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The forest.
[Enter TOUCHSTONE and AUDREY]
TOUCHSTONE To-morrow is the joyful day,
Audrey; to-morrow will we be married.
AUDREY I do desire it with all my heart; and I hope it is
no dishonest desire to desire to be a woman of the
world. Here comes two of the banished duke’s pages.
[Enter two Pages]
First Page Well met, honest gentleman.
TOUCHSTONE By my troth, well met.
Come, sit, sit, and a song.
Second Page We are for you: sit i’ the middle.
First Page Shall we clap into’t roundly, without
hawking or spitting or saying we are hoarse,
which are the only prologues to a bad voice?
Second Page I’faith, i’faith; and both in a tune,
like two gipsies on a horse.
SONG.
It was a lover and his lass,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
That o’er the green corn-field did pass
In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding:
Sweet lovers love the spring.
Between the acres of the rye,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino
These pretty country folks would lie,
In spring time, &c.
This carol they began that hour,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
How that a life was but a flower
In spring time, &c.
And therefore take the present time,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino;
For love is crowned with the prime
In spring time, &c.
TOUCHSTONE Truly, young gentlemen,
though there was no great matter in the ditty,
yet the note was very untuneable.
First Page You are deceived, sir: we kept time, we lost not our time.
TOUCHSTONE By my troth, yes; I count it but time
lost to hear such a foolish song. God be wi’ you;
and God mend your voices! Come, Audrey.
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