All's Well That Ends Well (6 page)

               For I the ballad will repeat,

               Which men full true shall find:

               Your marriage comes by destiny,

               Your cuckoo sings by
kind.
⁵⁶

COUNTESS
    Get you gone, sir. I'll talk with you more
anon.
⁵⁷

REYNALDO
    May it please you, madam, that he bid Helen come

to you: of her I am to speak.

COUNTESS
    Sirrah, tell my gentlewoman I would

speak with her — Helen, I mean.

LAVATCH
    ‘Was this
fair face
the cause,' quoth
she
⁶²
,

               ‘Why the Grecians
sackèd
Troy?
⁶³

               
Fond
⁶⁴
done, done fond,

               Was this
King Priam's
⁶⁵
joy?'

               With that she sighèd as she stood,

               With that she sighèd as she stood,

               And gave this
sentence
⁶⁸
then:

               ‘
Among
⁶⁹
nine bad if one be good,

               Among nine bad if one be good,

               There's yet one good in ten.'

COUNTESS
    What, one good in ten? You
corrupt the song
⁷²
,

sirrah.

LAVATCH
    One good woman in ten, madam; which is a

purifying
o'th'song. Would God would
serve the world
⁷⁵
so all

the year! We'd find no fault with the
tithe-woman
⁷⁶
, if I were

the parson. One in ten, quoth a?
An
⁷⁷
we might have a good

woman born
but ere every
blazing star
⁷⁸
, or at an earthquake,

'twould
mend the lottery well.
A man may
draw
⁷⁹
his heart

out ere a pluck
one.
⁸⁰

COUNTESS
    You'll be gone, sir knave, and do as I command you?

LAVATCH
    
That
⁸²
man should be at woman's command, and yet

no hurt done! Though
honesty
⁸³
be no puritan, yet it will do

no hurt. It will
wear the surplice of humility over the black
⁸⁴

gown of a big heart. I am going,
forsooth.
⁸⁵
The business is for

Helen to come hither.

COUNTESS
    Well, now.

REYNALDO
    I know, madam, you love your gentlewoman entirely.

COUNTESS
    Faith, I do. Her father
bequeathed
⁸⁹
her to me, and

she herself, without other
advantage
, may lawfully
make
⁹⁰

title to as much love as she finds. There is more owing her

than is paid and more shall be paid her than she'll demand.

REYNALDO
    Madam, I was very
late
⁹³
more near her than I think

she wished me. Alone she was, and did communicate to

herself her own words to her own ears. She thought, I dare

vow for her, they touched not any
stranger sense.
Her
matter
⁹⁶

was, she loved your son. Fortune, she said, was no goddess,

that had put such difference betwixt their two
estates.
⁹⁸
Love

no
god, that would not extend his might
only where qualities
⁹⁹

were level.
Dian
no queen of virgins, that would
suffer
¹⁰⁰
her

poor knight
surprised
¹⁰¹
without rescue in the first assault or

ransom afterward. This she delivered in the most bitter
touch
¹⁰²

of sorrow that e'er I heard virgin exclaim in, which I held my

duty speedily to acquaint you
withal
,
sithence
, in the
loss
¹⁰⁴

that may happen, it concerns you
something
¹⁰⁵
to know it.

COUNTESS
    You have
discharged
¹⁰⁶
this honestly. Keep it to

yourself. Many
likelihoods
¹⁰⁷
informed me of this before, which

hung so tott'ring in the balance that I could neither believe

nor
misdoubt.
Pray you leave me.
Stall
¹⁰⁹
this in your bosom,

and I thank you for your honest care. I will speak with you

further anon.

Even so it was with me when I was young.

If ever we are nature's,
these
¹¹³
are ours. This thorn

Doth to our rose of youth rightly belong.

Our
blood
¹¹⁵
to us, this to our blood is born:

It is the
show
and
seal
¹¹⁶
of nature's truth,

Where love's strong passion is
impressed
¹¹⁷
in youth.

By our remembrances of days foregone,

Such were our faults,
or
¹¹⁹
then we thought them none.

Her eye is sick on't. I
observe
¹²⁰
her now.

HELEN
    What is your pleasure, madam?

COUNTESS
    You know, Helen, I am a mother to you.

HELEN
    Mine honourable mistress.

COUNTESS
    Nay, a mother. Why not a mother? When I said ‘a mother',

Methought
¹²⁵
you saw a serpent. What's in ‘mother'

That you
start
¹²⁶
at it? I say I am your mother,

And put you in the catalogue of those

That were
enwombèd mine.
¹²⁸
'Tis often seen

Adoption
strives
with
nature
, and
choice breeds
¹²⁹

A native slip to us from foreign seeds.

You ne'er oppressed me with a
mother's groan
¹³¹
,

Yet I express to you a mother's care.

God's mercy, maiden! Does it
curd
¹³³
thy blood

To say I am thy mother? What's the matter,

That this
distempered
¹³⁵
messenger of wet,

The many-coloured
Iris
,
rounds
¹³⁶
thine eye?

— Why? That you are my daughter?

HELEN
    That I am
not.
¹³⁸

COUNTESS
    I say I am your mother.

HELEN
    Pardon, madam.

The Count Rossillion cannot be my brother:

I am from humble, he from honoured name,

No
note
upon my
parents
¹⁴³
, his all noble.

My master, my dear lord he is, and I

His servant live, and will his
vassal
¹⁴⁵
die.

He must not be my brother.

COUNTESS
    Nor I your mother.

