THE

TWO GENTLEMEN

OF

Ꮴ ERON A

ACT I.

SCENE, An open Place in Verona.

Enter Valentine and Protheus.

VALENTINE.

EASE to perfuade, my loving Protheus; Home-keeping youth have ever homely wits; Wer't not, affection chains thy tender days To the fweet glances of thy honour'd love, I rather would intreat thy company, To fee the wonders of the World abroad; Than (living dully fluggardiz'd at home) Wear out thy youth with fhapeless idleness. But fince thou lov'ft, love still, and thrive therein; Ev'n as I would, when I to love begin.

Pro. Wilt thou be gone? fweet Valentine, adieu; Think on thy Protheus, when thou, haply, feeft

Some

Some rare note-worthy object in thy travel:

Wish me partaker in thy happiness,

When thou doft meet good hap; and in thy danger,
If ever danger do environ thee,

Commend thy Grievance to my holy prayer;
For I will be thy bead's-man, Valentine.

Val. And on a love book pray for my fuccefs.
Pro. Upon fome book I love, I'll pray for thee.
Val. That's on fome fhallow ftory of deep love.
How young Leander crofs'd the Hellefpont.

Pro. That's a deep ftory of a deeper love; For he was more than over shoes in-love.

Val. 'Tis true; for you are over boots in love, And yet you never fwom the Hellefpont.

Pro. Over the boots may give me not the boots. (1) Val. No, I will not; for it boots thee not.

Pro. What?

Fal. To be in love, where fcorn is bought with groans; Coy looks, with heart-fore fighs; one fading moment's mirth, With twenty watchful, weary, tedious nights.

If haply won, perhaps, an hapless gain:
If loit, why then a grievous labour won;
However, but a folly bought with wit;
Or elfe a wit by folly vanquished.
Pro. So, by

call me fool.

your circumftance, you Val. So, by your circumftance, I fear, you'll prove. Pro. 'Tis love you cavil at; I am not love.

Val. Love is your mafter; for he masters you.

And he that is fo yoaked by a fool.

Methinks, fhould not be chronicled for wife.

Pro. Yet writers fay, as in the sweetest bud The eating canker dwells; fo eating love Inhabits in the finest wits of all.

Val. And writers fay, as the moft forward bud

(1) nay, give me not the Boots.] A proverbial Expreffion, tho' new difufed, fignifying, don't make a laughing Stock of me; don't play upon me. The French have a Phrafe, Bailler foin en Corne; which Cotgrave thus interprets, To give one the Boots; to fell him a Bargain.

Is eaten by the canker, ere it blow;
Even fo by love the young and tender wit
Is turn'd to folly, blafting in the bud;
Lofing his verdure even in the prime,
And all the fair effects of future hopes.
But wherefore waste I time to counsel thee,
That art a votary to fond defire ?

Once more adieu: my father at the road
Expects my coming, there to fee me shipp'd.

Pre. And thither will I bring thee, Valentine, Val. Sweet Protheus, no; now let us take our leave. At Milan, let me hear from thee by letters Of thy fuccefs in love; and what news elfe Betideth here in absence of thy friend: And I likewife will visit thee with mine.

Pro. All happiness bechance to thee in Milan! Val. As much to you at home; and fo, farewel! [Exit. Pro. He after honour hunts, I after love; He leaves his friends to dignify them more; I leave myself, my friends, and all for love. Thou, Julia, thou haft metamorphos'd me; Made me neglect my studies, lofe my time, War with good counfel, fet the world at nought; Made wit with mufing weak, heart fick with thought.. Enter Speed.

Speed, Sir Protheus, fave

you; faw you my mafter? Pro. But now he parted hence, t'imbark for Milan. Speed. Twenty to one then he is shipp'd already, And I have play'd the sheep in lofing him.

Pro. Indeed, a sheep doth very often stray, And if the thepherd be a while away.

Speed. You conclude that my master is a fhepherd then, and I a sheep?

Pro. I do.

Speed. Why then my horns are his horns, whether I wake or fleep.

Pro. A filly answer, and fitting well a fheep.

Speed. This proves me ftill a fheep.

