Rof. And fo am I for no woman.

Phe. If this be fo, why blame you me to love you?

[To Rof.

Sil. If this be fo, why blame you me to love you?

(To Phe.

if

Orla. If this be fo, why blame you me to love you? Rof. Who do you speak to, why blame you me to love Orla. To her that is not here, nor doth not hear? [you? Raj Pray you, no more of this; 'tis like the howling of Irish wolves against the moon; I will help you I can; I would love you, if I could: to-morrow meet me all together; I will marry you, if ever I marry woman, and I'll be married to-morrow; [To Phe.] I will fatisfy you, if ever I fatisfy'd man, and you shall be married to-morrow; [To Orl.] I will content you, if, what pleafes you, contents you; and you fhall be married tomorrow. [To Sil.] As you love Rojalind, meet; as you love Phebe, meet; and as I love no woman, I'll meet. So fare you well; I have left you commands.

Sit. I'll not fail, if I live.

Phe. Nor I.

Orla. Nor 1.

Enter Clown and Audrey.

[Exeunt.

Clo. To-morrow is the joyful day, Audrey: to-morrow we will be married.

Aud. I do defire it with all my heart; and, I hope, it is no difhoneft defire, to defire to be a woman of the world. Here come two of the banish'd Duke's pages.

Enter two pages.

1 Page. Well met, honeft gentleman.

Clo. By my troth, well met: come, fit, fit, and a fong. 2 Page. We are for you, fit i' th' middle.

1 Page. Shall we clap into't roundly, without hawking, or fpitting, or faying we are hoarfe, which are the only prologues to a bad voice?

2 Page I'faith, i'faith, and both in a tune, like two gypsies on a horse.

SONG.

SONG.

It was a lover and his lafs,

With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
That o'er the green corn-field did pafs

In the fpring time; the pretty fpring time,
When birds do fing, hey ding a ding, ding,
Sweet lovers love the spring.

And therefore take the prefent time,

With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino;
For love is crowned with the prime.
In the fpring time, &c.

Between the acres of the rye,

With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,

Thefe pretty country-folks would lie,
In the fpring time, &c.

The carrol they began that hour,

With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
How that a life was but a flower,

In the fpring time, &c.

Clo. Truly, young gentleman, though there was no great matter in the ditty, yet the note was very untimeable. (26)

1 Page. You are deceiv'd, Sir, we kept time, we loft not our time.

Clo. By my troth, yes: I count it but time loft to hear Yuch a foolish fong. God b'w'y you, and God mend your voices. Come, Audrey. [Exeunt.

(26) Truly, young gentleman, though there was no great matter in the ditty, yet the note was very untunable.] Though it is thus in all the printed copies, it is evident from the fequel of the dialogue, that the poet wrote as I have reform'd in the text, untimeable.

SCENE changes to another part of the Foreft.

Enter Duke Senior, Amiens, Jaques, Orlando, Oliver,

D. Sen.

and Celia.

OST thou believe, Orlando, that the boy Can do all this that he hath promised? Orla. I fometimes do believe, and fometimes do not; As thofe that fear they hope, and know they fear.

Enter Rofalind, Silvius, and Phebe.

Rof. Patience once more, whiles our compact is urg'd: You fay, if I bring in your Rofalind,

You will beftow her on Orlando here?

[To the Duke.

D. Sen. That would 1, had I kingdoms to give with her. Rof. And you fay, you will have her when I bring her? [To Orlando. Orla. That would I, were I of all kingdoms King. Rof. You fay, you'll marry me, if I be willing.

[To Phebe. Phe. That will I, fhould I die the hour after. Ref. But if you do iefufe to marry me, You'll give yourself to this moft faithful shepherd. Phe. So is the bargain.

Ref. You fay, that you'll have Phebe, if he will?

[To Silvius, Sil. Tho' to have her and death were both one thing.

