First folio
| Modern text
| Definitions
| Key line
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| Enter Protheus solus. | Enter Proteus | | TG II.vi.1.1 | |
| Pro. | PROTEUS | | | |
| To leaue my Iulia; shall I be forsworne? | To leave my Julia, shall I be forsworn; | forswear (v), past forms forsworn, forswore swear falsely, perjure [oneself], break one's word | TG II.vi.1 | |
| To loue faire Siluia; shall I be forsworne? | To love fair Silvia, shall I be forsworn; | | TG II.vi.2 | |
| To wrong my friend, I shall be much forsworne. | To wrong my friend, I shall be much forsworn. | | TG II.vi.3 | |
| And ev'n that Powre which gaue me first my oath | And e'en that power which gave me first my oath | power (n.)authority, government | TG II.vi.4 | |
| Prouokes me to this three-fold periurie. | Provokes me to this threefold perjury: | | TG II.vi.5 | |
| Loue bad mee sweare, and Loue bids me for-sweare; | Love bade me swear, and Love bids me forswear. | | TG II.vi.6 | |
| O sweet-suggesting Loue, if thou hast sin'd, | O sweet-suggesting Love, if thou hast sinned, | sweet-suggesting (adj.)sweetly tempting, seductive, irresistable | TG II.vi.7 | |
| Teach me (thy tempted subiect) to excuse it. | Teach me, thy tempted subject, to excuse it! | | TG II.vi.8 | |
| At first I did adore a twinkling Starre, | At first I did adore a twinkling star, | | TG II.vi.9 | |
| But now I worship a celestiall Sunne: | But now I worship a celestial sun. | | TG II.vi.10 | |
| Vn-heedfull vowes may heedfully be broken, | Unheedful vows may heedfully be broken; | heedfully (adv.)attentively, carefully, conscientiously | TG II.vi.11 | |
| | unheedful (adj.)careless, heedless, irresponsible | | |
| And he wants wit, that wants resolued will, | And he wants wit that wants resolved will | wit (n.)intelligence, wisdom, good sense, mental ability | TG II.vi.12 | |
| | resolved (adj.)determined, settled, decided | | |
| | want (v.)lack, need, be without | | |
| | will (n.)wilfulness, self-will, determination | | |
| To learne his wit, t' exchange the bad for better; | To learn his wit t' exchange the bad for better. | learn (v.)teach, instruct [not a regional dialect usage as in modern English] | TG II.vi.13 | |
| Fie, fie, vnreuerend tongue, to call her bad, | Fie, fie, unreverend tongue, to call her bad | unreverend (adj.)irreverent, impertinent, impudent | TG II.vi.14 | |
| Whose soueraignty so oft thou hast preferd, | Whose sovereignty so oft thou hast preferred | oft (adv.)often | TG II.vi.15 | |
| | sovereignty (n.)pre-eminence, greatest excellence | | |
| With twenty thousand soule-confirming oathes. | With twenty thousand soul-confirming oaths! | | TG II.vi.16 | |
| I cannot leaue to loue; and yet I doe: | I cannot leave to love, and yet I do; | leave (v.)cease, stop, give up | TG II.vi.17 | |
| But there I leaue to loue, where I should loue. | But there I leave to love where I should love. | | TG II.vi.18 | |
| Iulia I loose, and Valentine I loose, | Julia I lose, and Valentine I lose; | | TG II.vi.19 | |
| If I keepe them, I needs must loose my selfe: | If I keep them, I needs must lose myself; | | TG II.vi.20 | |
| If I loose them, thus finde I by their losse, | If I lose them, thus find I by their loss: | | TG II.vi.21 | |
| For Valentine, my selfe: for Iulia, Siluia. | For Valentine, myself; for Julia, Silvia. | | TG II.vi.22 | |
| I to my selfe am deerer then a friend, | I to myself am dearer than a friend, | | TG II.vi.23 | |
| For Loue is still most precious in it selfe, | For love is still most precious in itself; | still (adv.)constantly, always, continually | TG II.vi.24 | |
| And Siluia (witnesse heauen that made her faire) | And Silvia – witness heaven, that made her fair! – | | TG II.vi.25 | |
| Shewes Iulia but a swarthy Ethiope. | Shows Julia but a swarthy Ethiope. | Ethiop, Ethiope (adj./n.)Ethiopian, African, person with a dark countenance | TG II.vi.26 | |
| I will forget that Iulia is aliue, | I will forget that Julia is alive, | | TG II.vi.27 | |
| Remembring that my Loue to her is dead. | Remembering that my love to her is dead; | | TG II.vi.28 | |
| And Valentine Ile hold an Enemie, | And Valentine I'll hold an enemy, | | TG II.vi.29 | |
| Ayming at Siluia as a sweeter friend. | Aiming at Silvia as a sweeter friend. | friend (n.)lover, sweetheart, suitor | TG II.vi.30 | |
| I cannot now proue constant to my selfe, | I cannot now prove constant to myself | | TG II.vi.31 | |
| Without some treachery vs'd to Valentine. | Without some treachery used to Valentine. | | TG II.vi.32 | |
| This night he meaneth with a Corded-ladder | This night he meaneth with a corded ladder | | TG II.vi.33 | |
| To climbe celestiall Siluia's chamber window, | To climb celestial Silvia's chamber-window, | | TG II.vi.34 | |
| My selfe in counsaile his competitor. | Myself in counsel, his competitor. | competitor (n.)partner, associate, colleague | TG II.vi.35 | |
| Now presently Ile giue her father notice | Now presently I'll give her father notice | presently (adv.)immediately, instantly, at once | TG II.vi.36 | |
| Of their disguising and pretended flight: | Of their disguising and pretended flight, | pretended (adj.)intended, purposed, proposed | TG II.vi.37 | |
| Who (all inrag'd) will banish Valentine: | Who, all enraged, will banish Valentine, | | TG II.vi.38 | |
| For Thurio he intends shall wed his daughter, | For Thurio he intends shall wed his daughter; | | TG II.vi.39 | |
| But Valentine being gon, Ile quickely crosse | But Valentine being gone, I'll quickly cross | cross (v.)prevent, thwart, forestall | TG II.vi.40 | |
| By some slie tricke, blunt Thurio's dull proceeding. | By some sly trick blunt Thurio's dull proceeding. | dull (adj.)obtuse, stupid | TG II.vi.41 | |
| | blunt (adj.)stupid, obtuse, dull-witted | | |
| Loue lend me wings, to make my purpose swift | Love, lend me wings to make my purpose swift, | purpose (n.)intention, aim, plan | TG II.vi.42 | |
| As thou hast lent me wit, to plot this drift. | As thou hast lent me wit to plot this drift! | wit (n.)intelligence, wisdom, good sense, mental ability | TG II.vi.43 | |
| | drift (n.)plan, intention, aim | | |
| Exit. | Exit | | TG II.vi.43 | |