BER. Pardon, my gracious lord; for I submit Is as 't were born so. KING. Take her by the hand, And tell her she is thine: to whom I promise A counterpoise; if not to thy estate, A balance more replete. KING. Good fortune and the favour of the king [Exeunt all but Lafeu and Parolles. LAF. Do you hear, monsieur? a word with you. PAR. Your pleasure, sir? LAF. Your lord and master did well to make his recantation. 178 Shall seem expedient on the now-born brief] Shall rightly follow immediately on the short and summary engagement. "Brief" here 66 a short" verbal assurance. Cf. V, iii, 137, infra, a sweet means verbal brief." 66 179-180 Shall more attend . . . friends] shall take place at a longer interval hereafter, awaiting the coming of absent friends. 170 180 PAR. Recantation! My lord! my master! PAR. A most harsh one, and not to be understood without bloody succeeding. My master! LAF. Are you companion to the Count Rousillon? PAR. To any count, to all counts, to what is man. LAF. To what is count's man: count's master is of another style. PAR. You are too old, sir; let it satisfy 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 wise fellow; thou didst make tolerable vent of thy travel; it might pass: yet the scarfs and the bannerets about thee did manifoldly dissuade me from believing thee a vessel of too great a burthen. 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 scarce worth. 189 succeeding] sequel, result, issue. I, i, 138, supra. "Success" is similarly used. 196 I write man] I declare myself a man. Cf. III, v, 63, infra: "I write good creature.” 199 for two ordinaries] for two dinners, for the time spent over two dinners with you. 205 taking up] There is a play here on the two meanings of this expression "buying on credit" and "contradicting or exposing error in conversation." 190 198 PAR. Hadst thou not the privilege of antiquity upon thee, LAF. Do not plunge thyself too far in anger, lest thou hasten thy trial; which if- Lord have mercy on thee for a hen! So, my good window of lattice, fare thee well: thy casement I need not open, for I look through thee. Give me thy hand. PAR. My lord, you give me most egregious indignity. LAF. Ay, with all my heart; and thou art worthy of it. PAR. I have not, my lord, deserved it. LAF. Yes, good faith, every dram of it; and I will not bate thee a scruple. PAR. Well, I shall be wiser. LAF. Ev'n as soon as thou canst, for thou hast to pull at a smack o' the contrary. If ever thou be'st bound in thy scarf and beaten, thou shalt find what it is to be proud of thy bondage. I have a desire to hold my acquaintance with thee, or rather my knowledge, that I may say in the default, he is a man I know. 212 218 PAR. My lord, you do me most insupportable vexation. LAF. I would it were hell-pains for thy sake, and my poor doing eternal: for doing I am past; as I will by thee, in what motion age will give me leave. [Exit. 228 PAR. Well, thou hast a son shall take this disgrace off me; scurvy, old, filthy, scurvy lord! Well, I must be 210 a hen] a coward. Cf. "hen-hearted," "chicken-hearted." window of lattice] a window with a blind that may be seen through. 227-228 for doing . . . leave] My time of doing or action is past, so I will pass by thee (i. e. leave thee) as quickly as age permits. 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 master's married; there's news for you: you have a new mistress. PAR. I most unfeignedly beseech your lordship to make some reservation of your wrongs: he is my good lord whom I serve above is my master. LAF. Who? God? PAR. Ay, sir. LAF. The devil it is that's thy master. Why dost thou garter up thy arms o' this fashion? dost make hose of thy sleeves? do other servants so? Thou wert best set thy lower part where thy nose stands. By mine honour, if I were but two hours younger, I'ld beat thee: methinks't, thou art a general offence, and every man should beat thee: I think thou wast created for men to breathe themselves upon thee. PAR. This is hard and undeserved 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 saucy with lords and honourable personages than the commission of your birth and virtue gives you heraldry. You are not worth another word, else I'ld call you knave. I leave you. [Exit. 240 250 PAR. Good, very good; it is so then: good, very good; let it be concealed awhile. Re-enter BERTRAM BER. Undone, and forfeited to cares for ever! BER. Although before the solemn priest I have sworn, I will not bed her. PAR. What, what, sweet-heart? BER. O my Parolles, they have married me! I'll to the Tuscan wars, and never bed her. PAR. France is a dog-hole, and it no more merits The tread of a man's foot: to the wars! BER. There's letters from my mother: what the import is, I know not yet. PAR. Ay, that would be known. To the wars, my boy, to the wars! He wears his honour in a box unseen, That hugs his kicky-wicky here at home, Which should sustain the bound and high curvet BER. It shall be so I'll send her to my house, 260 270 280 |