All’s Well That Ends Well

you shall find in the regiment of the Spinii one Captain Spurio, with his cicatrice, an emblem of war, here on his sinister cheek; it was this very sword entrenched it: say to him, I live; and observe his reports for me.

First Lord
We shall, noble captain. Exeunt Lords.


Parolles
Mars dote on you for his novices! what will ye do?


Bertram
Stay: the king.



Re-enter King. Bertram and Parolles retire.


Parolles
To Bertram. Use a more spacious ceremony to the noble lords; you have restrained yourself within the list of too cold an adieu: be more expressive to them: for they wear themselves in the cap of the time, there do muster true gait, eat, speak, and move under the influence of the most received star; and though the devil lead the measure, such are to be followed: after them, and take a more dilated farewell.


Bertram
And I will do so.


Parolles
Worthy fellows; and like to prove most sinewy sword-men. Exeunt Bertram and Parolles.



Enter Lafeu.


Lafeu
Kneeling. Pardon, my lord, for me and for my tidings.


King
I’ll fee thee to stand up.


Lafeu

Then here’s a man stands, that has brought his pardon.

I would you had kneel’d, my lord, to ask me mercy,

And that at my bidding you could so stand up.



King

I would I had; so I had broke thy pate,

And ask’d thee mercy for’t.



Lafeu

Good faith, across: but, my good lord ’tis thus;

Will you be cured of your infirmity?



King
No.


Lafeu

O, will you eat no grapes, my royal fox?

Yes, but you will my noble grapes, an if

My royal fox could reach them: I have seen a medicine

That’s able to breathe life into a stone,

Quicken a rock, and make you dance canary

With spritely fire and motion; whose simple touch

Is powerful to araise King Pepin, nay,

To give great Charlemain a pen in’s hand

And write to her a love-line.



King
What “her” is this?


Lafeu

Why, Doctor She: my lord, there’s one arrived,

If you will see her: now, by my faith and honour,

If seriously I may convey my thoughts

In this my light deliverance, I have spoke

With one that, in her sex, her years, profession,

Wisdom and constancy, hath amazed me more

Than I dare blame my weakness: will you see her

For that is her demand, and know her business?

That done, laugh well at me.



King

Now, good Lafeu,

Bring in the admiration; that we with thee

May spend our wonder too, or take off thine

By wondering how thou took’st it.



Lafeu

Nay, I’ll fit you,

And not be all day neither. Exit.



King
Thus he his special nothing ever prologues.



Re-enter Lafeu, with Helena.


Lafeu
Nay, come your ways.


King
This haste hath wings indeed.


Lafeu

Nay, come your ways;

This is his majesty; say your mind to him:

A traitor you do look like; but such traitors

His majesty seldom fears: I am Cressid’s uncle,

That dare leave two together; fare you well. Exit.



King
Now, fair one, does your business follow us?


Helena

Ay, my good lord.

Gerard de Narbon was my father;

In what he did profess, well found.



King
I knew him.


Helena

The rather will I spare my praises towards him;

Knowing him is enough. On’s bed of death

Many receipts he gave me: chiefly one,

Which, as the dearest issue of his practice,

And of his old experience the only darling,

He bade me store up, as a triple eye,

Safer than mine own two, more dear; I have so;

And, hearing your high majesty is touch’d

With that malignant cause wherein the honour

Of my dear father’s gift stands chief in power,

I come to tender it and my appliance

With all bound humbleness.



King

We thank you, maiden;

But may not be so credulous of cure,

When our most learned doctors leave us and

The congregated college have concluded

That labouring art can never ransom nature

From her inaidible estate; I say we must not

So stain our judgment, or corrupt our hope,

To prostitute our past-cure malady

To empirics, or to dissever so

Our great self and our credit, to esteem

A senseless help when help past sense we deem.



Helena

My duty then shall pay me for my pains:

I will no more enforce mine office on you;

Humbly entreating from your royal thoughts

A modest one, to bear me back again.



King

I cannot give thee less, to be call’d grateful:

Thou thought’st to help me; and such thanks I give

As one near death to those that wish him live:

But what at full I know, thou know’st no part,

I knowing all my peril, thou no art.



Helena

What I can do can do no hurt to try,

Since you set up your rest ’gainst remedy.

He that of greatest works is finisher

Oft does them by the weakest minister:

So holy writ in babes hath judgment shown,

When judges have been babes; great floods have flown

From simple sources, and great seas have dried

When miracles have by the greatest been denied.

Oft expectation fails and most oft there

Where most it promises, and oft it hits

Where hope is coldest and despair most fits.



King

I must not hear thee; fare thee well, kind maid;

Thy pains not used must by thyself be paid:

Proffers not took reap thanks for their reward.



Helena

Inspired merit so by breath is barr’d:

It is not so with Him that all things knows

As ’tis with us that square our guess by shows;

But most it is presumption in us when

The help of heaven we count the act of men.

Dear sir, to my endeavours give consent;

Of heaven, not me, make an experiment.

I am not an impostor that proclaim

Myself against the level of mine aim;

But know I think and think I know most sure

My art is not past power nor you past cure.



King

Are thou so confident? within what space

Hopest thou my cure?



Helena

The great’st grace lending grace,

Ere twice the horses of the sun shall bring

Their fiery torcher his diurnal ring,

Ere twice in murk and occidental damp

Moist Hesperus hath quench’d his sleepy lamp.

Or four and twenty times the pilot’s glass

Hath told the thievish minutes how they pass,

What is infirm from your sound parts shall fly,

Health shall live free and sickness freely