Go prefently, and take this ring with thee;
Deliver it to Madam Silvia.

She lov'd me well, deliver'd it to me.

Jul. It feems, you lov'd not her, to leave her token: She's dead, belike,

Pro. Not fo: I think, fhe lives.

ful. Alas!

Pro. Why do'ft thou cry, alas?

Jul. I cannot chufe but pity her.

Pro. Wherefore shouldst thou pity her?

Jul. Becaufe, methinks, that the lov'd you as well As you do love your lady Silvia:

She dreams on him, that has forgot her love; You doat on her, that cares not for your love. 'Tis pity, love fhould be fo contrary;

And, thinking on it, makes me cry, alas!

Pro. Well, give her that ring, and give therewithal This letter; that's her chamber: tell my lady, I claim the promise for her heav'nly picture. Your meffage done, hie home unto my chamber, Where thou fhalt find me fad and folitary.

SCENE

[Exit Protheus.

VIII.

Jul. How many women would do fuch a meffage? Alas, poor Protheus, thou haft entertain'd A fox to be the fhepherd of thy lambs: Alas, poor fool, why do I pity him, That with his very heart defpifeth me? Because he loves her, he defpifeth me; Because I love him, I muft pity him: This ring I gave him, when he parted from me, To bind him to remember my good will. And now I am, unhappy meffenger, To plead for that, which I would not obtain ; Το carry that, which I would have refus'd;

Το

To praise his faith, which I would have disprais'd.
I am my master's true confirmed love,
But cannot be true fervant to my mafter,
Unless I prove falfe traitor to myself.
Yet will I woo for him, but yet fo coldly,

As, heav'n it knows, I would not have him speed.
Enter Silvia.

Lady, good day; I pray you, be my mean
To bring me where to speak with Madam Silvia.
Sil. What would you with her, if that I be fhe?
ful. If you be fhe, I do intreat your patience
To hear me speak the meffage I am fent on.
Sil. From whom?

Jul. From my master, Sir Protheus, Madam.
Sil. Oh! he fends you for a picture?

ful. Ay, Madam.

Sil. Urfula, bring my picture there.

T

T

A

Go, give your mafter this: tell him from me,
One Julia, that his changing thoughts forget,
Would better fit his chamber than this fhadow.
ful Madam, may't please you to perufe this letter.
Pardon me, Madam, I have unadvis'd
Deliver'd you a paper that I fhould not;
This is the letter to your ladyfhip.

Sil. I pray thee, let me look on that again.
Jul. It may not be; good Madam, pardon me,
Sil. There, hold;

I will not look upon your mafter's lines
I know, they're stufft with proteftations,
And full of new-found oaths; which he will break,
As early as I do tear his paper.

Jul. Madam, he fends your ladyfhip this ring.
Sil. The more fhame for him, that he fends it me;
For, I have heard him fay a thousand times,
His Julia gave it him at his departure:
Tho his falfe finger have prophan'd the ring,

30

Mine shall not do his Julia fo much wrong.
Jul. She thanks you.

Sil. What fay't thou?

Jul. I thank you, Madam, that you tender her; Poor gentlewoman, my mafter wrongs her much. Sil. Doft thou know her?

Jul. Almoft as well, as I do know myself. To think upon her woes, I do protest

That I have wept an hundred several times.

Sil. Belike, the thinks, that Protheus hath forfook her.

Ful. I think, fhe doth; and that's her caufe of forrow.
Sil. Is the not paffing fair?

Jul. She hath been fairer, Madam, than the is
When she did think, my mafter lov'd her well,
She, in my judgment, was as fair as you.
3 But fince fhe did neglect her looking-glafs,
And threw her fun-expelling mask away;
The air hath ftarv'd the rofes in her cheeks,
And pitch'd the lilly-tincture of her face,
That now fhe is become as black as I.
Sil. How tall was fhe?

Jul. About my ftature: for at Pentecoft,

3 But fince he did neglect her looking-glass,
And threw her fun-expelling mask away;
The air bath ftarv'd the roses in her cheeks,
And PINCH'D the lilly-tincture of her face,

That now he is become as black as I.] To Aarve the Rofes is certainly a very proper expreffion: but what is pinching a tincture? However ftarved, in the third line, made the blundering Editors write pinch'd in the fourth; tho' they might have feen that it was a tanning fcorching, not a freezing air that was spoken of. For how could this latter quality in the air fo affect the whiteness of the skin as to turn it black. We fhould read,

And PITCH'D the lilly-tincture of her face. i.e. turned the white tincture black, as the following line has it, That now he is become as black as I

and we say, in common fpeech, as black as pitch.

By the

rofes being flar'd, is only meant their being withered, and lofing

their colour.

When

When all our pageants of delight were plaid,
Our youth got me to play the woman's part,
And I was trim'd in Madam Julia's gown;
Which ferved me as fit, by all mens judgments,
As if the garment had been made for me;
Therefore, I know, fhe is about my height.
And at that time I made her weep a-good,
For I did play a lamentable part.
Madam, 'twas Ariadne, paffioning
For Thefeus' perjury and unjuft flight;
Which I fo lively acted with my tears,
That my poor mistress, moved therewithal,
Wept bitterly; and, would I might be dead,
If I in thought felt not her very forrow!

Sil, She is beholden to thee, gentle youth.
Alas, poor lady! defolate and left!

I weep myfelf, to think upon thy words.
Here, youth, there is my purfe; I give thee this
For thy sweet mistrefs' fake, because thou lov❜ft her.
Farewel.
[Exit Silvia,
Ful. And the fhall thank you for't, if e'er you

know her.

A virtuous gentlewoman, mild and beautiful.
I hope, my mafter's fuit will be but cold;
Since the refpects my miftrefs' love fo much.
Alas! how love can trifle with itself!
Here is her picture; let me fee; I think,
If I had fuch a tire, this face of miné
Were full as lovely as is this of hers :
And yet the painter flatter'd her a little,
Unless I flatter with myfelf too much.
Her hair is auburn, mine is perfect yellow.
If that be all the diff'rence in his love,
I'll get me fuch a colour'd periwig.
Her eyes are grey as glafs, and fo are mine;
Ay, but her forehead's low, and mine is high.
What should it be, that he refpects in her,

I

But

But I can make refpective in myself,

If this fond love were not a blinded god?
Come, fhadow, come; and take this fhadow up;
For 'tis thy rival. O thou fenfelefs form,

Thou shalt be worship'd, kifs'd, lov'd and ador'd;
And were there fenfe in his idolatry,

+ My fubftance should be ftatued in thy ftead.
I'll ufe thee kindly for thy mistress' fake,
That us'd me fo; or elfe, by Jove I vow,

I should have fcratch'd out your unseeing eyes,
To make my mafter out of love with thee. [Exit.

ACT V. SCENE I.

ΤΗ

Near the Friar's Cell, in Milan.

Enter Eglamour.

E GLAMOUR.

HE fun begins to gild the western sky,
And now it is about the very hour

Silvia, at Friar Patrick's cell, fhould meet me.
She will not fail; for lovers break not hours,
Unless it be to come before their time:
So much they spur their expedition.

See, where the comes. Lady, a happy evening.
Enter Silvia.

Sil. Amen, Amen! Go on, good Eglamour,
Out at the postern by the abby-wall;

I fear, I am attended by fome fpies.

Egl. Fear not; the foreft is not three leagues off;

If we recover that, we're fure enough.

[Exeunt.

4 My fubflance should be STATUE in thy flead.] It is evident this noun fhould be a participle STATUED, i. e. placed on a pedeftal, or fixed in a fhrine to be adored.

SCENE