SCENE IV. Paris. The KING's palace. All's Well That Ends Well  Shakespeare homepage  |  All's Well That Ends Well  | Act 2, Scene 4 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  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 

 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  Shakespeare homepage  |  All's Well That Ends Well  | Act 2, Scene 4 

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