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All's Well That Ends Well

Act III, Scene 2

Rousillon. The COUNT's palace.
 
[Enter COUNTESS and Clown]
 
COUNTESS
It hath happened all, as I would have had it, save that he comes not along with her.
 
CLOWN
By my troth I take my young lord to be a very melancholy man.
 
COUNTESS
By what observance I pray you.
 
CLOWN
Why he will look upon his boot, and sing: mend the ruff and sing, ask questions and sing, pick his teeth, and sing: I know a man that had this trick of melancholy sold a goodly manor for a song.
 
COUNTESS
Let me see what he writes, and when he means to come.
 
CLOWN
I have no mind to Isbel since I was at court. Our old lings, and our Isbels of the country, are nothing like your old ling and your Isbels of the court: the brains of my Cupid's knocked out, and I begin to love, as an old man loves money, with no stomach.
 
COUNTESS
What have we here?
 
CLOWN
Eene that you have there.
 
[Exit]
 
COUNTESS
I have sent you a daughter-in-law, she hath recovered the king, and undone me: I have wedded her, not bedded her, and sworn to make the not eternal. You shall hear I am run away, know it before the report come. If there be breadth enough in the world, I will hold a long distance. My duty to you, your unfortunate son, Bertram.
                 ,    ,      ,            ,       ,
      This is / not well | rash and | unbrid|led boy.
          ,         ,            ,   ,        ,
      To fly | the fav|ors of / so good | a king,
           ,          ,     ,       ,         ,
      To pluck | his in|digna|tion on | thy head,
       ,            ,        2      ,   ,     ,   2
      By the | mispris|ing of a / maid too | virtuous
       ,             ,         ,  __    oo
      For the | contempt | of em|pire.|
 
[enter Clown]
 
CLOWN
O madam, yonder is heavy news within between two soldiers, and my young lady.
 
COUNTESS
What is the matter.
 
CLOWN
Nay there is some comfort in the news, some comfort, your son will not be killed so soon as I thought he would.
 
COUNTESS
Why should he be killed?
 
CLOWN
So say I madam, if he run away, as I hear he does, the danger is in standing to it, that's the loss of men, though it be the getting of children. Here they come will tell you more. For my part I only hear your son was run away.
 
[Exit. Enter HELENA, and two Gentlemen]
 
FIRST GENTLEMAN
Save you good madam.
 
HELENA
       ,           ,         ,        ,      ,
      Madam,| my lord | is gone,| forev|er gone.
 
SECOND GENTLEMAN
Do not say so.
 
COUNTESS
        T   . T   T           ,          ,     ,
      Think upon pat|ience, pray | you gent|lemen,
       2       ,        ,       ,         ,          ,
      I have felt | so man|y quirks | of joy | and grief,
                   ,     ,         ,       ,         ,
      That the / first face | of neith|er on | the start
            x       2    x          x         ,        ,
      Can woman | me unto it.| Where is my | son I | pray you?  ??
 
SECOND GENTLEMAN
       ,   2         ,         ,           ,         ,
      Madam he's | gone to | serve the | duke of | Florence,
          ,          ,       ,           ,          ,
      We met | him thith|erward,| for thence | we came:
           ,       ,         ,          ,         ,
      And aft|er some | dispatch | in hand | at court,
        ,            ,       ,
      Thither | we bend | again.  \\
 
HELENA
Look on his letter madam, here's my passport.
When thou canst get the ring upon my finger, which never shall come off, and show me a child begotten of thy body, that I am father to, then call me husband: but in such a (then) I write a never.
This is a dreadful sentence.
 
COUNTESS
Brought you this letter gentlemen?
 
FIRST GENTLEMAN
Aye madam, and for the contents' sake are sorry for our pain.
 
COUNTESS
          ,       ,      ,       ,        ,
      I prith|ee la|dy have | a bet|ter cheer,
           ,        ,        ,           ,           ,
      If thou | engros|sest all | the griefs | are thine,
             ,      ,   2     ,           ,        ,
      Thou robst | me of a | moiety:| he was | my son,
          ,        ,          ,     ,            ,
      But I do | wash | his name | out of | my blood,
            ,         ,         ,         ,       ,          ,    ->
      And thou | art all | my child.| Towards | Florence || is he?
 
SECOND GENTLEMAN
       ,    x
      Aye madam.
 
COUNTESS
                             ,      ,
                 / And to | be a | soldier.
 
SECOND GENTLEMAN
        ,            ,      ,         ,           x
      Such is | his nob|le pur|pose, and | believe it
            ,          ,      ,         ,          x
      The duke | will lay | upon | him all | the honor
             ,        ,           ,
      That good | conven|ience claims.
 
COUNTESS
                                           ,            x
                                       Return | you thither.
 
FIRST GENTLEMAN
       ,   ,                   ,         ,         ,
      Aye mad/am, with | the swift|est wing | of speed.
 
