ACT 2
SCENE I. The frontiers of Mantua. A forest.
Enter ALFRED, ARTHUR, ROMEO and JULIET
ARTHUR
How couldst thou pick a mortal arbitrament
with the coachman, thou buffoon!
ALFRED
A punishment richly deserv'd!
He spake things most foul about merry England.
ARTHUR
From whence thee dost not rightly hail!
Thou hast a terrible sickness to taketh the
mantle of hero when one hast nay ne'd of one!
ROMEO
Tis commendable thee art such steadfast friends, but
I doth not bethink we art on the road to Padua any longer.
JULIET
Romeo, I fear this uncertain wood.
Thither may beest bandits beyond the green curtains.
ROMEO
Fear not, I shalt protect thee as long as there is breath in mine body.
JULIET
Oh Romeo.
ALFRED
[Aside to ARTHUR] How long shalt these young lovers keepeth to this poetic line?
Their sweet sycophantic verse offendeth mine ears.
ARTHUR
Wast 't not for thine actions, those young doves would beest in the
immortal realm by now and thee would hadst not heareth of 't.
Enter certain outlaws
Third Outlaw
Throw us that thou hast about thee:
If not: we'll make thee sit and rifle thee.
ARTHUR
Oh no.
JULIET
Romeo, we are undone; these are the villains
that all the travellers do fear so much.
ALFRED
[Aside to ARTHUR] Dost thou recognize this play?
ARTHUR
Indeed, I do. I fear we hath inadvertently interfered once more
as we four hath taken the place of virtuous Valentine and Speed!
ROMEO
Step aside you curs, lest thee taste the sting of mine steel.
ARTHUR
Peace! Peace! My friends-
Know that we art but travelers who flee Verona,
our fortunes malaligned as young lovers cross'd.
These newlyweds wish only sanctuary away
from the dagger'd web their sires spun for them.
First Outlaw
What, were you banish'd thence?
ROMEO
I was.
Second Outlaw
For what offence?
ROMEO
For that which now torments me to rehearse:
I kill'd a man, whose death I much repent;
Bu t yet I slew him manfully in fight,
Without false vantage or base treachery.
First Outlaw
Why, ne'er repent it, if it were done so.
But were you banish'd for so small a fault?
ROMEO
I was, and held me glad of such a doom
Second Outlaw
Hath thee the tongues?
JULIET
My studies therein made me happy, good sirs,
Or else I often had been miserable.
ARTHUR
Wouldst thou commit such an uncivil outrage
as to act violently with a lady in our midst, for I
sense that thou hast gentlemanly blood as well.
ALFRED
[Aside] What game playeth he?
Third Outlaw
Aye, tis true, that some of us are gentlemen,
Such as the fury of ungovern'd youth
Thrust from the company of awful men:
I, myself was from Verona banish'd
For practising to steal away a lady,
An heir, and near allied unto the duke.
Second Outlaw
And I from Mantua, for a gentleman,
Who, in my mood, I stabb'd unto the heart.
JULIET
Ay, me!
First Outlaw
And I for such like petty crimes as these,
But to the purpose-for we cite our faults,
That they may hold excus'd our lawless lives;
And partly, seeing thou art beautified
With goodly shape and by thy own report
A linguist and men of such perfection
As we do in our quality much want-
Second Outlaw
Indeed, because thou art banish'd men and maiden,
Therefore, above the rest, we parley to thee:
Art thou content to be of our consort?
To make a virtue of necessity
And live, as we do, in this wilderness?
First Outlaw
But if thou scorn our courtesy, thou diest.
Third Outlaw
Thou shalt not live to brag what we have offer'd.
ARTHUR
We take thy offer and will live with thee,
Provided that thou doth no outrages
On silly women or poor passengers.
Third Outlaw
No, we detest such vile base practises.
Come, go with us, we'll bring thee to our crews,
And show thee all the treasure we have got,
Which, with ourselves, all rest at thy dispose.
Exit outlaws, ROMEO and JULIET.
ALFRED
Arthur, what hast thou done!
Dost thou liken thyself to a bandit king?
ARTHUR
Thy protests fall on deaf ears,
for I remember times of strife when thou
doth not revile such shadowed practice.
ALFRED
Fie, but I hadth fought for my very right of rule!
Must thou unearth bitter memories at every turn?
I care only how thou planeth to free us from this snare.
ARTHUR
Husht, Alfred. Grant me leave to tell:
Since we hast stumbled upon sir Valentine's line,
it followeth that the gentleman of Verona is nigh.
We shalt travel with these folk and find the gent,
restoring this tune to its proper chord.
Now come, ere we art miss'd.
Exeunt
SCENE II. Another part of the forest.
Enter ROMEO and ALFRED
ROMEO
Whither might this Valentine beest? We has't
searched the world and hath found 't lacking.
ALFRED
I doth knoweth not, but fear not.
Arthur wilt protect Juliet in thy absence.
He hath a way with rogues, though he'd
nev'r admit 't. Though I wonder hast thou
ev'r heard of this gentleman of Verona
from whence thee hail?
ROMEO
I knoweth that gent not. However,
Arthur describes Valentine as a common
man seeking his fortune. Tis likely our
paths has't simply nev'r crossed.
ALFRED
Hold. I hear voices. Let us withdraw
ourselves and spy upon this party.
