All's Well That Ends Well - Act 4 - Scene 1

SCENE I. Without the Florentine camp.

    Enter Second French Lord, with five or six other Soldiers in ambush

Second Lord

    He can come no other way but by this hedge-corner.
    When you sally upon him, speak what terrible
    language you will: though you understand it not
    yourselves, no matter; for we must not seem to
    understand him, unless some one among us whom we
    must produce for an interpreter.

First Soldier

    Good captain, let me be the interpreter.

Second Lord

    Art not acquainted with him? knows he not thy voice?

First Soldier

    No, sir, I warrant you.

Second Lord

    But what linsey-woolsey hast thou to speak to us again?

First Soldier

    E'en such as you speak to me.

Second Lord

    He must think us some band of strangers i' the
    adversary's entertainment. Now he hath a smack of
    all neighbouring languages; therefore we must every
    one be a man of his own fancy, not to know what we
    speak one to another; so we seem to know, is to
    know straight our purpose: choughs' language,
    gabble enough, and good enough. As for you,
    interpreter, you must seem very politic. But couch,
    ho! here he comes, to beguile two hours in a sleep,
    and then to return and swear the lies he forges.

    Enter PAROLLES

PAROLLES

    Ten o'clock: within these three hours 'twill be
    time enough to go home. What shall I say I have
    done? It must be a very plausive invention that
    carries it: they begin to smoke me; and disgraces
    have of late knocked too often at my door. I find
    my tongue is too foolhardy; but my heart hath the
    fear of Mars before it and of his creatures, not
    daring the reports of my tongue.

Second Lord

    This is the first truth that e'er thine own tongue
    was guilty of.

PAROLLES

    What the devil should move me to undertake the
    recovery of this drum, being not ignorant of the
    impossibility, and knowing I had no such purpose? I
    must give myself some hurts, and say I got them in
    exploit: yet slight ones will not carry it; they
    will say, 'Came you off with so little?' and great
    ones I dare not give. Wherefore, what's the
    instance? Tongue, I must put you into a
    butter-woman's mouth and buy myself another of
    Bajazet's mule, if you prattle me into these perils.

Second Lord

    Is it possible he should know what he is, and be
    that he is?

PAROLLES

    I would the cutting of my garments would serve the
    turn, or the breaking of my Spanish sword.

Second Lord

    We cannot afford you so.

PAROLLES

    Or the baring of my beard; and to say it was in
    stratagem.

Second Lord

    'Twould not do.

PAROLLES

    Or to drown my clothes, and say I was stripped.

Second Lord

    Hardly serve.

PAROLLES

    Though I swore I leaped from the window of the citadel.

Second Lord

    How deep?

PAROLLES

    Thirty fathom.

Second Lord

    Three great oaths would scarce make that be believed.

PAROLLES

    I would I had any drum of the enemy's: I would swear
    I recovered it.

Second Lord

    You shall hear one anon.

PAROLLES

    A drum now of the enemy's,--

    Alarum within

Second Lord

    Throca movousus, cargo, cargo, cargo.

All

    Cargo, cargo, cargo, villiando par corbo, cargo.

PAROLLES

    O, ransom, ransom! do not hide mine eyes.

    They seize and blindfold him

First Soldier

    Boskos thromuldo boskos.

PAROLLES

    I know you are the Muskos' regiment:
    And I shall lose my life for want of language;
    If there be here German, or Dane, low Dutch,
    Italian, or French, let him speak to me; I'll
    Discover that which shall undo the Florentine.

First Soldier

    Boskos vauvado: I understand thee, and can speak
    thy tongue. Kerely bonto, sir, betake thee to thy
    faith, for seventeen poniards are at thy bosom.

PAROLLES

    O!

First Soldier

    O, pray, pray, pray! Manka revania dulche.

Second Lord

    Oscorbidulchos volivorco.

First Soldier

    The general is content to spare thee yet;
    And, hoodwink'd as thou art, will lead thee on
    To gather from thee: haply thou mayst inform
    Something to save thy life.

PAROLLES

    O, let me live!
    And all the secrets of our camp I'll show,
    Their force, their purposes; nay, I'll speak that
    Which you will wonder at.

First Soldier

    But wilt thou faithfully?

PAROLLES

    If I do not, damn me.

First Soldier

    Acordo linta.
    Come on; thou art granted space.

    Exit, with PAROLLES guarded. A short alarum within

Second Lord

    Go, tell the Count Rousillon, and my brother,
    We have caught the woodcock, and will keep him muffled
    Till we do hear from them.

Second Soldier

    Captain, I will.

Second Lord

    A' will betray us all unto ourselves:
    Inform on that.

Second Soldier

    So I will, sir.

Second Lord

    Till then I'll keep him dark and safely lock'd.

    Exeunt