SONG. It was a lover and his lass, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, In the fpring time; the pretty fpring time, And therefore take the prefent time, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino; Between the acres of the rye, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, The carrol they began that hour, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, In the spring 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 fuch 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 Forest. 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 promifed? 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, [To the Duke. You will beftow her on Orlando here? D. Sen. That would I, had I kingdoms to give with her. Ref. 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. Rof. But if you do refufe to marry me, You'll give yourself to this most faithful fhepherd. Phe. So is the bargain. Rof. You fay, that you'll have Phobe, if the will? [To Silvius. Sil. Tho' to have her and death were both one thing. Rof. I've premis'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 eife, 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 these 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, And hath been tutor'd in the rudiments 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 fo often met in the foreft: he hath been a courtier, he fwears. 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, fmooth 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 caufe. Jaq. How the feventh caufe? good my Lord, likę 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 reft 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 elfe 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 fwift 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 feventh cause ? Clo. Upon a lye feven times removed: (bear your body more feeming, Audrey) as thus, Sir; I did dislike the cut of a certain courtier's beard; he sent 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 churlifh. If again,. it was not well cut, he would answer, 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 circumftantial, and the lye direct. Jaq. And how oft did you fay, his beard was not well cut? 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 quarrelfome; the fixth, the lye with circumstance; the seventh, the lye direct. All these you may avoid, but the lye direct; and you may avoid that too, with an if. I knew, when feven justices could not take up a quarrel; but when the parties were met themselves, one of them (27) 0, Sir, we quarrel in print; by the book; as you have bocks for good manners.] The poet throughout this fcene has with great humour and addrefs rallied the mode, fo prevailing in his time, of formal 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 fword, was first practis'd in England. And the boisterous gallants fell into the fashion with fo much zeal, that they did not content themselves with practifing at the fword in the schools; but they ftudied the theory of the art, the grounding of quarrels, and the process of giving and receiving challenges, from Levis de Caranza's treatife of fencing, Vicentio Saviola's practice of the rapier and dagger, and Giacomo Di Grafi's Art of Defence; with many other inftructions upon the feveral branches of the fcience. thought thought but of an if; as, if you faid fo, then I faid fo; and they fhook hands, and fwore brothers. Your if is the orly peace-maker; much virtue in if. Jag. Is not this a rare fellow, my Lord? he's good at any thing, and yet a fool. Duke Sen, He ufes his folly like a ftalking horfe, and under the presentation of that he shoots his wit. Enter Hymen, Rosalind in woman's cloaths, and Celia. Hym. Then is there mirth in heav'n, Good Duke receive thy daughter, Yea, brought her hither, That thou might'ft join her hand with his, Rof. To you I give myself; for I am yours. [To the Duke. To you I give myself; for I am yours. [To Orlando. Duke Sen. If there be truth in fight, you are my daughter. Orla. If there be truth in fight you are my Rofalind. Phe. If fight and shape be true, Why, then my love adieu ! Rof. I'll have no father, if you be not he; I'll have no husband, if you be not he; Of thefe most strange events: If truth holds true contents. You P 4 |