Enter PROTEUS, SILVIA, and JULIA
PROTEUS
Madam, this service I have done for you,
Though you respect not aught your servant doth,
To hazard life and rescue you from him
That would have forced your honour and your love;
Vouchsafe me, for my meed, but one fair look;
A smaller boon than this I cannot beg
And less than this, I am sure, you cannot give.
ROMEO
[Aside to ALFRED] Beest these the folk that Arthur seeks?
ALFRED
Nay, twas two men, not one and two of the fairer sex.
ROMEO
Two? I see but one lady.
ALFRED
Art thou blind? Forsooth, the slight one
in pantaloons beest a maiden.
ROMEO
Why, tis true! Tis as laughable as a pig with wings.
Thou wilt nev'r see mine fair Juliet debase her
honor in such an unladylike fashion.
ALFRED
[Aside] How now more than ever
I miss mine own world.
SILVIA
O miserable, unhappy that I am!
PROTEUS
Unhappy were you, madam, ere I came;
But by my coming I have made you happy.
SILVIA
By thy approach thou makest me most unhappy.
JULIA
[Aside] And me, when he approacheth to your presence.
SILVIA
Had I been seized by a hungry lion,
I would have been a breakfast to the beast,
Rather than have false Proteus rescue me.
O, Heaven be judge how I love Valentine,
Whose life's as tender to me as my soul!
And full as much, for more there cannot be,
I do detest false perjured Proteus.
Therefore be gone; solicit me no more.
PROTEUS
What dangerous action, stood it next to death,
Would I not undergo for one calm look!
O, 'tis the curse in love, and still approved,
When women cannot love where they're beloved!
SILVIA
When Proteus cannot love where he's beloved.
Read over Julia's heart, thy first best love,
For whose dear sake thou didst then rend thy faith
Into a thousand oaths; and all those oaths
Descended into perjury, to love me.
Thou hast no faith left now, unless thou'dst two;
And that's far worse than none; better have none
Than plural faith which is too much by one:
Thou counterfeit to thy true friend!
PROTEUS
In love
Who respects friend?
SILVIA
All men but Proteus.
PROTEUS
Nay, if the gentle spirit of moving words
Can no way change you to a milder form,
I'll woo you like a soldier, at arms' end,
And love you 'gainst the nature of love,-force ye.
SILVIA
O heaven!
PROTEUS
I'll force thee yield to my desire.
ALFRED
Ruffian, let go that rude uncivil touch!
ROMEO
Thou art friend of an ill fashion!
ALFRED
[Aside to ROMEO] That is thy woe?
Not that he was about to commit
a violent act against a lady?
ROMEO
But of course, that too. Yet this
fiend commits a sin most treacherous
to seek the love of his close cousin.
SILVIA
Clearly, a cousin not so close.
PROTEUS
Thee knaves has't no business
interfering in mine love. Have at thee!
They fight. ROMEO stabs PROTEUS in the stomach. PROTEUS falls.
JULIA
No! Proteus, my love. No!
PROTEUS
How! Julia!
JULIA
Behold her that gave aim to all thy oaths,
And entertain'd 'em deeply in her heart.
How oft hast thou with perjury cleft the root!
O Proteus, let this habit make thee blush!
Be thou ashamed that I have took upon me
Such an immodest raiment, if shame live
In a disguise of love:
It is the lesser blot, modesty finds,
Women to change their shapes than men their minds.
PROTEUS
Than men their minds! 'tis true.
O heaven! were man
But constant, he were perfect. That one error
Fills him with faults; makes him run through all the sins:
Inconstancy falls off ere it begins.
What is in Silvia's face, but I may spy
More fresh in Julia's with a constant eye?
ALFRED
Hold. Didst that fellow not recognize his first love?
Is his mind feeble or his soul?
ROMEO
How is one to telleth when the lady wears such a habit?
ALFRED
That should not maketh the difference!
PROTEUS
Julia, I feel my time draw near.
Lay thy hand upon mine and
give me comfort undeserv'd.
Silvia, sweet lady, forgive me
my trespasses and take mine
dearest Julia under thy wing.
SILVIA
I shalt.
JULIA
Oh, Proteus!
PROTEUS dies.
ALFRED
I doth bethink not such events wast to befall this play.
Enter ARTHUR and JULIET.
ARTHUR
We has't escaped the outlaws, so there beest no need to find-
What in God's name hath happened? Whose still form lies thither?
ROMEO
A cousin, a lover inconstant, Proteus.
Sweet Juliet, may I beest struck down
ere I forget the love I has't for thee.
ARTHUR
What? What!
ALFRED
Twas not I.
ARTHUR
Fie, no, no! Ominous enough that dead men shalt walk, but thou turn comedy to tragedy!
ALFRED
If 't be true tis a comedy, tis not a very good one.
SILVIA
How now, gentlemen. I wilt thank thee for thy appearance.
However, now we art alone, lost in the woods without escort.
May we entreat upon thee further to aid us in our plight?
ROMEO
Of course, sweet nymphs.
't would beest unmanly to leaveth thee so.
ARTHUR
And now we collect players like strays.
ROMEO
Travel with us to Padua, thereupon thou shalt find safe passage to thy journey's end.
Exit ROMEO, JULIET, SILVIA and JULIA.
ALFRED
There's few or none will entertain a thought to Valentine?
Whatever came of the gentleman of Verona?
ARTHUR
I knoweth not, but I fear the answer wilt chill me to my marrow.
Cometh dear boy. At least we still has't each other.
Exeunt.