A paper15 from Fortune’s

close-stool16 to give to a nobleman! Look, here he comes

himself.

Enter Lafew

Here is a purr18 of Fortune’s, sir, or of Fortune’s cat — but not

a musk-cat19 — that has fallen into the unclean fishpond of

her displeasure, and as he says, is muddied withal.20 Pray you,

sir, use the carp21 as you may, for he looks like a poor, decayed,

ingenious22, foolish, rascally knave. I do pity his distress in my

smiles of comfort23 and leave him to your lordship.

[Exit]

PAROLLES    My lord, I am a man whom Fortune hath cruelly

scratched.

LAFEW    And what would you have me to do? ’Tis too late to

pare27 her nails now. Wherein have you played the knave with

Fortune that she should scratch you, who of herself is a good

lady and would not have knaves thrive long under her? There’s

Gives coin

a cardecue for you. Let the justices30 make you and

Fortune friends; I am for other business.

Starts to leave

PAROLLES    I beseech your honour to hear me one single word.

LAFEW    You beg a single penny more. Come, you shall ha’t,

save your word.

Gives another coin

PAROLLES    My name, my good lord, is Parolles.

LAFEW    You beg more than ‘word’ then. Cox my passion!36

Give me your hand. How does your drum?

PAROLLES    O my good lord, you were the first that found me.38

LAFEW    Was I, in sooth? And I was the first that lost39 thee.

PAROLLES    It lies in you, my lord, to bring me in some grace40, for

you did bring me out.41

LAFEW    Out upon thee42, knave! Dost thou put upon me at

once both the office of God and the devil? One brings thee

Trumpets sound

in grace and the other brings thee out. The

King’s coming. I know by his trumpets. Sirrah, inquire45

further after me. I had talk of you last night. Though you are

a fool and a knave, you shall eat. Go to, follow.

PAROLLES    I praise God for you.

[Exeunt]

[Act 5 Scene 3]

running scene 20 continues

Flourish. Enter King, Old Lady [Countess], Lafew, the two French Lords, with Attendants

KING    We lost a jewel of her, and our esteem1

Was made much poorer by it: but your son,

As mad in folly, lacked the sense to know

Her estimation home.4

COUNTESS    ’Tis past, my liege,

And I beseech your majesty to make6 it

Natural rebellion, done i’th’blade7 of youth,

When oil and fire, too strong for reason’s force,

O’erbears it and burns on.

KING    My honoured lady,

I have forgiven and forgotten all,

Though my revenges were high bent12 upon him,

And watched13 the time to shoot.

LAFEW    This I must say,

But first I beg my pardon15, 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 survey19

Of richest20 eyes, whose words all ears took captive,

Whose dear perfection hearts that scorned to serve

Humbly called mistress.

KING    Praising what is lost

Makes the remembrance dear. Well, call him hither.

We are reconciled, and the first view shall kill25

All repetition. Let him not ask our pardon.

The nature of his great offence is dead27,

And deeper than oblivion we do bury

Th’incensing relics29 of it. Let him approach

A stranger30, no offender; and inform him

So ’tis our will he should.

GENTLEMAN32    I shall, my liege.

[Exit]

To Lafew

KING    What says he to your daughter? Have you

spoke?

LAFEW    All that he is hath reference to35 your highness.

KING    Then shall we have a match. I have letters sent me

That sets him high in fame.

Enter Count Bertram

With a patch of velvet on his left cheek

LAFEW    He looks well on’t.

KING    I am not a day of season39,

For thou mayst see a sunshine and a hail

In me at once. But to the brightest beams

Distracted42 clouds give way, so stand thou forth.

The time is fair again.

BERTRAM    My high-repented blames44,

Dear sovereign, pardon to45 me.

KING    All is whole.46

Not one word more of the consumèd47 time.

Let’s take the instant by the forward top48,

For we are old, and on our quick’st49 decrees

Th’inaudible and noiseless foot of time

Steals ere we can effect them. You remember

The daughter of this lord?

BERTRAM    Admiringly, my liege. At first

I stuck54 my choice upon her, ere my heart

Durst make too bold a herald55 of my tongue,

Where the impression of mine eye infixing56,

Contempt his scornful perspective57 did lend me,

Which warped the line of every other favour58,

Scorned a fair colour, or expressed it stol’n59,

Extended or contracted60 all proportions

To a most hideous object.61 Thence it came

That she62 whom all men praised and whom myself,

Since I have lost, have loved, was in mine eye

The dust that did offend it.

KING    Well excused.

That thou didst love her, strikes some scores66 away

From the great count.67 But love that comes too late,

Like a remorseful pardon slowly carried68,

To the great sender turns69 a sour offence,

Crying, ‘That’s good that’s gone.’ Our rash faults

Make trivial price71 of serious things we have,

Not knowing them until we know their grave.72

Oft our displeasures73, to ourselves unjust,

Destroy our friends and after weep their dust.74

Our own love waking cries to see what’s done,

While shameful hate sleeps out76 the afternoon.

Be this sweet Helen’s knell77, and now forget her.

Send forth your amorous token for fair Maudlin.78

The main consents79 are had, and here we’ll stay

To see our widower’s second marriage day,

Which better than the first, O dear heaven, bless!

Or, ere they meet, in me, O nature, cesse!82

LAFEW    Come on, my son, in whom my house’s name

Must be digested, give a favour84 from you

To sparkle in the spirits of my daughter,

That she may quickly come.86

Bertram gives Lafew a ring

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 e’er I took her leave90 at court,

I saw upon her finger.

BERTRAM    Hers it was not.

Lafew gives it to him

KING    Now, pray you let me see it. For mine eye,

While I was speaking, oft was fastened to’t.

This ring was mine, and when I gave it Helen,

I bade96 her, if her fortunes ever stood

Necessitied to97 help, that by this token

I would relieve her. Had you that craft, to reave98 her

Of what should stead99 her most?

BERTRAM    My gracious sovereign,

Howe’er it pleases you to take it so,

The ring was never hers.

COUNTESS    Son, on my life,

I have seen her wear it, and she reckoned104 it

At her life’s rate.105

LAFEW    I am sure I saw her wear it.

BERTRAM    You are deceived, my lord. She never saw it.

In Florence was it from a casement108 thrown me,

Wrapped in a paper, which contained the name

Of her that threw it. Noble she was, and thought

I stood engaged, but when I had subscribed111

To mine own fortune and informed her fully

I could not answer in that course of honour113

As she had made the overture, she ceased

In heavy satisfaction115 and would never

Receive the ring again.

KING    Plutus117 himself,

That knows the tinct and multiplying med’cine118,

Hath not in nature’s mystery more science119

Than I have in this ring. ’Twas mine, ’twas Helen’s,

Whoever gave it you. Then, if you know

That you are well acquainted with yourself,

Confess ’twas hers, and by what rough enforcement

You got it from her. She called the saints to surety124

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.128

BERTRAM    She never saw it.

KING    Thou speak’st it falsely, as I love mine honour,

And mak’st conjectural131 fears to come into me

Which I would fain132 shut out. If it should prove

That thou art so inhuman — ’twill not prove so —

And yet I know not.