William Shakespeare

All's Well That Ends Well William Shakespeare

COUNTESS. In delivering my son from me, I bury a second husband. BERTRAM. And I in going, madam, weep o'er my father's death anew; but I must attend his majesty'scommand, to whom I am now in ward, evermore in subjection. LAFEW. You shall find of the king a husband, madam; you, sir, a father. He that so generally is at alltimes good, must of necessity hold his virtue to you, whose worthiness would stir it upwhere it wanted, rather than lack it where there is such abundance. COUNTESS. What hope is there of his majesty's amendment?LAFEW. He hath abandon'd his physicians, madam; under whose practices he hath persecuted timewith hope, and finds no other advantage in the process but only the losing of hope by time. COUNTESS. This young gentlewoman had a father-O that "had!", how sad a passage 'tis!-whose skillwas almost as great as his honesty; had it stretch'd so far, would have made natureimmortal, and death should have play for lack of work. Would for the king's sake he wereliving! I think it would be the death of the king's disease. LAFEW. How called you the man you speak of, madam?COUNTESS. He was famous, sir, in his profession, and it was his great right to be so: Gerard de Narbon. LAFEW. He was excellent indeed, madam; the king very lately spoke of him admiringly, andmourningly; he was skilful enough to have liv'd still, if knowledge could be set up againstmortality. BERTRAM. What is it, my good lord, the king languishes of?LAFEW. A fistula, my lord. BERTRAM. I heard not of it before.