HELEN
    You are my mother, madam, would you were —

So
¹⁴⁹
that my lord your son were not my brother —

Indeed my mother! Or were you
both our mothers
¹⁵⁰
,

I care
no more for than
¹⁵¹
I do for heaven,

So I were not his sister.
Can't no other
¹⁵²

But, I your daughter, he must be my brother?

COUNTESS
    Yes, Helen, you might be my daughter-in-law.

God
shield
¹⁵⁵
you mean it not! Daughter and mother

So strive upon your pulse. What, pale again?

My fear hath
catched
your
fondness.
¹⁵⁷
Now I see

The mystery of your
loveliness
¹⁵⁸
, and find

Your salt tears'
head.
Now to all
sense
'tis
gross
¹⁵⁹
:

You love my son.
Invention
¹⁶⁰
is ashamed

Against
¹⁶¹
the proclamation of thy passion

To say thou dost not: therefore tell me true.

But tell me then 'tis so, for look, thy cheeks

Confess it, t'one to th'other, and thine eyes

See it so grossly shown in thy behaviours

That in their
kind
¹⁶⁶
they speak it. Only sin

And hellish obstinacy tie thy tongue,

That truth should be suspected.
¹⁶⁸
Speak, is't so?

If it be so, you have wound a goodly
clew.
¹⁶⁹

If it be not,
forswear't
:
howe'er
, I
charge
¹⁷⁰
thee,

As heaven shall work in me for thine
avail
¹⁷¹
,

To tell me truly.

HELEN
    Good madam, pardon me.

COUNTESS
    Do you love my son?

HELEN
    Your pardon, noble mistress.

COUNTESS
    Love you my son?

HELEN
    Do not you love him, madam?

COUNTESS
    
Go not about
; my love hath in't a
bond
¹⁷⁸

Whereof the world
takes note.
¹⁷⁹
Come, come, disclose

The state of your affection, for your passions

Have to the full
appeached.
¹⁸¹

HELEN
    Then I confess,

Here on my knee, before high heaven and you,

That
before
¹⁸⁴
you, and next unto high heaven,

I love your son.

My
friends
¹⁸⁶
were poor but honest, so's my love.

Be not offended, for it hurts not him

That he is loved of me; I follow him not

By any
token
of
presumptuous suit
¹⁸⁹
,

Nor would I have him till I do deserve him,

Yet never know how that desert should be.

I know I love in vain, strive against hope.

Yet in this
captious
and
intenible
¹⁹³
sieve

I
still
¹⁹⁴
pour in the waters of my love

And
lack not to lose still
¹⁹⁵
; thus, Indian-like,

Religious
¹⁹⁶
in mine error, I adore

The sun that looks upon his worshipper

But knows of him
no more.
¹⁹⁸
My dearest madam,

Let not your hate
encounter with
¹⁹⁹
my love,

For loving where you do; but if yourself,

Whose agèd honour
cites
²⁰¹
a virtuous youth,

Did ever in so true a flame of liking

Wish chastely and love dearly, that your Dian

Was both
herself
²⁰⁴
and love — O, then, give pity

To her whose state is such that cannot choose

But
lend and give where she is sure to lose
²⁰⁶
;

That
seeks not to find that her search
implies
²⁰⁷
,

But riddle-like
lives sweetly where she dies.
²⁰⁸

COUNTESS
    Had you not lately an intent — speak truly —

To go to Paris?

HELEN
    Madam, I had.

COUNTESS
    
Wherefore?
²¹²
Tell true.

HELEN
    I will tell truth, by
grace
²¹³
itself I swear.

You know my father left me some
prescriptions
²¹⁴

Of rare and proved effects, such as his reading

And
manifest
²¹⁶
experience had collected

For general
sovereignty
²¹⁷
, and that he willed me

In heedfull'st reservation to bestow them
²¹⁸
,

As
notes
whose
faculties inclusive
²¹⁹
were

More than they were
in note.
²²⁰
Amongst the rest,

There is a remedy,
approved
²²¹
, set down,

To cure the
desp'rate
²²²
languishings whereof

The king is
rendered lost.
²²³

COUNTESS
    This was your motive for Paris, was it? Speak.

HELEN
    My lord your son made me to think of this;

Else Paris and the medicine and the king

Had from the
conversation
²²⁷
of my thoughts

Haply
²²⁸
been absent then.

COUNTESS
    But think you, Helen,

If you should
tender
²³⁰
your supposèd aid,

He would receive it? He and his physicians

Are of
a mind.
²³²
He, that they cannot help him,

They, that they cannot help. How shall they
credit
²³³

A poor unlearnèd virgin, when the
schools
²³⁴
,

Embowelled
of their
doctrine
, have
left off
²³⁵

The danger to itself?

HELEN
    There's something in't

More than my father's skill, which was the great'st

Of his profession, that his good
receipt
²³⁹

Shall for my legacy be
sanctified
²⁴⁰

By th'luckiest stars in heaven, and would your honour

But give me leave to
try success
, I'd
venture
²⁴²

The
well-lost
²⁴³
life of mine on his grace's cure

By
such a
²⁴⁴
day and hour.

COUNTESS
    Dost thou believe't?

HELEN
    Ay, madam,
knowingly.
²⁴⁶

COUNTESS
    Why, Helen, thou shalt have my
leave
²⁴⁷
and love,

Means and attendants and my loving greetings

To those of mine in court. I'll stay at home

And pray God's blessing
into
²⁵⁰
thy attempt.

Be gone tomorrow. And be sure of this:

What I can help thee to thou shalt not
miss.
²⁵²