| ACT V SCENE II | Rousillon. Before the COUNT's palace. | |
| [Enter Clown, and PAROLLES, following] |
| PAROLLES | Good Monsieur Lavache, give my Lord Lafeu this |
| letter: I have ere now, sir, been better known to |
| you, when I have held familiarity with fresher |
| clothes; but I am now, sir, muddied in fortune's |
| mood, and smell somewhat strong of her strong | 5 |
| displeasure. |
| Clown | Truly, fortune's displeasure is but sluttish, if it |
| smell so strongly as thou speakest of: I will |
| henceforth eat no fish of fortune's buttering. |
| Prithee, allow the wind. | 10 |
| PAROLLES | Nay, you need not to stop your nose, sir; I spake |
| but by a metaphor. |
| Clown | Indeed, sir, if your metaphor stink, I will stop my |
| nose; or against any man's metaphor. Prithee, get |
| thee further. | 15 |
| PAROLLES | Pray you, sir, deliver me this paper. |
| Clown | Foh! prithee, stand away: a paper from fortune's |
| close-stool to give to a nobleman! Look, here he |
| comes himself. |
[Enter LAFEU] |
| Here is a purr of fortune's, sir, or of fortune's | 20 |
| cat,--but not a musk-cat,--that has fallen into the |
| unclean fishpond of her displeasure, and, as he |
| says, is muddied withal: pray you, sir, use the |
| carp as you may; for he looks like a poor, decayed, |
| ingenious, foolish, rascally knave. I do pity his | 25 |
| distress in my similes of comfort and leave him to |
| your lordship. |
| [Exit] |
| PAROLLES | My lord, I am a man whom fortune hath cruelly |
| scratched. |
| LAFEU | And what would you have me to do? 'Tis too late to | 30 |
| pare her nails now. Wherein have you played the |
| knave with fortune, that she should scratch you, who |
| of herself is a good lady and would not have knaves |
| thrive long under her? There's a quart d'ecu for |
| you: let the justices make you and fortune friends: | 35 |
| I am for other business. |
| PAROLLES | I beseech your honour to hear me one single word. |
| LAFEU | You beg a single penny more: come, you shall ha't; |
| save your word. |
| PAROLLES | My name, my good lord, is Parolles. | 40 |
| LAFEU | You beg more than 'word,' then. Cox my passion! |
| give me your hand. How does your drum? |
| PAROLLES | O my good lord, you were the first that found me! |
| LAFEU | Was I, in sooth? and I was the first that lost thee. |
| PAROLLES | It lies in you, my lord, to bring me in some grace, | 45 |
| for you did bring me out. |
| LAFEU | Out upon thee, knave! dost thou put upon me at once |
| both the office of God and the devil? One brings |
| thee in grace and the other brings thee out. |
[Trumpets sound] |
| The king's coming; I know by his trumpets. Sirrah, | 50 |
| inquire further after me; I had talk of you last |
| night: though you are a fool and a knave, you shall |
| eat; go to, follow. |
| PAROLLES | I praise God for you. |
| [Exeunt] |