Raj. I've promis'd to make all this matter even;
Keep you your word, O Duke, to give your daughter;
You yours, Orlando, to receive his daughter :
Keep your word, Phebe, that you'll marry me,
Or elfe, refufing me, to wed this fhepherd.
Keep your word, Silvius, that you'll marry her,
If the refufes me; and from hence I go

To make thefe doubts all even. [Exe. Rof. and Celia.
Duke Sen. I do remember in this fhepherd boy
Some lively touches of my daughter's favour.
Orla. My Lord, the first time that I ever faw him,
Methought, he was a brother to your daughter;
But, my good Lord, this boy is forest-born,

And

And hath been tutor'd in the rudiments
Of many desperate studies by his uncle,
Whom he reports to be a great magician,
Obfcured in the circle of this foreft.

Enter Clown and Audrey.

Jaq. There is, fure,. another flood toward, and thefe couples are coming to the ark. Here come a pair of very ftrange beafts, which in all tongues are call'd fools. Clo. Salutation, and greeting, to you all.

Jaq. Good my Lord, bid him welcome. This is the motley-minded gentleman, that I have so often met in the forest: he hath been a courtier, he swears.

Clo If any man doubt that, let him put me to my purgation; I have trod a measure, I have flatter'd a Lady, I have been politick with my friend, smooth with mine enemy, I have undone three taylors, I have had four quarrels, and like to have fought one.

Jaq. And how was that ta'en up?

Clo. 'Faith, we met; and found, the quarrel was upon the feventh cause.

Jaq. How the feventh caufe? good my Lord, like this fellow.

Duke Sen. I like him very well.

Clo. God'ild you, Sir, I defire you of the like: I prefs in here, Sir, amongst the rest of the country copulatives, to fwear, and to forfwear, according as marriage binds, and blood breaks: a poor virgin, Sir, an ill-favour'd thing, Sir, but mine own, a poor humour of mine, Sir, to take that that no one else will. Rich-honefty dwells like a mifer, Sir, in a poor houfe, as your pearl in your foul oyfter.

Duke Sen. By my faith, he is very swift and fententious. Clo. According to the fool's bolt, Sir, and fuch dulcet diseases.

Jaq. But, for the feventh caufe; how did you find the quarrel on the seventh caule ?

Clo. Upon a lye feven times removed; (bear your body more seeming, Audrey) as thus, Sir; I did dislike the cut of a certain courtier's beard; he fent me word, if

I faid his beard was not cut well, he was in the mind it was. This is call'd the retort courteous. If I fent him word again, it was not well cut, he would fend me word, he cut it to please himself. This is call'd the quip modeft. If again, it was not well cut, he difabled my judgment. This is call'd the reply churlish. If again, it was not well cut, he would anfwer, I fpake not true. This is call'd the reproof valiant. If again, it was not well cut, he would fay, I lye. This is call'd the countercheck quarrelfome; and fo the lye circumstantial, and the lye direct.

Jaq And how oft did you say,his beard was not wellcut? Clo. I durft go no further than the lye circumftantial; nor he durft not give me the lye direct, and fo we meafur'd fwords and parted.

Jaq. Can you nominate in order now the degrees of the lye ?

Clo. O Sir, we quarrel in print, by the book; as you have books for good manners. (27) I will name you the degrees. The first, the retort courteous; the fecond, the quip modeft; the third, the reply churlish; the fourth, the reproof valiant; the fifth, the countercheck quarrel. fome; the fixth, the lye with circumftance; the feventh, the lye direct. All these you may avoid, but the lye direct; and you may avoid that too, with an if. I ! knew, when seven juttices could not take up a quarrel; but when the parties were met themselves, one of them,

(27) Q, Sir, we quarrel in print; by the book; as you have books for good manners.) The poet throughout this fcene has with great humour and addrefs rallied the mode, fo prevailing in his time, of for mal duelling. Nor could he treat it with a happier contempt, than by making his clown fo knowing in all its forms and preliminaries. It was in Queen Elizabeth's reign, that pushing with the rapier, or small 1word, was first practis'd in England. And the boisterous gallants fell into the fashion with fo much zeal, that they did not content themfelves with practifing at the fword in the schools; but they studied the theory of the art, the grounding of quarrels, and the process of giving and receiving challenges, from Lewis de Caranza's treatife of fencing, Vicentio Savila's practice of the rapier and dagger, and, Giacomo Di Graffi's Art of Defence; with many other instructions upon the feveral branches of the fcience.

thought