All's Well That Ends Well (5 page)

PAGE
    Monsieur Parolles, my lord calls for you.

PAROLLES
    Little Helen, farewell. If I can remember thee, I will

think of thee at court.

HELEN
    Monsieur Parolles, you were born under a charitable star.

PAROLLES
    Under
Mars
,
ay.
¹⁸⁰

HELEN
    I especially think, under Mars.

PAROLLES
    Why under Mars?

HELEN
    The wars hath so kept you
under
¹⁸³
that you must

needs be born under Mars.

PAROLLES
    When he was
predominant.
¹⁸⁵

HELEN
    When he was
retrograde
¹⁸⁶
, I think rather.

PAROLLES
    Why think you so?

HELEN
    You go so much
backward
¹⁸⁸
when you fight.

PAROLLES
    That's for
advantage.
¹⁸⁹

HELEN
    So is running away, when fear proposes the safety.

But the
composition
¹⁹¹
that your valour and fear makes in you

is a virtue of a good
wing
, and I like the
wear
¹⁹²
well.

PAROLLES
    I am so full of businesses, I cannot answer thee

acutely. I will return
perfect
courtier
in the which
¹⁹⁴
, my

instruction shall serve to
naturalize
¹⁹⁵
thee, so thou wilt

be
capable of
¹⁹⁶
a courtier's counsel and understand what

advice shall
thrust
¹⁹⁷
upon thee. Else thou diest in thine

unthankfulness, and thine ignorance
makes thee away.
¹⁹⁸

Farewell. When thou hast
leisure
¹⁹⁹
, say thy prayers. When

thou hast none, remember thy friends. Get thee a good

husband, and
use
²⁰¹
him as he uses thee. So, farewell.

HELEN
    Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie,

Which we ascribe to heaven. The
fated
²⁰³
sky

Gives us free scope, only doth backward pull

Our slow
designs
when we ourselves are
dull.
²⁰⁵

What power is it which mounts my love so high,

That makes me see, and cannot
feed
²⁰⁷
mine eye?

The
mightiest
space in fortune
²⁰⁸
nature brings

To join
like likes
and kiss like
native
²⁰⁹
things.

Impossible be
strange attempts
²¹⁰
to those

That
weigh their pains in sense
²¹¹
and do suppose

What hath been cannot be. Who ever strove

To show her merit that did
miss
²¹³
her love?

The king's disease — my project may deceive me,

But my intents are fixed and will not leave me.

Exit

KING
    The
Florentines
and
Senoys
are
by th'ears
¹
,

Have fought with equal fortune and continue

A
braving
³
war.

FIRST LORD
    So 'tis reported, sir.

KING
    Nay, 'tis most credible. We here receive it

A certainty, vouched from our
cousin
⁶
Austria,

With caution that the Florentine will
move
⁷
us

For speedy aid, wherein our
dearest friend
⁸

Prejudicates
⁹
the business and would seem

To have us
make denial.
¹⁰

FIRST LORD
    His love and wisdom,

Approved
¹²
so to your majesty, may plead

For amplest
credence.
¹³

KING
    He hath
armed
¹⁴
our answer,

And
Florence
¹⁵
is denied before he comes:

Yet,
for
our gentlemen that mean to
see
¹⁶

The Tuscan
service
¹⁷
, freely have they leave

To
stand
on either
part.
¹⁸

SECOND LORD
    It well may serve

A
nursery
to our gentry, who are
sick
²⁰

For
breathing and exploit.
²¹

KING
    What's he comes here?

FIRST LORD
    It is the Count Rossillion, my good lord,

Young Bertram.

KING
    Youth, thou bear'st thy father's face.

Frank
nature,
rather curious than in haste
²⁶
,

Hath well composed thee. Thy father's moral
parts
²⁷

Mayst thou inherit too! Welcome to Paris.

BERTRAM
    My thanks and duty are your majesty's.

KING
    I would I had that
corporal soundness
³⁰
now,

As when thy father and myself in friendship

First
tried
our soldiership. He
did look far
³²

Into the service of the time and
was
³³

Discipled of the
bravest.
³⁴
He lasted long,

But on us both did
haggish
³⁵
age steal on

And wore us
out of act.
It much
repairs
³⁶
me

To talk of your good father; in his youth

He had the wit which I can well observe

Today in our young lords. But they may jest

Till their own
scorn
return to them unnoted
⁴⁰

Ere
they can hide their
levity in honour.
⁴¹

So like a courtier,
contempt
⁴²
nor bitterness

Were in his pride or sharpness; if they were,

His
equal
had
awaked
⁴⁴
them, and his honour,

Clock to itself
, knew the
true
⁴⁵
minute when

Exception
⁴⁶
bid him speak, and at this time

His tongue obeyed his
hand.
Who
⁴⁷
were below him

He
used
as creatures of
another place
⁴⁸

And bowed his eminent
top
⁴⁹
to their low ranks,

Making them proud of his humility,

In their poor praise he
humbled.
⁵¹
Such a man

Might be a
copy
⁵²
to these younger times;

Which, followed well, would demonstrate
them now
⁵³

But goers backward.

