And then I’ll follow you immediately after.
VALENTINE
Will you make haste?
Will you hurry?
PROTEUS
I will.
I will.
Exit VALENTINE
Even as one heat another heat expels,
Just as one fire puts out another,Or as one nail by strength drives out another,
Or just as one nail knocks out another by force,So the remembrance of my former love
So the memory of my former loveIs by a newer object quite forgotten.
Is forgotten as a never love takes it’s place.Is it mine, or Valentine's praise,
Is it my praise, or Valentine’s,Her true perfection, or my false transgression,
Or her actual perfection, or me breaking my loyalty,That makes me reasonless to reason thus?
That makes me think like this without a cause?She is fair; and so is Julia that I love—
She is pretty, and is Julia who I love—That I did love, for now my love is thaw'd;
Who I used to love, for now that lave has melted away;Which, like a waxen image, 'gainst a fire,
And, like a figure made from wax, when held near a fire,Bears no impression of the thing it was.
Looks nothing like the thing it used to be.Methinks my zeal to Valentine is cold,
It seems to me that my loyalty to Valentine has gone stale,And that I love him not as I was wont.
And that I don’t love him as I used to.O, but I love his lady too too much,
Oh, but I love his lady way too much,And that's the reason I love him so little.
And that is why I love him so little.How shall I dote on her with more advice,
How will I give adoring her more thought,That thus without advice begin to love her!
When I began to love her without thinking!'Tis but her picture I have yet beheld,
I have only seen her appearance,And that hath dazzled my reason's light;
And that has stunned my ability to reason;But when I look on her perfections,
But when I look later at her perfect qualities of character,There is no reason but I shall be blind.
There is no doubt that I will be blind.If I can cheque my erring love, I will;
If I can restrain my wrongful love, I will;If not, to compass her I'll use my skill.
But if not, I will use my skill to win her over.
Exit
A street.
Enter SPEED and LAUNCE severally
SPEED
Launce! by mine honesty, welcome to Milan!
Launce! I swear by my own honesty, welcome to Milan!
LAUNCE
Forswear not thyself, sweet youth, for I am not
Don’t swear against yourself, sweet young man, for I am notwelcome. I reckon this always, that a man is never
Welcome. I always believe this, that a man is neverundone till he be hanged, nor never welcome to a
Destroyed until he is executed, nor is he ever welcome to aplace till some certain shot be paid and the hostess
Place until his bill is paid and the hostesssay 'Welcome!'
Says ‘Welcome!’
SPEED
Come on, you madcap, I'll to the alehouse with you
Come one, you lunatic, I’ll go with you to the pubpresently; where, for one shot of five pence, thou
Immedieately; where, for a bill of five pennies, youshalt have five thousand welcomes. But, sirrah, how
Will have five thousand welcomes. But, man, howdid thy master part with Madam Julia?
Did you master part ways with Madam Julia?
LAUNCE
Marry, after they closed in earnest, they parted very
By Mary, after they seriously embraced, they parted veryfairly in jest.
Kindly.
SPEED
But shall she marry him?
But will she marry him?
LAUNCE
No.
No.
SPEED
How then? shall he marry her?
What then? Will he marry her?
LAUNCE
No, neither.
No, not that either.
SPEED
What, are they broken?
What then, have they broken up?
LAUNCE
No, they are both as whole as a fish.
No, they are still as together as they ever were.
SPEED
Why, then, how stands the matter with them?
Well, then, what’s the deal with them?
LAUNCE
Marry, thus: when it stands well with him, it
By Mary, it’s like this: when it goes well with him, itstands well with her.
Goes well with her.
SPEED
What an ass art thou! I understand thee not.
You’re such an ass! I don’t understand you.
LAUNCE
What a block art thou, that thou canst not! My
You’re such a blockhead, that you can’t undestand me! Even my staff understands me.
Walking stick and stand under me.
SPEED
What thou sayest?
What are you saying?
LAUNCE
Ay, and what I do too: look thee, I'll but lean,
Yes, and it’s what I do too: look here, I’ll just lean,and my staff understands me.
And my staff stand under me and holds my weight.
SPEED
It stands under thee, indeed.
It does stand under you, indeed.
LAUNCE
Why, stand-under and under-stand is all one.
Well, stand under and understand are the same thing.
SPEED
But tell me true, will't be a match?
But tell me honestly, will they get married.
LAUNCE
Ask my dog: if he say ay, it will! if he say no,
Ask my dog: if he says yes, they well! If he says no,it will; if he shake his tail and say nothing, it will.
They will; the she wags his tail and says nothing, they will.
SPEED
The conclusion is then that it will.
So the conclusion is that they will get married.
LAUNCE
Thou shalt never get such a secret from me but by a parable.
