teus.
SILVIA, beloved of Valentine.
LUCETTA, waiting-woman to Julia.

Servants, Musicians[6].

SCENE, _Verona; Milan; the frontiers of Mantua[7]_.

Footnotes:

1: DRAMATIS PERSONAE.] THE NAMES OF ALL THE ACTORS F1, at the end
of the play.
2: OF MILAN] added by Pope.
3: PROTEUS] Steevens. PROTHEUS Ff. See note (I).
4: ANTONIO] Capell. ANTHONIO Ff.
5: PANTHINO] Capell. PANTHION Ff. See note (I).
6: _Servants, Musicians_] Theobald.
7: SCENE ...] Pope and Hanmer.

THE

TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA.

ACT I.

SCENE I. _Verona. An open place._

_Enter VALENTINE and PROTEUS._

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

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

_Val._ And on a love-book pray for my success?

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

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

_Pro._ That's a deep story of a deeper love;
For he was more than over shoes in love.

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

_Pro._ Over the boots? nay, give me not the boots.

_Val._ No, I will not, for it boots thee not.

_Pro._ What?

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

_Pro._ So, by your circumstance