PALAMON and ARCITE

Any death thou canst invent, Duke.

PALAMON

If I fall from that mouth, I fall with favour,

And lovers yet unborn shall bless my ashes.

ARCITE

If she refuse me, yet my grave will wed me,

And soldiers sing my epitaph.

THESEUS (to Emilia)

Make choice, then.

EMILIA

I cannot, sir. They are both too excellent.

For me, a hair shall never fall of these men.

HIPPOLYTA ⌈to Theseus⌉

What will become of ’em?

THESEUS

Thus I ordain it, And by mine honour once again it stands,

Or both shall die. (To Palamon and Arcite) You shall

both to your country,

And each within this month, accompanied

With three fair knights, appear again in this place,

In which I’ll plant a pyramid; and whether,

Before us that are here, can force his cousin,

By fair and knightly strength, to touch the pillar,

He shall enjoy her; the other lose his head,

And all his friends; nor shall he grudge to fall,

Nor think he dies with interest in this lady.

Will this content ye?

PALAMON

Yes. Here, cousin Arcite,

I am friends again till that hour.

ARCITE

I embrace ye.

THESEUS (to Emilia)

Are you content, sister?

EMILIA

Yes, I must, sir,

Else both miscarry.

THESEUS (to Palamon and Arcite)

Come, shake hands again, then,

And take heed, as you are gentlemen, this quarrel

Sleep till the hour prefixed, and hold your course.

PALAMON

We dare not fail thee, Theseus.

THESEUS

Come, I’ll give ye

Now usage like to princes and to friends.

When ye return, who wins I’ll settle here,

Who loses, yet I’ll weep upon his bier.

Exeunt. ⌈ln the act-time the bush is removed⌉

4.1 Enter the Jailer and his Friend

JAILER

Hear you no more? Was nothing said of me

Concerning the escape of Palamon?

Good sir, remember.

FRIEND

Nothing that I heard,

For I came home before the business

Was fully ended. Yet I might perceive,

Ere I departed, a great likelihood

Of both their pardons: for Hippolyta

And fair-eyed Emily upon their knees

Begged with such handsome pity that the Duke,

Methought, stood staggering whether he should

follow

His rash oath or the sweet compassion

Of those two ladies; and to second them

That truly noble prince, Pirithous—

Half his own heart—set in too, that I hope

All shall be well. Neither heard I one question

Of your name or his scape.

Enter the Second Friend

JAILER Pray heaven it hold so.

SECOND FRIEND

Be of good comfort, man. I bring you news,

Good news.

JAILER

They are welcome.

SECOND FRIEND

Palamon has cleared you,

And got your pardon, and discovered how

And by whose means he scaped—which was your

daughter’s,

Whose pardon is procured too; and the prisoner,

Not to be held ungrateful to her goodness,

Has given a sum of money to her marriage—

A large one, I’ll assure you.

JAILER

Ye are a good man,

And ever bring good news.

FIRST FRIEND

How was it ended?

SECOND FRIEND

Why, as it should be: they that ne’er begged,

But they prevailed, had their suits fairly granted—

The prisoners have their lives.

FIRST FRIEND

I knew ’twould be so.

SECOND FRIEND

But there be new conditions which you’ll hear of

At better time.

JAILER

I hope they are good.

SECOND FRIEND

They are honourable—

How good they’ll prove I know not.

Enter the Wooer

EIRST ERIEND

’Twill be known.

WOOER

Alas, sir, where’s your daughter?

JAILER

Why do you ask?

WOOER

O, sir, when did you see her?

SECOND FRIEND

How he looks!

JAILER

This morning.

WOOER

Was she well? Was she in health?

Sir, when did she sleep?

FIRST FRIEND

These are strange questions.

JAILER

I do not think she was very well: for now

You make me mind her, but this very day

I asked her questions and she answered me

So far from what she was, so childishly,

So sillily, as if she were a fool,

An innocent—and I was very angry.

But what of her, sir?

WOOER

Nothing, but my pity

But you must know it, and as good by me

As by another that less loves her—

JAILER

Well, sir?

FIRST FRIEND Not right?

WOOER

No, sir, not well.

SECOND FRIEND

Not Well?

WOOER

’Tis too true—she is mad.

FIRST FRIEND

It cannot be.

WOOER

Believe, you’ll find it so.

JAILER

I half suspected

What you told me—the gods comfort her!

Either this was her love to Palamon,

Or fear of my miscarrying on his scape,

Or both.

WOOER

’Tis likely.

JAILER

But why all this haste, sir?

WOOER

I’ll tell you quickly. As I late was angling

In the great lake that lies behind the palace,

From the far shore, thick set with reeds and sedges,

As patiently I was attending sport,

I heard a voice—a shrill one—and attentive

I gave my ear, when I might well perceive