Par. I beseech your honour to hear me one single Laf. You beg a single penny more: come, you shall ha 't; save your word. Par. My name, my good lord, is Parolles. Laf. You beg more than word then.-Cox' my passion! give me your hand: How does your drum? Par. O my good lord, you were the first that found me. [thee. Laf. Was I, in sooth ? and I was the first that lost Par. It lies in you, my lord, to bring me in some race, for you did bring me out. Laf. Out upon thee, knave! dost thou put upon me at once both the office of God and the devil? one brings thee in grace, and the other brings thee out. [Trumpets sound.] The king's coming, I know by his trumpets.-Sirrah, inquire further after me; I had talk of you last night: though you are a fool and a knave, you shall eat; go to, follow. Par. I praise God for you. [Exeunt. SCENE III.-The same. A Room in the Countess's Palace. Flourish. Enter King, Countess, Lafeu, Lords, Gentlemen, Guards, &c. King. We lost a jewel of her; and our esteem Was made much poorer by it: but your son, As mad in folly, lack'd the sense to know Her estimation home. Count. 'T is past, my liege : And I beseech your majesty to make it Natural rebellion, done i' the blaze of youth; When oil and fire, too strong for reason's force, O'erbears it, and burns on. King My honour'd lady, I have forgiven and forgotten all; Of richest eyes whose words all ears took captive; king. Praising what is lost, Makes the remembrance dear.-Well, call him hither; We are reconcil'd, and the first view shall kill Gent. Laf. All that he is hath reference to your highness. King. Then shall we have a match. I have letters sent me That set him high in fame. My high-repented blames, Dear sovereign, pardon to me. King. All is whole; Not one word more of the consumed time. Ber. Admiringly, my liege: at first I stuck my choice upon her, ere my heart Count. Which better than the first, O dear heaven, Or, ere they meet in me, O nature cesse. [bless! Laf. Come on, my son, in whom my house's name Must be digested, give a favour from you, To sparkle in the spirits of my daughter, That she may quickly come.-By my old beard, And every hair that's on 't, Helen, that's dead, Was a sweet creature; such a ring as this, The last that ere I took her leave at court, I saw upon her finger. Ber. Hers it was not. King. Now, pray you, let me see it; for mine eye, While I was speaking, oft was fasten'd to it.This ring was mine; and, when I gave it Helen, I bade her, if her fortunes ever stood Necessitied to help, that by this token I would relieve her: Had you that craft, to reave Of what should stead her most? Ber. [her My gracious sovereign, Howe'er it pleases you to take it so, The ring was never hers. Count. Son, on my life, I am sure I saw her wear it. To mine own fortune, and inform'd her fully, And mak'st conjectural fears to come into me, Enter the Astringer. King. I am wrapp'd in dismal thinkings. Ast. Gracious sovereign, Whether I have been to blame, or no, I know not; Here's a petition from a Florentine, Who hath, for four or five removes, come short To tender it herself. I undertook it, Vanquish'd thereto by the fair grace and speech Of the poor suppliant, who, by this, I know Is here attending: her business looks in her With an importing visage; and she told me, In a sweet verbal brief, it did concern Your highness with herself. King. [Reads.] And that you fly them as you swear them lordship, Wid. I am her mother, sir, whose age and honour King. Come hither, count: Do you know these women? Ber. My lord, I neither can nor will deny But that I know them: Do they charge me further? Dia. Why do you look so strange upon your wife? Ber. She's none. of mine, my lord. Dia. If you shall marry, You give away this hand, and that is mine; You give away heaven's vows, and those are mine; You give away myself, which is known mine; For I by vow am so embodied yours, That she which marries you must marry me, Either both or none. Laf. Your reputation [to Bertram] comes too short for my daughter; you are no husband for her. Ber. My lord, this is a fond and desperate creature, Whom sometime I have laugh'd with: let your high Ask him upon his oath, if he does think He had not my virginity. King. What