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But that I am your most obedient servant.

BERTRAM.

Come, come, no more of that.

HELENA.

And ever shall

With true observance seek to eke out that

Wherein toward me my homely stars have fail'd

To equal my great fortune.

BERTRAM.

Let that go.

My haste is very great. Farewell; hie home.

HELENA.

Pray, sir, your pardon.

BERTRAM.

Well, what would you say?

HELENA.

I am not worthy of the wealth I owe,

Nor dare I say 'tis mine, and yet it is;

But, like a timorous thief, most fain would steal

What law does vouch mine own.

BERTRAM.

What would you have?

HELENA.

Something; and scarce so much; nothing, indeed.

I would not tell you what I would, my lord.

Faith, yes:

Strangers and foes do sunder and not kiss.

BERTRAM.

I pray you, stay not, but in haste to horse.

HELENA.

I shall not break your bidding, good my lord.

BERTRAM.

Where are my other men, monsieur?

Farewell! Exit HELENA

Go thou toward home, where I will never come

Whilst I can shake my sword or hear the drum.

Away, and for our flight.

PAROLLES.

Bravely, coragio! Exeunt

ACT III. SCENE 1. Florence. The DUKE's palace

Flourish. Enter the DUKE OF FLORENCE, attended; two

FRENCH LORDS, with a TROOP OF SOLDIERS

DUKE.

So that, from point to point, now have you hear

The fundamental reasons of this war;

Whose great decision hath much blood let forth

And more thirsts after.

FIRST LORD.

Holy seems the quarrel

Upon your Grace's part; black and fearful

On the opposer.

DUKE.

Therefore we marvel much our cousin France

Would in so just a business shut his bosom

Against our borrowing prayers.

SECOND LORD.

Good my lord,

The reasons of our state I cannot yield,

But like a common and an outward man

That the great figure of a council frames

By self-unable motion; therefore dare not

Say what I think of it, since I have found

Myself in my incertain grounds to fail

As often as I guess'd.

DUKE.

Be it his pleasure.

FIRST LORD.

But I am sure the younger of our nature,

That surfeit on their ease, will day by day

Come here for physic.

DUKE.

Welcome shall they be

And all the honours that can fly from us

Shall on them settle. You know your places well;

When better fall, for your avails they fell.

To-morrow to th' field. Flourish. Exeunt

ACT III. SCENE 2. Rousillon. The COUNT'S palace

Enter COUNTESS and CLOWN

COUNTESS.

It hath happen'd all as I would have had it, save that he

comes not along with her.

CLOWN.

By my troth, I take my young lord to be a very melancholy man.

COUNTESS.

By what observance, I pray you?

CLOWN.

Why, he will look upon his boot and sing; mend the ruff and

sing; ask questions and sing; pick his teeth and sing. I know a

man that had this trick of melancholy sold a goodly manor for a song.

COUNTESS.

Let me see what he writes, and when he means to come.

[Opening a letter]

CLOWN.

I have no mind to Isbel since I was at court. Our old ling

and our Isbels o' th' country are nothing like your old ling and

your Isbels o' th' court. The brains of my Cupid's knock'd out;

and I begin to love, as an old man loves money, with no stomach.

COUNTESS.

What have we here?

CLOWN.

E'en that you have there. Exit

COUNTESS. [Reads] 'I have sent you a daughter-in-law; she hath

recovered the King and undone me. I have wedded her, not bedded

her; and sworn to make the "not" eternal. You shall hear I am run

away; know it before the report come. If there be breadth enough

in the world, I will hold a long distance. My duty to you.

Your unfortunate son,

BERTRAM.'

This is not well, rash and unbridled boy,

To fly the favours of so good a king,

To pluck his indignation on thy head

By the misprizing of a maid too virtuous

For the contempt of empire.

Re-enter CLOWN

CLOWN.

O madam, yonder is heavy news within between two soldiers

and my young lady.

COUNTESS.

What is the -matter?

CLOWN.

Nay, there is some comfort in the news, some comfort; your

son will not be kill'd so soon as I thought he would.

COUNTESS.

Why should he