All's Well That Ends Well

by William Shakespeare

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ACT IV - Scene I

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Without the Florentine camp

Enter SECOND FRENCH LORD with five or six other SOLDIERS in ambush

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.

Good captain, let me be th' interpreter.

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

No, sir, I warrant you.

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

E'en such as you speak to me.

He must think us some band of strangers i' th'
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

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 knock'd to 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.

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

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 butterwoman's mouth, and buy myself another of
Bajazet's mule, if you prattle me into these perils.

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

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

We cannot afford you so.

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

'Twould not do.

Or to drown my clothes, and say I was stripp'd.

Hardly serve.

Though I swore I leap'd from the window of the citadel-

How deep?

Thirty fathom.

Three great oaths would scarce make that be believed.

I would I had any drum of the enemy's; I would swear I
recover'd it.

You shall hear one anon.

[Alarum within]

A drum now of the enemy's!

Throca movousus, cargo, cargo, cargo.

Cargo, cargo, cargo, villianda par corbo, cargo.

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

[They blindfold him]

Boskos thromuldo boskos.

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.

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.

O!

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

Oscorbidulchos volivorco.

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.

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.

But wilt thou faithfully?

If I do not, damn me.

Acordo linta.
Come on; thou art granted space.

Exit, PAROLLES guarded. A short alarum within

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

Captain, I will.

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

So I will, sir.

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

Exeunt