William Shakespeare: All's Well That Ends Well

ACT IV. SCENE 1. Without the Florentine camp.

[Enter first Lord with five or six Soldiers in ambush.]

FIRST LORD.
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.

FIRST SOLDIER.
Good captain, let me be the interpreter.

FIRST LORD.
Art not acquainted with him? knows he not thy voice?

FIRST SOLDIER.
No, sir, I warrant you.

FIRST LORD.
But what linsey-woolsey has thou to speak to us again?

FIRST SOLDIER.
E'en such as you speak to me.

FIRST 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.

FIRST LORD. {Aside.]
This is the first truth that e'er thine own tongue was guilty of.