Paris. A Room in the King's Palace.
 Flourish of cornets.
 Enter the KING, with the TWO LORDS DUMAINE
 and divers young LORDS taking leave for the Florentine war;
 BERTRAM and PAROLLES; ATTENDANTS.

King	Farewell, young lords; these warlike principles
	Do not throw from you. And you, my lords, farewell.
	Share the advice betwixt you; if both gain all,
	The gift doth stretch itself as 'tis received,
	And is enough for both.

1st Dumaine							'Tis our hope, sir,
	After well-entered soldiers, to return
	And find your grace in health.

King	No, no, it cannot be; and yet my heart
	Will not confess he owes the malady
	That doth my life besiege. Farewell, young lords;
	Whether I live or die, be you the sons
	Of worthy Frenchmen; let higher Italy-
	Those bated that inherit but the fall
	Of the last monarchy - see that you come
	Not to woo honour, but to wed it; when
	The bravest questant shrinks, find what you seek,
	That fame may cry you loud. I say farewell.

1st Dumaine	Health at your bidding serve your majesty!

King	Those girls of Italy, take heed of them.
	They say our French lack language to deny
	If they demand. Beware of being captives
	Before you serve.

Both Lords						Our hearts receive your warnings.

King	Farewell. [To ATTENDANTS.] Come hither to me.
												[Retires, with ATTENDANTS.

1st Dumaine	O my sweet lord, that you will stay behind us!

Parolles	'Tis not his fault, the spark.

2nd Dumaine								O, 'tis brave wars!

Parolles	Most admirable! I have seen those wars.

Bertram	I am commanded here, and kept a coil with
	'Too young' and 'The next year' and 'Tis too early'.

Parolles	An thy mind stand to't, boy, steal away bravely.

Bertram	I shall stay here the forehorse to a smock,
	Creaking my shoes on the plain masonry,
	Till honour be bought up and no sword worn
	But one to dance with. By heaven, I'll steal away!

1st Dumaine	There's honour in the theft.

Parolles								Commit it, count.

2nd Dumaine	I am your accessary; and so farewell.

Bertram	I grow to you, and our parting is a tortured body.

1st Dumaine	Farewell, captain.

2nd Dumaine	Sweet Monsieur Parolles!

Parolles	Noble heroes, my sword and yours are kin. Good sparks and 
	lustrous, a word, good metals: you shall find in the 
	regiment of the Spinii one Captain Spurio, with his 
	cicatrice, an emblem of war, here on his sinister cheek - 
	it was this very sword entrenched it. Say to him I live, 
	and observe his reports for me.

1st Dumaine	We shall, noble captain.
												[Exeunt LORDS.

Parolles	Mars dote on you for his novices! [To BERTRAM.] What will 
	ye do?

Bertram	Stay; the king. 

Parolles	Use a more spacious ceremony to the noble lords; you have 
	restrained yourself within the list of too cold an adieu. 
	Be more expressive to them, for they wear themselves in the 
	cap of the time, there do muster true gait, eat, speak, and 
	move under the influence of the most received star; and 
	though the devil lead the measure, such are to be followed. 
	After them, and take a more dilated farewell.

Bertram	And I will do so.

Parolles	Worthy fellows, and like to prove most sinewy swordmen.
										[Exeunt BERTRAM and PAROLLES.

                   Enter LAFEU. The KING comes forward.

Lafeu	[Kneeling.] Pardon, my lord, for me and for my tidings.

King	I'll sue thee to stand up.

Lafeu	Then here's a man stands that has brought his pardon.
	I would you had kneeled, my lord, to ask me mercy,
	And that at my bidding you could so stand up.

King	I would I had; so I had broke thy pate
	And asked thee mercy for't.

Lafeu								Good faith, across!
	But, my good lord, 'tis thus: will you be cured
	Of your infirmity?

King						No.

Lafeu								O, will you eat
	No grapes, my royal fox? Yes, but you will
	My noble grapes, and if my royal fox
	Could reach them. I have seen a medicine
	That's able to breathe life into a stone,
	Quicken a rock, and make you dance canary
	With sprightly fire and motion; whose simple touch
	Is powerful to araise King Pippen, nay,
	To give great Charlemain a pen in's hand
	And write to her a love-line.

King									What 'her' is this?

Lafeu	Why, Doctor She. My lord, there's one arrived
	If you will see her. Now, by my faith and honour,
	If seriously I may convey my thoughts
	In this my light deliverance, I have spoke
	With one, that in her sex, her years, profession,
	Wisdom and constancy, hath amazed me more
	Than I dare blame my weakness. Will you see her,
	For that is her demand, and know her business?
	That done, laugh well at me.

King								Now, good Lafeu,
	Bring in the admiration, that we with thee
	May spend our wonder too, or take off thine
	By wond'ring how thou took'st it.

Lafeu										Nay, I'll fit you,
	And not be all day neither.
												[He goes to the door.

King	Thus he his special nothing ever prologues.

Lafeu	Nay, come your ways.

                              Enter HELENA.

