Laun. I never knew him otherwise.
Speed. Than how?

LAUN. A notable lubber, as thou reportest him to be.

Speed.Why, thou whorson ass, thou mistakest me.

Laun. Why, fool, I meant not thee; I meant thy master. Speed. I tell thee, my master is become a hot lover.

Laun. Why, I tell thee, I care not though he burn himself in love. Ifthou wilt go with me to the ale-house, so;' if not, thou art an Hebrew, a Jew, and not worth the name of a Christian.

SPEED. Why?

Laun. Because thou haft not fo much charity in thee, as to go to the ale * with a Christian : Wile thou go? SPEED. At thy fervice.

[Exeunt.

2

-fo;] So, which is wanting in the first folio, was supplied by the editor of the second. MALONE.

the ale) Ales were merry meetings inftituted in country places. Thus Ben Jonson:

" And all the neighbourhood, from old records
“ Of antique proverbs drawn from Whitson lords,
“ And their authorities at wakes and ales,
“ With country precedents, and old wives' tales,

• We bring you now." Again, as Mr. M. Mason obferves, in the play of Lord Cromwell:

“ O Tom, that we were now at Putney, at the ale there !” See also Mr. T. Warton's History of English Poetry, Vol. II. p. 128. STEVENS.

SCENE VI.

The same. An Apartment in the Palace.

Enter Proteus.

power, which

Pro. To leave my Julia, shall I be forsworn; To love fair Silvia, shall I be forsworn; To wrong my friend, I shall be much forsworn; And even that

gave me first my oath, Provokes me to this threefold perjury. Love bade me swear, and love bids me forswear: O sweet-suggesting love, if thou hast finn'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 to exchange the bad for better.Fie, fie, unreverend tongue! to call her bad, Whose sovereignty so oft thou hast 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 lose, and Valentine I lose:

3 It is to be observed, that, in the folio edition there are no directions concerning the scenes; they have been added by the later editors, and may therefore be changed by any reader that can give more consistency or regularity to the drama by such alterations. I make this remark in this place, because I know not whether the following soliloquy of Proteus is so proper in the street. JOHNSON,

The reader will perceive that the scenery has been changed, though Dr. Johnson's observation is continued. STEEvens.

4 O sweet-suggesting love,] To suggest is to tempt, in our author's language. So again :

Knowing that tender youth is foon suggested.” The sense is, o tempting love, if thou hast influenced me to fin, teach me to excuse it. JOHNSON.

If I keep them, I needs must lose myself;
If I lose them, thus find I by their loss,
For Valentine, myself; for Julia, Silvia.
I to myself am dearer than a friend;
For love is still more precious in itself:
And Silvia, witness heaven, that made her fair!
Shews Julia but a swarthy Ethiope.
I will forget that Julia is alive,
Rememb’ring 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 myself,
Without some treachery us'd to Valentine:
This night, he meaneth with a corded ladder
To climb celestial Silvia's chamber-window
Myself in counsel, his competitor :S
Now presently I'll give her father notice
Of their disguising, and pretended Aight ;

6

s— in counsel, his competitor :] Myself, who am his competitor or rival, being admitted to his counsel. Johnson.

Competitor is confederate, asistant, partner. So, in Antony and Cleopatra :

“ It is not Cæsar's natural vice, to hate

“ One great competitor :" and he is speaking of Lepidus, one of the triumvirate. Steevens.

Steevens is right in asserting, that competitor, in this place, means confederate, or partner.—The word is used in the fame sense in Twelfth Night, where the Clown seeing Maria and Sir Toby approach, who were joined in the plot against Malvolio, says, “The competitors enter.” And again, in King Richard III, the messenger says,

The Guildfords are in arms, “ And every hour more competitors

« Flock to the rebels." So also, in Love's Labour's Loft:

“ The king, and his competitors in oath.” M. Mason.

-pretended flight;] Pretended flight is proposed or intended sight. So, in Macbeth :

What good could they pretend ?"

Who, all enrag'd, will banish Valentine ;
For Thurio, he intends, shall wed his daughter:
But, Valentine being gone, I'll quickly cross,
By some sly trick, blunt Thurio's dull proceeding.
Love, lend me wings to make my purpose swift,
As thou hast lent me wit to plot this drift!'[Exit.

SCENE VII.

Verona. A Room in Julia's Houfe.

Enter Julia and Lucetta. 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 engravid, To lesson me; and tell me some good mean, How, with my honour, I may undertake A journey to my loving Proteus.

Luc. Alas! the way is wearisome and long.

Jul. A true-devoted pilgrim is not weary To measure kingdoms with his feeble steps ; Much less shall the, that hath love's wings to fly; And when the flight is made to one so dear, Of such divine perfection, as fir Proteus.

Luc. Better forbear, till Proteus make return.

Mr. M. Mason justly observes, that the verb pretendre in French, has the same fignification. STEEVENS.

Again, in Dr. A.Borde's Introduction of Knowledge, 1542, fig. H 3, “ I pretend to return and come round about thorow other regyons in Europ.” Reed.

this drift!] I suspect that the author concluded the act with this couplet, and that the next scene should begin the third aft; but the change, as it will add nothing to the probability of the action, is of no great importance. JOHNSON.

7

Jul. O, 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. Didst 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 seek to quench your love's hot fire; But qualify the fire's extreme rage, Left 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 mufick with the enamel'd stones, Giving a gentle kiss to every sedge He overtaketh in his pilgrimage ; And so 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 reft, as, after much turmoil, A blessed soul doth in Elysium.

Luc. But in what habit will you go along?

Jul. Not like a woman; for I would prevent
The loose encounters of lascivious 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 fantastic may become a youth
Of greater time than I shall show to be.