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Laun. Ask my Dog: If he fay ay, it will; if he fay no, it will; if he shake his Tail, and fay nothing, it will. Speed. The Conclufion is then, that it will.

Laun. Thou shalt never get fuch a Secret from me, but by a Parable.

Speed. 'Tis well that I get it fo: But, Launce, how fay'st thou, that my Mafter is become a notable Lover? Laun. I never knew him otherwife.

Speed. Than how?

Lann. A notable Lubber, as thou reporteft him to be. Speed. Why, thou whorefon Afs, thou mistak'st me. Laun, Why Fool, I meant not thee; I meant thy Mafter.

Speed. I tell thee, my Mafter 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 Alehoufe, fo; if not, thou art an Hebrew, a Jew, and not worth the Name of a Chriftian.

Speed. Why?

Laun. Because thou haft not fo 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; fhall I be forfworn?
To love fair Silvia; fhall I be forfwon?

To wrong my Friend, I fhall be much forfworn:
And ev'n that Pow'r which gave me first my Oath,
Provokes me to this threefold Perjury.

Love bad me fwear, and Love bids me forfwear:
Ofweet fuggesting Love, if thou haft 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 refolved Will,
To learn his Wit t' exchange the bad for better:
Fie, fie, unreverend Tongue, to call her bad,
Whofe Sov'raignty so oft thou haft 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 muft lose my self:
If I lose them, thus find I but their Lofs,
For Valentine, my felf, for Julia, Silvia :
I to my self am dearer than a Friend;
For Love is ftill moft precious in it self:
And Silvia, witnefs Heav'n that made her Fair,
Shews Julia but a fwarthy 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 fweeter Friend:
I cannot now prove conftant to my self,
Without fome Treachery us'd to Valentine:
This Night he meaneth, with a corded Ladder,
To climb celeftial Silvia's Chamber-Window,
My felf in Council his Competitor :
Now prefently I'll give her Father notice
Of their difguifing, and pretended Flight;
Who, all enrag'd, will banish Valentine;
For Thurio he intends fhall 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 haft lent me Wit to plot his Drift.

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Jul. Counfel, Lucetta; gentle Girl, affift 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 leffon me, and tell me fome good Mean,
How with my Honour I may undertake
A Journey to my loving Protheus.

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

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To measure Kingdoms with his feeble Steps,
Much less fhall fhe, that hath Love's Wings to fly;
And when the Flight is made to one so dear,
Of fuch 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 fo long a time:

Didft thou but know the inly Touch of Love,
Thou would't as foon go kindle Fire with Snow,
As feck 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,

Left it fhould burn above the Bounds of Reason..

Jul. The more thou dam'ft it up, the more it burns:
The Current that with gentle Murmur glides,
Thou know'ft, being stopp'd, impatiently doth rage;
But when his fair Course is not hindered,

He makes sweet Mufick with th' ennamel'd Stones,
Giving a gentle Kifs 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 Paftime of each weary Step,
'Till the laft Step have brought me to my Love;
And there I'll rest, as, after much Turmoil,
A bleffed 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 fuch Weeds

As may befeem fome well-reputed Page.

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

With twenty odd-conceited true-love Knots:

To be fantaftick, may become a Youth

Of greater time than I fhall fhow to be.

Luc. What Fashion, Madam, fhall 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 beft 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 Hofe, Madam, now's not worth a Pin,
Unless you have a Cod-piece to stick Pins on.

Ful. Lucetta, as thou lov'ft me, let me have
What thou think'st meet, and is moft mannerly:
But tell me, Wench, how will the World repute me
For undertaking fo unftaid a Journey?

I fear me it will make me fcandaliz'd.

Luc. If you think fo, then ftay 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 difpleas'd when you are gone:
I fear me he will fcarce be pleas'd with all.

Jul. That is the leaft, Lucetta, of my Fear:
A thousand Oaths, an Ocean of his Tears,
And Inftances as infinite of Love,

Warrant me welcome to my Protheus.

Luc. All these are Servants to deceitful Men. Ful. Base Men that use them to fo bafe Effect: But truer Stars did govern Prothens Birth; His Words are Bonds, his Oaths are Oracles, His Love fincere, his Thoughts immaculate, His Tears pure Meffengers fent from his Heart, His Heart as far from Fraud as Heav'n from Earth. Luc. Pray Heav'n he prove fo when you come to him. Jul. Now as thou lov'ft 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 ftand 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, anfwer not; but to it prefently: I am impatient of my Tarriance.

[Exeun

ACT

ACT III.

SCENE I.

Enter Duke, Thurio and Protheus.

Duke. We have fome Secrets to confer about. [Ex. Thu.
IR Thurio, give us leave, I pray, a while;
Now tell me, Prothens, 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, undeferving as I am,

My Duty pricks me on to utter that,

Which elfe no worldly Good should draw from me.
Know, worthy Prince, Sir Valentine, my Friend,
This Night intends to fteal 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 ftoll'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 prefs you down,
Being unprepared, to your timeless Grave.

Duke. Protheus, I thank thee for thine honeft Care;
Which to requite, command me while I live.
This Love of theirs my felf have often seen,
Haply when they have judg'd me faft afleep;
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 difgrace the Man,
A Rashness that I ever yet have fhunn'd;
I gave him gentle Looks, thereby to find
That which thy felf haft now disclos'd to me.
And that thou may'ft perceive my Fear of this;
Knowing that tender Youth is foon fuggefted,
I nighly lodge her in an upper Tower,

The

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