Go prefently, and take this ring with thee, Dever it to madam Silvia: She lov'd me well, deliver'd it to me. I will not look upon your master's lines: I know, they are stuff'd with proteftations, Fall It seems, you lov'd not her, to leave her token: As eafily as I do tear this paper. She's dead, belike. Pr. Not fo; I think the lives. Fra. Why doft thou cry, alas? J. I cannot chufe but pity her. Pra Wherefore should'st thou pity her? f. Because, methinks, that the lov'd you as well As you do love your lady Silvia; She dreams on him, that has forgot her love: Pr. Well, give her that ring, and therewithal The letter; that's her chamber.-Tell my lady, I claim the promise for her heavenly picture. Your mettage done, hie home unto my chamber, Where thou that find me fad and folitary. [Exit Protheus. 7. How many women would do fucha message? Als, poor Protheus! thou haft entertain'd A tx, to be the thepherd of thy lambs: Ale, poor fool! why do I pity him The with his very heart defpifeth me? Because he loves her, he defpifeth me; Because I love him, I must pity him. This ring I gave him, when he parted from me, To bind him to remember my good will: And now I am (unhappy meffenger) To plead for that, which I would not obtain; To carry that which I would have refus'd; To prade his faith, which I would have difprais'd. I am my mater's true confirmed love; But cannot be true fervant to my master, Uless I prove falfe traitor to myself. Yet will I woo for him; but yet fo coldly, As, braven it knows, I would not have him speed. Enter Silvia. Gentlewoman, good day! I pray you, be my mean To brzig me where to fpeak with madam Silvia. What would you with her, if that I be she? Fal. If you be the, I do entreat your patience To lear me speak the meffage I am fent on. From whom? 74 From my mafter, fir Protheus, madam. S... Oh! he fends you for a picture? J. Ay, madam. 3.4 Urfula, bring my picture there. [Picture brought. fo, give your mafter this: tell him from me, One Julia, that his changing thoughts forget, Wood better fit his chamber, than this shadow. 3. Madam, please you perufe this letter. -Pardon me, madam; I have unadvis'd Delva'd you a paper that I fhould not; It is the letter to your ladyship. 2. I pray thee, let me look on that again. 3. It may not be; good madam, pardon me. S. There, hold. Jal. Madam, he fends your ladyship this ring. Sil. The more fhame for him, that he fends it me; For, I have heard him say a thousand times, His Julia gave it him at his departure: Though his falfe finger hath profan'd the ring, Mine fhall not do his Julia fo much wrong. Jal. She thanks you. Sil. What say it thou? Jul. I thank you, madam, that you tender her: Poor gentlewoman! my mafter wrongs her much. Sil. Doft thou know her? ful. Almoft as well as I do know myself: To think upon her woes, I do protest, That I have wept an hundred several times. Sil. Belike, the thinks that Protheus hath forfook her. [forrow. Jul. I think the doth; and that's her caufe of Sil. Is the not pafling fair? Jul. She hath been fairer, madam, than she is : Jul. About my ftature: for at Pentecoft, Sil. She is beholden to thee, gentle youth :- I weep myfelf, to think upon thy words. know her. A virtuous gentlewoman, mild and beautiful. That is, in good earnest. Unless Unless I flatter with myself too much. Ay, but her forehead's low; and mine's as high. If this fond love were not a blinded god? Come, fhadow, come, and take this fhadow up, I fhould have fcratch'd out your unfeeing eyes, Egl. T SCENE I. ACT V. Near the Friar's cell, in Milan. Enter Eglamour. HE fun begins to gild the western sky ; That Silvia, at friar Patrick's cell, fhould meet me. So much they fpur their expedition. See, where she comes: Lady, a happy evening. Sil. Amen, amen! go on, good Eglamour, I fear, I am attended by fome spies. Egl. Fear not the foreft is not three leagues off; If we recover that, we are fure 4 enough. [Exeunt. SCENE IL An apartment in the Duke's palace. Enter Thurio, Protheus, and Julia. Thu. Sir Protheus, what fays Silvia to my fuit? Thu. What fays fhe to my face? Thu. Nay, then the wanton lies; my face is black. [peace? Duke. Why, then fhe's fled unto that peafant 'Tis true; for friar Laurence met them both, [Exit Duke. Thu. But well, when I difcourfe of love, and Pro. And I will follow, more for Silvia's love, peace. [Afide. Thu. What fays fhe to my valour? [Exeunt. 1. It fhould be remembered, that falfe hair was worn by the ladies, long before wigs were in fashion. Thefe falfe coverings, however, were call'd periwigs. 2 A high forehead was in Shakspeare's time accounted a feature eminently beautiful. 3 That is, refpeful or refpectable. 4 Sure means fafe. 5 Own them, SCENE Enter Silvia and Out-laws. b. Come, come; Be patient, we must bring you to our captain. [her? Rather than have falfe Protheus rescue me. Pro. What dangerous action, flood it next to death, 10. Come, I must bring you to our cap-Thou haft no faith left now, unless thou hadst two, tain's cave: And that's far worse than none; better have none Pro. In love, Who refpects friend? Sil. All men but Protheus. Pro. Nay, if the gentle spirit of moving words" Can no way change you to a milder form, I'll woo you like a foldier, at arms end; And love you 'gainst the nature of love, force you, Pro. I'll force thee yield to my defire. Pro. Valentine! [love; Val. Thou common friend, that's without faith or Val. How ufe doth breed a habit in a man! Ths thadowy defert, unfrequented woods, I better brook than flourishing peopled towns: Here can I fit alone, unfeen