SCENE 1. ACT IV. Without the Florentine Camp. Enter first Lord, with five or six Soldiers in ambush. 1 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. 1 Sold. Good captain, let me be the interpreter. 1 Lord. Art not acquainted with him? knows he not thy voice? 1 Sold. No, sir, I warrant you. 1 Lord. But what linsy-woolsy hast thou to speak to us again? 1 Sold. Even such as you speak to me. 4 1 Lord. He must think us some band of strangers i'the adversary's entertainment. Now he hath a smack of all neighbouring 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:5 chough's language, gabble enough, and good enough. As for you, interpreter, you must seem very politick. But couch, ho! here he comes; to beguile two hours in a sleep, and then to return and swear the lies he forges. some band of strangers i'the adversary's entertainment.] That is, foreign troops in the enemy's pay. 5 so we seem to know, is to know, &c.] We must each fancy a jargon for himself, without aiming to be understood by one another, for provided we appear to understand, that will be sufficient for the success of our project. HENLEY. Enter PAROLles. Par. 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 fool-hardy; but my heart hath the fear of Mars before it, and of his creatures, not daring the reports of my tongue. 1 Lord. This is the first truth that e'er thine own tongue was guilty of. [Aside. Par. 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 another of Bajazet's mule, if you prattle me into these perils. 1 Lord. Is it possible, he should know what he is, and be that he is? [Aside. Par. I would the cutting of my garments would serve the turn; or the breaking of my Spanish sword. 1 Lord. We cannot afford you so. [Aside, Par. Or the baring of my beard; and to say, it was in stratagem. 1 Lord. "Twould not do. 6 the instance?] The proof. 7 [Aside. of Bajazet's mule,] Parolles probably means, he must buy a tongue which has still to learn the use of speech, that he may run himself into no more difficulties by his loquacity. REED. Par. Or to drown my clothes, and say, I was stripped. i Lord. Hardly serve. [Aside. Par. Though I swore I leaped from the window of the citadel 1 Lord. How deep? Par. Thirty fathom. [Aside. 1 Lord. Three great oaths would scarce make that be believed. [Aside. Par. I would, I had any drum of the enemy's; I would swear, I recovered it. 1 Lord. You shall hear one anon. Par. A druin now of the enemy's! [Aside. [Alarum within. 1 Lord. Throca movousus, cargo, cargo, cargo. All. Cargo, cargo, villianda par corbo, cargo. Par. O! ransome, ransome:-Do not hide mine [They seize him and blindfold him, 1 Sold. Boskos thromuldo boskos. eyes. Par. I know you are the Muskos' regiment. The Florentine. 1 Sold. Boskos vauvado : I understand thee, and can speak thy tongue: Betake thee to thy faith, for seventeen poniards 1 Sold. The general is content to spare thee yet; And, hood-wink'd as thou art, will lead thee on To gather from thee: haply, thou may'st inform Par. 1 Sold. But wilt thou faithfully? Par. If I do not, damn me. Come on, thou art granted space. Acordo linta. Exit, with PAROLLES guarded. 1 Lord. Go, tell the count Rousillon, and my brother, We have caught the woodcock, and will keep him* muffled, Till we do hear from them. 2 Sold. Captain, I will. 1 Lord. He will betray us all unto ourselves;Inform 'em that. 1 Lord. Till then, I'll keep him dark, and safely lock'd. [Exeunt. SCENE II. Florence. A Room in the Widow's House. Enter BERTRAM and DIANA. Ber. They told me, that your name was Fontibell. Dia. No, my good lord, Diana. Ber. If the quick fire of youth light not your mind, When you are dead, you should be such a one As you are now, for you are cold and stern; Dia. She then was honest. Ber Dia. So should you be. My mother did but duty; such, my lord, Ber. No more of that! I pr'ythee, do not strive against my vows; I was compell'd to her; but I love thee No: By love's own sweet constraint, and will for ever Dia. Ber. How have I sworn? Dia. 'Tis not the many oaths, that make the truth; But the plain single vow, that is vow'd true. What is not holy, that we swear not by,7 But take the Highest to witness: Then, pray you, tell me, If I should swear by Jove's great attributes, What is not holy, that we swear not by,] The sense is-We never swear by what is not holy, but swear by, or take to witness, the Highest, the Divinity. The tenor of the reasoning contained in the following lines perfectly corresponds with this: If I should swear by Jove's great attributes, that I loved you dearly, would you believe my oaths, when you found by experience that I loved you ill, and was endeavouring to gain credit with you in order to seduce you to your ruin? No, surely; but you would conclude that I had no faith either in Jove or his attributes, and that my oaths were mere words of course. For that oath can certainly have no tie upon us, which we swear by him we profess to love and honour, when at the same time we give the strongest proof of our disbe lief in him, by pursuing a course which we know will offend and dishonour him, HEATH. |