Rof. From henceforth I will, coz, and devife sports: let me fee, what think you of falling in love? Cel. Marry, I pr'ythee, do, to make sport withal; but love no man in good earneft, nor no further in fport neither, than with fafety of a pure blush thou may'ft in honour come off again. Rof. What fhall be our sport then? Cel. Let us fit and mock the good housewife fortune from her wheel, that her gifts may henceforth be beftowed equally. Rof. I would, we could do fo; for her benefits are mightily misplaced, and the bountiful blind woman doth moft miftake in her gifts to women. Cel. 'Tis true; for thofe, that she makes fair, she fcarce makes honeft; and those, that she makes honeft, the makes very ill-favoured. Rof. Nay, now thou goeft from fortune's office to nature's: fortune reigns in gifts of the world, not in the lineaments of nature. Enter Clown. Cel. No; when nature hath made a fair creature, may fhe not by fortune fall into the fire? tho' nature hath given us wit to flout at fortune, hath not fortune fent in this fool to cut off this argument? Rof. Indeed, there is fortune too hard for nature, when fortune makes nature's natural the cutter off of nature's wit. Cel. Peradventure, this is not fortune's work neither,. but nature's; who, perceiving our natural wits too dull to reafon of fuch goddeffes, hath fent this natural for our whetstone: for always the dulnefs of the fool is the whetstone of the wits. How now, wit, whither wander you? Clo. Miftrefs, you must come away to your father. Cel. Were you made the meffenger? Clo. No, by mine honour; but I was bid to come for you. Rof. Where learned you that oath, fool? Clo. Of a certain Knight, that fwore by his honour MS they they were good pancakes, and fwore by his honour the muftard was naught: now I'll ftand to it, the pancakes were naught, and the muftard was good, and yet was not the Knight forfworn. Cel. How prove you that in the great heap of your knowledge? Rof. Ay, marry; now unmuzzle your wisdom. Clo. Stand you both forth now; ftroke your chins, and fwear by your beards that I am a knave. Cel. By our beards, if we had them, thou art. Clo. By my knavery, if I had it, then 1 were; but if you swear by that that is not, you are not forsworn; no more was this Knight fwearing by his honour, for he never had any; or if he had, he had fworn it away, before ever he saw thofe pancakes or that mustard. Cel. Pr'ythee, who is that thou mean'ft? Clo. (3) One, that old Frederick your father loves. Cel. My father's love is enough to honour him enough; fpeak no more of him, you'll be whipt for taxation one of thefe days. Clo. The more pity, that fools may not fpeak wifely what wife men do foolishly. Cel. By my troth, thou fay'ft true; for fince the little wit that fools have was filenc'd, the little foolery that wife men have makes a great show: here comes Monfeur Le Beu. Enter Le Beu. Rof. With his mouth full of news. Cel. Which he will put on us, as pigeons feed their young. R. Then fhall we be news-cram'd. (3) Clo. One, that old Frederick your father loves. Rof. My father's love is enough to honour him enough;] This reply to the Closun is in all the books plac'd to Rofalind; but Frederick was not her father, but Celia's: I have therefore ventur'd to prefix the name of Celia. There is no countenance from any paffage in the play, or from the Dramatis Perfonæ, tó imagine, that both the brother-dukes were namefakes; and the one call'd the old, and the other the younger Frederick; and, without fome fach authority, it would make confufion to fuppofe it. Cel. All the better, we fhall be the more marketable. Bonjour, Monfieur Le Beu; what news? Le Beu. Fair Princefs, you have loft much good sport. Le Beu. What colour, Madam? how fhall I answer you? Rof. As wit and fortune will. Clo, Or as the deftinies decree. Cel. Well faid; that was laid on with a trowel. Rof. Thou lofeft thy old fmell. Le Beu. You amaze me, Ladies; I'would have told you of good wrestling, which you have loft the fight of. Rof. Yet tell us the manner of the wrestling. Le Beu. I will tell you the beginning, and, if it pleafe your Ladyfhips, you may fee the end, for the beft is yet to do; and here