SCENE VI. Camp before Florence. All's Well That Ends Well  Shakespeare homepage  |  All's Well That Ends Well  | Act 3, Scene 6 

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 Enter BERTRAM and the two French Lords  Second Lord  Nay, good my lord, put him to't; let him have his 

 way. 

 First Lord  If your lordship find him not a hilding, hold me no 

 more in your respect. 

 Second Lord  On my life, my lord, a bubble. 

 BERTRAM  Do you think I am so far deceived in him? 

 Second Lord  Believe it, my lord, in mine own direct knowledge, 

 without any malice, but to speak of him as my 

 kinsman, he's a most notable coward, an infinite and 

 endless liar, an hourly promise-breaker, the owner 

 of no one good quality worthy your lordship's 

 entertainment. 

 First Lord  It were fit you knew him; lest, reposing too far in 

 his virtue, which he hath not, he might at some 

 great and trusty business in a main danger fail you. 

 BERTRAM  I would I knew in what particular action to try him. 

 First Lord  None better than to let him fetch off his drum, 

 which you hear him so confidently undertake to do. 

 Second Lord  I, with a troop of Florentines, will suddenly 

 surprise him; such I will have, whom I am sure he 

 knows not from the enemy: we will bind and hoodwink 

 him so, that he shall suppose no other but that he 

 is carried into the leaguer of the adversaries, when 

 we bring him to our own tents. Be but your lordship 

 present at his examination: if he do not, for the 

 promise of his life and in the highest compulsion of 

 base fear, offer to betray you and deliver all the 

 intelligence in his power against you, and that with 

 the divine forfeit of his soul upon oath, never 

 trust my judgment in any thing. 

 First Lord  O, for the love of laughter, let him fetch his drum; 

 he says he has a stratagem for't: when your 

 lordship sees the bottom of his success in't, and to 

 what metal this counterfeit lump of ore will be 

 melted, if you give him not John Drum's 

 entertainment, your inclining cannot be removed. 

 Here he comes. 



 Enter PAROLLES  Second Lord  [Aside to BERTRAM]  O, for the love of laughter, 

 hinder not the honour of his design: let him fetch 

 off his drum in any hand. 

 BERTRAM  How now, monsieur! this drum sticks sorely in your 

 disposition. 

 First Lord  A pox on't, let it go; 'tis but a drum. 

 PAROLLES  'But a drum'! is't 'but a drum'? A drum so lost! 

 There was excellent command,--to charge in with our 

 horse upon our own wings, and to rend our own soldiers! 

 First Lord  That was not to be blamed in the command of the 

 service: it was a disaster of war that Caesar 

 himself could not have prevented, if he had been 

 there to command. 

 BERTRAM  Well, we cannot greatly condemn our success: some 

 dishonour we had in the loss of that drum; but it is 

 not to be recovered. 

 PAROLLES  It might have been recovered. 

 BERTRAM  It might; but it is not now. 

 PAROLLES  It is to be recovered: but that the merit of 

 service is seldom attributed to the true and exact 

 performer, I would have that drum or another, or 

 'hic jacet.' 

 BERTRAM  Why, if you have a stomach, to't, monsieur: if you 

 think your mystery in stratagem can bring this 

 instrument of honour again into his native quarter, 

 be magnanimous in the enterprise and go on; I will 

 grace the attempt for a worthy exploit: if you 

 speed well in it, the duke shall both speak of it. 

 and extend to you what further becomes his 

 greatness, even to the utmost syllable of your 

 worthiness. 

 PAROLLES  By the hand of a soldier, I will undertake it. 

 BERTRAM  But you must not now slumber in it. 

 PAROLLES  I'll about it this evening: and I will presently 

 pen down my dilemmas, encourage myself in my 

 certainty, put myself into my mortal preparation; 

 and by midnight look to hear further from me. 

 BERTRAM  May I be bold to acquaint his grace you are gone about it? 

 PAROLLES  I know not what the success will be, my lord; but 

 the attempt I vow. 

 BERTRAM  I know thou'rt valiant; and, to the possibility of 

 thy soldiership, will subscribe for thee. Farewell. 

 PAROLLES  I love not many words. 



 Exit  Second Lord  No more than a fish loves water. Is not this a 

 strange fellow, my lord, that so confidently seems 

 to undertake this business, which he knows is not to 

 be done; damns himself to do and dares better be 

 damned than to do't? 

 First Lord  You do not know him, my lord, as we do: certain it 

 is that he will steal himself into a man's favour and 

 for a week escape a great deal of discoveries; but 

 when you find him out, you have him ever after. 

 BERTRAM  Why, do you think he will make no deed at all of 

 this that so seriously he does address himself unto? 

 Second Lord  None in the world; but return with an invention and 

 clap upon you two or three probable lies: but we 

 have almost embossed him; you shall see his fall 

 to-night; for indeed he is not for your lordship's respect. 

 First Lord  We'll make you some sport with the fox ere we case 

 him. He was first smoked by the old lord Lafeu: 

 when his disguise and he is parted, tell me what a 

 sprat you shall find him; which you shall see this 

 very night. 

 Second Lord  I must go look my twigs: he shall be caught. 

 BERTRAM  Your brother he shall go along with me. 

 Second Lord  As't please your lordship: I'll leave you. 



 Exit  BERTRAM  Now will I lead you to the house, and show you 

 The lass I spoke of. 

 First Lord  But you say she's honest. 

 BERTRAM  That's all the fault: I spoke with her but once 

 And found her wondrous cold; but I sent to her, 

 By this same coxcomb that we have i' the wind, 

 Tokens and letters which she did re-send; 

 And this is all I have done. She's a fair creature: 

 Will you go see her? 

 First Lord  With all my heart, my lord. 



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