flight;] We may read intended flight. JOHNS. I fufpect that the author concluded the act with this couplet, and that the next fcene fhould begin the third act; but the change, as it will add nothing to the probability of the action, is of no great importance. JOHNSON.

Το

To leffon me; and tell me fome good mean,
How, with my honour, I
may undertake
A journey to my loving Protheus.

Luc. Alas! the way is wearifome and long.
Jul. A true-devoted pilgrim is not weary
To measure kingdoms with his feeble steps;
Much less fhall fhe, that hath love's wings to fly;
And when the flight is made to one fo dear,
Of fuch divine perfection, as Sir Protheus.

Luc. Better forbear, till Protheus make return. Jul. Oh, know'st thou not, his looks are my foul's food?

Pity the dearth that I have pined in,

By longing for that food fo long a time.
Didft thou but know the inly touch of love,
Thou would'st as foon go kindle fire with fnow,
As feek to quench the fire of love with words.
Luc. I do not feek to quench your love's hot fire,
But qualify the fire's extreme rage,

Left it fhould burn above the bounds of reafon.
Jul. The more thou damm'ft it up, the more it
burns.

The current, that with gentle murmur glides,
Thou know'it, being ftopp'd, impatiently doth rage;
But, when his fair course is not hindered,

He makes sweet mufick with the enamel'd ftones;
Giving a gentle kifs to every fedge

He overtaketh in his pilgrimage;
And fo by many winding nooks he strays,
With willing fport, to the wild ocean.
Then let me go, and hinder not my course:
I'll be as patient as a gentle ftream,
And make a paftime of each weary ftep,
Till the laft ftep have brought me to my love;
And there I'll reft, as, after much turmoil,
A bleffed foul doth in Elyfium.

Luc. But in what habit will you go along?
Jul. Not like a woman; for I would prevent
The loofe encounters of lafcivious men:

Gentle

Gentle Lucetta, fit me with fuch weeds
As may beseem fome well-reputed page.

Luc. Why then your ladyship must cut your hair.
Jul. No, girl, I'll knit it up in filken ftrings,
With twenty odd-conceited true love-knots:
To be fantastic, may become a youth

Of greater time than I fhall fhew to be.

Luc. What fashion, madam, fhall I make your breeches ?

ful. That fits as well, as-" tell me, good my lord, "What compafs will you wear your farthingale ?" Why, even what fafhion thou beft lik'ft, Lucetta. Luc. You must needs have them 9 with a cod-piece, madam.

Jul. Out, out, Lucetta! that will be ill-favour'd. Luc. A round hofe, madam, now's not worth a

pin,

Unless you have a cod-piece to stick pins on.

Jul. Lucetta, as thou lov'ft me, let me have What thou think'ft meet, and is most mannerly: But tell me, wench, how will the world repute me For undertaking fo unstaid a journey?

I fear me, it will make me fcandaliz'd.

Luc. If you think fo, then stay at home, and go not. Jul. Nay, that I will not.

Luc. Then never dream on infamy, but go.
If Protheus like your journey, when you come,
No matter who's difpleas'd, when you are gone :
I fear me, he will fcarce be pleas'd withal.

Jul. That is the leaft, Lucetta, of my fear:
A thoufand oaths, an ocean of his tears,
And inftances as infinite of love,
Warrant me welcome to my Protheus.

9

Luc. All thefe are fervants to deceitful men.

- with a cod-piece, &c.] Whoever wishes to be acquainted with this particular, relative to drefs, may confult Bulwer's Artificial Changeling, in which fuch matters are very amply

difcuffed. STEEVENS.

—of infinite-] Old edit. JOHNSON.

Jul.

Jul. Bafe men, that use them to fo base effect!
But truer stars did govern Protheus' birth;
His words are bonds, his oaths are oracles;
His love fincere, his thoughts immaculate;
His tears, pure meffengers fent from his heart;
His heart as far from fraud, as heaven from earth.
Luc. Pray heaven he prove fo when you come to him!
Jul. Now, as thou lov'ft me, do him not that wrong,
To bear a hard opinion of his truth:

Only deserve my love, by loving him;
And prefently go with me to my chamber,
To take a note of what I ftand in need of,
To furnish me upon my longing journey.
All that is mine I leave at thy difpofe,
My goods, my lands, my reputation;
Only, in lieu thereof, dispatch me hence.
Come, anfwer not; but do it presently;
I am impatient of my tarriance.

[Exeunt.

ACT III.

SCENE I.

The duke's palace in Milan.

Enter Duke, Thurio, and Protheus.

DUKE.

IR Thurio, give us leave, I pray, awhile;
We have fome fecrets to confer about.-

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[Exit Thur Now tell me, Protheus, what's your will with me? Pro. My gracious lord, that which I would difcover, The law of friendship bids me to conceal; But when I call to mind your gracious favours Done to me, undeferving as I am,

My duty pricks me on to utter that,

Which elfe, no worldly good fhould draw from me.

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