She had her breeding at my father's charge:
A poor phyfician's daughter my wife! — Disdain
Rather corrupt me ever!
[which

King. 'Tis only title thou difdain'ft in her, the
I can build up: ftrange is it, that our bloods,
Of colour, weight, and heat, pour'd all together,
Would quite confound diftinction, yet stand off
In differences, fo mighty. If she be

All that is virtuous (fave what thou diflik'ft
A poor phyfician's daughter,) thou diflik'st

Of virtue for the name: but do not fo.
From lowest place when virtuous things proceed,
The place is dignify'd by th' doer's deed.
Where great addition swells, and virtue none,
It is a dropfied honour; good alone
Is good; and, with a name, vileness is fo:
The property by what it is fhould go,
Not by the title. She is good, wife, fair;
In these, to nature she's immediate heir;

And these breed honour: That is honour's fcorn,
Which challenges itself as honour's born,
And is not like the fire. Honours beft thrive,
When rather from our acts we them derive
Than our fore-goers: the mere word's a flave
Debaucht on every tomb, on ev'ry grave;
A lying trophy; and as oft is dumb,

Where duft and damn'd oblivion is the tomb
Of honour'd bones, indeed. What should be faid?
If thou canst like this creature as a maid,

can create the reft: virtue and fhe,

Is her own dow'r; honour and wealth from me.
Ber. I cannot love her, nor will ftrive to do't.
King. Thou wrong'ft thyfelf, if thou should'ft ftrive
to chufe.

Hel. That you are well reftor'd, my lord, I'm glad : Let the reft

go.

King. My honour's at the flake; which to defend, I muft produce my power. Here, take her hand,

K 5

Proud

Proud fcornful boy, unworthy this good gift!
That doth in vile mifprifion fhackle up

My love, and her defert; that canft not dream,
We, poizing us in her defective scale,

Shall weigh thee to the beam; that wilt not know,
It is in us to plant thine honour, where
We please to have it grow.

Check thy contempt:

Obey our will, which travels in thy good;
Believe not thy disdain, but presently

Do thine own fortunes that obedient right,
Which both thy duty owes, and our power claims;
Or I will throw thee from my care for ever
Into the flaggers, and the careless lapse

Of youth and ignorance; my revenge and hate
Loofing upon thee in the name of justice,
Without all terms of pity. Speak, thine answer.
Ber. Pardon, my gracious Lord; for I fubmit
My fancy to your eyes. When I confider,
What great creation, and what dole of honour
Flies where you bid; I find, that she, which late
Was in my nobler thoughts most base, is now
The prised of the King; who, fo enobled,
Is, as 'twere, born fo.

King. Take her by the hand,

And tell her, fhe is thine: to whom I promise
A counterpoize; if not in thy eftate,
A balance more replete.

Ber. I take her hand.

King. Good fortune and the favour of the King Smile upon this contract; whofe ceremony Shall feem expedient on the new-born brief, And be perform'd to night; the folemn feast Shall more attend upon the coming space, Expecting abfent friends. As thou lov'ft her, Thy love's to me religious; elfe does err.

[Exeunt.

SGENE

SCEN NE VII.

Manent Parolles and Lafeu.

Laf. Do you hear, Monfieur? a word with you.
D° Par. Your pleasure, Sir?

Laf. Your Lord and Master did well to make his recantation.

Par. Recantation ?

my Lord? my Mafter? Laf. Ay, is it not a language I speak?

Par. A moft harfh one, and not to be understood without bloody fucceeding. My mafter?

Laf. Are you companion to the Count Roufillon?
Par. To any Count; to all Counts; to what is

man.

Laf. To what is Count's man; Count's mafter is of another ftile.

Par. You are too old, Sir; let it fatisfy you, you are too old

Laf. I must tell thee, Sirrah, I write man; to which title age cannot bring thee.

Par. What I dare too well do, I dare not do.

Laf. I did think thee, for two ordinaries, to be a pretty wife fellow; thou didst make tolerable vent of thy travel; it might pafs; yet the fcarfs and the bannerets about thee did manifoldly diffuade me from believing thee a veffel of too great a burden. I have now found thee; when I lose thee again, I care not yet art thou good for nothing but taking up, and that thou'rt fcarce worth.

Par. Hadft thou not the privilege of antiquity upon thee

Laf. Do not plunge thyself too far in anger, lest thou haften to trial; which if, --- Lord have mercy on thee for a hen! fo, my good window of lattice, fare thee well; thy cafement I need not open, I look thro' thee. Give me thy hand.

H

1

Par. My Lord, you give me moft egregious indignity.

Laf. Ay, with all my heart, and thou art worthy

of it.

Par. I have not, my Lord, deferv'd it.

Laf. Yes, good faith, ev'ry dram of it; and I will not bate thee a scruple.

Par. Well, I fhall be wifer

Laf. Ev'n as foon as thou canft, for thou haft to pull at a fmack o'th' contrary. If ever thou be'st bound in thy fcarf and beaten, thou fhalt find what it is to be proud of thy bondage. I have a defire to hold my acquaintance with thee, or rather my knowledge, that I may fay in the default, he is a man I know.

Par. My Lord, you do me most insupportable vexation.

Laf. I would, it were hell-pains for thy fake, and my poor doing eternal: * for doing, I am paft; as I will by thee, in what motion age will give me leave. [Exit. Par. Well, thou haft a fon fhall take this difgrace off me; fcurvy, old, filthy, fcurvy Lord! well, I must be patient, there is no fettering of authority. I'll beat him, by my life, if I can meet him with any convenience, an he were double and double a Lord. I'll have no more pity of his age, than I would have of—I'll beat him, an if I could but meet him again. Re-enter Lafeu.

Laf. Sirrah, your Lord and Mafter's married, there's news for you: you have a new mistress.

for doing I am paft; as I will ly thee, in what motion age will give me leave. Here is a Line loft after paft; fo that it fhould be diftinguifhed by a Break with Afterifks. The very Words of the loft Line it is impoffible to retrieve; but the Senfe is obvious enough. For doing I am poft; Age has deprived me of much of my Force and Vigour, yet I have ftill enough to fhew the World I can do myself Right, as will by thee, in what Motion [or in the best Manner] Age will give me leave.

Par.

Par. I most unfeignedly beseech your Lordship to make some reservation of your wrongs. He, my good Lord, whom I ferve above, is my master. Laf. Who? God?

Par. Ay, Sir.

Laf. The devil it is, that's thy mafter. Why doft thou garter up thy arms o' this fashion? doft make hose of thy fleeves? do other fervants fo? thou wert best fet thy lower part where thy nofe ftands. By mine honour, if I were but two hours younger, I'd beat thee: methinks thou art a general offence, and every man should beat thee. I think, thou waft created for men to breathe themselves upon thee. Par. This is hard and undeferved measure, my Lord.

Laf. Go to, Sir; you were beaten in Italy for picking a kernel out of a pomegranate; you are a vagabond, and no true traveller: you are more faucy with lords and honourable perfonages, than the heraldry of your birth and virtue gives you commiffion. You are not worth another word, else I'd call you knave. I leave you.

[Exit.

Par.

G

Enter Bertram.

OOD, very good, it is fo then. — Good,
very good, let it be conceal'd a while.

Ber. Undone, and forfeited to cares for ever!
Par. What is the matter, fweet heart?

Ber. Although before the folmn Prieft I've fworn, I will not bed her.

Par. What? what, fweet heart?

Ber. O my Parolles, they have married me:

I'll to the Tufcan wars, and never bed her.

Par. France is a dog-hole, and it no more merits the tread of a man's foot: to th' wars.

Ber.