of any, And, to the nightingale's complaining notes, Tune my diftreffes, and record my woes. O thou that doft inhabit in my breast, Leave not the manfion fo long tenantiefs; Lett, growing ruinous, the building fall, And leave no memory of what it was ! Repair me with thy prefence, Silvia ; Thou gentle nymph, cherish thy forlorn swain !Whet hallooing, and what ftir is this to-day? These are my mates, that make their wills their law, Have fome unhappy paffenger in chace: I am forry, I must never trust thee more, They love me well; yet I have much to do, But count the world a ftranger for thy fake. To keep them from uncivil outrages. The private wound is deepest: Oh time, most curst! Withdraw thee, Valentine; who's this comes here?'Mongft all foes, that a friend should be the worst! [Val. fieps afide. Pro. My fhame and guilt confounds me.Forgive me, Valentine: if hearty forrow Be a fufficient ranfom for offence, I tender it here; I do as truly suffer, As e'er I did commit. Enter Protheus, Silvia and Julia. Pro. Unhappy were you, madam, ere I came : Bu, by my coming, I have made you happy. [py. Sil. By thy approach thou mak'st me most unhapfal. And me, when he approacheth to your prefence. Sil. Had I been feized by a hungry lion, would have been a breakfast to the beast, [Afide. Val. Then I am paid; And once again I do receive thee honest: Is nor of heaven, nor earth; for thefe are pleas'd; Jul. Oh me unhappy! [Faints. [the matter? Val. Why, boy! why wag! how now! what is Jul. O good fir, my mafter charg'd me Which, out of my neglect, was never done. To record anciently fignified to fing. Record is alfo a term still used by bird-fanciers, to ex refs the frât clays of a bird in finging, 2 That is, reward, Pro. Pro. Where is that ring, boy? Pro. How! let me fee: Why this is the ring I gave to Julia. Jul. Oh, cry your mercy, fir, I have mistook: This is the ring you sent to Silvia. [Shews another ring. Pro. But how cam'ft thou by this ring? At my depart, 1 gave this unto Julia. ful. And Julia herself did give it me; And Julia herself hath brought it hither. Pro. How! Julia? Jul. Behold her that gave aim to all thy oaths, And entertain'd them deeply in her heart: How oft haft thou with perjury cleft the root? Oh Protheus, let this habit make thee blush! Be thou afham'd, that I have took upon me Such an immodest rayment; if shame live In a difguife of love: It is the leffer blot, modesty finds, Women to change their shapes, than men their minds. Pro. Than men their minds! 'tis true: oh heaven! I hold him but a fool, that will endanger I claim her not, and therefore she is thine. Duke. The more degenerate and base art thou, And think thee worthy of an emprefs' love. I now befeech you, for your daughter's fake, Duke. I grant it, for thine own, whate'er it be. Val. These banish'd men, that I have kept withal, Are men endu'd with worthy qualities; thee; foes.Dispose of them, as thou know'ft their deserts. Come, let us go; we will include all jars With triumphs, mirth, and rare folemnity. [duke. Val. Forbear, forbear, I fay; it is my lord the Your grace is welcome to a man difgrac'd, Banished Valentine. Val. And, as we walk along, I dare be bold. With our difcourfe to make your grace to fmile. What think you of this page, my lord? Duke. I think the boy hath grace in him; he blushes. [boy. Val. I warrant you, my lord; more grace than Duke. What mean you by that saying? Val, Please you, I'll tell you as we pass along, That you will wonder, what hath fortuned.Come, Protheus: 'tis your penance, but to hear The ftory of your loves difcovered: That done, our day of marriage shall be yours One feaft, one house, one mutual happiness. [Exeunt omnes. Before Page's boufe in Windfor. Shal. Ay, that I do; and have done any time thefe three hundred years. Sten. All his fucceffors, gone before him, have Foter Fuffice Shallow, Slender, and Sir Hugh Evans. done't; and all his ancestors, that come after him, IR Hugh', perfuade me not: I will may: they may give the dozen white luces in their Shal. S'make a Star-Chamber 3 matter of it: if coal. he were twenty fir John Falstaffs, he shall not abuse Robert Shallow, efquire. Slen. In the county of Glofter, justice of peace, and cream. Shal. Ay, coufin Slender, and 4 cuftalorum. Sim. Ay, and ratalorum too; and a gentleman bon, master parfon; who writes himself armigero; in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, arརྔུལ Shal. It is an old coat. Eva. The dozen white loufes do become an old coat well; it agrees well, paffant: it is a familiar beaft to man, and fignifies-love. Shal. The luce 5 is the fresh fish; the falt fifh is an old coat. Slen. I may quarter, coz. Shal. You may, by marrying. Eva. It is marring, indeed, if he quarter it. 1Queen Elizabeth was fo well pleafed with the admirable character of Falstaff in the Two Part of Henry IV, that, as Mr. Rowe informs us, fhe commanded Shakspeare to continue it for play more, and to fhew him in love. To this command we owe The Merry Wives of Windfor: which. Mr. Gildon fays, he was very well affured our author finished in a fortnight. 2 This is firft, of fundry inftances in our poet, where a parfon is called fir; upon which it may be observed, that anciently it was the common defignation both of one in holy orders and a knight. 3 The cumber had a right to take cognizance of routs and riots. 4 Probably intended for a corruption Cajas Rotulorum. The luce is a pike or jack. This paffage is alfo fuppofed to point at Sir Thomas Lucy, who was the cause of Shakspeare's leaving Stratford, Shal |