We please to have it grow. Check thy contempt:
Obey our will, which travails in thy good:
Believe not thy disdain, but presently

Do thine own fortunes that obedient right
Which both thy duty owes and our power claims:
Or I will throw thee from my care for ever
Into the staggers and the careless lapse

Of youth and ignorance; both my revenge and hate
Loosing upon thee, in the name of justice,
Without all terms of pity. Speak; thine answer.
Ber. Pardon, my gracious lord; for I submit
My fancy to your eyes: when I consider
What great creation and what dole of honour
Flies where you bid it, I find that she, which late
Was in my nobler thoughts most base, is now
The praised of the king; who, so ennobled,

Is as 'twere born so.

King.

170

Take her by the hand,

180

And tell her she is thine: to whom I promise

A counterpoise, if not to thy estate

A balance more replete.

I take her hand.

Ber.
King. Good fortune and the favour of the king
Smile upon this contract; whose ceremony
Shall seem expedient on the now-born brief,
And be perform'd to-night: the solemn feast
Shall more attend upon the coming space,
Expecting absent friends. As thou lovest her,
Thy love's to me religious; else, does err.

[Exeunt all but Lafeu and Parolles. Laf. [Advancing] Do you hear, monsieur? a word with you.

181-3. Helena will be made a match in dignity for Bertram as he is, and possibly new dignities added to both.

186. on the now-born brief,

190

following upon the present betrothal. Brief,' properly 'written articles,' is here figurative.

188. Shall be deferred.'

Par. Your pleasure, sir?

Laf. Your lord and master did well to make his recantation.

Par. Recantation! My lord! my master!
Laf. Ay; is it not a language I speak?

Par. A most harsh one, and not to be understood without bloody succeeding. My master ! Laf. Are you companion to the Count Rou- 200 sillon ?

Par. To any count, to all counts, to what is

man.

Laf. To what is count's man: count's master is of another style.

Par. You are too old, sir; let it satisfy you, you are too old.

Laf. I must tell thee, sirrah, I write man; to which title age cannot bring thee.

Par. What I dare too well do, I dare not do. Laf. I did think thee, for two ordinaries, to be a pretty wise fellow; thou didst make tolerable vent of thy travel; it might pass: yet the scarfs and the bannerets about thee did manifoldly dissuade me from believing thee a vessel of too great a burthen. I have now found thee; when I lose thee again, I care not yet art thou good for nothing but taking up; and that thou 'rt scarce worth.

Par. Hadst thou not the privilege of antiquity upon thee,

Laf. Do not plunge thyself too far in anger, lest thou hasten thy trial; which if-Lord have mercy on thee for a hen! So, my good window of lattice, fare thee well: thy casement I need not open, for I look through thee. Give me thy hand.

208. write, claim the title of.

216. found, found out.

210

220

Par. My lord, you give me most egregious indignity.

Laf. Ay, with all my heart; and thou art 230 worthy of it.

Par. I have not, my lord, deserved it.

Laf. Yes, good faith, every dram of it; and I will not bate thee a scruple.

Par. Well, I shall be wiser.

Laf. Even as soon as thou canst, for thou hast to pull at a smack o' the contrary. If ever thou be'st bound in thy scarf and beaten, thou shalt find what it is to be proud of thy bondage. I have a desire to hold my acquaintance with thee, 240 or rather my knowledge, that I may say in the default, he is a man I know.

Par. My lord, you do me most insupportable vexation.

Laf. I would it were hell-pains for thy sake, and my poor doing eternal: for doing I am past; as I will by thee, in what motion age will give me leave.

[Exit. Par. Well, thou hast a son shall take this disgrace off me; scurvy, old, filthy, scurvy lord! Well, I must be patient; there is no fettering of authority. I'll beat him, by my life, if I can meet him with any convenience, an he were double and double a lord. I'll have no more pity of his age than I would have of—I'll beat him, an if I could but meet him again.

Re-enter LAFEU.

Laf. Sirrah, your lord and master's married; there's news for you: you have a new mistress. Par. I most unfeignedly beseech your lordship 241. in the default, at need. 247. as I will by thee, i.e. as

250

I will pass by thee (from past preceding).

to make some reservation of your wrongs: he is 260

my good lord: whom I serve above is my master.

Laf. Who? God?

Par. Ay, sir.

Why

Laf. The devil it is that's thy master. dost thou garter up thy arms o' this fashion? dost make hose of thy sleeves? do other servants so? Thou wert best set thy lower part where thy nose stands. By mine honour, if I were but two hours younger, I'ld beat thee: methinks 't, thou art a general offence, and every man should beat thee: 270 I think thou wast created for men to breathe themselves upon thee.

Par. This is hard and undeserved measure, my lord.

Laf. Go to, sir; you were beaten in Italy for picking a kernel out of a pomegranate; you are a vagabond and no true traveller: you are more saucy with lords and honourable personages than the commission of your birth and virtue gives you heraldry. You are not worth another word, else 280 I'ld call you knave. I leave you. [Exit.

Par. Good, very good; it is so then: good, very good; let it be concealed awhile.

Re-enter BERTRAM.

Ber. Undone, and forfeited to cares for ever!
Par. What's the matter, sweet-heart?

Ber. Although before the solemn priest I have

sworn,

I will not bed her.

Par. What, what, sweet-heart?

Ber. O my Parolles, they have married me!

I'll to the Tuscan wars, and never bed her.

260. wrongs, insults.

VOL. III

280. heraldry, authentic title. 161

M

290

Par. France is a dog-hole, and it no more merits The tread of a man's foot: to the wars !

Ber. There's letters from my mother: what the import is, I know not yet.

Par. Ay, that would be known.

my boy, to the wars!

To the wars,

He wears his honour in a box unseen,
That hugs his kicky-wicky here at home,
Spending his manly marrow in her arms,
Which should sustain the bound and high curvet
Of Mars's fiery steed. To other regions
France is a stable; we that dwell in 't jades ;
Therefore, to the war!

Ber. It shall be so: I'll send her to my house,
Acquaint my mother with my hate to her,
And wherefore I am fled; write to the king
That which I durst not speak: his present gift
Shall furnish me to those Italian fields,
Where noble fellows strike: war is no strife
To the dark house and the detested wife.

Par. Will this capriccio hold in thee? art sure?
Ber. Go with me to my chamber, and advise me.
I'll send her straight away: to-morrow

I'll to the wars, she to her single sorrow.

Par. Why, these balls bound; there's noise in it. 'Tis hard:

A young man married is a man that's marr'd :
Therefore away, and leave her bravely; go:
The king has done you wrong: but, hush, 'tis so.

297. kicky-wicky, mistress. So F1. F24 give the form kicksy-wicksy.

[Exeunt.

300

310

309. detested, Rowe's correction of Ff detected.