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 the Duke
DUKE
Now, daughter Silvia, you are hard beset.
Sir Valentine, your father is 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 knew 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 unmellowed, but his judgement 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 wished 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 locked 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
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 wished 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.
⌈Enter a Servant⌉
⌈SERVANT⌉
Madam, my lord your father would speak with you.
SILVIA
I wait upon his pleasure. ⌈Exit the Servant⌉
Come, Sir Thurio,
Go with me. Once more, new servant, welcome.
I’ll leave you to confer of home affairs.
When you have done, we look to hear from you.
PROTEUS
We’ll both attend upon your ladyship.
Exeunt Silvia and Thurio
VALENTINE
Now tell me, how do all from whence you came?
PROTEUS
Your friends are well, and have them much commended.
VALENTINE
And how do yours?
PROTEUS I left them all in health.
VALENTINE
How does your lady, and how thrives your love?
PROTEUS
My tales of love were wont to weary you.
I know you joy not in a love-discourse.
VALENTINE
Ay, Proteus, but that life is altered now.
I have done penance for contemning love,
Whose high imperious thoughts have punished me
With bitter fasts, with penitential groans,
With nightly tears and daily heart-sore sighs.
For in revenge of my contempt of love
Love hath chased sleep from my enthralled eyes,
And made them watchers of mine own heart’s sorrow.
O gentle Proteus, love’s a mighty lord,
And hath so humbled me as I confess
There is no woe to his correction,
Nor to his service no such joy on earth.
Now, no discourse except it be of love.
Now can I break my fast, dine, sup, and sleep
Upon the very naked name of love.