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Home > All's Well That Ends Well > ACT II - SCENE IV. Paris. The KING's palace.

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ACT II - SCENE IV. Paris. The KING's palace.
Enter HELENA and Clown

HELENA
1    My mother greets me kindly; is she well?
Clown
2    She is not well; but yet she has her health: she's
3    very merry; but yet she is not well: but thanks be
4    given, she's very well and wants nothing i', the
5    world; but yet she is not well.
HELENA
6    If she be very well, what does she ail, that she's
7    not very well?
Clown
8    Truly, she's very well indeed, but for two things.
HELENA
9    What two things?
Clown
10   One, that she's not in heaven, whither God send her
11   quickly! the other that she's in earth, from whence
12   God send her quickly!
Enter PAROLLES

PAROLLES
13   Bless you, my fortunate lady!
HELENA
14   I hope, sir, I have your good will to have mine own
15   good fortunes.
PAROLLES
16   You had my prayers to lead them on; and to keep them
17   on, have them still. O, my knave, how does my old lady?
Clown
18   So that you had her wrinkles and I her money,
19   I would she did as you say.
PAROLLES
20   Why, I say nothing.
Clown
21   Marry, you are the wiser man; for many a man's
22   tongue shakes out his master's undoing: to say
23   nothing, to do nothing, to know nothing, and to have
24   nothing, is to be a great part of your title; which
25   is within a very little of nothing.
PAROLLES
26   Away! thou'rt a knave.
Clown
27   You should have said, sir, before a knave thou'rt a
28   knave; that's, before me thou'rt a knave: this had
29   been truth, sir.
PAROLLES
30   Go to, thou art a witty fool; I have found thee.
Clown
31   Did you find me in yourself, sir? or were you
32   taught to find me? The search, sir, was profitable;
33   and much fool may you find in you, even to the
34   world's pleasure and the increase of laughter.
PAROLLES
35   A good knave, i' faith, and well fed.
36   Madam, my lord will go away to-night;
37   A very serious business calls on him.
38   The great prerogative and rite of love,
39   Which, as your due, time claims, he does acknowledge;
40   But puts it off to a compell'd restraint;
41   Whose want, and whose delay, is strew'd with sweets,
42   Which they distil now in the curbed time,
43   To make the coming hour o'erflow with joy
44   And pleasure drown the brim.
HELENA
45   What's his will else?
PAROLLES
46   That you will take your instant leave o' the king
47   And make this haste as your own good proceeding,
48   Strengthen'd with what apology you think
49   May make it probable need.
HELENA
50   What more commands he?
PAROLLES
51   That, having this obtain'd, you presently
52   Attend his further pleasure.
HELENA
53   In every thing I wait upon his will.
PAROLLES
54   I shall report it so.
HELENA
55   I pray you.
Exit PAROLLES
56   Come, sirrah.
Exeunt

< (Previous) ACT II, SCENE IIIACT II, V (Next) >
Scene Index
ACT I
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III


  • ACT II
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III
  • SCENE IV
  • SCENE V


  • ACT III
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III
  • SCENE IV
  • SCENE V
  • SCENE VI
  • SCENE VII


  • ACT IV
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III
  • SCENE IV
  • SCENE V


  • ACT V
  • SCENE I
  • SCENE II
  • SCENE III
  • EPILOGUE

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