where you are, they are coming to perform it. Cel. Well, the beginning that is dead and buried.. Le Beu. There comes an old man and his three fons, Cel. I could match this beginning with an old tale. Le Beu. Three proper young men, of excellent growth and prefence ; Ref. With bills on their necks: Be it known unto all men by thefe prefents, Le Beu. The eldest of the three wrefled with Charles the Duke's wreftler; which Charles in a moment threw him, and broke three of his ribs, that there is little hope of life in him: fo he ferv'd the fecond, and so the third: yonder they lie, the poor old man their father making fuch pitiful dole over them, that all the beholders take his part with weeping.. Rof. Alas! Clo. But what is the fport, Monfieur, that the Ladies have loft? Le Beu. Why this, that I fpeak of. Clo. Thus men may grow wifer every day. It is the first time that ever I heard breaking of ribs was fport for Ladies. Col Cel. Or I, T promise thee. Rof. But (4) is there any elfe longs to fet this broken mufick in his fides? is there yet another doats upon rib-breaking? fhall we fee this wrestling, coufin Le Beu. You must if you ftay here, for here is the place appointed for the wrestling; and they are ready to perform it. Cel. Yonder, fure, they are coming : let us now stay and fee it. Flourish. Enter Duke Frederick, Lords, Orlando, Duke. Come on, fince the youth will not be entreated; his own peril on his forwardness,. Rof. Is yonder the man? Le Beu. Even he, Madam.. Cel. Alas, he is too young; yet he looks fuccessfully. Duke. How now, daughter and coufin; are you crept hither to see the wrestling? Rof. Ay, my Liege, fo please you give us leave.. Duke. You will take little delight in it, I can tell you, there is fuch odds in the man in pity of the challenger's youth, I would feign diffuade him, but he will not be entreated. Speak to him, Ladies; fee, if you can move him. Gel. Call him hither, good Monfieur Le Beu. Orla. attend them with all refpect and duty. Orla., No, fair Princefs; he is the general challenger: (4) Is there any else longs to see this broken musick in bis fides?] This feems a ftupid er error in the copies. They are talking here of fome who had their ribs broke in wrestling: and the pleafantry of Rofalind's repartee must confift in the allufion fhe makes to compofing in musick. It neceffarily follows therefore, that the poet wrote- fet this broken. mufick in his fidesi: “ Mr. Warburton. I come but in, as others do, to try with him the trength of my youth. Cel. Young gentleman, your fpirits are too bold for your years: you have feen cruel proof of this man's Arength. If you faw yourself with your eyes, or knew yourself with your judgment, the fear of your adventure would counfel you to a more equal enterprise. We pray you, for your own fake, to embrace your own fafety, and give over this attempt.. Rof. Do, young Sir; your reputation fhall not therefore be mifprifed; we will make it our fuit to the Duke, that the wrestling might not go forward. Orla L befeech you, punish me not with your hard: thoughts, wherein, I confefs me much guilty, to deny fo fair and excellent Ladies any thing. But let your fair eyes and gentle wishes go with me to my trial, wherein if I be foil'd, there is but one sham'd that was never gracious; if kill'd, but one dead that is willing. to be fo: L fhall do my friends no wrong, for I have none to lament me; the world no injury, for in it E have nothing; only in the world I fill up a place, which may be better fupplied when I have made it empty. Rof. The little ftrength that I have, I would it were with you.. Cel. And mine to eke out hers. Rof. Fare you well; pray heav'n, I be deceiv'd in you. Orla. Your heart's defires be with you.! Cha. Come, where is this young gallant, that is fo deffrous to lie with his mother earth? Orla. Ready, Sir; but his will hath in it a more modeft working.. Duke. You shall try but one fall. Cha. No, I warrant your Grace, you fhall not entreat him to a fecond, that have fo mightily perfuaded: him from a firft.. Orla. You mean to mock me after; you should not have mockt me before; but come your ways.. Ref. Now Hercules be thy speed, young man! |