SCENE IV.

The fame. Another Room in the fame.

Enter HELENA and Clown.

Hel. My mother greets me kindly is fhe well?

:

Clo. She is not well; but yet she has her health: fhe's very merry; but yet fhe is not well: but thanks be given, fhe's very well, and wants nothing i'the world; but yet fhe is not

well.

Hel. If the be very well, what does fhe ail, that she's not very well?

Clo. Truly, fhe's very well, indeed, but for two things. Hel. What two things?

Clo. One, that fhe's not in heaven, whither God fend her quickly! the other, that fhe's in earth, from whence God fend her quickly!

Enter PAROLLES.

Par. Blefs you, my fortunate lady!

Hel. I hope, fir, I have your good will to have mine own good fortunes.

Par. You had my prayers to lead them on; and to keep them on, have them ftill.-O, my knave!

old lady?

How does my

Clo. So that you had her wrinkles, and I her would fhe did as you fay.

Par. Why, I fay nothing.

Clo. Marry, you are the wifer man; for many a man' tongue shakes out his master's undoing: To fay nothing, to do nothing, to know nothing, and to have nothing, is to be a great part of your title; which is within a very little of nothing.

Par. Away, thou'rt a knave.

Clo. You fhould have faid, fir, before a knave thou art a knave; that is, before me thou art a kn.ve: this had been truth, fir.

Par, Go to, thou art a witty fool, I have found thee.

D 5

Cl.

Clo. Did you find me in yourself, fir? or were you taught to find me? The fearch, fir, was profitable; and much fool may you find in you, even to the world's pleasure, and the increase of laughter.

Par. A good knave, i'faith, and well fed.s
Madam, my lord will go away to-night;
A very serious bufinefs calls on him.

'The great prerogative and rite of love,

Which, as your due, time claims, he does acknowledge;
But puts it off by a compell'd reftraint;

Whofe want and whofe delay, is ftrew'd with sweets,
Which they diftil now in the curbed time,6

To make the coming hour o'erflow with joy,
And pleasure drown the brim.

Hel.

What's his will, elfe?

Par. That you will take your inftant leave o'the king, And make this hafte as your own good proceeding, Strengthen'd with what apology you think

May make it probable need.7

Hel.

What more commands he?

Par. That, having this obtain'd, you prefently
Attend his further pleasure.

Hel. In every thing I wait upon his will.
Par. I fhall report it fo.

Hel.

I pray you.-Come, firrah. [Exeunt.

5 An allufion, perhaps, to the old faying- Better fed than taught;" to which the Clown has himself alluded in a preceding fcene :-" I will how myself bigbly fed and lowly taught." STEEVENS.

6 The fweets with which that want are frewed, I fuppofe, are compli ments and profeffions of kindness. JOHNSON.

Johnfon feems not to have understood this paffage; the meaning of which is merely this: That the delay of the joys, and the expectation of them, would make them more delightful when they come.' curbed time, means the time of reftraint. Whofe want, means the want of which. M. MASON.

The

The fweets which are diftilled, by the restraint faid to be imposed on Bertram, from the want and delay of the great prerogative of love," are the fweets of expectation. Parolles is here speaking of Bertram's feelings during this curbed time," not, as Dr. Johnson seems to have thought, of thofe of Helena. MALONE.

? A fpecious appearance of neceffity. JOHNSON.

A

SCENE

SCENE V.

Another Room in the fame.

Enter LAFEU and BERTRAM.

Laf. But, I hope, your lordfhip thinks not him a foldier.
Ber. Yes, my lord, and of very valiant approof.
Laf. You have it from his own deliverance.

Ber. And by other warranted teftimony.

Laf. Then my dial goes not true; I took this lark for a bunting.8

Ber. I do affure you, my lord, he is very great in knowledge, and accordingly valiant.

Laf. I have then finned against his experience, and tranfgrefs'd against his valour; and my ftate that way is dangerous, fince I cannot yet find in my heart to repent. Here he comes; I pray you, make us friends, I will pursue the amity.

Enter PAROLLES.

Par. These things fhall be done, fir.
Laf. 'Pray you, fir, who's his tailor?

Par. Sir?

[To BERTRAM.

Laf. O, I know him well: Ay fir; he, fir, is a good

workman, a very good tailor.

