All's Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare
Act 2 - Scene 4
Paris. The KING’s palace.
Helena : My mother greets me kindly; is she well?
Clown : She is not well; but yet she has her health: she's
[p]very merry; but
yet she is not well: but thanks be
[p]given, she's very well and wants
nothing i', the
[p]world; but yet she is not well.
Helena : If she be very well, what does she ail, that she's
[p]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
[p]quickly! the
other that she's in earth, from whence
[p]God send her quickly!
Parolles : Bless you, my fortunate lady!
Helena : I hope, sir, I have your good will to have mine own
[p]good fortunes.
Parolles : You had my prayers to lead them on; and to keep them
[p]on, have them
still. O, my knave, how does my old lady?
Clown : So that you had her wrinkles and I her money,
[p]I would she did as
you say.
Parolles : Why, I say nothing.
Clown : Marry, you are the wiser man; for many a man's
[p]tongue shakes out
his master's undoing: to say
[p]nothing, to do nothing, to know
nothing, and to have
[p]nothing, is to be a great part of your title;
which
[p]is within a very little of nothing.
Parolles : Away! thou'rt a knave.
Clown : You should have said, sir, before a knave thou'rt a
[p]knave; that's,
before me thou'rt a knave: this had
[p]been truth, sir.
Parolles : Go to, thou art a witty fool; I have found thee.
Clown : Did you find me in yourself, sir? or were you
[p]taught to find me?
The search, sir, was profitable;
[p]and much fool may you find in you,
even to the
[p]world's pleasure and the increase of laughter.
Parolles : A good knave, i' faith, and well fed.
[p]Madam, my lord will go away
to-night;
[p]A very serious business calls on him.
[p]The great
prerogative and rite of love,
[p]Which, as your due, time claims, he
does acknowledge;
[p]But puts it off to a compell'd
restraint;
[p]Whose want, and whose delay, is strew'd with
sweets,
[p]Which they distil now in the curbed time,
[p]To make the
coming hour o'erflow with joy
[p]And pleasure drown the brim.
Helena : What's his will else?
Parolles : That you will take your instant leave o' the king
[p]And make this
haste as your own good proceeding,
[p]Strengthen'd with what apology
you think
[p]May make it probable need.
Helena : What more commands he?
Parolles : That, having this obtain'd, you presently
[p]Attend his further
pleasure.
Helena : In every thing I wait upon his will.
Parolles : I shall report it so.
Helena : I pray you.
[p][Exit PAROLLES]
[p]Come, sirrah.
Previous: Act 2 - Scene 3
Next: Act 2 - Scene 5