King							This haste hath wings indeed.

Lafeu	Nay, come your ways.
	This is his majesty; say your mind to him.
	A traitor you do look like, but such traitors
	His majesty seldom fears. I am Cressid's uncle
	That dare leave two together. Fare you well.
												[Exit.

King	Now, fair one, does your business follow us?

Helena	Ay, my good lord.
	Gerard de Narbon was my father;
	In what he did profess, well found.

King										I knew him.

Helena	The rather will I spare my praises towards him;
	Knowing him is enough. On's bed of death
	Many receipts he gave me; chiefly one,
	Which, as the dearest issue of his practice,
	And of his old experience the only darling,
	He bade me store up as a triple eye,
	Safer than mine own two, more dear. I have so,
	And hearing your high majesty is touched
	With that malignant cause wherein the honour
	Of my dear father's gift stands chief in power,
	I come to tender it, and my appliance,
	With all bound humbleness.

King								We thank you, maiden;
	But may not be so credulous of cure,
	When our most learnd doctors leave us, and
	The congregated college have concluded
	That labouring art can never ransom nature
	From her inaidable estate. I say we must not
	So stain our judgment or corrupt our hope,
	To prostitute our past-cure malady
	To empirics, or to dissever so
	Our great self and our credit, to esteem
	A senseless help, when help past sense we deem.

Helena	My duty then shall pay me for my pains.
	I will no more enforce mine office on you,
	Humbly entreating from your royal thoughts
	A modest one to bear me back again.

King	I cannot give thee less, to be called grateful.
	Thou thought'st to help me, and such thanks I give
	As one near death to those that wish him live;
	But what at full I know, thou know'st no part;
	I knowing all my peril, thou no art.

Helena	What I can do can do no hurt to try,
	Since you set up your rest 'gainst remedy.
	He that of greatest works is finisher
	Oft does them by the weakest minister:
	So holy writ in babes hath judgment shown
	When judges have been babes; great floods have flown
	From simple sources, and great seas have dried
	When miracles have by the great'st been denied.
	Oft expectation fails, and most oft there
	Where most it promises, and oft it hits
	Where hope is coldest and despair most fits.

King	I must not hear thee. Fare thee well, kind maid.
	Thy pains, not used, must by thyself be paid;
	Proffers not took reap thanks for their reward.

Helena	Inspird merit so by breath is barred.
	It is not so with Him that all things knows,
	As 'tis with us that square our guess by shows;
	But most it is presumption in us when
	The help of heaven we count the act of men.
	Dear sir, to my endeavours give consent;
	Of heaven, not me, make an experiment.
	I am not an impostor that proclaim
	Myself against the level of mine aim;
	But know I think, and think I know most sure,
	My art is not past power, nor you past cure.

King	Art thou so confident? Within what space
	Hop'st thou my cure?

Helena						The greatest Grace lending grace,
	Ere twice the horses of the sun shall bring
	Their fiery coacher his diurnal ring,
	Ere twice in murk and occidental damp
	Moist Hesperus hath quenched her sleepy lamp,
	Or four and twenty times the pilot's glass
	Hath told the thievish minutes how they pass,
	What is infirm from your sound parts shall fly,
	Health shall live free, and sickness freely die.

King	Upon thy certainty and confidence
	What dar'st thou venture?

Helena								Tax of impudence,
	A strumpet's boldness, a divulgd shame,
	Traduced by odious ballads; my maiden's name
	Seared otherwise; nay, worse of worst, extended
	With vilest torture let my life be ended.

King	Methinks in thee some blessd spirit doth speak
	His powerful sound within an organ weak;
	And what impossibility would slay
	In common sense, sense saves another way.
	Thy life is dear, for all that life can rate
	Worth name of life in thee hath estimate:
	Youth, beauty, wisdom, courage, all
	That happiness and prime can happy call.
	Thou this to hazard needs must intimate
	Skill infinite, or monstrous desperate.
	Sweet practiser, thy physic I will try,
	That ministers thine own death if I die.

Helena	If I break time, or flinch in property
	Of what I spoke, unpitied let me die,
	And well deserved. Not helping, death's my fee;
	But if I help, what do you promise me?

King	Make thy demand.

Helena					But will you make it even?

King	Ay, by my sceptre and my hopes of heaven.

Helena	Then shalt thou give me with thy kingly hand
	What husband in thy power I will command.
	Exempted be from me the arrogance
	To choose from forth the royal blood of France
	My low and humble name to propagate
	With any branch or image of thy state;
	But such a one, thy vassal, whom I know
	Is free for me to ask, thee to bestow.

King	Here is my hand; the premises observed,
	Thy will by my performance shall be served.
	So make the choice of thy own time, for I,
	Thy resolved patient, on thee still rely.
	More should I question thee, and more I must,
	Though more to know could not be more to trust:
	From whence thou cam'st, how tended on; - but rest,
	Unquestioned, welcome, and undoubted blessed.
	Give me some help here, ho! If thou proceed
	As high as word, my deed shall match thy deed.
												[Flourish. Exeunt.
