The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works
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done; damns himself to do, and dares better be damn’d
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than to do’t.
2 LORD You do not know him, my lord, as we do; certain
it is that he will steal himself into a man’s favour and
for a week escape a great deal of discoveries, but when
you find him out you have him ever after.
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BERTRAM Why, do you think he will make no deed at all
of this that so seriously he does address himself unto?
1 LORD None in the world; but return with an invention,
and clap upon you two or three probable lies; but we
have almost emboss’d him; you shall see his fall tonight;
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for indeed he is not for your lordship’s respect.
2 LORD We’ll make you some sport with the fox ere we
case him; he was first smok’d by the old Lord Lafew;
when his disguise and he is parted tell me what a sprat
you shall find him; which you shall see this very night.
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1 LORD I must go look my twigs. He shall be caught.
BERTRAM Your brother, he shall go along with me.
1 LORD As’t please your lordship. I’ll leave you. Exit.
BERTRAM
Now will I lead you to the house and show you
The lass I spoke of.
2 LORD But you say she’s honest.
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BERTRAM
That’s all the fault. I spoke with her but once
And found her wondrous cold, but I sent to her
By this same coxcomb that we have i’th’ wind
Tokens and letters which she did re-send
And this is all I have done. She’s a fair creature;
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Will you go see her?
2 LORD With all my heart, my lord.
Exeunt.
3.7 Enter HELENA and Widow.
HELENA If you misdoubt me that I am not she,
I know not how I shall assure you further
But I shall lose the grounds I work upon.
WIDOW Though my estate be fall’n, I was well born,
Nothing acquainted with these businesses,
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And would not put my reputation now
In any staining act.
HELENA Nor would I wish you.
First give me trust the count he is my husband,
And what to your sworn counsel I have spoken
Is so from word to word; and then you cannot,
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By the good aid that I of you shall borrow,
Err in bestowing it.
WIDOW I should believe you,
For you have show’d me that which well approves
Y’are great in fortune.
HELENA Take this purse of gold,
And let me buy your friendly help thus far,
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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.
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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
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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
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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,
To marry her I’ll add three thousand crowns
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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
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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,
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And lawful meaning in a lawful act,
Where both not sin, and yet a sinful fact.
But let’s about it. Exeunt.
4.1 Enter first French Lord, with five or six other soldiers in ambush.
1 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
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must produce for an interpreter.
1 SOLDIER Good captain, let me be th’interpreter.
1 LORD Art not acquainted with him? Knows he not thy
voice?
1 SOLDIER No sir, I warrant you.
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1 LORD But what linsey-woolsey hast thou to speak to
us again?
1 SOLDIER E’en such as you speak to me.
1 LORD He must think us some band of strangers i’th’
adversary’s entertainment. Now he hath a smack of all
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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
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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 a’clock. Within these three hours ’twill be
time enough to go home. What shall I say I have done?
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It must be a very plausive invention that carries it. They
begin to smoke me, and disgraces have of late knock’d
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.
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1 LORD 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
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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
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another of Bajazeth’s mule if you prattle me into these
perils.
1 LORD Is it possible he should know what he is, and be
that he is?
PAROLLES I would the cutting of my garments would
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serve the turn, or the breaking of my Spanish sword.
1 LORD We cannot afford yo
u so.
PAROLLES Or the baring of my beard, and to say it was
in stratagem.
1 LORD ’Twould not do.
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PAROLLES Or to drown my clothes and say I was
stripp’d.
1 LORD Hardly serve.
PAROLLES Though I swore I leap’d from the window of
the citadel –
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1 LORD How deep?
PAROLLES Thirty fadom.
1 LORD Three great oaths would scarce make that be
believed.
PAROLLES I would I had any drum of the enemy’s; I
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would swear I recover’d it.
1 LORD You shall hear one anon.
PAROLLES A drum now of the enemy’s –
[Alarum within.]
1 LORD Throca movousus, cargo, cargo, cargo.
ALL Cargo, cargo, cargo, villianda par corbo, cargo.
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[They seize him.]
PAROLLES O, ransom, ransom! [They blindfold him.] Do
not hide mine eyes.
1 SOLDIER Boskos thromuldo boskos.
PAROLLES I know you are the Muskos’ regiment,
And I shall lose my life for want of language.
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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.
1 SOLDIER Boskos vauvado. I understand thee, and can
speak thy tongue. Kerelybonto. Sir, betake thee to thy
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faith, for seventeen poniards are at thy bosom.
PAROLLES O!
1 SOLDIER O, pray, pray, pray! Manka revania dulche.
1 LORD Oscorbidulchos volivorco.
1 SOLDIER The general is content to spare thee yet,
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And, hoodwink’d as thou art, will lead thee on
To gather from thee. Haply thou may’st 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
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Which you will wonder at.
1 SOLDIER But wilt thou faithfully?
PAROLLES If I do not, damn me.
1 SOLDIER Acordo linta.
Come on; thou art granted space.
Exit with Parolles guarded.
[A short alarum within]
1 LORD Go tell the Count Rossillion and my brother
We have caught the woodcock and will keep him
muffled
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Till we do hear from them.
2 SOLDIER Captain, I will.
1 LORD ’A will betray us all unto ourselves:
Inform on that.
2 SOLDIER So I will, sir.
1 LORD Till then I’ll keep him dark and safely lock’d.
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Exeunt.
4.2 Enter BERTRAM and the maid called DIANA.
BERTRAM
They told me that your name was Fontybell.
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
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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.
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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 a’ that!
I prithee do not strive against my vows;
I was compell’d to her, but I love thee
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By love’s own sweet constraint, and will for ever
Do thee all rights of service.
DIANA Ay, so you serve us
Till we serve you; but when you have our roses,
You barely leave our thorns to prick ourselves,
And mock us with our bareness.
BERTRAM How have I sworn!
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DIANA ’Tis not the many oaths that makes the truth,
But the plain single vow that is vow’d true.
What is not holy, that we swear not by,
But take the high’st to witness; then, pray you, tell me:
If I should swear by Jove’s great attributes
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I lov’d you dearly, would you believe my oaths