1    Cease to persuade, my loving Proteus:
2    Home-keeping youth have ever homely wits.
3    Were't not affection chains thy tender days
4    To the sweet glances of thy honour'd love,
5    I rather would entreat thy company
6    To see the wonders of the world abroad,
7    Than, living dully sluggardized at home,
8    Wear out thy youth with shapeless idleness.
9    But since thou lovest, love still and thrive therein,
10   Even as I would when I to love begin.

11   Wilt thou be gone? Sweet Valentine, adieu!
12   Think on thy Proteus, when thou haply seest
13   Some rare note-worthy object in thy travel:
14   Wish me partaker in thy happiness
15   When thou dost meet good hap; and in thy danger,
16   If ever danger do environ thee,
17   Commend thy grievance to my holy prayers,
18   For I will be thy beadsman, Valentine.

19   And on a love-book pray for my success?

20   Upon some book I love I'll pray for thee.

21   That's on some shallow story of deep love:
22   How young Leander cross'd the Hellespont.

23   That's a deep story of a deeper love:
24   For he was more than over shoes in love.

25   'Tis true; for you are over boots in love,
26   And yet you never swum the Hellespont.

27   Over the boots? nay, give me not the boots.

28   No, I will not, for it boots thee not.

29   What?

30   To be in love, where scorn is bought with groans;
31   Coy looks with heart-sore sighs; one fading moment's mirth
32   With twenty watchful, weary, tedious nights:
33   If haply won, perhaps a hapless gain;
34   If lost, why then a grievous labour won;
35   However, but a folly bought with wit,
36   Or else a wit by folly vanquished.

37   So, by your circumstance, you call me fool.

38   So, by your circumstance, I fear you'll prove.

39   'Tis love you cavil at: I am not Love.

40   Love is your master, for he masters you:
41   And he that is so yoked by a fool,
42   Methinks, should not be chronicled for wise.

43   Yet writers say, as in the sweetest bud
44   The eating canker dwells, so eating love
45   Inhabits in the finest wits of all.

46   And writers say, as the most forward bud
47   Is eaten by the canker ere it blow,
48   Even so by love the young and tender wit
49   Is turn'd to folly, blasting in the bud,
50   Losing his verdure even in the prime
51   And all the fair effects of future hopes.
52   But wherefore waste I time to counsel thee,
53   That art a votary to fond desire?
54   Once more adieu! my father at the road
55   Expects my coming, there to see me shipp'd.

56   And thither will I bring thee, Valentine.

57   Sweet Proteus, no; now let us take our leave.
58   To Milan let me hear from thee by letters
59   Of thy success in love, and what news else
60   Betideth here in absence of thy friend;
61   And likewise will visit thee with mine.

62   All happiness bechance to thee in Milan!

63   As much to you at home! and so, farewell.

64   He after honour hunts, I after love:
65   He leaves his friends to dignify them more,
66   I leave myself, my friends and all, for love.
67   Thou, Julia, thou hast metamorphosed me,
68   Made me neglect my studies, lose my time,
69   War with good counsel, set the world at nought;
70   Made wit with musing weak, heart sick with thought.

71   Sir Proteus, save you! Saw you my master?

72   But now he parted hence, to embark for Milan.

73   Twenty to one then he is shipp'd already,
74   And I have play'd the sheep in losing him.

75   Indeed, a sheep doth very often stray,
76   An if the shepherd be a while away.

77   You conclude that my master is a shepherd, then,
78   and I a sheep?

79   I do.

80   Why then, my horns are his horns, whether I wake or sleep.

81   A silly answer and fitting well a sheep.

82   This proves me still a sheep.

83   True; and thy master a shepherd.

84   Nay, that I can deny by a circumstance.

85   It shall go hard but I'll prove it by another.

86   The shepherd seeks the sheep, and not the sheep the
87   shepherd; but I seek my master, and my master seeks
88   not me: therefore I am no sheep.

89   The sheep for fodder follow the shepherd; the
90   shepherd for food follows not the sheep: thou for
91   wages followest thy master; thy master for wages
92   follows not thee: therefore thou art a sheep.

93   Such another proof will make me cry 'baa.'

94   But, dost thou hear? gavest thou my letter to Julia?

95   Ay sir: I, a lost mutton, gave your letter to her,
96   a laced mutton, and she, a laced mutton, gave me, a
97   lost mutton, nothing for my labour.

98   Here's too small a pasture for such store of muttons.

99   If the ground be overcharged, you were best stick her.

100  Nay: in that you are astray, 'twere best pound you.

101  Nay, sir, less than a pound shall serve me for
102  carrying your letter.

103  You mistake; I mean the pound,--a pinfold.

104  From a pound to a pin? fold it over and over,
105  'Tis threefold too little for carrying a letter to
106  your lover.

107  But what said she?

First nodding
108   Ay.

109  Nod--Ay--why, that's noddy.

110  You mistook, sir; I say, she did nod: and you ask
111  me if she did nod; and I say, 'Ay.'

112  And that set together is noddy.

113  Now you have taken the pains to set it together,
114  take it for your pains.

115  No, no; you shall have it for bearing the letter.

116  Well, I perceive I must be fain to bear with you.

117  Why sir, how do you bear with me?

118  Marry, sir, the letter, very orderly; having nothing
119  but the word 'noddy' for my pains.

120  Beshrew me, but you have a quick wit.

121  And yet it cannot overtake your slow purse.

122  Come come, open the matter in brief: what said she?

123  Open your purse, that the money and the matter may
124  be both at once delivered.

125  Well, sir, here is for your pains. What said she?

126  Truly, sir, I think you'll hardly win her.

127  Why, couldst thou perceive so much from her?

128  Sir, I could perceive nothing at all from her; no,
129  not so much as a ducat for delivering your letter:
130  and being so hard to me that brought your mind, I
131  fear she'll prove as hard to you in telling your
132  mind. Give her no token but stones; for she's as
133  hard as steel.

134  What said she? nothing?

135  No, not so much as 'Take this for thy pains.' To
136  testify your bounty, I thank you, you have testerned
137  me; in requital whereof, henceforth carry your
138  letters yourself: and so, sir, I'll commend you to my master.

139  Go, go, be gone, to save your ship from wreck,
140  Which cannot perish having thee aboard,
141  Being destined to a drier death on shore.
Exit SPEED
142  I must go send some better messenger:
143  I fear my Julia would not deign my lines,
144  Receiving them from such a worthless post.