The Two Gentlemen of Verona

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

ACT IV SCENE II	Milan. Outside the DUKE's palace, under SILVIA's chamber.
	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:	5
	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,	10
	She bids me think how I have been forsworn
	In breaking faith with Julia whom I loved:
	And notwithstanding all her sudden quips,
	The least whereof would quell a lover's hope,
	Yet, spaniel-like, the more she spurns my love,	15
	The more it grows and fawneth on her still.
	But here comes Thurio: now must we to her window,
	And give some evening music to her ear.
	Enter THURIO and Musicians
THURIO	How now, Sir Proteus, are you crept before us?
PROTEUS	Ay, gentle Thurio: for you know that love	20
	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.	25
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.	30
Host	Come, we'll have you merry: I'll bring you where
	you shall hear music and see the gentleman that you asked for.
JULIA	But shall I hear him speak?
Host	Ay, that you shall.
JULIA	That will be music.	35
	Music plays
Host	Hark, hark!
JULIA	Is he among these?
Host	Ay: but, peace! let's hear 'em.
	SONG.
	Who is Silvia? what is she,	40
	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?	45
	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,	50
	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	55
	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?	60
JULIA	Not so; but yet so false that he grieves my very
	heart-strings.
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.	65
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.	70
	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 loved
	her out of all nick.
JULIA	Where is Launce?	75
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.	80
THURIO	Where meet we?
PROTEUS	At Saint Gregory's well.
THURIO	Farewell.
	Exeunt THURIO and Musicians
	Enter SILVIA above
PROTEUS	Madam, good even to your ladyship.
SILVIA	I thank you for your music, gentlemen.	85
	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.	90
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, perjured, false, disloyal man!	95
	Think'st thou I am so shallow, so conceitless,
	To be seduced by thy flattery,
	That hast deceived so many with thy vows?
	Return, return, and make thy love amends.
	For me, by this pale queen of night I swear,	100
	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;	105
	But she is dead.
JULIA	Aside
	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 ashamed	110
	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.	115
SILVIA	Go to thy lady's grave and call hers thence,
	Or, at the least, in hers sepulchre thine.
JULIA	Aside
PROTEUS	Madam, if your heart be so obdurate,
	Vouchsafe me yet your picture for my love,
	The picture that is hanging in your chamber;	120
	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
	deceive it,	125
	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:	130
	And so, good rest.
PROTEUS	As wretches have o'ernight
	That wait for execution in the morn.
	Exeunt PROTEUS and SILVIA severally
JULIA	Host, will you go?
Host	By my halidom, I was fast asleep.	135
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.	140
	Exeunt