[cine,

Laf. O, will you eat no grapes, my royal fox?

Yes, but you will, an if

My royal fox could reach them: I have feen a mediThat'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 araife King Pepin, nay,

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

King. What her is this?

[riv'd,

Laf. Why, doctor-fhe: my Lord, there's one arIf you will fee her. Now, by my faith and honour, If feriously I may convey my thoughts

In this my light deliverance, I have spoke
With one, that in her fex, her years, profeffion,
Wisdom and conftancy, hath amaz'd me more
Than I dare blame my weakness: will you fee 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 of thine,

By wond'ring how thou took'ft it.

Laf. Nay, I'll fit you,

And not be all day neither.

King. Thus he his special nothing ever prologues.

[Exit Lafeu.

[Bringing in Helena.

Laf. [Returns. Nay, come your ways.

King. This hafte hath wings, indeed.
Laf. Nay, come your ways,

This is his Majefty, fay your mind to him;
A traitor you do look like; but fuch traitors
His Majesty seldom fears; I'm Creffid's uncle,
That dare leave two together; fare you well. [Exit.
SCENE

King.

Now,

III.

JOW, fair One, do's your business follow us?

Hel. Ay, my good Lord.

Gerrard

Gerard de Narbon was my father,

In what he did profefs, well found.

King. I knew him.

Hel. The rather will I fpare my praise toward him;
Knowing him, is enough; on's bed of death.
Many receipts he gave me, chiefly one,
Which as the deareft iffue of his practice,
And of his old experience th'only darling,
He bade me ftore up, as a tripple eye,

Safer than mine own two: more dear I have fo
And hearing your high Majesty is touch'd
With that malignant caufe, wherein the honour
Of my dear father's gift ftands chief in power,
I come to tender it, and my appliance,
With all bound humblenefs.

King. We thank you, maiden;
But may not be fo credulous of cure,
When our most learned doctors leave us; and
The congregated college have concluded,
That labouring art can never ransom nature
From her unaidable eftate: we must not
So ftain our judgment, or corrupt our hope,
To prostitute our paft-cure malady

To emperics; or to diffever fo

Our great felf and our credit, to esteem

A fenfelefs help, when help paft sense we deem.
Hel. My duty then fhall pay me for my pains;
I will no more enforce mine office on you;
Humbly intreating from your royal thoughts
A modeft one to bear me back again.

King. I cannot give thee less, to be call'd grateful; Thou thought'ft to help me, and fuch thanks I give, As one near death to thofe 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 fet up your reft 'gainst remedy.

He

He that of greatest works is finisher,

Oft does them by the weakest minister:

So holy writ in babes hath judgment fhown, [flown
When judges have been babes; great floods have
From fimple fources; and great feas have dry'd,
When mir'cles have by th' greatest been dený'd.
Oft expectation fails, and molt oft there
Where most it promifes: and oft it hits.
Where hope is coldeft, and despair most fits.
King. I must not hear thee; fare thee well kind
Maid;

Thy pains, not us'd, muft by thy felf be paid:
Proffers, not took, reap thanks for their reward.
Hel. Infpired merit fo by breath is barr'd:
It is not fo with him that all things knows,
As 'tis with us, that square our guess by shows:
But moft it is prefumption in us, when
The help of heav'n we count the act of men.
Dear Sir, to my endeavours give consent,
Of heav'n, not me, make an experiment.
I am not an impoftor, that proclaim
Myfelf again't the level of mine aim;

But know I think, and think I know most sure,
My art is not paft power, nor you past cure.

King. Art thou fo confident? within what space Hop'st thou my cure?

Hel. The greateft grace lending grace,
Ere twice the horses of the fun fhall bring
Their fiery torcher his diurnal ring;
Ere twice in murk and occidental damp
Moift Hesperus hath quench'd his fleepy lamp;
Or four and twenty times the pilot's glafs
Hath told the thievifh minutes how they pals;
What is infirm from your found parts fhall fly,
Health fhall live free, and sickness freely die.
King. Upon thy certainty and confidence,
What dar'ft thou venture?

Hel. Tax of impudence,

VOL. III.

A ftrumpet's boldness, a divulged shame

Traduc'd by odious ballads: my maiden's name
Sear'd otherwife, no worfe of worft extended;
With vileft torture let my life be ended.

King. Methinks, in thee fome bleffed Spirit doth speak:

His power full founds within an organ weak;
And what impoffibility would flay

In common fenfe, fenfe faves another way.
Thy life is dear; for all that life can rate
Worth name of life, in thee hath eftimate:
Youth, beauty, wisdom, courage, virtue, alk
That happiness and prime can happy call;
Thou this to hazard, needs 'muft intimate
Skill infinite, or monftrous desperate.
Sweet Practifer, thy phyfic I will try;
That ministers thine own death, if I die.
Hel. If I break time, or flinch in property
Of what I spoke, unpitied let me die,
And well deferv'd! Not helping, death's
But if I help, what do you promise me?
King. Make thy demand.

Hel. But will you make it even?

my

fee;

King. Ay, by my fceptre, and my hopes of heaven. Hel. Then fhalt thou give me, with thy kingly hand, What Hulband in thy power I will command. Exempted be from me the arrogance

To chufe from forth the royal blood of France;
My low and humble name to propagate
With any branch or impage of thy ftate:
But fuch a one thy vaffal, whom I know
Is free for me to alk, thee to beftow.

King. Here is my hand, the premises obferv'd,
Thy will by my performance fhall be ferv'd::
So, make the choice of thine own time; for I,
Thy refolv'd Patient, on thee ftill rely.
More fhould I queftion thee, and more I muft;
(Tho' more to know, could not be more to trust:)

From

From whence thou cam'ft, how tended on,—but reft
Unqueftion'd welcome, and undoubted bleft.
Give me some help here, hoa! if thou proceed
As high as word, my deed fhall match thy deed.
[Exeunt.

Count. Ch

Changes to Roufillon.

Enter Countess and Clown.

OME on, Sir; I fhall now put you to the height of your breeding.

Clo. I will fhew myfelf highly fed, and lowly taught; I know, my bufinefs is but to the court. Count. But to the court? why, what place make you special, when you put off that with fuch contempt; but to the court!"

Clo. Truly, Madam, if God have lent à man any manners, he may cafily put it off at court: he that cannot make a leg, put off's cap, kifs his hand, and fay nothing, has neither leg, hands, lip, nor cap; and, indeed, fuch a fellow, to fay precisely, were not for the court: but for me, I have an anfwer will serve all men.

Count. Marry, that's a bountiful anfwer that fits all questions.

f

Clo. It is like a barber's chair, that fits all buttocks: the pin-buttock, the quatch-buttock, the brawn-buttock, or any buttock.

Count. Will your answer serve fit to all questions? Clo. As fit as ten groats is for the hand of an attorney, as your French crown for your taffaty punk, as Tib's ruth for Tom's fore-finger, as a pancake for Shrove-Tuesday, a morris for May-day, as the nail to his hole, the cuckold to his horn, as a fcolding quean to a wrangling knave, as the nun's lip to the friar's mouth; nay, as the pudding to his skin.

K 2

Count.