| [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 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? |
| 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 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 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. |
| 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; 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| HELENA | I pray you. |
| [Exit PAROLLES] | |
| Come, sirrah. | |
| [Exeunt] |