Ber. Is fhe gone to the king?

Par. She is.

[Afide to PAROLLES

Ber. Will the away to-night?

8 This bird is mentioned in Lyly's Love's Metamorphofis, 1601: but forefters think all birds to be buntings." Barrett's Alvearie, or Quadruple Dictionary, 1580, gives this account of it: Terraneola et rubetra, avis alaudæ fimilis, &c. Dicta terraneola quod non in arboribus, fed in terra verfetur et nidificet." The following proverb is in Ray's Collection: "A gofshawk beats not a bunting. STEEVENS.

This is a fine difcrimination between the poffeffor of courage and him that has only the appearance of it:-the bunting is in feather, fize, and form, fo like the fky-lark, as to require nice attention to difcern the one from the other; it alfo foars and finks in the air nearly in the fame manner; but it has little or no fong, which gives eftimation to the skylark. J. JOHNSON.

Par. As you'll have her.

Ber. I have writ my letters, cafketed my treasure, Given order for our horfes; and to-night,

When I should take poffeffion of the bride,

And, ere I do begin,

Laf. A good traveller is fomething at the latter end of a dinner; but one that lies three thirds, and uses a known truth to pass a thousand nothings with, fhould be once heard, and thrice beaten.-God fave you, captain.

Ber. Is there any unkindness between my lord and you, monfieur?

Par. I know not how I have deferv'd to run into my lord's displeasure.

Laf. You have made shift to run into't, boots and spurs and all, like him that leap'd into the custard ; and out of it you'll run again, rather than fuffer queftion for your refidence. Ber. It may be, you have miftaken him, my lord.

Laf. And fhall do fo ever, though I took him at his prayers. Fare you well, my lord and believe this of me, There can be no kernel in this light nut; the foul of this man is his clothes: truft him not in matter of heavy confequence; I have kept of them tame, and know their natures. Farewell, monfieur: I have fpoken better of you, than you have or will deferve at my hand; but we must do good against evil. [Exit.

Par. An idle lord, I swear.

Ber. I think fo.

Par. Why, do you not know him?'

Ber. Yes, I do know him well; and common speech Gives him a worthy pafs. Here comes my clog.

Enter HELENA.

Hel. I have, fir, as I was commanded from you,
Spoke with the king, and have procur'd his leave
For prefent parting: only, he defires
Some private fpeech with you.

Ber.

9 This odd allufion is not introduced without a view to fatire. It was a foolery practifed at city entertainments, whilft the jefter or zany was in vogue, for him to jump into a large deep custard, fet for the purpose, to fet on a quantity of barren spectators to laugh, as our poet fays in his Hamlet. THEOBALD..

3

Ber.

I fhall obey his will.
You must not marvel, Helen, at my course,
Which holds not colour with the time, nor does
The ministration and required office

On my particular: prepar'd I was not

For fuch a bufinefs; therefore am I found

So much unfettled : This drives me to entreat you,
That presently you take your way for home;
And rather mufe, than afk, why I entreat you:
For my refpects are better than they seem ;
And my appointments have in them a need,
Greater than fhows itself, at the first view,
To you that know them not. This to my mother:

"Twill be two days ere I shall see you; fo
I leave you to your wisdom.

[Giving a letter.

Sir, I can nothing fay,

Hel.
But that I am your moft obedient fervant.
Ber. Come, come, no more of that.

Hel.

And ever fhall

With true obfervance feek to eke out that,
Wherein toward me my homely ftars have fail'd
To equal my great fortune.

Let that go:

Ber.
My hafte is very great: Farewell; hie home.

Hel. Pray, fir, your pardon.

Ber.

Well, what would you fay?

Hel. I am not worthy of the wealth I owe;2
Nor dare I fay, 'tis mine; and yet it is;
But, like a timorous thief, most fain would steal
What law does vouch mine own.

What would you have?

Ber.
Hel. Something; and fcarce fo much :-nothing, indeed.—
I would not tell you what I would; my lord-'faith, yes ;—
Strangers, and foes, do funder, and not kifs.

Ber. I pray you, ftay not, but in hafte to horse.
Hel. I fhall not break your bidding, good my lord.
Ber. Where are my other men, monfieur ?-Farewell.
[Exit HELENA,

2 i. e. I own, possess. STEEVENS.

Go