William Shakespeare - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

You’re great in fortune.

HELENA.

Take this purse of gold,

And let me buy your friendly help thus far,

Which I will over-pay, and pay again

When I have found it. The count he woos your daughter

Lays down his wanton siege before her beauty,

Resolv’d to carry her: let her in fine, consent,

As we’ll direct her how ‘tis best to bear it,

Now his important blood will naught deny

That she’ll demand: a ring the county wears,

That downward hath succeeded in his house

From son to son, some four or five descents

Since the first father wore it: this ring he holds

In most rich choice; yet, in his idle fire,

To buy his will, it would not seem too dear,

Howe’er repented after.

WIDOW.

Now I see

The bottom of your purpose.

HELENA.

You see it lawful then: it is no more

But that your daughter, ere she seems as won,

Desires this ring; appoints him an encounter;

In fine, delivers me to fill the time,

Herself most chastely absent; after this,

To marry her, I’ll add three thousand crowns

To what is pass’d already.

WIDOW.

I have yielded:

Instruct my daughter how she shall persever,

That time and place, with this deceit so lawful,

May prove coherent. Every night he comes

With musics of all sorts, and songs compos’d

To her unworthiness: it nothing steads us

To chide him from our eaves; for he persists,

As if his life lay on ‘t.

HELENA.

Why, then, tonight

Let us assay our plot; which, if it speed,

Is wicked meaning in a lawful deed,

And lawful meaning in a lawful act;

Where both not sin, and yet a sinful fact:

But let’s about it.

[Exeunt.]

ACT IV.

SCENE 1. Without the Florentine camp.

[Enter first Lord with five or six Soldiers in ambush.]

FIRST LORD. He can come no other way but by this hedge-corner. When you sally upon him, speak what terrible language you will; though you understand it not yourselves, no matter; for we must not seem to understand him, unless some one among us, whom we must produce for an interpreter.

FIRST SOLDIER.

Good captain, let me be the interpreter.

FIRST LORD.

Art not acquainted with him? knows he not thy voice?

FIRST SOLDIER.

No, sir, I warrant you.

FIRST LORD.

But what linsey-woolsey has thou to speak to us again?

FIRST SOLDIER.

E’en such as you speak to me.

FIRST LORD. He must think us some band of strangers i’ the adversary’s entertainment. Now he hath a smack of all neighbouring languages, therefore we must every one be a man of his own fancy; not to know what we speak one to another, so we seem to know, is to know straight our purpose: choughs’ language, gabble enough, and good enough. As for you, interpreter, you must seem very politic. But couch, ho! here he comes; to beguile two hours in a sleep, and then to return and swear the lies he forges.

[Enter PAROLLES.]

PAROLLES. Ten o’clock. Within these three hours ‘twill be time enough to go home. What shall I say I have done? It must be a very plausive invention that carries it ;they begin to smoke me: and disgraces have of late knocked too often at my door. I find my tongue is too foolhardy; but my heart hath the fear of Mars before it, and of his creatures, not daring the reports of my tongue.

FIRST LORD. {Aside.]

This is the first truth that e’er thine own tongue was guilty of.

PAROLLES. What the devil should move me to undertake the recovery of this drum: being not ignorant of the impossibility, and knowing I had no such purpose? I must give myself some hurts, and say I got them in exploit: yet slight ones will not carry it: they will say Came you off with so little? and great ones I dare not give. Wherefore, what’s the instance? Tongue, I must put you into a butter-woman’s mouth, and buy myself another of Bajazet’s mule, if you prattle me into these perils.

FIRST LORD. {Aside.]

Is it possible he should know what he is, and be that he is?

PAROLLES. I would the cutting of my garments would serve the turn, or the breaking of my Spanish sword.

FIRST LORD. {Aside.]

We cannot afford you so.

PAROLLES.

Or the baring of my beard; and to say it was in stratagem.

FIRST LORD. {Aside.]

‘Twould not do.

PAROLLES.

Or to drown my clothes, and say I was stripped.

FIRST LORD. {Aside.]

Hardly serve.

PAROLLES.

Though I swore I leap’d from the window of the citadel,—

FIRST LORD. {Aside.]

How deep?

PAROLLES.

Thirty fathom.

FIRST LORD. {Aside.]

Three great oaths would scarce make that be believed.

PAROLLES. I would I had any drum of the enemy’s; I would swear I recovered it.

FIRST LORD. {Aside.]

You shall hear one anon.

PAROLLES.

A drum now of the enemy’s!

[Alarum within.]

FIRST LORD.

Throca movousus, cargo, cargo, cargo.

ALL.

Cargo, cargo, cargo, villianda par corbo, cargo.

PAROLLES.

O, ransom, ransom! Do not hide mine eyes.

[They seize and blindfold him.]

FIRST SOLDIER.

Boskos thromuldo boskos.

PAROLLES.

I know you are the Muskos’ regiment,

And I shall lose my life for want of language:

If there be here German, or Dane, low Dutch,

Italian, or French, let him speak to me;

I’ll discover that which shall undo the Florentine.

SECOND SOLDIER.

Boskos vauvado:—I understand thee, and can speak thy tongue.

Kerelybonto:—Sir,

Betake thee to thy faith, for seventeen poniards

Are at thy bosom.

PAROLLES. O!

FIRST SOLDIER.

O, pray, pray, pray!—

Manka revania dulche.

FIRST LORD.

Oscorbi dulchos volivorco.

FIRST SOLDIER.

The General is content to spare thee yet;

And, hoodwink’d as thou art, will lead thee on

To gather from thee: haply thou mayst inform

Something to save thy life.

PAROLLES.

O, let me live,

And all the secrets of our camp I’ll show,

Their force, their purposes: nay, I’ll speak that

Which you will wonder at.

FIRST SOLDIER.

But wilt thou faithfully?

PAROLLES.

If I do not, damn me.

FIRST SOLDIER.

Acordo linta.—

Come on; thou art granted space.

[Exit, with PAROLLES guarded.]

FIRST LORD.

Go, tell the Count Rousillon and my brother

We have caught the woodcock, and will keep him muffled

Till we do hear from them.

SECOND SOLDIER.

Captain, I will.

FIRST LORD.

‘A will betray us all unto ourselves;—

Inform ‘em that.

SECOND SOLDIER.

So I will, sir.

FIRST LORD.

Till then I’ll keep him dark, and safely lock’d.

[Exeunt.]

SCENE 2. Florence. A room in the WIDOW’S house.

[Enter BERTRAM and DIANA.]

BERTRAM.

They told me that your name was Fontibell.

DIANA.

No, my good lord, Diana.

BERTRAM.

Titled goddess;

And worth it, with addition! But, fair soul,

In your fine frame hath love no quality?

If the quick fire of youth light not your mind,

You are no maiden, but a monument;

When you are dead, you should be such a one

As you are now, for you are cold and stern;

And now you should be as your mother was

When your sweet self was got.

DIANA.

She then was honest.

BERTRAM.

So should you be.

DIANA.

No:

My mother did but duty; such, my lord,

As you owe to your wife.

BERTRAM.

No more of that!

I pr’ythee, do not strive against my vows:

I was compell’d to her; but I love thee

By love’s own sweet constraint, and will for ever