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All's Well That Ends Well - Act 4, scene 1
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All's Well That Ends Well - Act 4, scene 1Act 4, scene 1
⌜Scene 1⌝
Synopsis:
Parolles is captured and blindfolded by a French lord and soldiers pretending to be the enemy who can speak to him only through an interpreter. He offers to give away military secrets in exchange for his life.
Enter one of the French ⌜Lords,⌝ with five or six otherSoldiers in ambush.
LORD 1892 He can come no other way but by this hedge
1893 corner. When you sally upon him, speak what terrible
1894 language you will. Though you understand it
1895 not yourselves, no matter. For we must not seem to
1896 5 understand him, unless some one among us whom
1897 we must produce for an interpreter.
FIRST SOLDIER 1898 Good captain, let me be th’ interpreter.
LORD 1899 Art not acquainted with him? Knows he not thy
1900 voice?
FIRST SOLDIER 1901 10No, sir, I warrant you.
LORD 1902 But what linsey-woolsey hast thou to speak to
1903 us again?
FIRST SOLDIER 1904 E’en such as you speak to me.
LORD 1905 He must think us some band of strangers i’ th’
1906 15 adversary’s entertainment. Now, he hath a smack
1907 of all neighboring languages. Therefore we must
1908 every one be a man of his own fancy, not to know
1909 what we speak one to another. So we seem to know
1910 is to know straight our purpose: choughs’ language,
1911 20 gabble enough and good enough. As for
1912 you, interpreter, you must seem very politic. But
1913 couch, ho! Here he comes to beguile two hours in
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1914
a sleep and then to return and swear the lies he1915 forges.⌜They move aside.⌝
Enter Parolles.
PAROLLES 1916 25Ten o’clock. Within these three hours ’twill
1917 be time enough to go home. What shall I say I have
1918 done? It must be a very plausive invention that
1919 carries it. They begin to smoke me, and disgraces
1920 have of late knocked too often at my door. I find
1921 30 my tongue is too foolhardy, but my heart hath the
1922 fear of Mars before it, and of his creatures, not
1923 daring the reports of my tongue.
LORD, ⌜aside⌝ 1924 This is the first truth that e’er thine own
1925 tongue was guilty of.
PAROLLES 1926 35What the devil should move me to undertake
1927 the recovery of this drum, being not ignorant
1928 of the impossibility and knowing I had no such
1929 purpose? I must give myself some hurts and say I
1930 got them in exploit. Yet slight ones will not carry it.
1931 40 They will say “Came you off with so little?” And
1932 great ones I dare not give. Wherefore? What’s the
1933 instance? Tongue, I must put you into a butter-woman’s
1934 mouth and buy myself another of
1935 Bajazeth’s mule if you prattle me into these perils.
LORD, ⌜aside⌝ 1936 45Is it possible he should know what he is,
1937 and be that he is?
PAROLLES 1938 I would the cutting of my garments would
1939 serve the turn, or the breaking of my Spanish
1940 sword.
LORD, ⌜aside⌝ 1941 50We cannot afford you so.
PAROLLES 1942 Or the baring of my beard, and to say it was
1943 in stratagem.
LORD, ⌜aside⌝ 1944 ’Twould not do.
PAROLLES 1945 Or to drown my clothes and say I was
1946 55 stripped.
LORD, ⌜aside⌝ 1947 Hardly serve.
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PAROLLES
1948
Though I swore I leapt from the window of1949 the citadel—
LORD, ⌜aside⌝ 1950 How deep?
PAROLLES 1951 60Thirty fathom.
LORD, ⌜aside⌝ 1952 Three great oaths would scarce make
1953 that be believed.
PAROLLES 1954 I would I had any drum of the enemy’s. I
1955 would swear I recovered it.
LORD, ⌜aside⌝ 1956 65You shall hear one anon.
PAROLLES 1957 A drum, now, of the enemy’s—
Alarum within.
LORD, ⌜advancing⌝ 1958 Throca movousus, cargo, cargo,
1959 cargo.
ALL 1960 Cargo, cargo, cargo, villianda par corbo, cargo.
⌜They seize him.⌝
PAROLLES 1961 70O ransom, ransom! Do not hide mine eyes.
⌜They blindfold him.⌝
FIRST SOLDIER 1962 Boskos thromuldo boskos.
PAROLLES
1963 I know you are the Muskos’ regiment,
1964 And I shall lose my life for want of language.
1965 If there be here German or Dane, Low Dutch,
1966 75 Italian, or French, let him speak to me.
1967 I’ll discover that which shall undo the Florentine.
FIRST SOLDIER 1968 Boskos vauvado, I understand thee and
1969 can speak thy tongue. Kerelybonto, sir, betake thee
1970 to thy faith, for seventeen poniards are at thy
1971 80 bosom.
PAROLLES 1972 O!
FIRST SOLDIER 1973 O, pray, pray, pray! Manka reuania
1974 dulche.
LORD 1975 Oscorbidulchos voliuorco.
FIRST SOLDIER
1976 85 The General is content to spare thee yet
1977 And, hoodwinked as thou art, will lead thee on
1978 To gather from thee. Haply thou mayst inform
1979 Something to save thy life.
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PAROLLES
1980
O, let me live,1981 90 And all the secrets of our camp I’ll show,
1982 Their force, their purposes. Nay, I’ll speak that
1983 Which you will wonder at.
FIRST SOLDIER 1984 But wilt thou faithfully?
PAROLLES 1985 If I do not, damn me.
FIRST SOLDIER 1986 95Acordo linta. Come on, thou ⌜art⌝
1987 granted space.
He exits ⌜with Parolles under guard.⌝
A short alarum within.
LORD
1988 Go tell the Count Rossillion and my brother
1989 We have caught the woodcock and will keep him
1990 muffled
1991 100 Till we do hear from them.
⌜SECOND⌝ SOLDIER 1992 Captain, I will.
LORD
1993 He will betray us all unto ourselves.
1994 Inform on that.
⌜SECOND⌝ SOLDIER 1995 So I will, sir.
LORD
1996 105 Till then I’ll keep him dark and safely locked.
⌜They⌝ exit.