A counterpoise; if not to thy estate,
A balance more replete.

Ber.
I take her hand.
King. Good fortune and the favour of the king
Smile upon this contract; whose ceremony
Shall seem expedient on the now-born brief,
And be perform'd to-night: the solemn feast
Shall more attend upon the coming space,
Expecting absent friends. As thou lovest her,
Thy love's to me religious; else, does err.

180

[Exeunt all but Lafeu and Parolles. Laf. Do you hear, monsieur? a word with you.

Par. Your pleasure, sir?

Laf. Your lord and master did well to make his

recantation.

Par. Recantation! My lord! my master!

Laf. Ay; is it not a language I speak?

Par. A most harsh one, and not to be understood
without bloody succeeding. My master!

Laf. Are you companion to the Count Rousillon?
Par. To any count, to all counts, to what is man.
Laf. To what is count's man: count's master is of
another style.

Par. You are too old, sir; let it satisfy you, you are
too old.

190

Laf. I must tell thee, sirrah, I write man; to which 200 title age cannot bring thee.

Par. What I dare too well do, I dare not do.

Laf. I did think thee, for two ordinaries, to be a

pretty wise fellow; thou didst make tolerable
vent of thy travel; it might pass: yet the scarfs
and the bannerets about thee did manifoldly

dissuade me from believing thee a vessel of too
great a burthen. I have now found thee; when
I lose thee again, I care not: yet art thou good
for nothing but taking up; and that thou 'rt 210
scarce worth.

Par. Hadst thou not the privilege of antiquity upon

thee,

Laf. Do not plunge thyself too far in anger, lest thou hasten thy trial; which if-Lord have mercy on thee for a hen! So, my good window of lattice, fare thee well: thy casement I need not open, for I look through thee. Give me thy hand.

Par. My lord, you give me most egregious indignity. Laf. Ay, with all my heart; and thou art worthy 220 of it.

Par. I have not, my lord, deserved it.

Laf. Yes, good faith, every dram of it; and I will not bate thee a scruple.

Par. Well, I shall be wiser.

Laf. Ev'n as soon as thou canst, for thou hast to pull

at a smack o' the contrary. If ever thou be'st
bound in thy scarf and beaten, thou shalt find
what it is to be proud of thy bondage. I have
a desire to hold my acquaintance with thee, or 230
rather my knowledge, that I may say in the de-
fault, he is a man I know.

Par. My lord, you do me most insupportable vexa-
tion.

Laf. I would it were hell-pains for thy sake, and my poor doing eternal: for doing I am past; as I will by thee, in what motion age will give me leave.

[Exit. Par. Well, thou hast a son shall take this disgrace

off me; scurvy, old, filthy, scurvy lord! Well,
I must be patient; there is no fettering of au- 240
thority. I'll beat him, by my life, if I can meet
him with any convenience, an he were double
and double a lord. I'll have no more pity of
his age than I would have of-I'll beat him, an
if I could but meet him again.

Re-enter Lafeu.

Laf. Sirrah, your lord and master's married; there's news for you: you have a new mistress. Par. I most unfeignedly beseech your lordship to make some reservation of your wrongs: he is

my good lord: whom I serve above is my 250 master.

Laf. Who? God?

Par. Ay, sir.

Laf. The devil it is that 's thy master. Why dost thou garter up thy arms o' this fashion? dost make hose of thy sleeves? do other servants so? Thou wert best set thy lower part where thy nose stands. By mine honour, if I were but two hours younger, I'ld beat thee: methinks, thou art a general offence, and every man should beat 260 thee: I think thou wast created for men to breathe themselves upon thee.

Par. This is hard and undeserved measure, my lord. Laf. Go to, sir; you were beaten in Italy for picking a kernel out of a pomegranate; you are a vagabond, and no true traveller: you are more saucy with lords and honourable personages than the commission of your birth and virtue gives