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by fome treacherous device; and never leave thee 'till he hath ta'en thy life by fome indirect means or other: for I affure thee, (and almoft with tears I fpeak it) there is not one young and fo villainous this day living. I fpeak but brotherly of him; but should I anatomize him to thee as he is, I must blush and weep, and thou must look pale and wonder.

Cha. I am heartily glad I came hither to you: if he come to-morrow, I'll give him his payment; if ever he go alone again, I'll never wreftle for prize more; and fo, God keep your worship. [Exit.

Oli, Farewel, good Charles. Now will I ftir this gamefter: I hope I fhall fee an end of him; for my foul, yet I know not why, hates nothing more than him. Yet he's gentle, never school'd, and yet learned, full of noble device, of all forts enchantingly beloved; and indeed fo much in the heart of the world, and efpecially of my own people who beft know him, that I am altogether mifprifed. But it fhall not be fo long; this wreftler fhall clear all: nothing remains, but that I kindle the boy thither, which now I'll go about. [Exit. SCENE IV. Before the Duke's Palace. Enter Rofalind and Celia.

Cel. I pray thee, Rofalind, fweet coz, be merry. Rof. Dear Celia, I how more mirth than I am miftrefs and would you yet I were merrier? unless you could teach me to forget a banish'd father, you must not learn me how to remember any extraordinary pleasure.

of;

Cel. Herein I fee thou lov'ft me not with the full weight that I love thee. If my uncle, thy banished father, had banished thy uncle the Duke my father, fo thou hadst been, ftill with me, I could have taught my love to take thy father for mine; fo wouldst thou, if the truth of thy love to me were fo righteously temper'd, as mine is to thee.

Rof. Well, I will forget the condition of my eftate, to rejoice in yours.

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Cel. You know my father hath no child but me, nor none is like to have, and truly when he dies thou shalt be, his heir; for what he hath taken away from thy father perforce, I will render thee again in affection; by mine

honour,

honour, I will; and when I break that oath, let me turn monfter therefore, my fweet Rofe, my dear Rofe, be merry.

Rof. From henceforth I will, coz, and devife fports: 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'st in honour come off again.

Rof. What fhall be the sport then?

Cel. Let us fit and mock the good housewife fortune from her wheel, that her gifts henceforth be bestowed equally.

Rof. I would we could do fo; for her benefits are mightily mifplaced, and the bountiful blind woman doth most miftake in her gifts to women.

Cel. 'Tis true; for thofe that the makes fair fhe scarcé makes honeft, and thofe that the 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 li neaments 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

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 dullness of the fool is the whetstone of the wits. How now, 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, foel?

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C. Of a certain Knight, that fwore by his honour they were good pancakes, and swore by his honour the mustard. 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?

Ref. 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 I were but if you fwear by that that is not, you are not forlworn, 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 faw thofe pancakes or that mustard,

Cel. Pr'ythee who is that thou mean'ft?

Clo. 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 these days.

Clo. The more pity that fools may not speak wisely 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 shew: here comes Monfieur Le Beu.

SCENE V. Enter Le Beu. Rof. With his mouth full of news.

Cel. Which he will put on us, as pigeons feed their young. Rof. Then fhall we be news-cram'd.

Cel. All the better, we fhall be the more marketable,

Bon jour, Monfieur Le Beu; what news?

Le Beu. Fair Princess, you have loft much sport.

Cel. Sport; of what colour?

Le Beu. What colour, Madam? how shall 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,

Clo. Nay, if I keep not my rank
Rof. Thou lofeft thy old smell.

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 please your ladyships, 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.

Rof. With bills on their necks: Be it known unto all men by these prefents.

Le Beu. The eldest of the three wrestled with Charles the Duke's wrestler, 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 fo the third: yonder they lye, 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 speak of.

Clo. Thus men grow wifer every day. It is the firft time that ever I heard breaking of ribs was fport for ladies. Cel. Or I, I promise thee.

Rof. But 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 stay 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 ftay and fee it.

SCENE

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Flourish. Enter Duke Frederick, Lords, Orlando, Charles,

and Attendants.

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 fuccefsfully, Duke. How now, daughter and coufin; are you crept hither to fee 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 men: in pity of the challenger's youth, I would fain diffuade him, but he will not be entreated. Speak to him, ladies, fee if you can move him. Cel. Call him hither, good Monfieur Le Beu. Duke. Do fo; I'll not be by.

Le Beu. Monfieur the challenger, the Princefs calls for you.

Orla. I attend her with all refpect and duty.

Rof. Young man, have you challeng'd Charles the wrestler? Orla. No, fair Princefs; he is the general challenger : I come but as others do, to try with him the ftrength of my youth.

Cel. Young gentleman, your fpirits are too bold for your years you have feen cruel proof of this man's ftrength. If you faw your felf with our eyes, or knew your self with our judgment, the fear of your adventure would counsel you to a more equal enterprife. We pray you for your own fake to embrace your own fafety, and give over this attempt.

Rof. Do, young Sir; your reputation shall not therefore be mifprifed; we will make it our fuit to the Duke that the wrestling might not go forward.

Orla, befeech you punish me not with your hard thoughts, wherein I confefs me much guilty to deny so fair and excellent ladies any thing. But let your fair eyes and gentle wishes go with me to my tryal, wherein if I be foil'd, there is but one fham'd that was never gracious; if kill'd, but one dead that is willing to be fo; I fhall do my friends VOL, HI,

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