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All's Well That Ends Well

Act IV, Scene 1

Without the Florentine camp.
 
[Enter Second French Lord, with five or six other Soldiers in ambush]
 
SECOND LORD
He can come no other way but by this hedge-corner: When you sally upon him, speak what terrible language you will: though you understand it not yourselves, no matter: for we must not seem to understand him, unless some one among us, whom we must produce for an interpreter.
 
FIRST SOLDIER
Good captain, let me be the interpreter.
 
SECOND LORD
Art not acquainted with him? knows he not thy voice?
 
FIRST SOLDIER
No sir I warrant you.
 
SECOND LORD
But what linsey-woolsey hast thou to speak to us again?
 
FIRST SOLDIER
Eene such as you speak to me.
 
SECOND LORD
He must think us some band of strangers, in the adversary's entertainment. Now he hath a smack of all neighboring languages: therefore we must every one be a man of his own fancy, not to know what we speak one to another: so we seem to know, is to know straight our purpose: choughs' language, gabble enough, and good enough. As for you interpreter, you must seem very politic. But couch ho, here he comes, to beguile two hours in a sleep, and then to return and swear the lies he forges.
 
[Enter PAROLLES]
 
PAROLLES
Ten o'clock: within these three hours 'twill be time enough to go home. What shall I say I have done? It must be a very plausive invention that carries it. They begin to smoke me, and disgraces have of late, knocked too often at my door: I find my tongue is too foolhardy, but my heart hath the fear of Mars before it, and of his creatures, not daring the reports of my tongue.
 
SECOND LORD
This is the first truth that ere thine own tongue was guilty of.
 
PAROLLES
What the devil should move me to undertake the recovery of this drum, being not ignorant of the impossibility, and knowing I had no such purpose? I must give myself some hurts, and say I got them in exploit: yet slight ones will not carry it. They will say, came you off with so little? and great ones I dare not give, wherefore what's the instance? Tongue, I must put you into a butter-woman's mouth, and buy myself another of Bajazet's mule, if you prattle me into these perils.
 
SECOND LORD
Is it possible he should know what he is, and be that he is.
 
PAROLLES
I would the cutting of my garments would serve the turn, or the breaking of my Spanish sword.
 
SECOND LORD
We cannot afford you so.
 
PAROLLES
Or the baring of my beard, and to say it was in stratagem.
 
SECOND LORD
'Twould not do.
 
PAROLLES
Or to drown my clothes, and say I was stripped.
 
SECOND LORD
Hardly serve.
 
PAROLLES
Though I swore I leapt from the window of the citadel.
 
SECOND LORD
How deep?
 
PAROLLES
Thirty fathom.
 
SECOND LORD
Three great oaths would scarce make that be believed.
 
PAROLLES
I would I had any drum of the enemy's, I would swear I recovered it.
 
SECOND LORD
You shall hear one anon.
 
PAROLLES
A drum now of the enemy's.
 
[Alarum within]
 
SECOND LORD
Throca movousus, cargo, cargo, cargo.
 
ALL
Cargo, cargo, cargo, villiando par corbo, cargo.
 
PAROLLES
O ransom, ransom, do not hide mine eyes.
 
FIRST SOLDIER
Boskos thromuldo boskos.
 
PAROLLES
          ,     ,             ,        ,     ,
      I know | you are | the Mus|kos' reg|iment,
          ,           ,         ,          ,         ,        ->
      And I | shall lose | my life | for want | of lang||uage.
       ,          ,         ,     2     ,           ,
      If | there be | here Ger|man or Dane,| low* Dutch,
       x              ,        2      ,       2
      Italian,| or French,| let him speak | to me,
      <-  ,        ,        ,            ,        ,         ,      ,
        I'll | discov||er that,| which shall | undo | the Flor|entine.
 
FIRST SOLDIER
Boskos vauvado, I understand thee, and can speak thy tongue: Kerelybonto sir, betake thee to thy faith, for seventeen poniards are at thy bosom.
 
PAROLLES
Oh.
 
FIRST SOLDIER
Oh pray, pray, pray,
Manka revania dulche.
 
SECOND LORD
Oscorbidulchos volivorco.
 
FIRST SOLDIER
            ,       ,        ,         ,           ,
      The gene|ral is | content | to spare | thee yet,
            ,          ,         ,           ,          ,
      And hood|winked^as | thou art,| will lead | thee on
           ,       ,           ,    2       ,         ,
      To gath|er from | thee. Hap|ly thou mayst | inform
        ,              ,          ,
      Something | to save | thy life.
 
PAROLLES
                                         ,         ,
                                      O let | me live,
           ,         ,        ,         ,           ,
      And all | the sec|rets of | our camp | I'll show,
              ,            ,    2     ,      T    T     T
      Their force,| their pur|poses: nay,| I'll speak that,
             ,          ,       ,
      Which you | will wond|er at.
 
FIRST SOLDIER
            ,           ,       ,
      But wilt | thou faith|fully?  (tri with prev)
 
PAROLLES
         ,       ,      ,
      If I | do not,| damn me.
 
FIRST SOLDIER
        ,      ,     o
      Acor|do lin|ta.   (tri with prev)
            ,     ,          ,        ___    oo
      Come^on,| thou art | granted | space.|
 
[Exit, with PAROLLES guarded. A short alarum within]
 
SECOND LORD
       T   T   .    T           x      ,         ,
      Go tell the Count | Rousillon | and my | brother,
        2        ,           ,    ,                ,            x
      We have caught | the wood|cock, and | will keep | him muffled
        ,            ,           ,
      Till we | do hear | from them.
 
SECOND SOLDIER
                                     ,            ,
                                    Captain | I will.
 
SECOND LORD
       ,            ,        ,       ,         ,
      He will | betray | us all | unto | ourselves,
          ,         ,
      Inform | on that.
 
SECOND SOLDIER
                         ,       ,        oo
                        So I | will sir.|
 
SECOND LORD
             ,           ,          ,          ,        ,
      Till then | I'll keep | him dark | and safe|ly locked.
 
[Exeunt]

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