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Par. Nay, you need not to stop your nose, Sir; I spake but by a metaphor..

Clo. Indeed, Sir, if your metaphor stink, I will stop my nose against any man's metaphor. Pr'ythee, get thee further.

Par. Pray you, Sir, deliver me this paper.

Clo. Foh! pr'ychee, stand away; a paper from Fortune's close-stool, to give to a Nobleman! look, here he comes himself.

Enter Lafeu.

Here is a pur of Fortune's Sir, or Fortune's cat, (but not a musk-cat) that hath fall'n into the unclean fishpond of her displeasure, and, as he fays, is muddied withal. Pray you, Sir, ufe the carp as you may; for he looks like a poor, decayed, ingenious, foolish, rascally knave. I do pity his distress in my fimilies of comfort, and leave him to your i ordship..

Par. My Lord, I am a man whom Fortune hath cruelly scratch'd.

Laf. And what would you have me to do! 'tis too late to pare her nails now, Wherein have you play'd the knave with Fortune, that the should scratch you, who of herself is a good lady, and would not have knaves thrive long under her? there's a quart d'ecu for you: let the justices make you and Fortune friends; I am for other business.

Par. I befeech your Honour to hear me one single word.

Laf. You beg a fingle penny more: come, you shall ha't, faye your word.

:

Par. My name, my good Lord, is Parolles. Laf. You beg more than one word then. Cox' my paffion! give me your hand: how does your drum? Par. O my good Lord, you were the first that found

me.

Laf. Was I, in sooth? and I was the first that loft thee.

Par. It lies in you, my Lord, to bring me in fome

grace, 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

2

brings

brings thee in grace, and the other brings thee out. [Sound trumpets.] The King's coming, I know, by his trumpets. Sirrah, inquire further after me, I had talk of you last night; tho you are a fool and a knave, you shall eat; go to, follow.

Par. I praise God for you.

PSCENE III.

[Exeunt.

Flourish. Enter King, Countess, Lafeu, the two French Lords, with attendants.

King. We lost a jewel of her, our esteem * Was made much poorer by it; but your fon, As mad in folly, lack'd the sense to know Her estimation home.

7 Count. Tis past, my Liege;

And I beseech your Majesty to make it
Natural rebellion, done i' th' 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;
Tho' 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 loft,

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Makes the remembrance dear. Well-call him

hither;

We're reconcil'd, and the first view shall kill
All repetition: let him not afk our pardon.
The nature of his great offence is dead,

And deeper than oblivion we do bury

Esteem is here used for estimation, in the sense of worth, eftate.
VOL. III.

K

Th

Th' incenfing relics of it. Let him approach,
A stranger, no offender; and inform him,
So 'tis our will he should.

Gent. I shall, my Liege.

[Exit

King. What fays he to your daughter? Have you

spoke? Laf. All that he is, hath reference to your Highness.

King. Then shall we have

fent me,

That set him high in fame.

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a match. I h

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have letters

SCENE IV. Enter Bertram.

Laf. He looks well on't.

King. I'm not a day of season,

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For thou may'st see a fun-fhine and a hail
In me at once; but to the brightest beams
Distracted clouds give way; so stand thou forth,

The time is fair again.

Ber. My high-repented blames,

Dear Sovereign, pardon to me.

King. All is whole,

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Not one word more of the confumed time,

Let's take the instant by the forward top

For we are old, and on our quickist decreesster Th' inaudible and noiseless foot of time.d

Steals, ere we can effect them. You remember.

The daughter of this Lord?

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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 eve infixing, Contempt his fcornful perspective did lend me, OR Which warp'd the line of every other favour Scorch'd a fair colour, or express'd it stol'n;

Extended or contracted all proportions

To a most hideous object: thence it came,
That the whom all men prais'd, and whom myself,
Since I have foft, have lov'd, was in mine eye

The dust that did offend it.

King. Well excus'd

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That thou do'st love her, strikes some scores away From the great 'compt'; but love that comes too late,

Now Tagay ..Like

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Like a remorfeful pardon flowly carried,
To the great fender turns a four offence,
Crying, that's good that's gone our rash faults
Make trivial price of ferious things we have,
Not knowing them until we know their grave.
Oft our difpleasures, to ourselves unjust,
Destroy our friends, and, after, weep their duk
Our own love waking cries to see what's done,
While shameful hate fleeps 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 fee our widower's second marriage-day:

Count. Which better than the first, O dear heav'n
Or, ere they meet, in me, O nature, ceafe![bless,
Laf. Come on, my fon, in whom my house's name
Must be digefted: give a favour from you
To fparkle in the spirits of my daughter,

That she may quickly come. By my old beard, Q [Bertram gives a ring.

And ev'ry hair that's on't, Helen, that's dead, 30/
Was a sweet creature: fuch a ring as this,
The last time e'er she took her leave at court, w
I faw upon her finger.

Ber. Her's it was not.

King. Now, pray you, let me fee it: for mine eye,

While I was fpeaking, oft was fasten'd to't...
This ring was mine; and, when I gave it Helen
I bade her, if her fortunes ever stood

Neceffitied to help, that by this token

I would relieve her. Had you that craft to reave het

Of what should stead her most?....

Ber. My gracious Sovereign,

Howe'er it pleases you to take it fo,

The ring was never her's.

Count. Son, on my life,

I've seen her wear it, and the reckon'd it
At her life's rate.

Laf. I'm fure I saw her wear it.

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Ber. You are deceiv'd, my Lord, she never saw it.T In-Florence was it from a casement thrown me, are Wrapp'd in a paper, which contain'd the name

Of her that threw it. Noble she was, and thought
I stood engage'd; but when I had fubfcrib'd
To mine own fortune, and inform'd her fully,
I could not answer in that course of honour
As the had made the overture, the ceas'd
In heavy fatisfaction, 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. 'Twas mine, 'twas Helen's,
Whoever gave it you: then if you know,
That you are well acquainted with yourself,
Confefs 'twas her's, and by what rough inforcement
You got it from her. She call'd the faints to furety,
That she would never put it from her finger,
Unless she gave it to yourself in bed,

(Where you have never come), or fent it us
Upon her great disaster.

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Ber. She never saw it.

1.

King. Thơu speak'st it falfely, as I love mine ho

nour;

:

And mak'st conject'ral fears to come into me,
Which I would fain shut out. If it should prove
That thou art so inhuman-'twill not prove fo-
And yet I know not---thou didst hate her deadly,
And the is dead; which nothing, but to close
Her eyes myself, could win me to believe,

More than to fee this ring. Take him away.

Guards feize Bertram.

My forepast proofs, howe'er the matter fall,
Shall tax my fears of little vanity,
Having vainly fear'd too little. Away with him,
We'll fift this matter further.

Ber. If you shall prove
This ring was ever her's, you shall as easy
Prove that I husbanded her bed in Florence,

Where yet the never was. [Exit Bertram guarded.

SCENE V. Enter a Gentleman. King. I'm wrapp'd in difmal thinkings. Gent. Gracious Sovereign,

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