Know, then, that some of us are gentlemen

Such as the fury of ungoverned youth

Thrust from the company of aweful 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 stabbed unto the heart.

FIRST OUTLAW

And I, for suchlike petty crimes as these.

But to the purpose, for we cite our faults

That they may hold excused 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 banished 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 sayst thou? Wilt thou be of our consort?

Say ‘Ay’, and be the captain of us all.

We’ll do thee homage, and be ruled 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 offered.

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

4.2 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 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,

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 with Musicians

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 the Host, and Julia, dressed as a page-boy.

They talk apart

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 asked for.

JULIA But shall I hear him speak?

HOST Ay, that you shall.

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 helped, 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 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.

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 Lance his man told me, he loved her out of all nick.

JULIA Where is Lance?

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 the Musicians

Enter Silvia, above

PROTEUS

Madam, good even 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.