| ACT II SCENE IV | Paris. The KING's palace. | |
| [Enter HELENA and Clown] |
| HELENA | My mother greets me kindly; is she well? |
| Clown | She is not well; but yet she has her health: she's |
| very merry; but yet she is not well: but thanks be |
| given, she's very well and wants nothing i', the |
| world; but yet she is not well. | 5 |
| HELENA | If she be very well, what does she ail, that she's |
| not very well? |
| Clown | Truly, she's very well indeed, but for two things. |
| HELENA | What two things? |
| Clown | One, that she's not in heaven, whither God send her | 10 |
| quickly! the other that she's in earth, from whence |
| God send her quickly! |
| [Enter PAROLLES] |
| PAROLLES | Bless you, my fortunate lady! |
| HELENA | I hope, sir, I have your good will to have mine own |
| good fortunes. | 15 |
| PAROLLES | You had my prayers to lead them on; and to keep them |
| on, have them still. O, my knave, how does my old lady? |
| Clown | So that you had her wrinkles and I her money, |
| I would she did as you say. |
| PAROLLES | Why, I say nothing. | 20 |
| Clown | Marry, you are the wiser man; for many a man's |
| tongue shakes out his master's undoing: to say |
| nothing, to do nothing, to know nothing, and to have |
| nothing, is to be a great part of your title; which |
| is within a very little of nothing. | 25 |
| PAROLLES | Away! thou'rt a knave. |
| Clown | You should have said, sir, before a knave thou'rt a |
| knave; that's, before me thou'rt a knave: this had |
| been truth, sir. |
| PAROLLES | Go to, thou art a witty fool; I have found thee. | 30 |
| Clown | Did you find me in yourself, sir? or were you |
| taught to find me? The search, sir, was profitable; |
| and much fool may you find in you, even to the |
| world's pleasure and the increase of laughter. |
| PAROLLES | A good knave, i' faith, and well fed. | 35 |
| Madam, my lord will go away to-night; |
| A very serious business calls on him. |
| The great prerogative and rite of love, |
| Which, as your due, time claims, he does acknowledge; |
| But puts it off to a compell'd restraint; | 40 |
| Whose want, and whose delay, is strew'd with sweets, |
| Which they distil now in the curbed time, |
| To make the coming hour o'erflow with joy |
| And pleasure drown the brim. |
| HELENA | What's his will else? | 45 |
| PAROLLES | That you will take your instant leave o' the king |
| And make this haste as your own good proceeding, |
| Strengthen'd with what apology you think |
| May make it probable need. |
| HELENA | What more commands he? | 50 |
| PAROLLES | That, having this obtain'd, you presently |
| Attend his further pleasure. |
| HELENA | In every thing I wait upon his will. |
| PAROLLES | I shall report it so. |
| HELENA | I pray you. | 55 |
[Exit PAROLLES] |
| Come, sirrah. |
| [Exeunt] |