All's Well That Ends Well (12 page)

DUKE
    The general of our horse thou art, and we,

Great
in our hope,
lay
our best love and
credence
²

Upon thy promising fortune.

BERTRAM
    Sir, it is

A charge too heavy for my strength, but yet

We'll strive to bear it for your worthy sake

To
th'extreme edge
⁷
of hazard.

DUKE
    Then go thou forth,

And fortune play upon thy prosperous
helm
⁹

As thy auspicious mistress!

BERTRAM
    This very day,

Great Mars, I put myself into thy
file.
¹²

Make me but
like my thoughts
¹³
, and I shall prove

A lover of thy drum, hater of love.

COUNTESS
    Alas! And would you take the letter
of
¹
her?

Might you not know she would do as she has done,

By sending me a letter? Read it again.

REYNALDO

[
Reads the
]
letter

‘I am
Saint Jaques
⁴
' pilgrim, thither gone.

Ambitious love hath so in me offended,

That barefoot plod I the cold ground upon,

With
sainted
⁷
vow my faults to have amended.

Write, write, that from the bloody course of war

My dearest master, your dear son, may
hie.
⁹

Bless him at home in peace, whilst I from far

His name with zealous fervour sanctify.

His
taken
¹²
labours bid him me forgive.

I, his
despiteful
Juno
¹³
, sent him forth

From courtly friends, with
camping
¹⁴
foes to live

Where death and danger dogs the heels of worth.

He is too good and fair for death and me,

Whom
¹⁷
I myself embrace, to set him free.'

COUNTESS
    Ah, what sharp stings are in her mildest words!

Reynaldo, you did never lack
advice
¹⁹
so much,

As letting her pass so: had I spoke with her,

I could have well diverted her intents,

Which thus she hath
prevented.
²²

REYNALDO
    Pardon me, madam.

If I had given you this
at overnight
²⁴
,

She might have been o'erta'en, and yet she writes

Pursuit would be but vain.

COUNTESS
    What angel shall

Bless this unworthy husband? He cannot thrive,

Unless her prayers,
whom
²⁹
heaven delights to hear

And loves to grant, reprieve him from the wrath

Of greatest justice. Write, write, Reynaldo,

To this
unworthy husband
³²
of his wife.

Let every word
weigh heavy of
³³
her worth

That he does weigh too light. My greatest grief,

Though little he do feel it, set down sharply.

Dispatch the most convenient messenger.

When haply
³⁷
he shall hear that she is gone,

He will return, and hope I may that she,

Hearing so much, will speed her foot again,

Led hither by pure love. Which of them both

Is dearest to me, I have no skill in
sense
⁴¹

To make distinction.
Provide
⁴²
this messenger.

My heart is heavy and mine age is weak.

Grief would have tears, and sorrow bids me speak.

WIDOW
    Nay, come, for if they do approach the city, we shall

lose all
²
the sight.

DIANA
    They say the French count has done most

honourable service.

WIDOW
    It is reported that he has taken
their
⁵
greatest

commander, and that with his own hand he slew the duke's

brother.

We have lost our labour. They are gone a contrary way.

Hark! You may know by their trumpets.

MARIANA
    Come, let's return again, and
suffice
¹⁰
ourselves with

the report of it. Well, Diana, take heed of this French
earl.
¹¹

The honour of a maid is her
name
¹²
, and no legacy is so rich as

honesty.
¹³

WIDOW
    I have told my neighbour how you have been

solicited
¹⁵
by a gentleman his companion.

MARIANA
    I know that knave, hang him! One Parolles: a filthy

officer
he is in those
suggestions
for
¹⁷
the young earl. Beware

of them, Diana; their promises, enticements, oaths, tokens

and all these
engines
of lust, are not the things they
go
¹⁹

under. Many a maid hath been seduced by them, and the

misery is example that so terrible shows in the
wreck of
²¹

maidenhood, cannot for all that dissuade
succession
²²
, but

that
they are
limed
²³
with the twigs that threatens them. I

hope I need not to advise you further, but I hope your own

grace
will keep you where you are,
though
²⁵
there were no

further danger known but the modesty which is so lost.
²⁶

DIANA
    You shall not need to
fear
²⁷
me.

