ty this
lovely lady, who was so sadly forsaken by the man she loved; and
when Julia offered her the ring which Protheus had sent, refused it,
saying, "The more shame for him that he sends me that ring; I will not
take it, for I have often heard him say his Julia gave it to him. I
love thee, gentle youth, for pitying her, poor lady! Here is a purse;
I give it you for Julia's sake." These comfortable words coming from
her kind rival's tongue cheered the drooping heart of the disguised
lady.

But to return to the banished Valentine; who scarce knew which way
to bend his course, being unwilling to return home to his father a
disgraced and banished man: as he was wandering over a lonely forest,
not far distant from Milan, where he had left his heart's dear
treasure, the lady Silvia, he was set upon by robbers, who demanded
his money.

Valentine told them, that he was a man crossed by adversity, that he
was going into banishment, and that he had no money, the clothes he
had on being all his riches.

The robbers, hearing that he was a distressed man, and being struck
with his noble air and manly behaviour, told him, if he would live
with them, and be their chief, or captain, they would put themselves
under his command: but that if he refused to accept their offer, they
would kill him.

Valentine, who cared little what became of himself, said, he would
consent to live with them and be their captain, provided they did no
outrage on women or poor passengers.

Thus the noble Valentine became, like Robin Hood, of whom we read
in ballads, a captain of robbers and outlawed banditti: and in this
situation he was found by Silvia, and in this manner it came to pass.

Silvia, to avoid a marriage with Thurio, whom her father insisted upon
her no longer refusing, came at last to the resolution of following
Valentine to Mantua, at which place she had heard her lover had taken
refuge; but in this account she was misinformed, for he still lived in
the forest among the robbers, bearing the name of their captain, but
taking no part in their depredations, and using the authority which
they had imposed upon him in no other way, than to compel them to shew
compassion to the travellers they robbed.

Silvia contrived to effect her escape from her father's palace in
company with a worthy old gentleman, whose name was Eglamour, whom
she took along with her for protection on the road. She had to pass
through the forest where Valentine and the