All's Well that Ends Well

All's Well that Ends Well

ACT II SCENE IV	Paris. The KING's palace.
	Enter HELENA and Clown
HELENA	My mother greets me kindly; is she well?
Clown	She is not well; but yet she has her health: she's
	very merry; but yet she is not well: but thanks be
	given, she's very well and wants nothing i', the	5
	world; but yet she is not well.
HELENA	If she be very well, what does she ail, that she's
	not very well?
Clown	Truly, she's very well indeed, but for two things.
HELENA	What two things?	10
Clown	One, that she's not in heaven, whither God send her
	quickly! the other that she's in earth, from whence
	God send her quickly!
	Enter PAROLLES
PAROLLES	Bless you, my fortunate lady!
HELENA	I hope, sir, I have your good will to have mine own	15
	good fortunes.
PAROLLES	You had my prayers to lead them on; and to keep them
	on, have them still. O, my knave, how does my old lady?
Clown	So that you had her wrinkles and I her money,
	I would she did as you say.	20
PAROLLES	Why, I say nothing.
Clown	Marry, you are the wiser man; for many a man's
	tongue shakes out his master's undoing: to say
	nothing, to do nothing, to know nothing, and to have
	nothing, is to be a great part of your title; which	25
	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
	knave; that's, before me thou'rt a knave: this had
	been truth, sir.	30
PAROLLES	Go to, thou art a witty fool; I have found thee.
Clown	Did you find me in yourself, sir? or were you
	taught to find me? The search, sir, was profitable;
	and much fool may you find in you, even to the
	world's pleasure and the increase of laughter.	35
PAROLLES	A good knave, i' faith, and well fed.
	Madam, my lord will go away to-night;
	A very serious business calls on him.
	The great prerogative and rite of love,
	Which, as your due, time claims, he does acknowledge;	40
	But puts it off to a compell'd restraint;
	Whose want, and whose delay, is strew'd with sweets,
	Which they distil now in the curbed time,
	To make the coming hour o'erflow with joy
	And pleasure drown the brim.	45
HELENA	What's his will else?
PAROLLES	That you will take your instant leave o' the king
	And make this haste as your own good proceeding,
	Strengthen'd with what apology you think
	May make it probable need.	50
HELENA	What more commands he?
PAROLLES	That, having this obtain'd, you presently
	Attend his further pleasure.
HELENA	In every thing I wait upon his will.
PAROLLES	I shall report it so.	55
HELENA	I pray you.
	Exit PAROLLES
	Come, sirrah.
	Exeunt