King

Farewell, young lords; these warlike principles

Do not throw from you: and you, my lords, farewell:

Share the advice betwixt you; if both gain, all

The gift doth stretch itself as 'tis received,

And is enough for both.

First Lord

'Tis our hope, sir,

After well-entered soldiers, to return

And find your grace in health.

King

No, no, it cannot be; and yet my heart

Will not confess he owes the malady

That doth my life besiege. Farewell, young lords;

Whether I live or die, be you the sons

Of worthy Frenchmen: let higher Italy, —

Those bated that inherit but the fall

Of the last monarchy, — see that you come

Not to woo honour, but to wed it: when

The bravest questant shrinks, find what you seek,

That fame may cry you loud: I say, farewell.

Second Lord

Health, at your bidding, serve your majesty!

King

Those girls of Italy, take heed of them:

They say, our French lack language to deny,

If they demand: beware of being captives,

Before you serve.

Both

Our hearts receive your warnings.

King

Farewell. Come hither to me. Exit, attended.

First Lord

O my sweet lord, that you will stay behind us!

Parolles

'Tis not his fault, the spark.

Second Lord

O, 'tis brave wars!

Parolles

Most admirable: I have seen those wars.

Bertram

I am commanded here, and kept a coil with

“Too young” and “the next year” and 'tis too early.”

Parolles

An thy mind stand to't boy, steal away bravely.

Bertram

I shall stay here the forehorse to a smock,

Creaking my shoes on the plain masonry,

Till honour be bought up and no sword worn

But one to dance with! By heaven, I'll steal away.

First Lord

There's honour in the theft.

Parolles

Commit it, count.

Second Lord

I am your accessory; and so, farewell.

Bertram

I grow to you, and our parting is a tortured body.

First Lord

Farewell, captain.

Second Lord

Sweet Monsieur Parolles!

Parolles

Noble heroes, my sword and yours are kin. Good sparks and lustrous, a word, good metals: 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.

Parolles

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

Bertram

Stay: the king.

Parolles

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 swordmen.

Lafeu

Kneeling.

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

King

I'll see thee to stand up.

Lafeu

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

I would you had kneeled, 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 asked 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 sprightly 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 touched

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 judgement, 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 which 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 called 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 judgement 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 barred:

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

Art 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 quenched her 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 die.

King

Upon thy certainty and confidence

What darest thou venture?

Helena

Tax of impudence,

A strumpet's boldness, a divulged shame

Traduced by odious ballads: my maiden's name

Seared otherwise; ne, worse of worst — extended

With vilest torture let my life be ended.

King

Methinks in thee some blessed spirit doth speak

His powerful sound within an organ weak:

And what impossibility would slay

In common sense, sense saves another way.

Thy life is dear; for all that life can rate

Worth name of life in thee hath estimate,

Youth, beauty, wisdom, courage, all

That happiness and prime can happy call:

Thou this to hazard needs must intimate

Skill infinite or monstrous desperate.

Sweet practiser, thy physic I will try,

That ministers thine own death if I die.

Helena

If I break time, or flinch in property

Of what I spoke, unpitied let me die,

And well deserved: not helping, death's my fee;

But, if I help, what do you promise me?

King

Make thy demand.

Helena

But will you make it even?

King

Ay, by my sceptre and my hopes of heaven.

Helena

Then shalt thou give me with thy kingly hand

What husband in thy power I will command:

Exempted be from me the arrogance

To choose from forth the royal blood of France,

My low and humble name to propagate

With any branch or image of thy state;

But such a one, thy vassal, whom I know

Is free for me to ask, thee to bestow.

King

Here is my hand; the premises observed,

Thy will by my performance shall be served:

So make the choice of thy own time, for I,

Thy resolved patient, on thee still rely.

More should I question thee, and more I must,

Though more to know could not be more to trust,

From whence thou camest, how tended on: but rest

Unquestioned welcome and undoubted blest.

Give me some help here, ho! If thou proceed

As high as word, my deed shall match thy deed. Flourish.Exeunt.