PERSONS REPRESENTED.

Duke of Milan, father to Silvia.
Valentine,

Proteus, } Gentlemen of Verona,

Antonio, father to Proteus.

Thurio, a foolish rival to Valentine.
Eglamour, agent for Silvia in her efcape.
Speed, a clownish fervant to Valentine.
Launce, fervant to Proteus.
Panthino, fervant to Antonio.
Hoft, where Julia lodges in Milan.
Out-larus.

Julia, a lady of Verona, beloved by Proteus.
Silvia, the duke's daughter, beloved by Valentine.
Lucetta, waiting-woman to Julia.

Servants, musicians.

SCENE, fometimes in Verona ; fometimes in Milan; and on the frontiers of Mantua.

2 The old copy has-Protheus; but this is merely the antiquated mode of fpelling Proteus. Shakspeare's character was fo called," from his difpofition to change. STEEVENS,

3 In the enumeration of characters in the old copy, this attendant on Antonio is called Panthion, but in the play, always Panthino. STEEVENS.

ACT I. SCENE I.

An open place in Verona.

Enter VALENTINE and PROTEUS.

Val. Ceafe to perfuade, my loving Proteus;
Home-keeping youth have ever homely wits:
Wer't not, affection chains thy tender days
To the sweet glances of thy honour'd love,
I rather would entreat thy company,
To fee the wonders of the world abroad,
Than, living dully fluggardiz'd at home,
Wear out thy youth with fhapeleís idleness.4
But, fince thou lov'ft, love ftill, and thrive therein,
Even as I would, when I to love begin.

Pro. Wilt thou be gone? Sweet Valentine, adieu !
Think on thy Proteus, when thou, haply, feest
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 prayers,
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 shallow story of deep love,
How young Leander crofs'd the Hellefpont.5
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 fwam the Hellefpont.

Pre

4 The expreffion is fine, as implying that idleness prevents the giving any form or character to the manners. WARBURTON.

5 The poem of Mufæus, entitled HERO AND LEANDER, is meant.

MALONE.

Pro. Over the boots? nay, give me not the boots.
Val. No, I'll not, for it boots thee not.

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, a hapless gain;
If loft, why then a grievous labour won;
However, but a folly 7 bought with wit,
Or elfe a wit by folly vanquished.

Pro. So, by your circumftance, you call me fool.
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 yoked 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 most forward bud
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.

6 A proverbial expreffion, though now difufed, fignifying, don't make a laughing stock of me; don't play with me. The French have a phrase, Bailler foin en corne; which Cotgrave thus interprets, To give one the boots & to fell him a bargain. THEOBALD.

Perhaps this expreffion took its origin from a sport the country people in Warwickshire ufe at their harveft home, where one fits as judge to try misdemeanors committed in harvest, and the punishment for the men is to be laid on a bench, and flapped on the breech with a pair of boots. This they call giving them the boots. The boots, however, were an ancient engine of torture. STEEVENS.

The boot was an inftrument of torture ufed only in Scotland. Bishop Burnet in The Hiftory of his own Times, Vol. I. p. 332, edit. 1754, mentions one Maccael, a preacher, who, being fufpected of treasonable prac. tices underwent the punishment fo late as 1666.

REED.

7 This love will end in a foolish action, to produce which you are long to fpend your wit, or it will end in the lofs of your wit, which will be overpowered by the folly of love. JoHNSON.

But wherefore wafte 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 fhipp'd.
Pro. And thither will I bring thee, Valentine.

Val. Sweet Proteus, 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 abfence of thy friend;
And I likewife will vifit thee with mine,

Pro. All happiness bechance to thee in Milan!
Val. As much to you at home! and fo, farewell!

[Exit VALENTINE.

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 ftudies, lofe my time,
War with good counsel, fet the world at nought;
Made wit with mufing weak, heart fick with thought.
Enter SPEED.8

Speed. Sir Proteus, fave you: Saw you my master?
Pro. But now he parted hence, to embark for Milan,
Speed. Twenty to one then, he is shipp'd already;
And I have play'd the fheep, in lofing him.

Pro. Indeed a fheep doth very often stray,

An if the fhepherd be awhile away.

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

Pro. I do.

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

or fleep.

1

Pro.

This whole scene, like many others in these plays (fome of which I believe were written by Shakspeare, and others interpolated by the players) is compofed of the lowest and most trifling conceits, to be accounted for only from the grofs tafte of the age he lived in; Populo ut placerent. I wish I had authority to leave them out. Porr.

That this, like many other scenes, is mean and vulgar, will be univerfally allowed; but that it was interpolated by the players feems advanced without any proof, only to give a greater licence to criticism. JOHNSON,

Pro. A filly anfwer, and fitting well a fheep.
Speed. This proves me ftill a fheep.

Pro. True; and thy mafter a fhepherd.

Speed. Nay, that I can deny by a circumftance.
Pro. It fhall go hard, but I'll prove it by another.

Speed. The thepherd feeks the fheep, and not the sheep the fhepherd; but I seek my mafter, and my matter seeks not me: therefore, 1 am no sheep.

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

Speed. Such another proof will make me cry baa.

Pro. But doft thou hear? gav'ft thou my letter to Julia ? Speed. Ay, fir: I, a loft mutton, gave your letter to her, a laced mutton; 9 and fhe, a laced mutton, gave me, a loft mutton, nothing for my labour.

Pro. Here's too fmall a pasture for fuch a ftore of muttons. Speed. If the ground be overcharg'd, you were best stick

her.

Pro. Nay, in that you are aftray; 2 'twere beft pound you. Speed. Nay, fir, less than a pound shall serve me for carrying your letter.

Pro. You mistake; I mean the pound, a pinfold.

Speed. From a pound to a pin? fold it over and over, 'Tis threefold too little for carrying a letter to your lover. Pro. But what faid fhe? did fhe nod.

[SPEED nods.

Speed.

9 Speed calls himself a loft mutton, because he had loft his master, and becaufe Proteus had been proving him a fheep. But why does he call the lady a laced mutton? Wenchers are to this day called mutton-mongers; and confequently the object of their paffion muft, by the metaphor, be the mutton. THEOBALD.

A laced mutton was in our author's time fo eftablished a term for a courtezan, that a street in Clerkenwell, which was much frequented by women of the town, was then called Mutton-lane. MALONE.

2 From the word aftray here, and loft mutton above, it is obvious that the double reference was to the firft fentence of the General Confeffion in the Prayer-book. HENLEY.

3 Noddy was a game at cards. STEEVENS.