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. Speed. The Conclusion is then, that it will.

Laun. 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? Laun. I never knew him otherwise.

Speed. Than how?

Lann. A notable Lubber, as thou reportest him to be. Speed. Why, thou whoreson Ass, thou mistak'st me.

Laun, Why Fool, I meant not thee; I meant thy Mafter.

Speed. I tell thee, my Master 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 Alehouse, so; if not, thou art an Hebrew, a Jew, and not worth the Name of a Christian.

Speed. Why?

Laun. Because thou hast not so much Charity in thee as to go the Ale-house with a Christian: Wilt thou go? Speed. At thy Service.

SCENE VI.

Enter Protheus folus.

Pro. To leave my Julia; shall I be forsworn?
To love fair Silvia; shall I be forswon?
To wrong my Friend, I shall be much forsworn:
And ev'n that Pow'r which gave me first my Oath,
Provokes me to this threefold Perjury.
Love bad me swear, and Love bids me forswear :
O sweet suggesting Love, if thou hast sinn'd,
Teach me, thy tempted Subject, to excuse it.
At first I did adore a twinkling Star,
But now I worship a celestial Sun:
Unheedful Vows may heedfully be broken;
And he wants Wit that wants resolved Will,
To learn his Wit t' exchange the bad for better s
Fie, fie, unreverend Tongue, to call her bad,
Whose Sov'raignty so oft thou hast preferr'd,

[Exeunt.

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 lofe, and Valentine I lose:
If I keep them, I needs must lose my felf:
If I lose them, thus find I but their Loss,
For Valentine, my self, for Julia, Silvia:
I to my self am dearer than a Friend;
For Love is still most precious in it self:
And Silvia, witness Heav'n that made her Fair,
Shews Julia but a swarthy 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 sweeter Friend:
I cannot now prove constant to my felf,
Without some Treachery us'd to Valentine :
This Night he meaneth, with a corded Ladder,
To climb celestial Silvia's Chamber-Window,
My felf in Council his Competitor :
Now presently I'll give her Father notice
Of their disguising, and pretended 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 fome fly Trick, blunt Thurio's dull Proceeding.
Love lend me Wings, to make my purpose swift,

As thou hast lent me Wit to plot his Drift.

Jul. Counsel, Lucetta; gentle Girl, assist 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,
To lesson me, and tell me some good Mean,
How with my Honour I may undertake
A Journey to my loving Prothens.

Luc. Alas, the Way is wearisome and long.
Jul. A true devoted Pilgrim is not weary

[Exit.

To

To measure Kingdoms with his feeble Steps,
Much less shall she, that hath Love's Wings to fly;
And when the Flight is made to one so dear,
Of such divine Perfection as Sir Protheus.

Luc. Better forbear 'till Protheus make Return.
Jul. Oh, know'st thou not, his Looks are my Soul's Food?

Pity the Dearth that I have pined in,
By longing for that Food so long a time:
Didft thou but know the inly Touch of Love,
Thou would'st as soon go kindle Fire with Snow,
As seek to quench the Fire of Love with Words.

Luc. I do not feek to quench your Love's hot Fire,
But qualifie the Fire's extream Rage,
Lest it should burn above the Bounds of Reason..

Jul. The more thou dam'st it up, the more it burns:
The Current that with gentle Murmur glides,
Thou know'st, being stopp'd, impatiently doth rage;
But when his fair Course is not hindered,
He makes sweet Musick with th' ennamel'd Stones,
Giving a gentle Kiss to every Sedge
He overtaketh in his Pilgrimage:
And fo by many winding Nooks he strays,
With willing Sport, to the wild Ocean.
Then let me go, and hinder not my Course;
I'll be as patient as a gentle Stream,
And make a Pastime of each weary Step,
'Till the last Step have brought me to my Love;
And there I'll rest, as, after much Turmoil,
A blessed Soul doth in Elizium.

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 Lucetta, fit me with such Weeds
As may beseem some well-reputed Page.

Luc. Why then your Ladyship must cut your Hair.
Jul. No, Girl; I'll knit it up in filken Strings,

With twenty odd-conceited true-love Knots:

To be fantastick, may become a Youth

Of greater time than I shall show to be.

Luc. What Fashion, Madam, shall I make your Breeches?

Jul. That fits as well, as tell me, good my Lord,

What

What compass will you wear your_Farthingale?
Why, even what Fashion thou best likes, Lucetta.
Luc. You must needs have them with a Cod-piece, Madam.
Jul. Out, out, Lucetta, that will be ill-favour'd.
Luc. A round Hose, Madam, now's not worth a Pin,
Unless you have a Cod-piece to stick Pins on.

Jul. Lucetta, as thou lov'st me, let me have
What thou think'st meet, and is most mannerly:
But tell me, Wench, how will the World repute me
For undertaking so unstaid a Journey?
I fear me it will make me scandaliz'd.

Luc. If you think so, 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 displeas'd when you are gone:
I fear me he will scarce be pleas'd with all.

Jul. That is the least, Lucetta, of my Fear:
A thousand Oaths, an Ocean of his Tears,
And Instances as infinite of Love,
Warrant me welcome to my Protheus.

Luc. All these are Servants to deceitful Men.
Jul. Base Men that use them to so base Effect:

But truer Stars did govern Protheus Bisth;
His Words are Bonds, his Oaths are Oracles,
His Love sincere, his Thoughts immaculate,
His Tears pure Messengers fent from his Heart,
His Heart as far from Fraud as Heav'n from Earth.

Luc. Pray Heav'n he prove so when you come to him.
Jul. Now as thou lov'st me, do him not that Wrong,

To bear a hard Opinion of his Truth;
Only deserve my Love by loving him.
And presently go with me to my Chamber,
To take a Note of what I stand 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, answer not; but to it presently:
I am impatient of my Tarriance.

[Exeunt,

ACT

Duke. S

ACT III. SCENE I.

Enter Duke, Thurio and Protheus.
IR Thurio, give us leave, I pray, a while;
We have fome Secrets to confer about. [Ex.Thu.

Now tell me, Protheus, what's your Will with me?
Pro. My gracious Lord, that which I would discover
The Law of Friendship bids me to conceal;
But when I call to Mind your gracious Favours
Done to me, undeserving as I am,

My Duty pricks me on to utter that,
Which else no worldly Good should draw from me.
Know, worthy Prince, Sir Valentine, my Friend,
This Night intends to steal away your Daughter:
My felf am one made privy to the Plot.
I know you have determin'd to bestow her
On Thurio, whom your gentle Daughter hates:
And should the thus be stoll'n away from you,

It would be much Vexation to your Age.
Thus, for my Duty's fake, I rather chose
To cross my Friend in his intended Drift,
Than, by concealing it, heap on your Head
A pack of Sorrows, which would press you down,
Being unprepared, to your timeless Grave.

Duke. Protheus, I thank thee for thine honest Care;
Which to requite, command me while I live.
This Love of theirs my self have often seen,
Haply when they have judged me fast asleep;
And oftentimes have purpos'd to forbid
Sir Valentine her Company, and my Court:
But fearing left my jealous Aim might err,
And fo unworthily disgrace the Man,
A Rashness that I ever yet have shunn'd;
I gave him gentle Looks, thereby to find
That which thy self haft now disclos'd to me.
And that thou may'st perceive my Fear of this;
Knowing that tender Youth is soon fuggefted,
I nighly lodge her in an upper Tower,

The