WIDOW
    I hope so. Look, here comes a pilgrim. I know she will

lie
²⁹
at my house: thither they send one another. I'll question

her.— God save you, pilgrim! Whither are you bound?

HELEN
    To Saint Jaques le Grand.

Where do the
palmers
³²
lodge, I do beseech you?

WIDOW
    At the
Saint Francis
here beside the
port.
³³

HELEN
    Is this the way?

WIDOW
    Ay, marry, is't. Hark you!

They come this way. If you will
tarry
³⁶
,

Holy pilgrim, but till the troops come by,

I will conduct you where you shall be lodged,

The rather
for
³⁹
I think I know your hostess

As
ample
⁴⁰
as myself.

HELEN
    Is it yourself?

WIDOW
    If you shall please so, pilgrim.

HELEN
    I thank you, and will
stay upon
your
leisure.
⁴³

WIDOW
    You came, I think, from France?

HELEN
    I did so.

WIDOW
    Here you shall see a countryman of yours

That has done worthy service.

HELEN
    His name, I pray you.

DIANA
    The Count Rossillion. Know you such a one?

HELEN
    But by the ear, that hears most nobly of him:

His face I know not.

DIANA
    
Whatsome'er
⁵²
he is,

He's
bravely taken
⁵³
here. He stole from France,

As 'tis reported,
for
⁵⁴
the king had married him

Against his liking. Think you it is so?

HELEN
    Ay, surely,
mere
⁵⁶
the truth. I know his lady.

DIANA
    There is a gentleman that serves the count

Reports but coarsely of her.

HELEN
    What's his name?

DIANA
    Monsieur Parolles.

HELEN
    O, I
believe
⁶¹
with him,

In
argument
of praise, or
to
⁶²
the worth

Of the great count himself, she is too
mean
⁶³

To have her name repeated.
All her deserving
⁶⁴

Is a
reservèd honesty
⁶⁵
, and that

I have not heard
examined.
⁶⁶

DIANA
    Alas, poor lady!

'Tis a hard bondage to become the wife

Of a detesting lord.

WIDOW
    I
write
⁷⁰
good creature: wheresoe'er she is,

Her heart weighs sadly. This young maid might do her

A
shrewd
⁷²
turn if she pleased.

HELEN
    How do you mean?

Maybe the amorous count solicits her

In the unlawful purpose?

WIDOW
    He does indeed,

And
brokes
with all that can in such a
suit
⁷⁷

Corrupt the tender honour of a maid.

But she is armed for him and keeps her guard

In
honestest
⁸⁰
defence.

MARIANA
    The gods forbid
else!
⁸¹

WIDOW
    So, now they come:

That is Antonio, the duke's eldest son.

That, Escalus.

HELEN
    Which is the Frenchman?

DIANA
    He,

That with the plume. 'Tis a most gallant fellow.

I would he loved his wife: if he were
honester
⁸⁸

He were much goodlier. Is't not a handsome gentleman?

HELEN
    I like him well.

DIANA
    'Tis pity he is not honest. Yond's that same knave

That leads him to these places. Were I his lady,

I would poison that vile rascal.

HELEN
    Which is he?

DIANA
    That
jackanapes
⁹⁵
with scarves. Why is he melancholy?

HELEN
    Perchance he's hurt i'th'battle.

PAROLLES
    Lose our drum! Well.

MARIANA
    He's
shrewdly
⁹⁸
vexed at something. Look, he has

spied us.

WIDOW
    Marry, hang you!

MARIANA
    And your
courtesy
, for a
ring-carrier!
¹⁰¹

WIDOW
    The troop is past. Come, pilgrim, I will bring you

Where you shall
host.
Of
enjoined penitents
¹⁰³

There's four or five, to great Saint Jaques bound,

Already at my house.

HELEN
    I humbly thank you:

Please it
¹⁰⁷
this matron and this gentle maid

To eat with us tonight, the
charge
¹⁰⁸
and thanking

Shall be
for me.
¹⁰⁹
And, to requite you further,

I will bestow some
precepts of
¹¹⁰
this virgin

Worthy the note.

BOTH
    We'll take your offer
kindly.
¹¹²