AS YOU LIKE IT.

Engraved by Charles Taylor, from a Drawing by Thomas Stothard.

ROSALIND giving her Chain to ORLANDO.

Rosalind. Gentleman wear this for

me

One out of suits with Fortune

Who would give

more but that her hand lacks means.

London, Publish'd January 1,1783, by Charles Taylor No 8 Dyers Buildings Helbern.

I fhould have given him tears unto entreaties,
Ere he fhould thus have ventur'd.

CEL.

Gentle coufin, Let us go thank him, and encourage him:

My father's rough and envious difpofition
Sticks me at heart.-Sir, you have well deferv'd:
If you do keep your promises in love,

But juftly, as you have exceeded promife,"
Your mistress fhall be happy.

Ros.

Gentleman,

[Giving him a chain from her neck. Wear this for me; one out of fuits with fortune;" That could give more, but that her hand lacks

CEL.

Ay:-Fare you well, fair gentleman. ORL. Can I not fay, I thank you? My better parts Are all thrown down; and that which here ftands up, Is but a quintain, a mere lifelefs block."

5 — as you have exceeded promife,] The old copy, without regard to the measure, reads-all promife. STEEVENS.

6

—one out of fuits with fortune;] This feems an allufion to cards, where he that has no more cards to play of any particular fort, is out of fuit. JOHNSON.

Out of fuits with fortune, I believe means, turned out of her fervice, and ftripped of her livery. STEEVENS.

So afterwards Celia fays, "but turning thefe jefts out of fervice, let us talk in good earnest." MALONE.

7 Is but a quintain, a mere lifeless block.] A quintain was a poft or butt fet up for feveral kinds of martial exercises, against which they threw their darts and exercised their arms. The allufion is beautiful. I am, fays Orlando, only a quintain, a lifeless block on which love only exercifes his arms in jeft; the great difparity of condition between Rofalind and me, not suffering me to hope that love will ever make a serious matter of it. The famous fatirift Regnier, who lived about the time of our authour, uses the fame metaphor, on the same subject, though the thought be different:

Ros. He calls us back: My pride fell with

fortunes:

my

I'll ask him what he would:-Did you call, fir?-
Sir, you have wrestled well, and overthrown
More than your enemies.

CEL.

Will you go, coz?

Ros. Have with you :-Fare you well.

[Exeunt ROSALIND and CELIA. ORL. What paffion hangs thefe weights upon my

tongue?

I cannot speak to her, yet fhe urg'd conference.

"Et qui depuis dix ans jufqu'en fes derniers jours,

"A foutenu le prix en l' efcrime d'amours;

Laffe en fin de fervir au peuple de quintaine, "Elle" &c. WARBURTON.

This is but an imperfect (to call it no worfe) explanation of a beautiful paffage. The quintain was not the object of the darts and arms it was a stake driven into a field, upon which were hung a fhield and other trophies of war, at which they fhot, darted, or rode, with a lance. When the fhield and the trophies were all thrown down, the quintain remained. Without this information how could the reader understand the allufion of

Mr. Malone has difputed the propriety of Mr. Guthrie's animadverfions; and Mr. Douce is equally diffatisfied with those of Mr. Malone.

The phalanx of our auxiliaries, as well as their circumftantiality, is fo much increased, that we are often led (as Hamlet obferves) to fight for a spot

"Whereon the numbers cannot try the cause."

The prefent ftrictures therefore of Mr. Malone and Mr. Douce, (which are too valuable to be omitted, and too ample to find their place under the text of our author,) must appear at the conclufion of the play. STEEVENS.

For a more particular description of a quintain, see a note on a paffage in Jonfon's Underwoods, Whalley's edit. Vol. VII. p. 55. M. MASON.

A humourous defcription of this amusement may also be read in Laneham's Letter from "Killingwoorth Caftle.' HENLEY.

Re-enter LE BEAU.

O poor Orlando! thou art overthrown;
Or Charles, or fomething weaker, masters thee.
LE BEAU. Good fir, I do in friendship counsel you
To leave this place: Albeit you have deferv'd
High commendation, true applause, and love;
Yet fuch is now the duke's condition,8

That he mifconflrues all that you have done.
The duke is humorous; what he is, indeed,
More fuits you to conceive, than me to speak of."
ORL. I thank you, fir: and, pray you, tell me this;
Which of the two was daughter of the duke
That here was at the wrestling?

LE BEAU. Neither his daughter, if we judge by

manners;

2

But yet, indeed, the fhorter is his daughter:

8 the duke's condition,] The word condition means charafter, temper, difpofition. So Antonio, the merchant of Venice, is called by his friend the beft condition'd man. JOHNSON.

9

than me to speak of.] The old copy has-than I. Corrected by Mr. Rowe. MALONE.

2

the fhorter-] Thus Mr. Pope. The old copy readsthe taller. Mr. Malone-the fmaller. STEEVENS.

Some change is abfolutely neceffary, for Rofalind, in a fubfequent fcene, exprefsly fays that he is more than common tall," and affigns that as a reafon for her affuming the drefs of a man, while her coufin Celia retained her female apparel. Again, in A&t IV. fc. iii. Celia is defcribed by thefe words" the woman low, and browner than her brother;" i. e. Rofalind. Mr. Pope reads" the borter is his daughter;" which has been admitted in all the fubfequent editions: but furely borter and taller could never have been confounded by either the eve or the ear. The profent emendation, it is hoped, has a preferable claim to a place in the text, as being much nearer to the corrupted reading. MALONE.

Shakspeare fometimes fpeaks of little women, but I do not recollect that he, or any other writer, has mentioned small ones. Otherwife, Mr. Malone's conjecture fhould have found a place in our text, STEEVENS.