vour body more seeming, Audrey:-as thus, sir. did dislike the cut of a certain courtier's beard; he sent me word, if I said his beard was not cut well, he was in the mind it was: This is called the retort courteous. If I sent him word again, it was not well cut, he would send me word, he cut it to please himself: This is called the quip modest. If again, it was not well cut, he disabled my judgment: This is called the reply churlish. If again, it was not well cut, he would answer, I spake not true: This is called the reproof valiant. If again, it was not well cut, he would say, I lie: This is called the countercheck quarrelsome: and so to the lie circumstantial, and the lie direct.

Jaq. And how oft did you say, his beard was not well cut?

Touch. I durst go no further than the lie circumstantial, nor he durst not give me the lie direct; and so we measured swords, and parted.

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

You and you no cross shall part:
[To Oriando and Rosalind.
You and you are heart in heart:
[To Oliver and Celia.
You [To Phebe.] to his love must accord,
Or have a woman to your lord:-
You and you are sure together,

[To Touchstone and Audrey.

As the winter to foul weather.
Whiles a wedlock-hymn we sing,
Feed yourselves with questioning;
That reason wonder may diminish,
How thus we met, and these things finish.

SONG.

Wedding is great Juno's crown;
O blessed bond of board and bed!
'Tis Hymen peoples every town;
High wedlock then be honoured:
Honour, high honour and renown,
To Hymen, god of every town!

Touch. O, sir, we quarrel in print, by the book;
as you have books for good manners: I will name
you the degrees. The first, the retort courteous;
the second, the quip modest; the third, the reply
churlish; the fourth, the reproof valiant; the fifth,
the countercheck quarrelsome; the sixth, the lie Thy faith my fancy to thee doth combine.3

Duke S. O my dear niece, welcome thou art to me,
Even daughter, welcome in no less degree.
Phe. I will not eat my word, now thou art mine;
[To Silvius.

Enter Jaques de Bois.

with circumstance; the seventh, the lie direct. All
these you may avoid, but the lie direct; and you
may avoid that too, with an if. I knew when seven
justices could not take up a quarrel; but when the
parties were met themselves, one of them thought
but of an if, as, if you said so, then I said so; and I am the second son of old sir Rowland,
they shook hands, and swore brothers. Your if, is
the only peace-maker; much virtue in if.

Jaq. de B. Let me have audience for a word or
two;

Jaq. Is not this a rare fellow, my lord? he's as good at any thing, and yet a fool.

Duke S. He uses his folly like a stalking-horse, and under the presentation of that, he shoots his wit. Enter Hymen, leading Rosalind in woman's clothes; and Celia. Still music.

Hym. Then is there mirth in heaven,
When earthly things made even
Atone together.

Good duke, receive thy daughter,
Hymen from heaven brought her,
Yea, brought her hither;
That thou might'st join her hand with his,
Whose heart within her bosom is.

Ros. To you I give myself, for I am vours.

[To Duke S.

[To Orl.

To you I give myself, for I am yours.
Duke S. If there be truth in sight, you are my

daughter.

Orl. If there be truth in sight, you are my Rosalind.

Phe. If sight and shape be true,

Why then, my love, adieu!
Ros. I'll have no father, if you be

not he :-
[To Duke S.
[To Orlando.

I'll have no husband, if you be not he :-
Nor ne'er wed woman, if you be not she.

[To Phebe.

Hym. Peace, ho! I bar confusion:
'Tis I must make conclusion
Of these most strange events:
Here's eight that must take hands,
To join in Hymen's bands,

If truth holds true contents.

(1) Seemly, (2) Unless truth fails of veracity,

That bring these tidings to this fair assembly-
Duke Frederick, hearing how that every day
Men of great worth resorted to this forest,
Address'd a mighty power which were on foot
In his own conduct, purposely to take
His brother here, and put him to the sword:
And to the skirts of this wild wood he came;
Where, meeting with an old religious man,
After some question with him, was converted
Both from his enterprize, and from the world:
His crown bequeathing to his banish'd brother,
And all their lands restor'd to them again
That were with him exil'd: This to be true,
I do engage my life.

Duke S.

Welcome, young man;

Thou offer'st fairly to thy brothers' wedding:
To one, his lands withheld; and to the other,
A land itself as large, a potent dukedom.
First, in this forest, let us do those ends
That here were well begun, and well begot;
And after, every of this happy number,
That have endur'd shrewd days and nights with us,
Shall share the good of our returned fortune,
According to the measure of their states.
Meantime, forget this new-fall'n dignity,
And fall into our rustic revelry:-

Play, music; and you brides and bridegrooms all,
With measure heap'd in joy, to the measures fall.

Jaq. Sir, by your patience; If I heard you rightly,
The duke hath put on a religious life,
And thrown into neglect the pompous court?
Jaq. de B. He hath.

