Let not your hate encounter with my love,
For loving where you do: but, if yourself,
Whose aged honour cites* a virtuous youth,
Did ever, in so true a flame of liking,

Wish chastely, and love dearly, that your Dian
Was both herself and love;† O then, give pity
To her, whose state is such, that cannot choose
But lend and give, where she is sure to lose;
That seeks not to find that her search implies,
But riddle-like, lives sweetly where she dies.

Count. Had you not lately an intent, speak truly,
To go to Paris?

Hel. Madam, I had.

Count. Wherefore ? tell true.

Hel. I will tell truth; by grace itself, I swear.
You know, my father left me some prescriptions
Of rare and proved effects, such as his reading,
And manifest experience, had collected

For general sovereignty; and that he will'd me
In heedfullest reservation to bestow them,

As notes, whose faculties inclusive were,

More than they were in note: amongst the rest,
There is a remedy, approved, set down,

To cure the desperate languishes, whereof
The king is rendered lost.

Count. This was your motive

For Paris, was it? speak.

Hel. My lord your son made me to think of this;

Else Paris, and the medicine, and the king,

Had, from the conversation of my thoughts,

Haply, been absent then.

Count. But think you, Helen,

If you should tender your supposed aid,

He would receive it? He and his physicians

Are of a mind; he, that they cannot help him,

They, that they cannot help: How shall they credit

A poor unlearned virgin, when the schools,

Embowell'd of their doctrine,§ have left off

The danger to itself?

Hel. There's something hints,

More than my father's skill, which was the greatest

Of his profession, that his good receipt

Shall, for my legacy, be sanctified

By the luckiest stars in heaven: and, would your honour

But give me leave to try success, I'd venture

The well-lost life of mine on his grace's cure,

By such a day, and hour.

Count. Dost thou believe 't?

Hel. Ay, madam, knowingly.

*I. e. proves.

† I. e. Venus.

Receipts in which greater virtues were enclosed than appeared.
Exhausted of their skill.

Count. Why, Helen, thou shalt have my leave, and love,
Means, and attendants, and my loving greetings
To those of mine own court; I'll stay at home,
And pray God's blessing into thy attempt:
Be gone to-morrow; and be sure of this,
What I can help thée to, thou shalt not miss.

[Exeunt.

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 principles
Do not throw from you:-And you, my lord, farewell :-
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-enter'd 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

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) see, that you come
Not to woo honour, but to wed it; when

The bravest questant* shrinks, find what you seek,
That fame may cry you loud: I say, farewell.

2 Lord. Health, at your bidding, serve your majesty!
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.t

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.

Par. An thy mind stand to it, boy, steal away bravely.
Ber. I shall stay here the forehorse to a smock,§

* Seeker.

+ With a noise, bustle.

+ Be not captives before you are soldiers.
To lead ladies out to dance.

Creaking my shoes on the plain masonry,

Till honour be bought up, and no sword worn,

But one to dance with! By heaven, I'll steal away.

1 Lord. There's honour 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. 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 intrenched it: say to him, I live; and observe his reports for me.

2 Lord. We shall, noble captain.

Par. Mars dote on you for his novices! What will you do?

Ber. Stay, the king

[Exeunt LORDS.]

[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,t there, do muster true gait, 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.

Ber. And I will do so.

Par. Worthy fellows; and like to prove most sinewy sword[Exeunt BERTRAM and PAROLLES.

men.

Enter LAFEU.

Laf. Pardon, my lord [Kneeling], for me and for my tidings. King. I'll fee thee to stand up.

Laf. Then here's a man

Stands, that has brought his pardon. I would, you

Had kneel'd, 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 ask'd thee mercy for't.

Laf. Goodfaith, across:||

But my good lord, 'tis thus; Will you be cured
Of your infirmity?

King. No.

Laf. O, will you eat

No grapes, my royal fox? yes, but you will,

My noble grapes, an if my royal fox

Could reach them: I have seen a medicine,¶

* A mere dress-sword.

They are the foremost in the fashion.

Have the true military step.

The dance.

A failure; a phrase taken from the exercise at a quaintaine.

A female physician.

That's able to breathe life into a stone;

Quicken a rock, and make you dance canary,*

With sprightly fire and motion; whose simple touch
Is powerful to araise king Pepin, nay,

To give great Charlemain a pen in his hand,
And write to her a love-line.

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 honour,
If seriously I may convey my thoughts

In this my light deliverance, I have spoke

With one, that, in her sex, her years, profession,
Wisdom, and constancy, hath amazed me more
Than I dare blame my weakness: Will you see her
(For that is her demand), and know her business?
That done, laugh well at me.

King. Now, good Lafeu,

Bring in the admiration; that we with thee

May spend our wonder too, or take off thine,

By wond'ring how thou took'st it.

Laf. Nay, I'll fit you,

And not be all day neither.

[Exit LAFEU.

King. Thus he his special nothing ever prologues.

Re-enter LAFEU, with HELENA.

Laf. Nay, come your ways.

King. This haste hath wings indeed.

Laf. Nay, come your ways;

This is his majesty, say your mind to him:

A traitor you do look like; but such traitors

His majesty seldom fears: I am Cressid's uncle,†
That dare leave two together; fare you well.

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

Many receipts he gave me; chiefly one,

Which, as the dearest issue of his practice,

And of his old experience the only darling,
He bade me store up, as a triple eye, §

Safer than mine own two, more dear; I have so:
And hearing your high majesty is touch'd
With that malignant cause wherein the honour
Of my dear father's gift stands chief in power,
I come to tender it, and my appliance,
With all bound humbleness.

King. We thank you, maiden;

But may not be so credulous of cure,

* A lively dance.

Well esteemed.

+ Pandarus.
A third eye.

[Exit.

When our most learned doctors leave us; and
The congregated college have concluded
That labouring art can never ransom nature
From her inaidable estate,-I say we must not
So stain our judgment, or corrupt our hope,
To prostitute our past-cure malady

To empirics; or to dissever so

Our great self and our credit, to esteem

A senseless help, when help past sense we deem.
Hel. My duty, then, shall pay me for my pains:
I will no more enforce mine office on you:
Humbly entreating from your royal thoughts
A modest one, to bear me back again.

King. I cannot give thee less, to be call'd 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.

Hel. What I can do, can do no hurt to try,

Since you set up your rest 'gainst remedy:
He that of greatest works is finisher,

Oft does them by the weakest minister:

So holy writ in babes hath judgment shown,

When judges have been babes.* Great floods have flown,
From simple sources; and great seas have dried,

When miracles have by the greatest been denied.
Oft expectation fails, and most oft there

Where most it promises; and oft it hits,

Where hope is coldest, and despair most sits.

King. I must not hear thee; fare thee well, kind maid⚫ Thy pains, not used, must by thyself be paid: Proffers, not took, reap thanks for their reward. Hel. Inspired merit so by breath is barr'd: It is not so with him that all things knows, As 'tis with us that square our guess by shows: But most it is presumption in us, when The help of heaven we count the act of men. Dear Sir, to my endeavours give consent; Of heaven, not me, make an experiment. I am not an impostor, that proclaim Myself against the level of mine aim ;†

But know I think, and think I know most sure,

My art is not past power, nor you past cure.

King. Art thou so confident? Within what space

Hop'st thou my cure?

Hel. The greatest grace lending grace,

Ere twice the horses of the sun shall bring

Their fiery torcher his diurnal ring;

Ere twice in murk and occidental damp

Moist Hesperus hath quench'd his sleepy lamp;

* An allusion to Daniel judging the two elders
† Pretend to more than I can do.