Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare
Act 2 - Scene 7
Verona. JULIA’S house.
Julia : Counsel, Lucetta; gentle girl, assist me;
[p]And even in kind love I
do conjure thee,
[p]Who art the table wherein all my thoughts
[p]Are
visibly character'd and engraved,
[p]To lesson me and tell me some
good mean
[p]How, with my honour, I may undertake
[p]A journey to my
loving Proteus.
Lucetta : Alas, the way is wearisome and long!
Julia : A true-devoted pilgrim is not weary
[p]To measure kingdoms with his
feeble steps;
[p]Much less shall she that hath Love's wings to
fly,
[p]And when the flight is made to one so dear,
[p]Of such divine
perfection, as Sir Proteus.
Lucetta : Better forbear till Proteus make return.
Julia : O, know'st thou not his looks are my soul's food?
[p]Pity the dearth
that I have pined in,
[p]By longing for that food so long a
time.
[p]Didst thou but know the inly touch of love,
[p]Thou wouldst
as soon go kindle fire with snow
[p]As seek to quench the fire of love
with words.
Lucetta : I do not seek to quench your love's hot fire,
[p]But qualify the
fire's extreme rage,
[p]Lest it should burn above the bounds of
reason.
Julia : The more thou damm'st it up, the more it burns.
[p]The current that
with gentle murmur glides,
[p]Thou know'st, being stopp'd, impatiently
doth rage;
[p]But when his fair course is not hindered,
[p]He makes
sweet music with the enamell'ed stones,
[p]Giving a gentle kiss to
every sedge
[p]He overtaketh in his pilgrimage,
[p]And so by many
winding nooks he strays
[p]With willing sport to the wild
ocean.
[p]Then let me go and hinder not my course
[p]I'll be as
patient as a gentle stream
[p]And make a pastime of each weary
step,
[p]Till the last step have brought me to my love;
[p]And there
I'll rest, as after much turmoil
[p]A blessed soul doth in Elysium.
Lucetta : But in what habit will you go along?
Julia : Not like a woman; for I would prevent
[p]The loose encounters of
lascivious men:
[p]Gentle Lucetta, fit me with such weeds
[p]As may
beseem some well-reputed page.
Lucetta : Why, then, your ladyship must cut your hair.
Julia : No, girl, I'll knit it up in silken strings
[p]With twenty
odd-conceited true-love knots.
[p]To be fantastic may become a
youth
[p]Of greater time than I shall show to be.
Lucetta : What fashion, madam shall I make your breeches?
Julia : That fits as well as 'Tell me, good my lord,
[p]What compass will you
wear your farthingale?'
[p]Why even what fashion thou best likest,
Lucetta.
Lucetta : You must needs have them with a codpiece, madam.
Julia : Out, out, Lucetta! that would be ill-favour'd.
Lucetta : A round hose, madam, now's not worth a pin,
[p]Unless you have a
codpiece to stick pins on.
Julia : Lucetta, as thou lovest me, let me have
[p]What thou thinkest meet and
is most mannerly.
[p]But tell me, wench, how will the world repute
me
[p]For undertaking so unstaid a journey?
[p]I fear me, it will make
me scandalized.
Lucetta : If you think so, then stay at home and go not.
Julia : Nay, that I will not.
Lucetta : Then never dream on infamy, but go.
[p]If Proteus like your journey
when you come,
[p]No matter who's displeased when you are gone:
[p]I
fear me, he will scarce be pleased withal.
Julia : That is the least, Lucetta, of my fear:
[p]A thousand oaths, an ocean
of his tears
[p]And instances of infinite of love
[p]Warrant me
welcome to my Proteus.
Lucetta : All these are servants to deceitful men.
Julia : Base men, that use them to so base effect!
[p]But truer stars did
govern Proteus' birth
[p]His words are bonds, his oaths are
oracles,
[p]His love sincere, his thoughts immaculate,
[p]His tears
pure messengers sent from his heart,
[p]His heart as far from fraud as
heaven from earth.
Lucetta : Pray heaven he prove so, when you come to him!
Julia : Now, as thou lovest me, do him not that wrong
[p]To bear a hard
opinion of his truth:
[p]Only deserve my love by loving him;
[p]And
presently go with me to my chamber,
[p]To take a note of what I stand
in need of,
[p]To furnish me upon my longing journey.
[p]All that is
mine I leave at thy dispose,
[p]My goods, my lands, my
reputation;
[p]Only, in lieu thereof, dispatch me hence.
[p]Come,
answer not, but to it presently!
[p]I am impatient of my tarriance.
Previous: Act 2 - Scene 6
Next: Act 3 - Scene 1
