Shakespeare Portal

Act 4, Scene 1

A forest between Milan and Verona.

  1. [Enter certain OUTLAWS.]
  2. First Outlaw
  3. 1472 Fellows, stand fast; I see a passenger.
  4. Second Outlaw
  5. 1473 If there be ten, shrink not, but down with 'em.
  6. [Enter VALENTINE and SPEED.]
  7. Third Outlaw
  8. 1474 Stand, sir, and throw us that you have about ye;
  9. 1475 If not, we'll make you sit, and rifle you.
  10. Speed
  11. 1476 Sir, we are undone: these are the villains
  12. 1477 That all the travellers do fear so much.
  13. Valentine
  14. 1478 My friends,—
  15. First Outlaw
  16. 1479 That's not so, sir; we are your enemies.
  17. Second Outlaw
  18. 1480 Peace! we'll hear him.
  19. Third Outlaw
  20. 1481 Ay, by my beard, will we, for he is a proper man.
  21. Valentine
  22. 1482 Then know that I have little wealth to lose;
  23. 1483 A man I am cross'd with adversity;
  24. 1484 My riches are these poor habiliments,
  25. 1485 Of which if you should here disfurnish me,
  26. 1486 You take the sum and substance that I have.
  27. Second Outlaw
  28. 1487 Whither travel you?
  29. Valentine
  30. 1488 To Verona.
  31. First Outlaw
  32. 1489 Whence came you?
  33. Valentine
  34. 1490 From Milan.
  35. Third Outlaw
  36. 1491 Have you long sojourn'd there?
  37. Valentine
  38. 1492 Some sixteen months, and longer might have stay'd,
  39. 1493 If crooked fortune had not thwarted me.
  40. First Outlaw
  41. 1494 What! were you banish'd thence?
  42. Valentine
  43. 1495 I was.
  44. Second Outlaw
  45. 1496 For what offence?
  46. Valentine
  47. 1497 For that which now torments me to rehearse:
  48. 1498 I kill'd a man, whose death I much repent;
  49. 1499 But yet I slew him manfully in fight,
  50. 1500 Without false vantage or base treachery.
  51. First Outlaw
  52. 1501 Why, ne'er repent it, if it were done so.
  53. 1502 But were you banish'd for so small a fault?
  54. Valentine
  55. 1503 I was, and held me glad of such a doom.
  56. Second Outlaw
  57. 1504 Have you the tongues?
  58. Valentine
  59. 1505 My youthful travel therein made me happy,
  60. 1506 Or else I often had been miserable.
  61. Third Outlaw
  62. 1507 By the bare scalp of Robin Hood's fat friar,
  63. 1508 This fellow were a king for our wild faction!
  64. First Outlaw
  65. 1509 We'll have him: Sirs, a word.
  66. Speed
  67. 1510 Master, be one of them; it's an honourable kind of thievery.
  68. Valentine
  69. 1511 Peace, villain!
  70. Second Outlaw
  71. 1512 Tell us this: have you anything to take to?
  72. Valentine
  73. 1513 Nothing but my fortune.
  74. Third Outlaw
  75. 1514 Know, then, that some of us are gentlemen,
  76. 1515 Such as the fury of ungovern'd youth
  77. 1516 Thrust from the company of awful men:
  78. 1517 Myself was from Verona banished
  79. 1518 For practising to steal away a lady,
  80. 1519 An heir, and near allied unto the duke.
  81. Second Outlaw
  82. 1520 And I from Mantua, for a gentleman
  83. 1521 Who, in my mood, I stabb'd unto the heart.
  84. First Outlaw
  85. 1522 And I for such-like petty crimes as these.
  86. 1523 But to the purpose; for we cite our faults,
  87. 1524 That they may hold excus'd our lawless lives;
  88. 1525 And, partly, seeing you are beautified
  89. 1526 With goodly shape, and by your own report
  90. 1527 A linguist, and a man of such perfection
  91. 1528 As we do in our quality much want—
  92. Second Outlaw
  93. 1529 Indeed, because you are a banish'd man,
  94. 1530 Therefore, above the rest, we parley to you.
  95. 1531 Are you content to be our general?
  96. 1532 To make a virtue of necessity
  97. 1533 And live as we do in this wilderness?
  98. Third Outlaw
  99. 1534 What say'st thou? Wilt thou be of our consort?
  100. 1535 Say 'ay' and be the captain of us all:
  101. 1536 We'll do thee homage, and be rul'd by thee,
  102. 1537 Love thee as our commander and our king.
  103. First Outlaw
  104. 1538 But if thou scorn our courtesy thou diest.
  105. Second Outlaw
  106. 1539 Thou shalt not live to brag what we have offer'd.
  107. Valentine
  108. 1540 I take your offer, and will live with you,
  109. 1541 Provided that you do no outrages
  110. 1542 On silly women or poor passengers.
  111. Third Outlaw
  112. 1543 No, we detest such vile base practices.
  113. 1544 Come, go with us; we'll bring thee to our crews,
  114. 1545 And show thee all the treasure we have got;
  115. 1546 Which, with ourselves, all rest at thy dispose.
  116. [Exeunt.]