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in evil. He excels his Brother for a Coward, yet his brother is reputed one of the best that is. In a Retreat he out-runs any lacquey; marry, in coming on he has the cramp.

Int. If your life be faved, will you undertake to betray the Florentine?

Par. Ay, and the Captain of his horfe, Count Roufillon.

Int. I'll whisper with the General and know his pleasure.

Par. I'll no more drumming, a plague of all drums! Only to feem to deferve well, and to beguile the suppofition of that lascivious young boy the Count, have run into danger; yet who would have fufpected an ambush where I was taken?

[Afide.

Int. There is no remedy, Sir, but you must die; the General fays, you, that have fo traiteroufly difcovered the fecrets of your army, and made fuch peftiferous reports of men very nobly held, can ferve the world for no honeft ufe; therefore you must die. Come, headfman, off with his head.

Par. O lord, Sir, let me live, or let me fee my death.

Int. That fhall you, and take your leave of all your friends. [Unbinding him. So, look about you; know you any here? Ber. Good morrow, noble Captain.

2 Lord. God bless you, Captain Parolles.
I Lord. God fave you, noble Captain.

2 Lord. Captain, what Greeting will you to my Lord Lafeu? I am for France.

1 Lord. Good Captain, will you give me a copy of that fame Sonnet you writ to Diana in behalf of the Count Roufillon? if I were not a very coward, I'd compel it of you; but fare you well. [Exeunt. Int. You are undone, Captain, all but your fcarf; that has a knot on't yet.

Par. Who cannot be crufh'd with a plot? Int. If you could find out a Country where but women were that had receiv'd fo much fhame, you

might begin an impudent Nation. Fare you well, Sir,
I am for France too, we shall speak of you there.
[Exit.
Par. Yet am I thankful: if my heart were great,
'Twould burft at this. Captain I'll be no more,
But I will eat and drink, and fleep as soft,
As Captain fhall. Simply the thing I am
Shall make me live who knows himself a braggart,
Let him fear this; for it will come to pass,
That every braggart fhall be found an afs.
Ruft, fword! cool, blushes! and, Parolles, live
Safeft in fhame! being fool'd, by fool'ry thrive;
There's place and means for every man alive.
I'll after them.

[Exit.

SCENE changes to the Widow's House, at

Hel.

Florence.

Enter Helena, Widow and Diana.

THA

'HAT you may well perceive I have not wrong'd you,

One of the Greateft in the chriftian world

Shall be my Surety; 'fore whofe Throne 'tis needful,
Ere I can perfect mine intents, to kneel.
Time was, I did him a defired office

Dear almoft as his life; which gratitude
Through flinty Tartars bofom would peep forth,
And answer thanks. I duly am inform'd,
His Grace is at Marfeilles, to which place
We have convenient Convoy; you must know,
I am fuppofed dead; the Army breaking,

My husband hies him home; where, heaven aiding,
And by the leave of my good lord the King,
We'll be before our welcome.

Wid. Gentle Madam,

You never had a fervant, to whofe truft

Your business was more welcome.

Hel. Nor you, Mistress,

Ever a friend, whofe thoughts more truly labour

Ff2

То

To recompence your love: doubt not, but heav'n
Hath brought me up to be your Daughter's dowre,
As it hath fated her to be my motive

And helper to a husband. But, O ftrange men!
That can fuch sweet ufe make of what they hate,
When faucy trufting of the cozen'd thoughts
Defiles the pitchy night; fo luft doth play
With what it loaths, for that which is away.
But more of this hereafter. You, Diana,
Under my poor inftructions yet must suffer
Something in my behalf.

Dia. Let death and honesty

Go with your impofitions, I am yours
Upon your will to fuffer.

Hel. Yet I pray you:

But with the word the time will bring on fummer,
When briars fhall have leaves as well as thorns,
And be as fweet as fharp: we must away,

(34) Our waggon is prepar'd, and time revives us;
(35) All's well, that ends well; ftill the fine's the crown;
Whate'er the course, the end is the renown. [Exeunt.

