The Two Gentlemen of Verona, William Shakespeare [the speed reading book TXT] 📗

upon your maid. Julia What is’t that you took up so gingerly? Lucetta Nothing. Julia Why didst thou stoop, then? Lucetta To take a paper up that I let fall. Julia And is that paper nothing? Lucetta Nothing concerning me. Julia Then let it lie for those that it concerns. Lucetta

Madam, it will not lie where it concerns,
Unless it have a false interpeter.

Julia Some love of yours hath writ to you in rhyme. Lucetta

That I might sing it, madam, to a tune.
Give me a note: your ladyship can set.

Julia

As little by such toys as may be possible.
Best sing it to the tune of “Light o’ love.”

Lucetta It is too heavy for so light a tune. Julia Heavy! belike it hath some burden then? Lucetta Ay, and melodious were it, would you sing it. Julia And why not you? Lucetta I cannot reach so high. Julia Let’s see your song. How now, minion! Lucetta

Keep tune there still, so you will sing it out:
And yet methinks I do not like this tune.

Julia You do not? Lucetta No, madam; it is too sharp. Julia You, minion, are too saucy. Lucetta

Nay, now you are too flat
And mar the concord with too harsh a descant:
There wanteth but a mean to fill your song.

Julia The mean is drown’d with your unruly bass. Lucetta Indeed, I bid the base for Proteus. Julia

This babble shall not henceforth trouble me.
Here is a coil with protestation! Tears the letter.
Go get you gone, and let the papers lie:
You would be fingering them, to anger me.

Lucetta

She makes it strange; but she would be best pleased
To be so anger’d with another letter. Exit.

Julia

Nay, would I were so anger’d with the same!
O hateful hands, to tear such loving words!
Injurious wasps, to feed on such sweet honey
And kill the bees that yield it with your stings!
I’ll kiss each several paper for amends.
Look, here is writ “kind Julia.” Unkind Julia!
As in revenge of thy ingratitude,
I throw thy name against the bruising stones,
Trampling contemptuously on thy disdain.
And here is writ “love-wounded Proteus.”
Poor wounded name! my bosom as a bed
Shall lodge thee till thy wound be thoroughly heal’d;
And thus I search it with a sovereign kiss.
But twice or thrice was “Proteus’ written down.
Be calm, good wind, blow not a word away
Till I have found each letter in the letter,
Except mine own name: that some whirlwind bear
Unto a ragged fearful-hanging rock
And throw it thence into the raging sea!
Lo, here in one line is his name twice writ,
“Poor forlorn Proteus, passionate Proteus,
To the sweet Julia:” that I’ll tear away.
And yet I will not, sith so prettily
He couples it to his complaining names.
Thus will I fold them one upon another:
Now kiss, embrace, contend, do what you will.

Re-enter Lucetta. Lucetta

Madam,
Dinner is ready, and your father stays.

Julia Well, let us go. Lucetta What, shall these papers lie like tell-tales here? Julia If you respect them, best to take them up. Lucetta

Nay, I was taken up for laying them down:
Yet here they shall not lie, for catching cold.

Julia I see you have a month’s mind to them. Lucetta

Ay, madam, you may say what sights you see;
I see things too, although you judge I wink.

Julia Come, come; will’t please you go? Exeunt. Scene III

The same. Antonio’s house.

Enter Antonio and Panthino. Antonio

Tell me, Panthino, what sad talk was that
Wherewith my brother held you in the cloister?

Panthino ’Twas of his nephew Proteus, your son. Antonio Why, what of him? Panthino

He wonder’d that your lordship
Would suffer him to spend his youth at home,
While other men, of slender reputation,
Put forth their sons to seek preferment out:
Some to the wars, to try their fortune there;
Some to discover islands far away;
Some to the studious universities.
For any or for all these exercises
He said that Proteus your son was meet,
And did request me to importune you
To let him spend his time no more at home,
Which would be great impeachment to his age,
In having known no travel in his youth.

Antonio

Nor need’st thou much importune me to that
Whereon this month I have been hammering.
I have consider’d well his loss of time
And how he cannot be a perfect man,
Not being tried and tutor’d in the world:
Experience is by industry achieved
And perfected by the swift course of time.
Then tell me, whither were I best to send him?

Panthino

I think your lordship is not ignorant
How his companion, youthful Valentine,
Attends the emperor in his royal court.

Antonio I know it well. Panthino

’Twere good, I think, your lordship sent him thither:
There shall he practise tilts and tournaments,
Hear sweet discourse, converse with noblemen,
And be in eye of every exercise
Worthy his youth and nobleness of birth.

Antonio

I like thy counsel; well hast thou advised:
And that thou mayst perceive how well I like it,
The execution of it shall make known.
Even with the speediest expedition
I will dispatch him to the emperor’s court.

Panthino

To-morrow, may it please you, Don Alphonso
With other gentlemen of good esteem
Are journeying to salute the emperor
And to commend their service to his will.

Antonio

Good company; with them shall Proteus go:
And, in good time! now will we break with him.

Enter Proteus. Proteus

Sweet love! sweet lines! sweet life!
Here is her hand, the agent of her heart;
Here is her oath for love, her honour’s pawn.
O, that our fathers would applaud our loves,
To seal our happiness with their consents!
O heavenly Julia!

Antonio How now! what letter are you reading there? Proteus

May’t please your lordship, ’tis a word or two
Of commendations sent from Valentine,
Deliver’d by a friend that came from him.

Antonio Lend me the letter; let me see what news. Proteus

There is no news, my lord, but that he writes
How happily he lives, how well beloved
And daily graced by the emperor;
Wishing me with him, partner of his fortune.

Antonio And how stand you affected to his wish? Proteus

As one relying on your lordship’s will
And not depending on his friendly wish.

Antonio

My will is something sorted with his wish.
Muse not that I thus suddenly proceed;
For what I will, I will, and there an end.
I am