The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare (book suggestions TXT) 📖

fortune had not thwarted me.

FIRST OUTLAW. What, were you banish’d thence?

VALENTINE. I was.

SECOND OUTLAW. For what offence?

VALENTINE. For that which now torments me to rehearse: I kill’d a man, whose death I much repent; But yet I slew him manfully in fight, Without false vantage or base treachery.

FIRST OUTLAW. Why, ne’er repent it, if it were done so.

But were you banish’d for so small a fault?

VALENTINE. I was, and held me glad of such a doom.

SECOND OUTLAW. Have you the tongues?

VALENTINE. My youthful travel therein made me happy, Or else I often had been miserable.

THIRD OUTLAW. By the bare scalp of Robin Hood’s fat friar, This fellow were a king for our wild faction!

FIRST OUTLAW. We’ll have him. Sirs, a word.

SPEED. Master, be one of them; it’s an honourable kind of thievery.

VALENTINE. Peace, villain!

SECOND OUTLAW. Tell us this: have you anything to take to?

VALENTINE. Nothing but my fortune.

THIRD OUTLAW. Know, then, that some of us are gentlemen, Such as the fury of ungovern’d youth

Thrust from the company of awful men; Myself was from Verona banished

For practising to steal away a lady,

An heir, and near allied unto the Duke.

SECOND OUTLAW. And I from Mantua, for a gentleman Who, in my mood, I stabb’d unto the heart.

FIRST OUTLAW. And I for such-like petty crimes as these.

But to the purpose-for we cite our faults That they may hold excus’d our lawless lives; And, partly, seeing you are beautified With goodly shape, and by your own report A linguist, and a man of such perfection As we do in our quality much want-SECOND OUTLAW. Indeed, because you are a banish’d man, Therefore, above the rest, we parley to you.

Are you content to be our general—

To make a virtue of necessity,

And live as we do in this wilderness?

THIRD OUTLAW. What say’st thou? Wilt thou be of our consort?

Say ‘ay’ and be the captain of us all.

We’ll do thee homage, and be rul’d by thee, Love thee as our commander and our king.

FIRST OUTLAW. But if thou scorn our courtesy thou diest.

SECOND OUTLAW. Thou shalt not live to brag what we have offer’d.

VALENTINE. I take your offer, and will live with you, Provided that you do no outrages

On silly women or poor passengers.

THIRD OUTLAW. No, we detest such vile base practices.

Come, go with us; we’ll bring thee to our crews, And show thee all the treasure we have got; Which, with ourselves, all rest at thy dispose. Exeunt

SCENE II.

Milan. Outside the DUKE’S palace, under SILVIA’S window Enter PROTEUS

 

PROTEUS. Already have I been false to Valentine, And now I must be as unjust to Thurio.

Under the colour of commending him

I have access my own love to prefer;

But Silvia is too fair, too true, too holy, To be corrupted with my worthless gifts.

When I protest true loyalty to her,

She twits me with my falsehood to my friend; When to her beauty I commend my vows, She bids me think how I have been forsworn In breaking faith with Julia whom I lov’d; And notwithstanding all her sudden quips, The least whereof would quell a lover’s hope, Yet, spaniel-like, the more she spurns my love The more it grows and fawneth on her still.

 

Enter THURIO and MUSICIANS

 

But here comes Thurio. Now must we to her window, And give some evening music to her ear.

THURIO. How now, Sir Proteus, are you crept before us?

PROTEUS. Ay, gentle Thurio; for you know that love Will creep in service where it cannot go.

THURIO. Ay, but I hope, sir, that you love not here.

PROTEUS. Sir, but I do; or else I would be hence.

THURIO. Who? Silvia?

PROTEUS. Ay, Silvia-for your sake.

THURIO. I thank you for your own. Now, gentlemen, Let’s tune, and to it lustily awhile.

 

Enter at a distance, HOST, and JULIA in boy’s clothes HOST. Now, my young guest, methinks you’re allycholly; I pray you, why is it?

JULIA. Marry, mine host, because I cannot be merry.

HOST. Come, we’ll have you merry; I’ll bring you where you shall hear music, and see the gentleman that you ask’d for.

JULIA. But shall I hear him speak?

HOST. Ay, that you shall. [Music plays]

JULIA. That will be music.

HOST. Hark, hark!

JULIA. Is he among these?

HOST. Ay; but peace! let’s hear ‘em.

 

SONG

Who is Silvia? What is she,

That all our swains commend her?

Holy, fair, and wise is she;

The heaven such grace did lend her, That she might admired be.

 

Is she kind as she is fair?

For beauty lives with kindness.

Love doth to her eyes repair,

To help him of his blindness;

And, being help’d, inhabits there.

 

Then to Silvia let us sing

That Silvia is excelling;

She excels each mortal thing

Upon the dull earth dwelling.

‘To her let us garlands bring.

 

HOST. How now, are you sadder than you were before?

How do you, man? The music likes you not.

JULIA. You mistake; the musician likes me not.

HOST. Why, my pretty youth?

JULIA. He plays false, father.

HOST. How, out of tune on the strings?

JULIA. Not so; but yet so false that he grieves my very heartstrings.

HOST. You have a quick ear.

JULIA. Ay, I would I were deaf; it makes me have a slow heart.

HOST. I perceive you delight not in music.

JULIA. Not a whit, when it jars so.

HOST. Hark, what fine change is in the music!

JULIA. Ay, that change is the spite.

HOST. You would have them always play but one thing?

JULIA. I would always have one play but one thing.

But, Host, doth this Sir Proteus, that we talk on, Often resort unto this gentlewoman?

HOST. I tell you what Launce, his man, told me: he lov’d her out of all nick.

