ACT II. SCENE I. Paris. A Room in the King's Palace. Flourish. Enter King, with young Lords taking leave for the Florentine war; BERTRAM, PAROLLES, and Attendants. King. Farewell, young lord,' these warlike prin ciples Do not throw from you;-and you, my lord, fare well. Share the advice betwixt you; if both gain all, The gift doth stretch itself as 'tis received, And is enough for both. 1 Lord. It is our hope, sir, After well-entered soldiers, to return And find your grace in health. King. No, no, it cannot be; and yet my heart Will not confess he owes the malady 2 That doth my life besiege. Farewell, young lords; Whether I live or die, be you the sons Of worthy Frenchmen. Let higher Italy Those 'bated, that inherit but the fall Of the last monarchy) 3 see, 3 see, that you come Not to woo honor, but to wed it; when 4 The bravest questant shrinks, find what you seek, 1 In this and the following instance the folio reads lords. The correction was suggested by Tyrwhitt. 2 i. e. my spirits, by not sinking under my distemper, do not acknowledge its influence. 3 Johnson's explanation of this obscure passage is preferable to any that has been offered:-"Let Upper Italy, where you are to exercise your valor, see that you come to gain honor, to the abatement, that is, to the overthrow, of those who inherit but the fall of the last monarchy, or the remains of the Roman empire." Bated and abated are used elsewhere by Shakspeare in a kindred sense. 4 Seeker, inquirer. 2 Lord. Health, at your bidding, serve your ma jesty! King. Those girls of Italy, take heed of them; They say, our French lack language to deny, If they demand. Beware of being captives, Before you serve. Both. Our hearts receive your warnings. King. Farewell.-Come hither to me. [The King retires to a couch. 1 Lord. O my sweet lord, that you will stay behind us! Par. 'Tis not his fault; the spark 2 Lord. O, 'tis brave wars! Par. Most admirable: I have seen those wars. Ber. I am commanded here, and kept a coil, with Too young, and the next year, and 'tis too early. 1 Par. An thy mind stand to it, boy, steal away bravely. Ber. I shall stay here the forehorse to a smock, Creaking my shoes on the plain masonry, Till honor be bought up, and no sword worn, But one to dance with! By Heaven, I'll steal away. 1 Lord. There's honor in the theft. Par. Commit it, count. 2 Lord. I am your accessary; and so farewell. Ber. I grow to you, and our parting is a tortured body.2 1 Lord. Farewell, captain. 2 Lord. Sweet monsieur Parolles! Par. Noble heroes, my sword and yours are kin. Good sparks and lustrous, a word, good metals.-You shall find in the regiment of the Spinii, one captain Spurio, with his cicatrice, an emblem of war, here on his sinister cheek; it was this very sword entrenched it. Say to him, I live; and observe his reports for me. 2 Lord. We shall, noble captain. 1 To be kept a coil is to be vexed or troubled with a stir or noise. 2 "I grow to you, and our parting is, as it were, to dissever or torture Par. Mars dote on you for his novices! [Exeunt Lords.] What will you do? Ber. Stay; the king. [Seeing him rise. Par. Use a more spacious ceremony to the noble lords: you have restrained yourself within the list of too cold an adieu; be more expressive to them; for they wear themselves in the cap of the time,1 there do muster true gait;2 eat, speak, and move under the influence of the most received star; and though the devil lead the measure, such are to be followed. After them, and take a more dilated farewell. 3 Ber. And I will do so. Par. Worthy fellows; and like to prove most sinewy sword-men. [Exeunt BERTRAM and PAROLLES. Enter LAFEU. Laf. Pardon, my lord, [Kneeling.] for me and for my tidings. King. I'll fee thee to stand up. Then here's a man you Laf. Stands, that has brought his pardon. I would Had kneeled, my lord, to ask me mercy; and That, at my bidding, you could so stand up. King. I would I had; so I had broke thy pate, And asked thee mercy for't. Laf. Goodfaith across But, my good lord, 'tis thus: Will you be cured 4 King. No. O, will you eat 1 They are the foremost in the fashion. 2 It would seem that this passage has been wrongly pointed and improperly explained, there do muster true gait; if addressed to Bertram, it means there exercise yourself in the gait of fashion; eat, &c. But perhaps we should read they instead of there, or else insert they after gait; either of these slight emendations would render this obscure passage perfectly intelligible. 3 The dance. 4 This word, which is taken from breaking a spear across, in chivalric exercises, is used elsewhere by Shakspeare, where a pass of wit miscarries. See As You Like It, Act iii. Sc. 4. No grapes, my royal fox? Yes, but you will, Could reach them. I have seen a medicine, Quicken a rock, and make you dance canary,' With spritely fire and motion; whose simple touch To give great Charlemain a pen in his hand, King. What her is this? Laf. Why, doctor she. My lord, there's one arrived, If you will see her,-now, by my faith and honor, If seriously I may convey my thoughts In this my light deliverance, I have spoke With one, that, in her sex, her years, profession,2 King. Laf. And not be all day neither. Nay, I'll fit you, [Exit LAFEU. King. Thus he his special nothing ever prologues. Re-enter LAFEU, with HELENA. This haste hath wings indeed. Laf. Nay, come your ways. King. Laf. Nay, come your ways. This is his majesty; say your mind to him: His majesty seldom fears. I am Cressid's uncle,3 [Exit. 1 It has been before observed that the canary was a kind of lively dance. 2 By profession is meant her declaration of the object of her coming. 3 I am like Pandarus. See Troilus and Cressida. King. Now, fair one, does your business follow us ? Hel. Ay, my good lord. Gerard de Narbon was My father; in what he did profess, well found. King. I knew him. Hel. The rather will I spare my praises towards him; Knowing him, is enough. On his bed of death Safer than mine own two, more dear. I have so: King. We thank you, maiden; But may not be so credulous of cure, When our most learned doctors leave us; and To empirics; or to dissever so Our great self and our credit, to esteem A senseless help, when help past sense we deem. A modest one to bear me back again King. I cannot give thee less, to be called grateful Thou thought'st to help me; and such thanks I give, As one near death to those that wish him live; But, what at full I know, thou know'st no part ; I knowing all my peril, thou no art. 1 A third eye. |