Pro. True; and thy mafter a fhepherd.

Speed.

Speed. Nay, that I can deny by a circumftance. Pro. It fhall go hard, but I'll prove it by another. Speed. The fhepherd feeks the sheep, and not the fheep the shepherd; but I feek my mafter, and my Mafter feeks not me; therefore I am no fheep.

Pro. The fheep for fodder follows the fhepherd, the fhepherd for the food follows not the sheep'; thou for wages followeft thy master, thy mafter for wages follows not thee; therefore thou art a sheep.

Speed. Such another proof will make me cry Baâ.

Pro. But doft thou hear? gavest thou my letter to Julia? Speed. Ay, Sir, I, a loft mutton, gave your letter to her, a lac'd mutton (2), and the, a lac'd mutton, gave me, a loft mutton, nothing for my labour.

Pro. Here's too fmall a pasture for such store of muttons. Speed. If the ground be over-charg'd, you were best flick her.

Pro, Nay, in that you are a ftray (3), 'twere best pound you.

Speed. Nay, Sir, lefs than a pound fhall ferve me for carrying your letter.

Pro. You miftake: I mean the pound, a pin-fold.

Speed: From a pound to a pin ? fold it over and over, 'tis threefold too little for carrying a letter to your lover.

(2) I, a loft Mutton, gave your letter to her, a lac'd Mutton;] Speed calls himself a loft Mutton, because he had lost his Master, and becaufe Protheus had been proving him a Sheep. But why does he call the Lady a lac'd Mutton? Your notable Wenchers are to this Day call'd Mutton-Mongers: and confequently the Object of their Paffion muft, by the Metaphor, be the Mutton. And Cotgrave, in his English-French Dictionary, explains Lac'd Mutton, Une Garfe, putain, fille de Joye. And Mr. Motteux has rendered this Paffage of Rabelais, in the Prologue of his fourth Book, Cailles coiphees mignonnement chantans, in this manner; Coated Quails and laced Mutton waggifbly finging. So that lac'd Mutton has been a fort of Standard Phrafe for Girls of Pleasure.

(3) Nay, in that you are aftray.] For the Reafon Protheus gives, Dr. Thirlby advifes that We fhould read, a Stray, i. c. a ftray Sheep; which continues Protheus's Banter upon Speed.

Pro.

Pro. But what said she did the nod ?
Speed: I.

Pro. Nod-I? why, that's noddy.

[Speed nods.

Speed. You miftook, Sir: I faid, she did nod: And you ask me, if she did nod; and I said, I. Pro. And that fet together, is noddy.

Speed. Now you have taken the pains to fet it together, take it for your pains.

Pro. No, no, you fhall have it for bearing the letter. Speed. Well, I perceive, I must be fain to bear with you. Pro. Why, Sir, how do you bear with me? Speed. Marry, Sir, the letter very orderly; Having nothing but the word noddy for my pains.. Pro. Befhrew me, but you have a quick wit

3 Speed. And yet it cannot overtake your flow purse. Pros Come, come, open the matter in brief: what faid fhe?

Speed. Open your purfe; that the money and the matter may be both at once deliver'd.

Pro. Well, Sir, here is for your pains; what faid fhe? Speed. Truly, Sir, I think you'll hardly win her.

Pro. Why? could't thau perceive fo much from her? Speed. Sir, I could perceive nothing at all from her; No, not fo much as a ducket for delivering your letter. And being fo hard to me that brought your mind,

I fear, fhe'll prove as hard to you in telling her mind. Give her no token but ftones; for fhe's as hard as steel... Pro, What, faid fhe nothing?

Speed. No, not fo much as take this for thy pains: Toteftify your bounty, I thank you, you have teftern'd me: In requital whereof, henceforth carry your letter yourself and fo, Sir, I'll commend you to my master.

Pro. Go, go, be gone, to fave your ship from wreck, Which cannot perish, having thee aboard, Being deftin'd to a drier death on shore. I must go fend fome better meffenger: I fear, my Julia would not deign my lines, Receiving them from fach a worthless poft.

H 2

[Exeunt feverally.

SCENE