SCENEⅠ Verona．An Open Place
［Enter VALENTINE and PROTEUS．］
VALENTINE Cease to persuade，my loving Proteus；home－keeping youth have ever homely wits．Were＇t not affection chains thy tender days to the sweet glances of thy honour＇d love，I rather would entreat thy company to see the wonders of the world abroad，than，living dully sluggardized at home，wear out thy youth with shapeless idleness．But since thou lovest，love still and thrive therein，even as I would when I to love begin．
PROTEUS Wilt thou be gone？Sweet Valentine，adieu！Think on thy Proteus，when thou haply seest some rare note－worthy object in thy travel；wish me partaker in thy happiness when thou dost meet good hap；and in thy danger，if ever danger do environ thee，commend thy grievance to my holy prayers，for I will be thy beadsman，Valentine．
VALENTINE And on a love－book pray for my success？
PROTEUS Upon some book I love I＇ll pray for thee．
VALENTINE That＇s on some shallow story of deep love，how young leander cross＇d the Hellespont．
PROTEUS That＇s a deep story of a deeper love；for he was more than over shoes in love．
VALENTINE ＇Tis true；for you are over boots in love，and yet you never swum the Hellespont．
PROTEUS Over the boots？Nay，give me not the boots．
VALENTINE No，I will not，for it boots thee not．