Outside the Florentine camp.
 Enter 1st LORD DUMAINE, with five or six other SOLDIERS in ambush.

1st Dumaine	He can come no other way but by this hedge-corner. When you 
	sally upon him, speak what terrible language you will: 
	though you understand it not yourselves, no matter, for we 
	must not seem to understand him, unless some one among us, 
	whom we must produce for an interpreter.

1st Soldier	Good captain, let me be the interpreter.

1st Dumaine	Art not acquainted with him? Knows he not thy voice?

1st Soldier	No sir, I warrant you.

1st Dumaine	But what linsey-woolsey hast thou to speak to us again?

1st Soldier	E'en such as you speak to me.

1st Dumaine	He must think us some band of strangers i'th' adversary's 
	entertainment. Now, he hath a smack of all neighbouring 
	languages, therefore we must every one be a man of his own 
	fancy: not to know what we speak one to another, so we seem 
	to know, is to know straight our purpose: choughs' 
	language, gabble enough and good enough. As for you, 
	interpreter, you must seem very politic. But couch, ho! 
	Here he comes to beguile two hours in a sleep, and then to 
	return and swear the lies he forges.

                             Enter PAROLLES.

Parolles	Ten o'clock. Within these three hours 'twill be time enough 
	to go home. What shall I say I have done? It must be a very 
	plausive invention that carries it. They begin to smoke me, 
	and disgraces have of late knocked too often at my door. I 
	find my tongue is too foolhardy, but my heart hath the fear 
	of Mars before it, and of his creatures, not daring the 
	reports of my tongue.

1st Dumaine	[Aside.] This is the first truth that e'er thine own tongue 
	was guilty of.

Parolles	What the devil should move me to undertake the recovery of 
	this drum, being not ignorant of the impossibility, and 
	knowing I had no such purpose? I must give myself some 
	hurts, and say I got them in exploit. Yet slight ones will 
	not carry it: they will say 'Came you off with so little?' 
	- and great ones I dare not give. Wherefore, what's the 
	instance? Tongue, I must put you into a butter-woman's 
	mouth, and buy myself another of Bajazet's mule, if you 
	prattle me into these perils.

1st Dumaine	[Aside.] Is it possible he should know what he is, and be 
	that he is?

Parolles	I would the cutting of my garments would serve the turn, or 
	the breaking of my Spanish sword.

1st Dumaine	[Aside.] We cannot afford you so.

Parolles	Or the baring of my beard, and to say it was in stratagem.

1st Dumaine	[Aside.] 'Twould not do.

Parolles	Or to drown my clothes and say I was stripped.

1st Dumaine	[Aside.] Hardly serve.

Parolles	Though I swore I leaped from the window of the citadel-

1st Dumaine	[Aside.] How deep?

Parolles	Thirty fathom.

1st Dumaine	[Aside.] Three great oaths would scarce make that be 
	believed.

Parolles	I would I had any drum of the enemy's; I would swear I 
	recovered it.

1st Dumaine	[Aside.] You shall hear one anon.

Parolles	A drum now of the enemy's-
												[Alarum within.

1st Dumaine	Throca movousus, cargo, cargo, cargo!

All Soldiers	Cargo, cargo, cargo, villianda par corbo, cargo!
								[They seize him and blindfold him.

Parolles	O, ransom, ransom! Do not hide mine eyes.

1st Soldier	Boskos thromuldo boskos.

Parolles	I know you are the Muskos' regiment,
	And I shall lose my life for want of language.
	If there be here German, or Dane, Low Dutch,
	Italian, or French, let him speak to me,
	I'll discover that which shall undo the Florentine.

1st Soldier	Boskos vauvado. I understand thee, and can speak thy 
	tongue. Kerelybonto. Sir, betake thee to thy faith, for 
	seventeen poniards are at thy bosom.

Parolles	O!

1st Soldier	O, pray, pray, pray! Manka revania dulche.

1st Dumaine	Oscorbidulchos volivorco.

1st Soldier	The general is content to spare thee yet,
	And, hoodwinked as thou art, will lead thee on
	To gather from thee. Haply thou mayst inform
	Something to save thy life.

Parolles								O, let me live,
	And all the secrets of our camp I'll show,
	Their force, their purposes; nay, I'll speak that
	Which you will wonder at.

1st Soldier							But wilt thou faithfully?

Parolles	If I do not, damn me.

1st Soldier							Acordo linta.
	Come on; thou art granted space.
											[Exit with PAROLLES guarded.
												[A short alarum within.

1st Dumaine	Go, tell the Count Rousillon and my brother
	We have caught the woodcock, and will keep him muffled
	Till we do hear from them.

2nd Soldier								Captain, I will.

1st Dumaine	A' will betray us all unto ourselves:
	Inform on that.

2nd Soldier					So I will, sir.

1st Dumaine	Till then I'll keep him dark and safely locked.
												[Exeunt.
