Orla. I am he that is fo love-fhak'd; I pray you, tell me your remedy. Rof. There is none of my uncle's marks upon you: he taught me how to know a man in love; in which cage of rushes, I am fure, you are not prisoner. Orla. What were his marks? Rof. A lean cheek; which you have not: " a blue eye, and funken; which you have not: an unquestionable fpirit; which you have not: a beard neglected; which you have not-but I pardon you for that; for, fimply, your 2 having in beard is a younger brother's revenue:-Then your hose should be ungarter'd, your bonnet unbanded, your fleeve unbuttoned, your fhoe untied, and every thing about you demonftrating a careless defolation. But you are no fuch man; you are rather point-device in your accoutrements; as loving yourself, than feeming the lover of any other. b Orla. Fair youth, I would I could make thee believe I love. Rof. Me believe it? you may as foon make her that you love believe it; which, I warrant, fhe is apter to do, than to confess she does; that is one of the points in the which women still give the lye to their confciences. But, in good footh, are you he that hangs the verses on the trees, wherein Rofalind is fo admired? Orla. I fwear to thee, youth, by the white hand of Rofalind, I am that he, that unfortunate he. y Rof. But are you so much in love, as your rhimes speak? Orla. Neither rhime nor reason can exprefs how much. Rof. Love is merely a madness; and, I tell you, de a blue eye, and funken ;]-a blueness about his eyes, which are funk within his head. zunquestionable Spirit ;]-averfe from converfation. having]-portion of. bpoint-device]-finically exact. serves as well a dark house and a whip, as madmen do: and the reason why they are not fo punish'd and cured, is, that the lunacy is fo ordinary, that the whippers are in love too: Yet I profefs curing it by counsel. Orla. Did you ever cure any fo? He was to ima Rof. Yes, one; and in this manner. gine me his love, his mistress; and I fet him every day to woo me: At which time would I, being but a moonish youth, grieve, be effeminate, changeable, longing, and liking; proud, fantastical, apifh, fhallow, inconftant, full of tears, full of fmiles; for every paffion fomething, and for no paffion truly any thing, as boys and women are for the most part cattle of this colour: would now like him, now loath him; then entertain him, then forfwear him; now weep for him, then fpit at him; that I drave my fuitor from his mad humour of love, to a living humour of madness; which was, to forfwear the full ftream of the world, and to live in a nook merely monaftick: And thus I cur'd him; and this way will I take upon me to wash your liver as clear as a found fheep's heart, that there shall not be one fpot of love in't. Orla. I would not be cur'd, youth. Rof. I would cure you, if you would but call me Rofalind, and come every day to my cote, and woo me. Orla. Now, by the faith of my love I will; tell me where it is. Rof. Go with me to it, and I will fhew it you: and, by the way, you fhall tell me where in the forest you Will you go go? Orla. With all my heart, good youth. live: Rof. Nay, nay, you must call me Rofalind :-Come, fifter, will you go? с [Exeunt. from his mad bumour of love, to a living humour of madness ;]-from his furious paffion of love, to a violent freak of real frenzy-to a humour of loving madness. Q3 SCENE Enter Clown and Audrey, Jaques watching them. Clo. Come apace, good Audrey; I will fetch up your goats, Audrey: And how, Audrey? am I the man yet? doth my simple feature content you? с d Aud. Your feature! Lord warrant us! what's feature? Clo. I am here with thee and thy goats, as the most & capricious poet, honeft Ovid, was among the Goths. Faq. [afide] O knowledge ill-inhabited! worse than Jove in a' thatch'd house! Clo. When a man's verfes cannot be understood, nor a man's good wit feconded with the forward child, understanding, it strikes a man more dead than a great reckoning in a little room: Truly, I would the gods had made thee poetical. Aud. I do not know what poetical is: Is it honest in deed, and word? Is it a true thing? Clo. No, truly; for the trueft poetry is the most feigning; and lovers are given to poetry; and what they swear in poetry, it may be faid, as lovers, they do feign. Aud. Do you wish then, that the gods had made me poetical ? Clo. I do truly for thou fwear'ft to me, thou art honeft; now if thou wert a poet, I might have fome hope thou didst feign. Aud. Would you not have me honest? Clo. No truly, unless thou wert hard-favoured: for honefty coupled to beauty, is to have honey a fauce to fugar. Faq. [afide.] A material fool! d capricious]-amorous, wanton. Goths.]-Geta. thatch'd boufe !]-under the roof of Baucis and Philemon. & material]-full of matter. Aud. Aud. Well, I am not fair; and therefore I pray the gods make me honest! Clo. Truly, and to caft away honesty upon a foul flut, were to put good meat into an unclean dish. h Aud. I am not a flut, though I thank the gods I am foul. Clo. Well, praised be the gods for thy foulnefs! fluttishness may come hereafter. But be it as it may be, I will marry thee: and to that end, I have been with Sir Oliver Mar-text, the vicar of the next village; who hath promis'd to meet me in this place of the foreft, and to couple us. Jaq. [afide.] I would fain fee this meeting. Aud. Well, the gods give us joy! Clo. Amen. A man may, if he were of a fearful heart, ftagger in this attempt; for here we have no temple but the wood, no affembly but horn-beafts: But what though? Courage! As horns are odious, they are neceffary. It is faid,-Many a man knows no end of his goods: right; many a man has good horns, and knows no end of them. Well, that is the dowry of his wife; 'tis none of his own getting. Horns? Even fo:-Poor men alone?—No, no; the nobleft deer hath them as huge as the rafcal. Is the fingle man therefore bleffed? No: as a wall'd town is more worthier than a village, fo is the forehead of a married man more honourable than the bare brow of a batchelor and by how much defence is better than no skill, fo much is a horn more precious than to want. Enter Sir Oliver Mar-text. Here comes fir Oliver :-Sir Oliver Mar-text, you are well met: Will you dispatch us here under this tree, or fhall we go with you to your chapel? foul.]-homely, and therefore lefs liable to temptation. i though ?]-then. rafcal.]-the leaneft. Sir Oli. Is there none here to give the woman? Sir Oli. Truly, she must be given, or the marriage is not lawful. Jaq. [difcovering himself.] Proceed, proceed; I'll give her. Clo. Good even, good mafter What ye call't: How do you, fir? You are very well met: 'God'ild you for your laft company: I am very glad to see you :-Even a toy in hand here, fir: Nay; pray, be covered. Jaq. Will you be married, motley? m Clo. As the ox hath his " bough, fir, the horse his "curb, and the faulcon her bells, fo man his defires; and as pigeons bill, fo wedlock would be nibling. Jaq. And will you, being a man of your breeding, be married under a bush, like a beggar? Get you to church, and have a good priest that can tell you what marriage is: this fellow will but join you together as they join wains cot; then one of you will prove a fhrunk pannel, and, like green timber, warp, warp. Clo. I am not in the mind but I were better to be married of him than of another: for he is not like to marry me well; and not being well married, it will be a good excufe for me hereafter to leave my wife. Come, sweet Audrey; we must be married, or we must live in bawdry. Jaq. Go thou with me, and let me counsel thee. |
