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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.

SEC. 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.

self to two parties of lords, of which one was to fight on the
side of Florence, and the other on the side of Sienna. Already –
cf. I, ii, 13–15, supra
he had given his courtiers leave to "stand
on either part" in the Italian strife.

In the First Folio the First Lord is called "Lord G." and the Second Lord "Lord E." The same initials are repeated in the case of the two lords who reappear in iii, 2, infra, as well as in the case of another pair of French lords who figure in ii, 6, and iv, 3, infra. The initials "G" and "E" seem to be those of the actors who filled the parts in early productions of the piece. Goughe, Gilburne, and Ecclestone are mentioned among "the names of the principall actors in all these playes" in a preliminary page of the First Folio.

6 After well-enter'd soldiers] After (we have become) well initiated, welltrained soldiers.

12-14 let higher Italy

monarchy] let upper Italy let your

humbled foemen who inherit merely the decadence of the ended (Roman) empire.

10

20

Вотн.

Our hearts receive your warnings.

KING. Farewell. Come hither to me.

[Exit.

FIRST LORD. O my sweet lord, that you will stay

behind us!

PAR. 'T is not his fault, the spark.

SEC. LORD.

O, 't is 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 't, boy, steal away bravely. BER. I shall stay here the forehorse to a smock, 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.
FIRST LORD. There's honour in the theft.

PAR.
Commit it, count.
SEC. LORD. I am your accessary; and so, farewell.
BER. I grow to you, and our parting is a tortured body.
FIRST LORD. Farewell, captain.

SEC. LORD. Sweet Monsieur Parolles !

30

PAR. Noble heroes, my sword and yours are kin. Good sparks and lustrous, a word, good metals: you 40 shall find in the regiment of the Spinii one Captain Spurio, with his cicatrice, an emblem of war, here on

27 kept a coil with] pestered with fussy objections to my going. 30 the forehorse to a smock] the squire of petticoats. The forehorse was the leading horse of a team, and was often pranked out in ribbons. 82 no sword] Men wore short swords when they danced. Cf. Ant. and Cleop., III, ii, 35–36:

“He at Philippi kept

His sword e'en like a dancer."

his sinister cheek; it was this very sword entrenched it : say to him, I live; and observe his reports for me.

FIRST LORD. We shall, noble captain. [Exeunt Lords. PAR. Mars dote on you for his novices! what will ye do?

BER. Stay the king.

Re-enter KING

PAR. [Aside to Ber.] 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: 50 for they wear themselves in the cap of the time, 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-men. [Exeunt Bertram and Parolles.

Enter LAFEU

LAF. [Kneeling] Pardon, my lord, for me and for my

tidings.

KING. I'll fee thee to stand up.

51-52 in the cap of the time, . . . move] in the height of the fashion; in them is concentrated authentic etiquette in regard to eating, speaking, and moving.

60 fee] Theobald's correction of the Folio reading see. is, "I'ld reward thee if I could stand up."

The meaning

60

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. Good faith, across : but, my good lord, 't is 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

That's able to breathe life into a stone,

Quicken a rock, and make you dance canary

With spritely fire and motion; whose simple touch
Is powerful to araise King Pepin, nay,

To give great Charlemain a pen in 's 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,

66 across] Lafeu's meaning is that the king's retort is clumsy. To thrust a lance in a tilting match "across" [the body of] an adversary instead of pushing the point towards him was a sign of awkwardness.

76 great Charlemain] There was a tradition that Charlemagne late in life made a vain endeavour to learn to write.

70

80

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 wondering how thou took'st it.

LAF.

And not be all day neither.

Nay, I'll fit you,

[Exit.

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:

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.

[Exit.

KING. Now, fair one, does your business follow us?
HEL. Ay, my good lord.

Gerard de Narbon was my father;

I knew him.

In what he did profess, well found.
KING.
HEL. The rather will I spare my praises towards him ;

83-84 Than I dare blame my weakness] Than I care to admit for fear of exposing myself to the reproach of weakness.

96 Cressid's uncle] Pandarus, a leading character in Shakespeare's Troil.

and Cress.

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