JULIA. Where is Launce?

HOST. Gone to seek his dog, which tomorrow, by his master’s command, he must carry for a present to his lady.

JULIA. Peace, stand aside; the company parts.

PROTEUS. Sir Thurio, fear not you; I will so plead That you shall say my cunning drift excels.

THURIO. Where meet we?

PROTEUS. At Saint Gregory’s well.

THURIO. Farewell. Exeunt THURIO and MUSICIANS

 

Enter SILVIA above, at her window PROTEUS. Madam, good ev’n to your ladyship.

SILVIA. I thank you for your music, gentlemen.

Who is that that spake?

PROTEUS. One, lady, if you knew his pure heart’s truth, You would quickly learn to know him by his voice.

SILVIA. Sir Proteus, as I take it.

PROTEUS. Sir Proteus, gentle lady, and your servant.

SILVIA. What’s your will?

PROTEUS. That I may compass yours.

SILVIA. You have your wish; my will is even this, That presently you hie you home to bed.

Thou subtle, perjur’d, false, disloyal man, Think’st thou I am so shallow, so conceitless, To be seduced by thy flattery

That hast deceiv’d so many with thy vows?

Return, return, and make thy love amends.

For me, by this pale queen of night I swear, I am so far from granting thy request That I despise thee for thy wrongful suit, And by and by intend to chide myself

Even for this time I spend in talking to thee.

PROTEUS. I grant, sweet love, that I did love a lady; But she is dead.

JULIA. [Aside] ‘Twere false, if I should speak it; For I am sure she is not buried.

SILVIA. Say that she be; yet Valentine, thy friend, Survives, to whom, thyself art witness, I am betroth’d; and art thou not asham’d To wrong him with thy importunacy?

PROTEUS. I likewise hear that Valentine is dead.

SILVIA. And so suppose am I; for in his grave Assure thyself my love is buried.

PROTEUS. Sweet lady, let me rake it from the earth.

SILVIA. Go to thy lady’s grave, and call hers thence; Or, at the least, in hers sepulchre thine.

JULIA. [Aside] He heard not that.

PROTEUS. Madam, if your heart be so obdurate, Vouchsafe me yet your picture for my love, The picture that is hanging in your chamber; To that I’ll speak, to that I’ll sigh and weep; For, since the substance of your perfect self Is else devoted, I am but a shadow;

And to your shadow will I make true love.

JULIA. [Aside] If ‘twere a substance, you would, sure, deceive it And make it but a shadow, as I am.

SILVIA. I am very loath to be your idol, sir; But since your falsehood shall become you well To worship shadows and adore false shapes, Send to me in the morning, and I’ll send it; And so, good rest.

PROTEUS. As wretches have o’ernight

That wait for execution in the morn.

Exeunt PROTEUS and SILVIA JULIA. Host, will you go?

HOST. By my halidom, I was fast asleep.

JULIA. Pray you, where lies Sir Proteus?

HOST. Marry, at my house. Trust me, I think ‘tis almost day.

JULIA. Not so; but it hath been the longest night That e’er I watch’d, and the most heaviest. Exeunt

SCENE III.

Under SILVIA’S window

 

Enter EGLAMOUR

 

EGLAMOUR. This is the hour that Madam Silvia Entreated me to call and know her mind; There’s some great matter she’d employ me in.

Madam, madam!

 

Enter SILVIA above, at her window SILVIA. Who calls?

EGLAMOUR. Your servant and your friend; One that attends your ladyship’s command.

SILVIA. Sir Eglamour, a thousand times good morrow!

EGLAMOUR. As many, worthy lady, to yourself!

According to your ladyship’s impose,

I am thus early come to know what service It is your pleasure to command me in.

SILVIA. O Eglamour, thou art a gentleman-Think not I flatter, for I swear I do not-Valiant, wise, remorseful, well accomplish’d.

Thou art not ignorant what dear good will I bear unto the banish’d Valentine;

Nor how my father would enforce me marry Vain Thurio, whom my very soul abhors.

Thyself hast lov’d; and I have heard thee say No grief did ever come so near thy heart As when thy lady and thy true love died, Upon whose grave thou vow’dst pure chastity.

Sir Eglamour, I would to Valentine,

To Mantua, where I hear he makes abode; And, for the ways are dangerous to pass, I do desire thy worthy company,

Upon whose faith and honour I repose.

Urge not my father’s anger, Eglamour, But think upon my grief, a lady’s grief, And on the justice of my flying hence To keep me from a most unholy match,

Which heaven and fortune still rewards with plagues.

I do desire thee, even from a heart

As full of sorrows as the sea of sands, To bear me company and go with me;

If not, to hide what I have said to thee, That I may venture to depart alone.

EGLAMOUR. Madam, I pity much your grievances; Which since I know they virtuously are plac’d, I give consent to go along with you,

Recking as little what betideth me

As much I wish all good befortune you.

When will you go?

SILVIA. This evening coming.

EGLAMOUR. Where shall I meet you?

SILVIA. At Friar Patrick’s cell,

Where I intend holy confession.

EGLAMOUR. I will not fail your ladyship. Good morrow, gentle lady.

SILVIA. Good morrow, kind Sir Eglamour. Exeunt

SCENE IV.

Under SILVIA’S Window

 

Enter LAUNCE with his dog

 

LAUNCE. When a man’s servant shall play the cur with him, look you, it goes hard-one that I brought up of a puppy; one that I sav’d from drowning, when three or four of his blind brothers and sisters went to it. I have taught him, even as one would say precisely ‘Thus I would teach a dog.’ I was sent to deliver him as a present to Mistress Silvia