Without the Florentine camp.
[Enter Second French Lord, with five
or six other Soldiers in ambush]
Second Lord 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.
First Soldier Good captain, let me be the interpreter.
Second Lord Art not acquainted with him? knows he not thy voice?
First Soldier No, sir, I warrant you.
Second Lord But what linsey-woolsey hast thou to speak to us again?
First Soldier E’en such as you speak to me.
Second Lord He must think us some band of strangers i’ the
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.
Second Lord 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?
Second Lord Is it possible he should know what he is,
and be that he is?
I
PAROLLES I would I had any drum of the enemy’s: I would
swear I recovered it.
Second Lord You shall hear one anon.
PAROLLES A drum now of the enemy’s,–
[Alarum within]
Second Lord Throca movousus, cargo, cargo, cargo.
All Cargo, cargo, cargo, villiando par corbo, cargo.
PAROLLES O, ransom, ransom! do not hide mine eyes.
[They seize and blindfold him]
First 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.
First Soldier Boskos vauvado: I understand thee,
and can speak thy tongue.
PAROLLES O!
First Soldier O, pray, pray, pray! Manka revania dulche.
Second Lord Oscorbidulchos volivorco.
First Soldier The general is content to spare thee yet;
And, hoodwink’d 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.
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