Jaq. To him will I: out of these convertites
There is much matter to be heard and learn'd.-
You to your former honour I bequeath;

[To Duke S. Your patience, and your virtue, well deserves it :You [To Orlando.) to a love, that your true faith doth merit:

3) Bind,

and

You [To Oliver.] to your land, and love, and great not become me; my way is, to conjure you; allies: I'll begin with the women. I charge you, O women, You [To Silvius.] to a long and well-deserved for the love you bear to men, to like as much of bed:this play as please them: and so I charge you, Ο And you [To Touchstone.] to wrangling; for thy men, for the love you bear to women, (as I perceive loving voyage by your simpering, none of you hate them,) that Is but for two months victuall'd:-So to your plea- between you and the women, the play may please.

If I were a woman, I would kiss as many of you as had beards that pleased me, complexions that liked me, and breaths that I defied not; and, I am sure, as many as have good beards, or good faces, or sweet breaths, will, for my kind offer, when I make curt'sy, bid me farewell.

[Exeunt.

Of this play the fable is wild and pleasing. I know not how the ladies will approve the facility with which both Rosalind and Celia give away

Ros. It is not the fashion to see the lady the epi- their hearts. To Celia much may be forgiven, for logue: but it is no more unhandsome, than to see the heroism of her friendship. The character of the lord the prologue. If it be true, that good wine Jaques is natural and well preserved. The comic needs no bush, 'tis true, that a good play needs no dialogue is very sprightly, with less mixture of low epilogue: Yet to good wine they do use good buffoonery than in some other plays; and the graver bushes; and good plays prove the better by the part is elegant and harmonious. By hastening help of good epilogues. What a case am I in then, the end of this work, Shakspeare suppressed the that am neither a good epilogue, nor cannot insi- dialogue between the usurper and the hermit, and nuate with you in the behalf of a good play? I am lost an opportunity of exhibiting a moral lesson, in

to

not furnished like a beggar, therefore to beg will which he might have found matter worthy of his

highest powers.

!

JOHNSON.

1

1

Countess.

Countess of Rousillon, mother to Bertram.

Helena, a gentlewoman protected by the Countess

An old Widow of Florence.

Diana, daughter to the widow.
Violenta,

Mariana, neighbours and friends

to the widow.

Lords, attending on the King; Officers, Soldiers. &c. French and Florentine.

Scene, partly in France, and partly in Tuscany.

Ber. I heard not of it before. gentlewoman the daughter of Gerard de Narbon? Laf. I would, it were not notorious. Was this Count. His sole child, my lord; and bequeathed to my overlooking. I have those hopes of her good, that her education promises: her dispositions she inherits, which make fair gifts fairer; for where

IN delivering my son from me, I bury a second an unclean mind carries virtuous qualities, there commendations go with pity, they are virtues and

husband.

Ber. And I, in going, madam, weep o'er my traitors too; in her they are the better for their father's death anew: but I must attend his majes- simpleness; she derives her honesty, and achieves ty's command, to whom I am now in ward, ever- her goodness.

more in subjection.

Laf. Your commendations, madam, get from

Laf. You shall find of the king a husband, ma- her tears. dam;-you, sir, a father: He that so generally is Count. 'Tis the best brine a maiden can season at all times good, must of necessity hold his virtue her praise in. The remembrance of her father to you; whose worthiness would stir it up where never approaches her heart, but the tyranny of her it wanted, rather than lack it where there is such sorrows takes all livelihoods from her cheek. No abundance.

Count. What hope is there of his majesty's rather thought you affect a sorrow, than to have. more of this, Helena, go to, no more; lets it be

amendment?

Hel. I do affect a sorrow, indeed, but I have it Laf. Moderate lamentation is the right of the dead, excessive grief the enemy to the living. Count. If the living be enemy to the grief, the

Laf. He hath abandoned his physicians, madam; too. under whose practices he hath persecuted time with hope; and finds no other advantage in the process but only the losing of hope by time.

Count. This young gentlewoman had a father (0, that had! how sad a passage 'tis !) whose skill was almost as great as his honesty; had it stretched so far, would have made nature immortal, and death should have play for lack of work. 'Would, for the king's sake, he were living! I think, it would be the death of the king's disease.

Laf. How called you the man you speak of,

madam?

Count. He was

famous, sir,

excess makes it soon mortal.

Ber. Madam, I desire your holy wishes.
Laf. How understand we that?
Count. Be thou blest, Bertram! and succeed

thy father

1

In manners, as in shape! thy blood, and virtue,
Share with thy birthright! Love all, trust a few,
Contend for empire in thee; and thy goodness
1
Do wrong to none: be able for thine enemy
Rather in power, than use; and keep thy friend
Under thy own life's key: be check'd for silence,
But never tax'd for speech. What heaven more will,
That thee may furnish, and my prayers pluck
down,

r, in his profession, and
it was his great right to be so: Gerard de Narbon.
Laf. He was excellent, indeed, madam; the king
very lately spoke of him, admiringly, and mourn-
ingly: he was skilful enough to have lived still, if
knowledge could be set up against mortality. Fall on thy head! Farewell.-My lord,
Ber. What is it, my good lord, the king lan- 'Tis an unseason'd courtier; good my lord,

guishes of?

Laf. A fistula, my lord.

(1) Under his particular care, as my guardian. (2) The countess recollects her own loss of a husband, and observes how heavily had passes through her mind.

(3) Qualities of good breeding and erudition,

Advise him.