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(34) Our Waggon is prepar'd, and Time revives us ;] The Word revives conveys to little Idea of Sense here, that it seems very liable to Sufpicion. How could Time revive these travelling Adventurers? Helen could not have fo poor a Thought as to mean," tho' we were tir'd laft Night, yet Repofe has given us fresh Vigour, and now Time revives us for a new Fatigue." Can It then have this Meaning? The Confequences of our Enterprize, and the happy Iffue that may crown it in Time, revive our Spirits, and animate us to a chearful Prosecution. Mr. Warburton very reasonably conjectures, that We should read,

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and Time revyes us;

i. e. looks us in the Face, calls upon us to haften;

(35) All's well, that ends well; fill that finds the Crown ;] What finds? There is no Subftantive in the preceding Branch of the Sentence to answer to this Relative. But this is the Reading only of Mr. Rowe and Mr. Pope; I have reftor'd the genuine Text from the first Folio. Our Author is alluding to the Latin proverbial Gnome; Finis coronat opus. And he elsewhere ufes the fine, to fignify, the End, the Iffue. So Benedick, in Much Ado about Nothing.

and the fine is, for the Which I may go the finer,) I will live a Batchellor.

SCENE

SCENE changes to Roufillon in France,

Enter Countess, Lafeu, and Clown.

Laf. No

O, no, no, your Son was mif-led with a fnipt taffata fellow there, whose villainous faffron would have made all the unbak'd and dowy youth of a nation in his colour. Your daughter-inlaw had been alive at this hour, and your Son here at home more advanc'd by the King than by that redtail'd humble-bee I speak of.

Count. I would, I had not known him! it was the death of the most virtuous Gentlewoman that ever Na ture had Praise for creating; if fhe had partaken of my flesh, and cost me the deareft groans of a Mother, I could not have owed her a more rooted love.

Laf. 'Twas a good lady, 'twas a good lady. We may pick a thousand fallets ere we light on fuch another herb.

Clo. Indeed, Sir, fhe was the fweet marjoram of the fallet, or rather the herb of grace.

Laf. They are not fallet-herbs, you knave, they are nofe-herbs.

Clo. I am no great Nebuchadnezzar, Sir, I have not much skill in grass.

Laf. Whether doft thou profess thy felf, a knave or a fool?

Clo. A fool, Sir, at a woman's fervice; and a knave,

at a man's.

Laf. Your diftin&tion?

Clo. I would cozen the man of his wife, and do his fervice.

Laf. So you were a knave at his fervice, indeed.

Clo. And I would give his wife my bauble, Sir, to do her service.

Laf. I will fubscribe for thee, thou art both knave and fool.

Clo. At your service.

Laf. No, no, no.

Ff3

Clo.

Clo. Why, Sir, if I cannot ferve you, I can serve as great a Prince as you are.

Laf. Who's that, a Frenchman?

Clo. Faith, Sir, he has an English name; but his phifnomy is more hotter in France than there. Laf. What Prince is that?

Clo. The black Prince, Sir, alias the Prince of Darknefs, alias the Devil.

Laf. Hold thee, there's my purfe, I give thee not this to feduce thee from thy Mafter thou talk'st of, ferve him ftill.

Clo. I'm a woodland fellow, Sir, that always lov'd a great fire; and the Mafter I fpeak of ever keeps a good fire; but, fure, he is the Prince of the world, let his Nobility remain in's Court. I am for the House with the narrow gate, which I take to be too little for Pomp to enter: fome, that humble themselves, may; but the Many will be too chill and tender, and they'll be for the flowry way that leads to the broad gate, and the great fire.

Laf. Go thy ways, I begin to be a weary of thee, and I tell thee fo before, because I would not fall out with thee. Go thy ways, let my horses be well look'd to, without any tricks.

Cio. If I put any tricks upon 'em, they fhall be jades tricks, which are their own right by the law of Na[Exit.

ture.

Laf. A fhrewd knave, and an unhappy.

Count. So he is. My Lord, that's gone, made himfelf much sport out of him; by his authority he remains here, which he thinks is a patent for his fawcinefs; and, indeed, he has no pace, but runs where he will.

Laf. I like him well, 'tis not amifs, and I was about to tell you, fince I heard of the good Lady's death, and that my Lord your Son was upon his return home, I mov'd the King my Master to speak in the behalf of my Daughter; which in the minority of them both, his Majefty, out of a felf-gracious remembrance, did first propofe; his Highness hath promis'd me to do it;

and

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