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

thou art to post after with oars. What’s the matter? why weepest thou, man? Away, ass! you’ll lose the tide, if you tarry any longer. Launce It is no matter if the tied were lost; for it is the unkindest tied that ever any man tied. Panthino What’s the unkindest tide? Launce Why, he that’s tied here, Crab, my dog. Panthino Tut, man, I mean thou’lt lose the flood, and, in losing the flood, lose thy voyage, and, in losing thy voyage, lose thy master, and, in losing thy master, lose thy service, and, in losing thy service⁠—Why dost thou stop my mouth? Launce For fear thou shouldst lose thy tongue. Panthino Where should I lose my tongue? Launce In thy tale. Panthino In thy tail! Launce Lose the tide, and the voyage, and the master, and the service, and the tied! Why, man, if the river were dry, I am able to fill it with my tears; if the wind were down, I could drive the boat with my sighs. Panthino Come, come away, man; I was sent to call thee. Launce Sir, call me what thou darest. Panthino Wilt thou go? Launce Well, I will go. Exeunt. Scene IV

Milan. The Duke’s palace.

Enter Silvia, Valentine, Thurio, and Speed. Silvia Servant! Valentine Mistress? Speed Master, Sir Thurio frowns on you. Valentine Ay, boy, it’s for love. Speed Not of you. Valentine Of my mistress, then. Speed ’Twere good you knocked him. Exit. Silvia Servant, you are sad. Valentine Indeed, madam, I seem so. Thurio Seem you that you are not? Valentine Haply I do. Thurio So do counterfeits. Valentine So do you. Thurio What seem I that I am not? Valentine Wise. Thurio What instance of the contrary? Valentine Your folly. Thurio And how quote you my folly? Valentine I quote it in your jerkin. Thurio My jerkin is a doublet. Valentine Well, then, I’ll double your folly. Thurio How? Silvia What, angry, Sir Thurio! do you change colour? Valentine Give him leave, madam; he is a kind of chameleon. Thurio That hath more mind to feed on your blood than live in your air. Valentine You have said, sir. Thurio Ay, sir, and done too, for this time. Valentine I know it well, sir; you always end ere you begin. Silvia A fine volley of words, gentlemen, and quickly shot off. Valentine ’Tis indeed, madam; we thank the giver. Silvia Who is that, servant? Valentine Yourself, sweet lady; for you gave the fire. Sir Thurio borrows his wit from your ladyship’s looks, and spends what he borrows kindly in your company. Thurio Sir, if you spend word for word with me, I shall make your wit bankrupt. Valentine I know it well, sir; you have an exchequer of words, and, I think, no other treasure to give your followers, for it appears by their bare liveries, that they live by your bare words. Silvia No more, gentlemen, no more: here comes my father. Enter Duke. Duke

Now, daughter Silvia, you are hard beset.
Sir Valentine, your father’s in good health:
What say you to a letter from your friends
Of much good news?

Valentine

My lord, I will be thankful
To any happy messenger from thence.

Duke Know ye Don Antonio, your countryman? Valentine

Ay, my good lord, I know the gentleman
To be of worth and worthy estimation
And not without desert so well reputed.

Duke Hath he not a son? Valentine

Ay, my good lord; a son that well deserves
The honour and regard of such a father.

Duke You know him well? Valentine

I know him as myself; for from our infancy
We have conversed and spent our hours together:
And though myself have been an idle truant,
Omitting the sweet benefit of time
To clothe mine age with angel-like perfection,
Yet hath Sir Proteus, for that’s his name,
Made use and fair advantage of his days;
His years but young, but his experience old;
His head unmellow’d, but his judgment ripe;
And, in a word, for far behind his worth
Comes all the praises that I now bestow,
He is complete in feature and in mind
With all good grace to grace a gentleman.

Duke

Beshrew me, sir, but if he make this good,
He is as worthy for an empress’ love
As meet to be an emperor’s counsellor.
Well, sir, this gentleman is come to me,
With commendation from great potentates;
And here he means to spend his time awhile:
I think ’tis no unwelcome news to you.

Valentine Should I have wish’d a thing, it had been he. Duke

Welcome him then according to his worth.
Silvia, I speak to you, and you, Sir Thurio;
For Valentine, I need not cite him to it:
I will send him hither to you presently. Exit.

Valentine

This is the gentleman I told your ladyship
Had come along with me, but that his mistress
Did hold his eyes lock’d in her crystal looks.

Silvia

Belike that now she hath enfranchised them
Upon some other pawn for fealty.

Valentine Nay, sure, I think she holds them prisoners still. Silvia

Nay, then he should be blind; and, being blind,
How could he see his way to seek out you?

Valentine Why, lady, Love hath twenty pair of eyes. Thurio They say that Love hath not an eye at all. Valentine

To see such lovers, Thurio, as yourself:
Upon a homely object Love can wink.

Silvia Have done, have done; here comes the gentleman. Enter Proteus. Exit Thurio. Valentine

Welcome, dear Proteus! Mistress, I beseech you,
Confirm his welcome with some special favour.

Silvia

His worth is warrant for his welcome hither,
If this be he you oft have wish’d to hear from.

Valentine

Mistress, it is: sweet lady, entertain him
To be my fellow-servant to your ladyship.

Silvia Too low a mistress for so high a servant. Proteus

Not so, sweet lady: but too mean a servant
To have a look of such a worthy mistress.

Valentine

Leave off discourse of disability:
Sweet lady, entertain him for your servant.

Proteus My duty will I boast of; nothing else. Silvia

And duty never yet did want his meed:
Servant, you are welcome to a worthless mistress.

Proteus I’ll die on him that says so but yourself. Silvia That you are welcome? Proteus That you are worthless. Re-enter Thurio. Thurio Madam, my lord your father would speak with you. Silvia

I wait upon his pleasure. Come, Sir Thurio,
Go with me. Once more, new servant,