I will never tell you such a secret from me unless it’s indirectly.
SPEED
'Tis well that I get it so. But, Launce, how sayest
It’s a good thing I get it then. But, Launce, what do youthou, that my master is become a notable lover?
Say about how your master has become well known as a lover?
LAUNCE
I never knew him otherwise.
I’ve never known him to be different.
SPEED
Than how?
How so?
LAUNCE
A notable lubber, as thou reportest him to be.
A well-known lubbering idiot, as you say he is.
SPEED
Why, thou whoreson ass, thou mistakest me.
Why, you son of a whore! you ass! you misunderstood me.
LAUNCE
Why, fool, I meant not thee; I meant thy master.
Well, fool, I didn’t mean you; I meant your master.
SPEED
I tell thee, my master is become a hot lover.
I tell you, my master has become a passionate lover.
LAUNCE
Why, I tell thee, I care not though he burn himself
Well, I tell you, I don’t care if he burns himselfin love. If thou wilt, go with me to the alehouse;with love. If you will, come with to the pub;if not, thou art an Hebrew, a Jew, and not worth the
If not, then you are a Jew, and not worthy to be
name of a Christian.
Called a Christian.
SPEED
Why?
Why?
LAUNCE
Because thou hast not so much charity in thee as to
Becau
se you don’t have enough good will in you togo to the ale with a Christian. Wilt thou go?
Go to the pub with a Christian. Will you come?
SPEED
At thy service.
I’m at your service.
Exeunt
The DUKE'S palace.
Enter PROTEUS
PROTEUS
To leave my Julia, shall I be forsworn;
If I leave my dear Julia, I will have broken my oath of loyalty;To love fair Silvia, shall I be forsworn;
If I love the beautiful Silvia, I will have broken my oath;To wrong my friend, I shall be much forsworn;
If I commit and offence against my friend, I will have really broken my loyalty;And even that power which gave me first my oath
And the same power of love, which provoked this first oath of loyaltyProvokes me to this threefold perjury;
Now provokes me to break my oath in three ways;Love bade me swear and Love bids me forswear.
Love made me promise, and love makes me break my promise.O sweet-suggesting Love, if thou hast sinned,
Oh irresistible Love, if you have ever sinned,Teach me, thy tempted subject, to excuse it!
Teach me, your follower who is tempted to sin, to justify it!At first I did adore a twinkling star,
First, I adored a woman who was like a twinkling star,But now I worship a celestial sun.
But now I worship a woman who is like a heavenly sun.Unheedful vows may heedfully be broken,
Careless promises can be carefully broken,And he wants wit that wants resolved will
And a man lacks intelligence if he lacks the determined willTo learn his wit to exchange the bad for better.
To teach his mind to exchange bad thing for better things.Fie, fie, unreverend tongue! to call her bad,
Shame, shame on you, you disrespectful tongue! To call her bad,Whose sovereignty so oft thou hast preferr'd
Whose great excellence you chose so oftenWith twenty thousand soul-confirming oaths.
With twenty-thousand promises from your soul.I cannot leave to love, and yet I do;
I cannot stop loving, but I have;But there I leave to love where I should love.
But I have stopped loving where I should love.Julia I lose and Valentine I lose:
I lose Julia and I lose Valentine:If I keep them, I needs must lose myself;
If I keep them, I must lose myself.If I lose them, thus find I by their loss
But if I lose them, I then find myself due to their lossFor Valentine myself, for Julia Silvia.
Myself in exchange for Valentine, and Silvia in exchange for Julia.I to myself am dearer than a friend,
I am more dear to myself then a friend is,For love is still most precious in itself;
For love is always very precious by it’s nature;And Silvia--witness Heaven, that made her fair!—
And Silvia—Heaven, which made her beautiful, bear witness!—Shows Julia but a swarthy Ethiope.
Shows up Julia, who is merely like an unattractive Ethiopian.I will forget that Julia is alive,
I will forget that Julia is alive,Remembering that my love to her is dead;
As I will remember that my love for her is dead;And Valentine I'll hold an enemy,
And I’ll consider Valentine my enemy,Aiming at Silvia as a sweeter friend.
And I’ll aim to have Silvia as my sweet lover.I cannot now prove constant to myself,
Now, I can’t prove to be loyal to myself,Without some treachery used to Valentine.
Without some betrayal against Valentine.This night he meaneth with a corded ladder
Tonight he intends, using a rope ladder,To climb celestial Silvia's chamber-window,
To climb to heavenly Silvia’s bedroom window,Myself in counsel, his competitor.
