The Two Gentlemen of Verona

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,