Hel. That it will please you

To give this poor petition to the king;

And aid me with that store of power you have,
To come into his presence.

Gent. The king's not here.

Hel.

Gent.

Not here, sir?

Not, indeed:

He hence remov'd last night, and with more haste

Than is his use.

Wid.

Lord, how we lose our pains!

Hel. All's well that ends well, yet;

Though time seem so advérse, and means unfit.-
I do beseech you, whither is he gone?

Gent. Marry, as I take it, to Rousillon;
Whither I am going.

Hel.

I do beseech you, sir, Since you are like to see the king before me, Commend the paper to his gracious hand; Which, I presume, shall render you no blame, But rather make you thank your pains for it: I will come after you, with what good speed Our means will make us means 2.

Gent.

This I'll do for you.

Hel. And you shall find yourself to be well thank'd, Whate'er falls more.-We must to horse again;Go, go, provide. [Exeunt.

SCENE II. Rousillon.

The inner Court of the Countess's Palace.

Enter Clown and PAROLles.

Par. Good Monsieur Lavatch1, give my Lord Lafeu this letter: I have ere now, sir, been better

2 i. e. they will follow with such speed as the means which they have will give them ability to exert.'

Perhaps a corruption of La Vache.

known to you, when I have held familiarity with fresher clothes; but I am now, sir, muddied in fortune's mood, and smell somewhat strong of her strong displeasure.

Clo. Truly, fortune's displeasure is but sluttish, if it smell so strong as thou speakest of: I will henceforth eat no fish of fortune's buttering. Pr'ythee, allow the wind 3.

Par. Nay, you need not stop your nose, sir; I spake but by a metaphor.

Clo. Indeed, sir, if your metaphor stink, I will stop my nose; or against any man's metaphor. Pr'ythee, get thee further.

Par. Pray you, sir, deliver me this paper.

Clo. Foh, pr'ythee, stand away; A paper from fortune's close-stool to give to a nobleman! Look, here he comes himself.

Enter LAFEU.

Here is a pur of fortune's, sir, or of fortune's cat, (but not a musk-cat), that has fallen into the unclean fishpond of her displeasure, and, as he says,

2 Warburton changed mood, the reading of the old copy, to moat, and was followed and defended by Steevens; but though the emendation was ingenious and well supported, it appears unnecessary. Fortune's mood is several times used by Shakspeare for the whimsical caprice of fortune.

3 i. e. stand to the leeward of me.

4 Warburton observes, that Shakspeare throughout his writings, if we except a passage in Hamlet, has scarce a metaphor that can offend the most squeamish reader.' To this Steevens, in one of those splenetic fits, to which in the decline of life he was subject, replies that 'the poet's offensive metaphors and allusions are more frequent than those of all his dramatic predecessors or contemporaries.' Those best acquainted with his dramatic contemporaries and predecessors will acknowledge the falsehood of this unjust accusation. But the notes of Mr. Steevens and the Pseudo-Collins would sufficiently disprove it. The dramas of Beaumont and Fletcher, and some parts of Ben Jonson, I will serve to show its falsehood.

is muddied withal: Pray you, sir, use the carp as you may; for he looks like a poor, decayed, ingenious, foolish, rascally knave. I do pity his distress in my smiles 5 of comfort, and leave him to your lordship. [Exit Clown. Par. My lord, I am a man whom fortune hath cruelly scratched.

Laf. And what would you have me to do? 'tis too late to pare her nails now. Wherein have you played the knave with fortune, that she should scratch you, who of herself is a good lady, and would not have knaves thrive long under her? There's a quart d'ecu for you: Let the justices make you and fortune friends; I am for other business.

Par. I beseech your honour, to hear me one single word.

Laf. You beg a single penny more: come, you shall ha't: save your word.

Par. My name, my good lord, is Parolles.

Laf. You beg more than one word then.-Cox' my passion! give me your hand :-How does your

drum?

Par. O my good lord, you were the first that found me.

Laf. Was I, in sooth? and I was the first that lost thee.

Par. It lies in you, my lord, to bring me in some grace, for you did bring me out.

Laf. Out upon thee, knave! dost thou put upon me at once both the office of God and the devil? one brings thee in grace, and the other brings thee out. [Trumpets sound.] The king's coming, I know

5 Warburton says we should read, 'similes of comfort,' such as calling him fortune's cat, carp, &c.

6 A quibble is intended on the word Parolles, which in French signifies words.

by his trumpets.-Sirrah, inquire further after me; I had talk of you last night: though you are a fool and a knave, you shall eat; go to, follow 7. Par. I praise God for you.

[Exeunt.

Flourish.

A Room in the Countess's Palace.

Enter King, Countess, LAFEU, Lords, Gentlemen,

Guards, &c.

King. We lost a jewel of her; and our esteem 1 Was made much poorer by it: but your son,

As mad in folly, lack'd the sense to know
Her estimation home 2.

Count.

"Tis past, my liege: And I beseech your majesty to make it

Natural rebellion, done i' the blaze3 of youth:
When oil and fire, too strong for reason's force,
O'erbears it, and burns on.

King.

My honour'd lady,
I have forgiven and forgotten all;

Though my revenges were high bent upon him,
And watch'd the time to shoot.

This I must say,

Laf.
But first I beg my pardon,-The young lord
Did to his majesty, his mother, and his lady,

7 Johnson justly observes that 'Parolles has many of the lineaments of Falstaff, and seems to be a character that Shakspeare delighted to draw, a fellow that had more wit than virtue. Though justice required that he should be detected and exposed, yet his vices sit so fit in him that he is not at last suffered to starve.'

1 i. e. in losing her we lost a large portion of our esteem, which she possessed.

2 Completely, in its full extent.

3 The old copy reads blade. Theobald proposed the present reading.

Offence of mighty note; but to himself
The greatest wrong of all: he lost a wife,
Whose beauty did astonish the survey

Of richest eyes*; whose words all ears took captive; Whose dear perfection, hearts that scorn'd to serve, Humbly call'd mistress.

King.

Praising what is lost,

Makes the remembrance dear.- -Well, call him hither;

We are reconcil'd, and the first view shall kill
All repetition 5:—Let him not ask our pardon;
The nature of his great offence is dead,
And deeper than oblivion do we bury

The incensing relicks of it: let him approach,
A stranger, no offender; and inform him,
So 'tis our will he should.

Gent.

I shall, my liege,
[Exit Gentleman.

King. What says he to your daughter? have you

spoke?

Laf. All that he is hath reference to your highness.
King. Then shall we have a match. I have let-

ters sent me,

That set him high in fame.

Laf.

Enter BERTRAM.

He looks well on't.

King. I am not a day of season",
For thou mayst see a sun-shine and a hail

4 So in As You Like It:-to have seen much and to have nothing, is to have rich eyes and poor hands.' Those who having seen the greatest number of fair women might be said to be the richest in ideas of beauty.

5 i. e. the first interview shall put an end to all recollection of the past.

6 i. e. a seasonable day, a mixture of sunshine and hail, of winter and summer, is unseasonable.