HELENA
        ,        T   T   T     2       ,     2      ,
      Till I | have no wife,| I have noth|ing in France,
            ,
      'Tis bit|ter.
 
COUNTESS
                      ,         ,
                    Find | you that | there?
 
HELENA
                                              ,     ,
                                             Aye | madam.
 
FIRST GENTLEMAN
'Tis but the boldness of his hand haply, which his heart was not consenting to.
 
COUNTESS
        ,    2        ,        ,         T   T   T
      Nothing in | France, un|til he | have no wife:
                ,        ,               ,    ,         ,
      There's noth|ing here | that is / too good | for him
           ,     ,         ,         ,         ,
      But on|ly she,| and she | deserves | a lord
             ,             ,    ,            ,      ,
      That twen|ty such^/rude boys | might^tend | upon,
            ,          ,      ,          ,            x
      And call | her hour|ly mist|ress. Who | was with him?
 
FIRST GENTLEMAN
A servant only, and a gentleman: which I have sometime known.
 
COUNTESS
Parolles was it not?
 
FIRST GENTLEMAN
Aye my good lady, he.
 
COUNTESS
         ,      ,       ,             ,       ,
      A ver|y taint|ed fel|low, and full of wickedness, ????
          ,         ,         ,       ,      ,
      My son | corrupts | a well-|derived | nature
            ,        ,
      With his | induce|ment.  \\
 
FIRST GENTLEMAN
Indeed good lady the fellow has a deal of that, too much, which holds him much to have.
 
COUNTESS
You're welcome gentlemen, I will entreat you when you see my son, to tell him that his sword can never win the honor that he loses: more I'll entreat you written to bear along.
 
SECOND GENTLEMAN
We serve you madam in that and all your worthiest affairs.
 
COUNTESS
           ,        ,         ,           ,      ,
      Not so,| but as | we change | our court|esies,
            ,     __     __
      Will you | draw | near?  \\
 
[Exeunt COUNTESS and Gentlemen]
 
HELENA
        ,        T   T   T     2       ,     2      ,
      Till I | have no wife | I have noth|ing in France.
        ,             ,        ,        ,         ,
      Nothing | in France | until | he has | no wife:
             ,            ,        ,         ,          ,
      Thou shalt | have none | Rousil|lon, none | in France,
             ,          ,    .  T     T    T      2   ,
      Then hast | thou all | again: poor lord,| is it I
             ,             ,          ,        ,        ,
      That chase | thee* from | thy count|ry, and | expose
             ,        ,          ,      ,          ,
      Those tend|er limbs | of thine,| to the | event
                 ,    ,       ,         ,      ,
      Of the / none-spar|ing war?| And is | it I,
             ,       ,               ,         ,              ,
      That drive | thee from | the sport|ive court,| where* thou
             ,                ,    ,        ,         ,
      Wast shot | at with / fair eyes,| to be | the mark
           ,      ,       ,          x      ,     ,
      Of smok|y musk|ets? O | you leaden | messengers,  ????
             ,      ,         x         ,          ,
      That ride | upon | the vio|lent speed | of fire,
       ,            T   T     T   .      T     Tx     T
      Fly with | false aim, move the | still-peering air
             ,            ,         ,         ,          ,
      That sings | with pierc|ing, do | not touch | my lord:
          ,       ,         ,       ,          ,
      Whoev|er shoots | at him,| I set | him there.
          ,      ,       ,        ,          ,
      Whoev|er charg|es on | his for|ward breast
      ,            ,        ,         ,          x
      I am | the cait|iff that | do hold | him to it,
             ,         ,         ,       ,         ,
      And though | I kill | him not,| I am | the cause
            ,          ,      ,        ,         ,
      His death | was so | effec|ted: bet|ter 'twere
         ,         ,      ,      ,          ,
      I met | the rav|in li|on when | he roared
             ,           ,           ,       ,         ,
      With sharp | constraint | of hung|er: bet|ter 'twere,
            ,         ,     ,           ,        ,
      That all | the mis|eries | which nat|ure owes
             ,     .   T    T   T           ,          x
      Were mine | at once. No come | thou home | Rousillon,
              ,      ,        ,        ,        ,
      Whence^hon|or but | of dang|er wins | a scar,
          ,        ,      ,        ,         ,
      As oft | it los|es all.| I will | be gone:
          ,       ,        ,          ,            ,
      My be|ing here | it is,| that holds | thee hence,
                  ,    ,         x      T   T   .   T
      Shall I / stay here | to do it?| No, no, although
           ,        ,     ,         ,          ,
      The air | of par|adise | did fan | the house,
           ,       ,        ,        ,         ,
      And ang|els of|ficed all:| I will | be gone,
            ,   2    ,      ,        ,          ,
      That pi|tiful rum|or may | report | my flight
          ,      ,           ,           ,           ,
      To con|solate | thine^ear.| Come^night,| end^day,
            ,     .    T     T    T            ,       ,
      For with | the dark (poor thief)| I'll steal | away.
 
[Exit]

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