BERTRAM
    His good remembrance, sir,

Lies richer in your thoughts than on his tomb,

So in
approof
⁵⁷
lives not his epitaph

As in your royal speech.

KING
    Would I were with him! He would always say —

Methinks I hear him now. His
plausive
⁶⁰
words

He
scattered not
in ears, but
grafted
⁶¹
them,

To grow there and to
bear
⁶²
— ‘Let me not live' —

This his good melancholy oft began

On the catastrophe and heel
of
pastime
⁶⁴
,

When it was
out
⁶⁵
— ‘Let me not live,' quoth he,

‘After my flame lacks oil, to be the
snuff
⁶⁶

Of younger spirits, whose
apprehensive
⁶⁷
senses

All but new things disdain; whose judgements are

Mere fathers of their garments
, whose
constancies
⁶⁹

Expire before their fashions.' This he wished.

I, after him, do after him wish too
⁷¹
,

Since I
nor
⁷²
wax nor honey can bring home,

I quickly
were
dissolvèd
⁷³
from my hive

To give some
labourers
⁷⁴
room.

SECOND LORD
    You're loved, sir.

They that least
lend
it
you shall
lack
⁷⁶
you first.

KING
    I fill a place, I know't. How long is't, count,

Since the physician at your father's died?

He was much famed.

BERTRAM
    Some six months since, my lord.

KING
    If he were living, I would try him yet.

Lend me an arm:
the rest
⁸²
have worn me out

With
several
applications.
⁸³
Nature and sickness

Debate
it
⁸⁴
at their leisure. Welcome, count.

My son's no dearer.

BERTRAM
    Thank your majesty.

COUNTESS
    I will now hear; what say you of this
gentlewoman?
¹

REYNALDO
    Madam, the care I have had to
even your content
²
, I

wish might be found in the
calendar
³
of my past endeavours,

for then we wound our modesty, and make foul the
clearness
⁴

of our
deservings
⁵
, when of ourselves we publish them.

COUNTESS
    What does this knave here? Get you gone,
sirrah.
⁶

The complaints I have heard of you I do not all believe. 'Tis

my slowness that I do not, for I know you lack not folly to

commit them, and have ability enough to make such

knaveries yours.

LAVATCH
    'Tis not unknown to you, madam, I am a
poor
¹¹
fellow.

COUNTESS
    
Well
¹²
, sir.

LAVATCH
    No, madam, 'tis not so well that I am poor, though

many of the rich are damned. But if I may have your

ladyship's good will to
go to the world
,
Isbel
the
woman
¹⁵
and

I will
do
¹⁶
as we may.

COUNTESS
    Wilt thou
needs
¹⁷
be a beggar?

LAVATCH
    I do beg your good will in this case.

COUNTESS
    In what case?

LAVATCH
    In Isbel's
case
and mine own.
Service
is no
heritage
²⁰
:

and I think I shall never have the blessing of God till I have

issue o'my body
, for they say
bairns
²²
are blessings.

COUNTESS
    Tell me thy reason why thou wilt marry.

LAVATCH
    My poor body, madam, requires it. I am driven on by

the flesh, and he must needs
go
²⁵
that the devil drives.

COUNTESS
    Is this all
your worship's
²⁶
reason?

LAVATCH
    Faith, madam, I have other
holy
²⁷
reasons, such as

they are.

COUNTESS
    May the
world
²⁹
know them?

LAVATCH
    I have been, madam, a wicked creature, as you and

all flesh and blood are, and indeed I do marry that I may

repent.
³²

COUNTESS
    Thy marriage, sooner than thy wickedness.

LAVATCH
    I am out o' friends, madam, and I hope to have

friends
for my wife's sake.
³⁵

COUNTESS
    Such friends are thine enemies, knave.

LAVATCH
    You're
shallow
, madam,
in
³⁷
great friends, for the

knaves come to
do
³⁸
that for me which I am aweary of. He that

ears
my
land
spares my team
and
gives me leave
to
in
³⁹
the

crop.
If I be his
cuckold
, he's my
drudge
; he that
comforts
⁴⁰
my

wife is the
cherisher
⁴¹
of my flesh and blood; he that cherishes

my flesh and blood loves my flesh and blood; he that loves my

flesh and blood is my friend:
ergo
⁴³
, he that kisses my wife is my

friend. If men could be contented to be
what they are
⁴⁴
, there

were no fear in marriage, for young
Charbon the Puritan
⁴⁵

and old
Poysam the Papist
,
howsome'er
⁴⁶
their hearts are

severed in religion, their heads are
both one.
They may
jowl
⁴⁷

horns together, like any deer i'th'herd.

COUNTESS
    Wilt thou
ever
be a foul-mouthed and
calumnious
⁴⁹

knave?

LAVATCH
    A prophet I, madam, and I speak the truth the

next
⁵²
way.