SCENE I. _The frontiers of Mantua. A forest.

_Enter certain _Outlaws_._

_First Out._ Fellows, stand fast; I see a passenger.

_Sec. Out._ If there be ten, shrink not, but down with 'em.

_Enter VALENTINE and SPEED._

_Third Out._ Stand, sir, and throw us that you have about ye: If not, we'll make you sit, and rifle you.

_Speed._ Sir, we are undone; these are the villains 5 That all the travellers do fear so much.

_Val._ My friends,--

_First Out._ That's not so, sir: we are your enemies.

_Sec. Out._ Peace! we'll hear him.

_Third Out._ Ay, by my beard, will we, for he's a proper man. 10

_Val._ Then know that I have little wealth to lose: A man I am cross'd with adversity; My riches are these poor habiliments, Of which if you should here disfurnish me, You take the sum and substance that I have. 15

_Sec. Out._ Whither travel you?

_Val._ To Verona.

_First Out._ Whence came you?

_Val._ From Milan.

_Third Out._ Have you long sojourned there? 20

_Val._ Some sixteen months, and longer might have stay'd, If crooked fortune had not thwarted me.

_First Out._ What, were you banish'd thence?

_Val._ I was.

_Sec. Out._ For what offence? 25

_Val._ For that which now torments me to rehearse: I kill'd a man, whose death I much repent; But yet I slew him manfully in fight, Without false vantage or base treachery.

_First Out._ Why, ne'er repent it, if it were done so. 30 But were you banish'd for so small a fault?

_Val._ I was, and held me glad of such a doom.

_Sec. Out._ Have you the tongues?

_Val._ My youthful travel therein made me happy, Or else I often had been miserable. 35

_Third Out._ By the bare scalp of Robin Hood's fat friar, This fellow were a king for our wild faction!

_First Out._ We'll have him. Sirs, a word.

_Speed._ Master, be one of them; it's an honourable kind of thievery. 40

_Val._ Peace, villain!

_Sec. Out._ Tell us this: have you any thing to take to?

_Val._ Nothing but my fortune.

_Third Out._ Know, then, that some of us are gentlemen, Such as the fury of ungovern'd youth 45 Thrust from the company of awful men: Myself was from Verona banished For practising to steal away a lady, An heir, and near allied unto the duke.

_Sec. Out._ And I from Mantua, for a gentleman, 50 Who, in my mood, I stabb'd unto the heart.

_First Out._ And I for such like petty crimes as these. But to the purpose,--for we cite our faults, That they may hold excused our lawless lives; And partly, seeing you are beautified 55 With goodly shape, and by your own report A linguist, and a man of such perfection As we do in our quality much want,--

_Sec. Out._ Indeed, because you are a banish'd man, Therefore, above the rest, we parley to you: 60 Are you content to be our general? To make a virtue of necessity, And live, as we do, in this wilderness?

_Third Out._ What say'st thou? wilt thou be of our consort? Say ay, and be the captain of us all: 65 We'll do thee homage and be ruled by thee, Love thee as our commander and our king.

_First Out._ But if thou scorn our courtesy, thou diest.

_Sec. Out._ Thou shalt not live to brag what we have offer'd.

_Val._ I take your offer, and will live with you, 70 Provided that you do no outrages On silly women or poor passengers.

_Third Out._ No, we detest such vile base practices. Come, go with us, we'll bring thee to our crews, And show thee all the treasure we have got; 75 Which, with ourselves, all rest at thy dispose. [_Exeunt._

Notes: IV, 1.