Imatges de pàgina
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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;
Though my revenges were high bent upon him,
And watch'd the time to shoot.
Laf.
This I must say,-
But first I beg my pardon,-The young lord
Did to his majesty, his mother, and his lady,
Offence of mighty note; but to himself
The greatest wrong of all he lost a wife
Whose beauty did astonish the survey

Of richest eyes whose words all ears took captive;
Whose dear perfection hearts that scorn'd to serve
Humbly call'd mistress.

king.

Praising what is lost,

Makes the remembrance dear.-Well, call him

hither;

We are reconcil'd, and the first view shall kill
All repetition :-Let him not ask our pardon;
The nature of his great offence is dead,
And deeper than oblivion we do bury
The incensing relics of it: let him approach,
A stranger, no offender; and inform him
So 't is our will he should.

Gent.
I shall, my liege. [Exit.
King. What says he to your daughter? have you
spoke?

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.

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My high-repented blames, Dear sovereign, pardon to me. King.

All is whole;

Not one word more of the consumed time.
Let's take the instant by the forward top;
For we are old, and on our quick'st decrees
The inaudible and noiseless foot of time
Steals ere we can effect them: You remember
The daughter of this lord?

Ber. Admiringly, my liege: at first

I stuck my choice upon her, ere my heart
Durst make too bold a herald of my tongue :
Where the impression of mine eye infixing,
Contempt his scornful perspective did lend me
Which warped the line of every other favour;
Scorn'd a fair colour, or express'd it stol'n ;
Extended or contracted all proportions,
To a most hideous object : Thence it came,
That she, whom all men prais'd, and whom myself
Since I have lost have lov'd, was in mine eye
The dust that did offend it. King. Well excus'd:
That thou didst love her strikes some scores away
From the great compt: But love that comes too late,
Like a remorseful pardon slowly carried,
To the great sender turns a sour offence,
Crying, That's good that's gone: our rash faults
Make trivial price of serious things we have,
Not knowing them, until we know their grave:
Oft our displeasures, to ourselves unjust,
Destroy our friends, and after weep their dust:
Our own love waking cries to see what's done,
While shameful hate sleeps out the afternoon.
Be this sweet Helen's knell, and now forget her.
Send forth your amorous token for fair Maudlin :
The main consents are had; and here we 'll stay
To see our widower's second marriage-day.

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 have seen her wear it; and she reckon'd it
At her life's rate.
Laf.
Ber. You are deceiv'd, my lord, she never saw it :
In Florence was it from a casement thrown me,
Wrapp'd in a paper, which contain❜d the name
Of her that threw it: noble she was, and thought
I stood ingag'd: but when I had subscrib'd

I am sure I saw her wear it.

To mine own fortune, and inform'd her fully,
I could not answer in that course of honour
As she had made the overture, she ceas'd,
In heavy satisfaction, and would never
Receive the ring again. King. Plutus himself,
That knows the tinct and multiplying medicine,
Hath not in nature's mystery more science,
Than I have in this ring: 't was mine, 't was
Whoever gave it you: Then, if you know [Helen's,
That you are well acquainted with yourself,
Confess 't was hers, and by what rough enforcement
You got it from her: she call'd the saints to surety,
That she would never put it from her finger,
Unless she gave it to yourself in bed,
(Where you have never come,) or sent it us
Upon her great disaster. Ber. She never saw it.
King. Thou speak'st it falsely, as I love mine
honour;

And mak'st conjectural fears to come into me,
Which I would fain shut out: If it should prove
That thou art so inhuman,-'t will not prove so ;-
And yet I know not :-thou didst hate her deadly,
And she is dead; which nothing, but to close
Her eyes myself, could win me to believe,
More than to see this ring.-Take him away.
[Guards seize Bertram.
My fore-past proofs, howe'er the matter fall,
Shall tax my fears of little vanity,
Having vainly fear'd too little.-Away with him ;—
We'll sift this matter further.
Ber.
If you shall prove
This ring was ever hers, you shall as easy
Prove that I husbanded her bed in Florence,
Where yet she never was. [Ex. Ber., guarded.

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.]

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And that you fly them as you swear them lordship,
Yet you desire to marry.-What woman's that?
Re-enter the Astringer, with Widow, and Diana.
Dia. I am, my lord, a wretched Florentine,
Derived from the ancient Capulet;
My suit, as I do understand, you know,
And therefore know how far I may be pitied.

Wid. I am her mother, sir, whose age and honour
Both suffer under this complaint we bring,
And both shall cease, without your remedy.

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

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Ask him upon his oath, if he does think

He had not my virginity.

King. What say'st thou to her?
Ber.

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.

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As all impediments in fancy's course
Are motives of more fancy; and, in fine,
Her insuit coming with her modern grace,
Subdued me to her rate: she got the ring;
And I had that which any inferior might
At market-price have bought.

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?
King. How, I pray you?

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.

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"T is but the shadow of a wife you see,
The name, and not the thing.
Ber.
Both, both; O, pardon !
Hel. O, my good lord, when I was like this maid,
I found you wond'rous kind. There is your ring,
And, look you, here's your letter: This it says,
'When from my finger you can get this ring,
And are by me with child,' &c.-This is done :
Will you be mine, now you are doubly won?
Ber. If she, my liege, can make me know this
I'll love her dearly, ever, ever dearly. [clearly,
Hel. If it appear not plain, and prove untrue,
Deadly divorce step between me and you !—
O, my dear mother, do I see you living?

I'll never tell you.

King. Take her away.
Dia.
I'll put in bail, my liege.
King. I think thee now some common customer.
Dia. By Jove, if ever I knew man, 't was you.
King. Wherefore hast thou accus'd him all this

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,
And he shall surety me. But for this lord,
Who hath abus'd me, as he knows himself,
Though yet he never harm'd me, here I quit him:
He knows himself my bed he hath defil'd;
And at that time he got his wife with child :
Dead though she be, she feels her young one kick ;
So there's my riddle, One, that's dead, is quick;
And now behold the meaning.

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 :
All is well ended, if this suit be won,
That you express content; which we will pay,
With strife to please you, day exceeding day :
Ours be your patience then, and yours our parts;
Your gentle hands lend us, and take our hearts.

[Exeunt.

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