say'st thou to her? She's impudent, my lord; And was a common gamester to the camp. Dia. He does me wrong, my lord; if I were so He might have bought me at a common price : Do not believe him: O, behold this ring, Whose high respect, and rich validity, Did lack a parallel; yet, for all that, He gave it to a commoner o' the camp, If I be one. As all impediments in fancy's course Dia. I must be patient; You, that have turn'd off a first so noble wife, May justly diet me. I pray you yet, (Since you lack virtue I will lose a husband,) Send for your ring, I will return it home, And give me mine again. Ber. I have it not. King. What ring was yours, I pray you? Dia. Sir, much like the same upon your finger. King. Know you this ring? this ring was his of late. Dia. And this was it I gave him, being a-bed. King. The story then goes false, you threw it him Out of a casement. Dia. I have spoke the truth. Enter Parolles. Ber. My lord, I do confess the ring was hers. King. You boggle shrewdly, every feather starts Is this the man you speak of? [you.Dia. Ay, my lord. King. Tell me, sirrah, but tell me true, I charge Not fearing the displeasure of your master, [you, (Which, on your just proceeding I'll keep off,) By him, and by this woman here, what know you? Par. So please your majesty, my master hath been an honourable gentleman; tricks he hath had in him which gentlemen have. King. Come, come, to the purpose: Did he love this woman? Par. 'Faith, sir, he did love her: But how? Par. He did love her, sir, as a gentleman loves a woman. King. How is that? :-What Par. He loved her, sir, and loved her not. King. As thou art a knave, and no knave :an equivocal companion is this! Par. I am a poor man, and at your majesty's command. [orator. Laf. He's a good drum, my lord, but a naughty Dia. Do you know he promised me marriage? Par. 'Faith, I know more than I'll speak. King. But wilt thou not speak all thou know'st? Par. Yes, so please your majesty : I did go between them, as I said; but more than that, he loved her, for, indeed, he was mad for her, and talked of Satan, and of limbo, and of furies, and I know not what yet I was in that credit with them at that time, that I knew of their going to bed; and of other motions, as promising her marriage, and things which would derive me ill will to speak of, therefore I will not speak what I know. King. Thou hast spoken all already, unless thou canst say they are married: But thou art too fine in thy evidence; therefore stand aside.-This ring, you say, was yours? Dia. Ay, my good lord. King. Where did you buy it? or who gave it you? Dia. It was not given me, nor I did not buy it. King. Who lent it you? Dia. It was not lent me neither. King. Where did you find it then? Dia. I found it not. King. If it were yours by none of all these ways, How could you give it him? Dia. I never gave it him. "T is but the shadow of a wife you see, I'll never tell you. King. Take her away. while? Dia. Because he's guilty, and he is not guilty : He knows I am no maid, and he'll swear to 't: I'll swear I am a maid, and he knows not. Great king, I am no strumpet, by my life; I am either maid, or else this old man's wife. [Pointing to Lafeu. King. She does abuse our ears; to prison with her! Dia. Good mother, fetch my bail.-Stay, royal sir; [Exit Widow. The jeweller that owes the ring is sent for, Re-enter Widow, with Helena. King. Is there no exorcist Beguiles the truer office of mine eyes? Is 't real that I see? Hel. No, my good lord; Laf. Mine eyes smell onions, I shall weep anon :-Good Tom Drum, [to Parolles] lend me a handkerchief: So, I thank thee; wait on me home, I'll make sport with thee: Let thy courtesies alone, they are scurvy ones. King. Let us from point to point this story know, To make the even truth in pleasure flow :If thou be'st yet a fresh uncropped flower, [To Diana. Choose thou thy husband, and I'll pay thy dower; For I can guess, that, by thy honest aid, Thou kept'st a wife herself, thyself a maid.Of that and all the progress, more and less, Resolvedly more leisure shall express : All yet seems well; and, if it end so meet, The bitter past, more welcome is the sweet. [Flourish. (Advancing.) The king's a beggar, now the play is done : [Exeunt. |