Jaq. But, for the seventh cause; how did you find the quarrel on the seventh cause? Touch. Upon a lie seven times removed :-bear your body more seeming," Audrey :-as thus, sir. I did dislike 35 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 "disease" (as if it were written 'dis-ease ') in the sense of 'inconvenience,' 'annoyance,' 'disagreeable,' 'disaster,' rather than in the usual sense of 'malady,' 'illness.' 34. Seeming Seemlily, becomingly. 35 Dislike. It has been clearly shown by Mr. Staunton that "dislike" was sometimes used by writers in Shakespeare's time Act V. Scene IV. 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 farther 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? 37 Why then,-my love adieu! Ros. [To DUKE S.] I'll have no father, if you be not he : [To ORLANDO.] I'll have no husband, if you be not she. Nor ne'er wed woman, if you be Touch. Oh, 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 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; as 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 they shook hands, and swore brothers, 39 Your "if" is the only peace-maker; [To ORLANDO and ROSALIND.] You and you no much virtue in ❝if." 38 Hym. Peace, ho! I bar confusion: Of these most strange events: If truth holds true contents.44 cross shall part :— Jaq. Is not this a rare fellow, my lord? he's as [To OLIVER and CELIA.] You and you are heart good at anything, and yet a fool. 37. By the book. Some of these veritable " books," both on 38. Could not take up a quarrel. See Note 28 of this Act. 41. Enter Hymen. As, by the persons on the scene, Rosa- 42. Atone. Accord, agree, combine, unite; are at one. in heart : [TO PHEBE.] You to his love must accord, [To are sure together, As the winter to foul weather. SONG. 46 Wedding is great Juno's crown: Oh, blessed bond of board and bed! High wedlock, then, be honoured: Duke S. Oh, my dear niece, welcome thou art to me! Even daughter, welcome in no less degree." Phe. [To SILVIUS.] I will not eat my word, now thou art mine; Thy faith my fancy to thee doth combine.48 "sight" in Orlando's speech should be 'shape;' nevertheless, as he may echo the Duke's words, and Phebe may add instead of repeat the word "shape," we adhere to the Folio text here. 44 If truth holds true contents. If truth contain truth; ' if there be truth in truth.' 45. Questioning. Conversing; interchanging inquiry. See Note 100, Act iii. 46. Song. Although the stage direction does not include them when the pageant enters, we must imagine this to be sung by the train of supposed spirits who attend upon Hymen; witness the previous words-"Whiles a wedlock-hymn we sing;" and the words of the song itself, rendering honour to Hymen. 47. Even daughter, welcome in no less degree. One of Shakespeare's elliptically expressed sentences, meaning-'I may even call you daughter, for no less welcome art thou than a daughter.' 48. Thy faith my fancy to thee doth combine. Thy faith binds, contracts, or affiances my love to thee.' Shakespeare elsewhere uses the word "combine" in this sense. See Note 60, Act iv., "Measure for Measure." & Enter JAQUES De Bois. Jaq. de B. Let me have audience for a word or two: I am the second son of old Sir Roland, Welcome, young man ; That have endur'd shrewd 2 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. With measure heap'd in joy, to the measures fall.53 Jaq. Sir, by your patience.-If I heard you rightly, The duke hath put on a religious life, Jaq. To him will 1: out of these convertites There is much matter to be heard and learn'd.[To DUKE S.] You to your former honour I bequeath; Your patience and your virtue well deserves it: [To ORLANDO.] You to a love, that your true faith doth merit : Duke S. Proceed, proceed: we will begin these rites, Play, music!—And you, brides and bridegrooms As we do trust they'll end, in true delights. all, [A dance. EPILOGUE. Ros. It is not the fashion to see the lady the epilogue; but it is no more unhandsome than to see the lord the prologue. If it be true that good wine needs no bush,' 'tis true that a good play 49. Address'd. Prepared; made ready. 50. In his own conduct. 'Conducted by himself. 51. Question. Discourse. 52. Shrewd Shakespeare elsewhere uses the word "shrewdly," applied to the air, in the sense of sharply, piercingly, keenly; and here it seems to mean sharp, pinching, subject to privation and discomfort. 53 To the measures fall. Fall to dancing; proceed to the dances. 54. To see no pastime, I. One of the commentators, calling Jaques "an amiable though solitary moralist," expresses regret to take leave of him in this manner; a regret which has been echoed by other editors since. But to our thinking, the manner" of Jaques' departure is in perfect harmony with his character throughout. We first see him bluff and churlish to Amiens, who sings at his request; we see him full of churlish and affected avoidance of the Duke who inquires for him; we see him indulging in conceited and churlish rebukes upon vices needs no epilogue: yet to good wine they do use good bushes; and good plays prove the better by the help of good epilogues. What a case am I in, then, that am neither a good epilogue, nor cannot that he himself has wallowed in to satiety; we see him trying to disgust Orlando with his young and hearty love; meddling in Touchstone's affairs with Audrey; attempting to persuade the shepherd boy, Ganymede, that assumed sadness is wisdom; and we now see him giving an ill-natured fling at the jester's choice of the country girl, and morosely declining to witness the wedding festivities-affected and churlish from first to last. The fact is, Jaques has always been taken for what he professes to be-a moralist; but looked at as the Duke demonstrates him to be, and as Shakespeare has subtly drawn him, he is a mere lip-deep moraliser, a dealer in moral precepts, a moralitymonger. 1. Bush. It was formerly the custom to hang a "bush"a branch, bunch, or tuft-of ivy at the door of a vintner; ivy having classical appropriateness, as it was anciently the plant sacred to Bacchus. insinuate with you in the behalf of a good play! I am not furnished like a beggar, therefore to beg will not become me: my way is, to conjure you; and I'll begin with the women. I charge you, oh, women, for the love you bear to men, to like as much of this play as please you: and I charge you, oh, men, for the love you bear to women (as I perceive by your simpering, none of you hates them), 2. Furnished Used here for appareled, attired; having the exterior accompaniments belonging to In Act iii., sc. 2, we have-" He was furnish'd like a hunter;" meaning, 'he had the dress and accoutrement or equipment of a hunter.' 3. If I were a woman. It must be remembered that in Shakespeare's time the women characters were played by men or boys. Julia (Two Gentlemen of Verona," iv., 4), when she that 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:5 and, I am sure, as many as have good beards, or good faces, or sweet breaths, will, for my kind offer, when I make curtsey, bid me farewell. [Exeunt. is disguised as the page, says-"Our youth got me to play the woman's part; and we find that the part is that of "Ariadne." See also Note 49, Act i., "Midsummer Night's Dream." 4 Complexions that liked me. Used for complexions that I liked.' This form of construction is met with elsewhere in Shakespeare. 5. Defied not. 'Abjured not,'' rejected not.' |