In confidence he told me this, his rival.Now presently I'll give her father notice
Right now I’ll warn her fatherOf their disguising and pretended flight;
Of their intended deceptive escape;Who, all enraged, will banish Valentine;
He will, being enraged, banish Valentine;For Thurio, he intends, shall wed his daughter;
Since he intends that Thurio will marry his daughter;But, Valentine being gone, I'll quickly cross
But, with Valentine gone, I’ll quickly prevent thisBy some sly trick blunt Thurio's dull proceeding.
With some clever trick to block dull-witted Thurio’s advancement.Love, lend me wings to make my purpose swift,
Love, give me winds to carry out my plan quickly,As thou hast lent me wit to plot this drift!
Just as you have given me the intelligence to plot this plan.
Exit
JULIA'S house.
Enter JULIA and LUCETTA
JULIA
Counsel, Lucetta; gentle girl, assist me;
Give me some advice, Lucette; friendly girl, help me;And even in kind love I do conjure thee,
And in the name of that same kind friendship, I entreat you,Who art the table wherein all my thoughts
Who serve as the notebook in which all my thoughtsAre visibly character'd and engraved,
Are visibly written out,To lesson me and tell me some good mean
To instruct me and tell me some good wayHow, with my honour, I may undertake
That I can maintain my honor and go onA journey to my loving Proteus.
A journey to my lover Proteus.
LUCETTA
Alas, the way is wearisome and long!
Sadly, that journey would be difficult and long!
JULIA
A true-devoted pilgrim is not weary
An honestly devoted follower is not exhaustedTo measure kingdoms with his feeble steps;
By travelling through kingdoms with little steps;Much less shall she that hath Love's wings to fly,
Much less will a woman who has the wing’s of Love to fly on,And when the flight is made to one so dear,
And when the journey is made to go to one who is so dear,Of such divine perfection, as Sir Proteus.
And made of such holy perfection as is Sir Proteus.
LUCETTA
Better forbear till Proteus make return.
It would be better for you to be patient for Proteus’ return.
JULIA
O, know'st thou not his looks are my soul's food?
Oh, don’t you know that the looks he give me feed my soul?Pity the dearth that I have pined in,
You should pity the lack of them that has caused me to ache,By longing for that food so long a time.
In the same way the one aches for food after a long time.Didst thou but know the inly touch of love,
If you only the heartfelt touch of love,Thou wouldst as soon go kindle fire with snow
You would just as soon try to burn a fire with snowAs seek to quench the fire of love with words.
As to seek to put out the fire of love with words.
LUCETTA
I do not seek to quench your love's hot fire,
I’m not trying to put out your love’s hot fire,But qualify the fire's extreme rage,
But moderate the fire’s extreme passion,Lest it should burn above the bounds of reason.
So that it doesn’t burn beyond the edges of reason.
JULIA
The more thou damm'st it up, the more it burns.
The more you try to stop it, the more it burns.The current that with gentle murmur glides,
The current of a stream that gently flows,Thou know'st, being stopp'd, impatiently doth rage;
You know, when it is stopped, eagerly turns rapid;But when his fair course is not hindered,
But when its gentle course is not blocked,He makes sweet music with the enamell'ed stones,
It babbles over the smoothed stones,Giving a gentle kiss to every sedge
Gentling touching every reedHe overtaketh in his pilgrimage,
It has passed over in its travels,And so by many winding nooks he strays
And so it flows by route of many twisting cornersWith willing sport to the wild
ocean.
With prepared entertainment all the way to the wild ocean.Then let me go and hinder not my course
Just like that, let me go and don’t block my courseI'll be as patient as a gentle stream
And I’ll be as patient as a gentle streamAnd make a pastime of each weary step,
And make each tiring step into a game, Till the last step have brought me to my love;
Until the last step has brought me to my love;And there I'll rest, as after much turmoil
And there I will finally rest, just as after much chaosA blessed soul doth in Elysium.
A blessed soul rests in Heaven.
LUCETTA
But in what habit will you go along?
But what will you wear on your journey?
JULIA
Not like a woman; for I would prevent
Not women’s clothe; since I want to precentThe loose encounters of lascivious men:
Any improper meetings of lustful men:Gentle Lucetta, fit me with such weeds
Kind Lucetta, dress me with clothesAs may beseem some well-reputed page.
That are fitting for a well-respected page.
LUCETTA
Why, then, your ladyship must cut your hair.
Well, then, you must cut your hair, my lady
JULIA
No, girl, I'll knit it up in silken strings
No, girl, I’ll tie it up with silk stringsWith twenty odd-conceited true-love knots.
With twenty ingeniously devised knots for true-love.To be fantastic may become a youth
To be imaginative may be appropriate for a young personOf greater time than I shall show to be.
Of more years than I will appear to be.
LUCETTA
What fashion, madam shall I make your breeches?
In what style should I make your breeches, madam?
JULIA
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 404