Lawn before the Duke’s palace.
[Enter CELIA and ROSALIND]
CELIA
I pray thee, Rosalind, sweet my coz, be merry.
ROSALIND Dear Celia, I show
more mirth than I am mistress of;
and would you yet I were merrier?
Unless you could teach me to forget
a banished father, you must not learn
me how to remember any
extraordinary pleasure.
CELIA Herein I see thou lovest me not
with the full weight that I love thee.
If my uncle, thy banished father, had banished
thy uncle, the duke my father, so thou hadst
been still with me, I could have taught my love
to take thy father for mine: so wouldst thou,
if the truth of thy love to me were so righteously
tempered as mine is to thee.
ROSALIND Well,
I will forget the condition of my estate,
to rejoice in yours.
CELIA You know my father hath no child but I,
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, I will; and
when I break that oath, let me turn monster:
therefore, my sweet Rose, my dear Rose, be merry.
ROSALIND From henceforth I will, coz,
and devise sports. Let me see; what think you
of falling in love?
CELIA Marry, I prithee, do, to make sport withal:
but love no man in good earnest; nor no further in
sport neither than with safety of a pure blush thou
mayst in honour come off again.
ROSALIND What shall be our sport, then?
CELIA Let us sit and mock the good housewife
Fortune from her wheel, that her gifts may henceforth
be bestowed equally.
ROSALIND I would we could do so, for her benefits
are mightily misplaced, and the bountiful blind
woman doth most mistake in her gifts to women.
CELIA ‘Tis true; for those that she makes fair she
scarce makes honest, and those that she makes
honest she makes very ill-favouredly.
[Enter TOUCHSTONE]
How now, wit! whither wander you?
TOUCHSTONE Mistress,
you must come away to your father.
CELIA Were you made the messenger?
TOUCHSTONE No, by mine honour,
but I was bid to come for you.
ROSALIND Where learned you that oath, fool?
TOUCHSTONE Of a certain knight that swore
by his honour they were good pancakes and
swore by his honour the mustard was naught:
now I’ll stand to it, the pancakes were naught
and the mustard was good, and yet was not the
knight forsworn.
CELIA How prove you that, in the great heap
of your knowledge?
ROSALIND Ay, marry, now unmuzzle your wisdom.
TOUCHSTONE Stand you both forth now:
stroke your chins, and swear by your beards that
I am a knave.
CELIA By our beards, if we had them, thou art.
TOUCHSTONE By my knavery, if I had it,
then I were; but if you swear by that that is not,
you are not forsworn: no more was this knight
swearing by his honour, for he never had any;
or if he had, he had sworn it away before ever
he saw those pancakes or that mustard.
CELIA Prithee, who is’t that thou meanest?
TOUCHSTONE One that old Frederick,
your father, loves.
CELIA My father’s love is enough to honour him:
enough! speak no more of him; you’ll be whipped for
taxation one of these days.
TOUCHSTONE The more pity, that fools may not
speak wisely what wise men do foolishly.
CELIA By my troth, thou sayest true; for since the little
wit that fools have was silenced, the little foolery
that wise men have makes a great show.
Here comes Monsieur Le Beau.
ROSALIND With his mouth full of news.
CELIA Which he will put on us,
as pigeons feed their young.
ROSALIND Then shall we be news-crammed.
CELIA All the better; we shall be the more marketable.
[Enter LE BEAU]
Bon jour, Monsieur Le Beau: what’s the news?
LE BEAU Fair princess, you have lost much good sport.
CELIA Sport! of what colour?
LE BEAU What colour, madam! how shall I answer you?
ROSALIND As wit and fortune will.
TOUCHSTONE Or as the Destinies decree.
CELIA Well said: that was laid on with a trowel.
TOUCHSTONE Nay, if I keep not my rank,–
ROSALIND Thou losest thy old smell.
LE BEAU You amaze me, ladies:
I would have told you of good
wrestling, which you have lost the sight of.
ROSALIND You tell us the manner of the wrestling.
LE BEAU I will tell you the beginning;
and, if it please your ladyships, you may see the end;
for the best is yet to do; and here, where you are,
they are coming to perform it.
CELIA Well, the beginning, that is dead and buried.
LE BEAU There comes an old man and his three sons,–
CELIA I could match this beginning with an old tale.
LE BEAU Three proper young men,
of excellent growth and presence.
ROSALIND With bills on their necks,
‘Be it known unto all men by these presents.’
LE BEAU 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: so he served the second, and
so the third. Yonder they lie; the poor old man,
their father, making such pitiful dole over them
that all the beholders take his part with weeping.
ROSALIND Alas!
TOUCHSTONE But what is the sport, monsieur,
that the ladies have lost?
LE BEAU Why, this that I speak of.
TOUCHSTONE Thus men may grow wiser every day:
it is the first time that ever I heard breaking of ribs
was sport for ladies.
CELIA Or I, I promise thee.
ROSALIND But is there any else longs to see
this broken music in his sides? is there yet another
dotes upon rib-breaking? Shall we see this wrestling,
cousin?
LE BEAU You must, if you stay here;
for here is the place appointed for the wrestling,
and they are ready to perform it.
CELIA Yonder, sure, they are coming: let us now
stay and see it.
[Flourish. Enter DUKE FREDERICK, Lords,
ORLANDO, CHARLES, and Attendants]
DUKE FREDERICK Come on:
since the youth will not be entreated,
his own peril on his forwardness.
ROSALIND Is yonder the man?
LE BEAU Even he, madam.
CELIA Alas, he is too young!
yet he looks successfully.
DUKE FREDERICK How now,
daughter and cousin! are you crept hither
to see the wrestling?
ROSALIND Ay, my liege,
so please you give us leave.
DUKE FREDERICK You will take little delight in it,
I can tell you; there is such odds in the man. In pity
of the challenger’s youth I would fain dissuade him,
but he will not be entreated. Speak to him, ladies;
see if you can move him.
CELIA Call him hither, good Monsieur Le Beau.
DUKE FREDERICK Do so: I’ll not be by.
LE BEAU Monsieur the challenger,
the princesses call for you.
ORLANDO I attend them with all respect and duty.
ROSALIND Young man, have you challenged
Charles the wrestler?
ORLANDO No, fair princess; he is the general
challenger: I come but in, as others do, to try with him
the strength of my youth.
CELIA Young gentleman, your spirits are too
bold for your years. You have seen cruel proof of this
man’s strength: if you saw yourself with your eyes or
knew yourself with your judgment, the fear of your
adventure would counsel you to a more equal
enterprise. We pray you, for your own sake, to
embrace your own safety and give over this attempt.
ROSALIND Do, young sir; your reputation shall not
therefore be misprised: we will make it our suit to the
duke that the wrestling might not go forward.
ORLANDO I beseech you, punish me not with your hard
thoughts; wherein I confess 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
trial: wherein if I be foiled, there is but one
shamed that was never gracious; if killed, but one
dead that was willing to be so: I shall do my
friends no wrong, for I have none to lament me, the
world no injury, for in it I have nothing; only in
the world I fill up a place, which may be better
supplied when I have made it empty.
ROSALIND The little strength that I have,
I would it were with you.
CELIA And mine, to eke out hers.
ROSALIND Fare you well: pray heaven I be
deceived in you!
CELIA Your heart’s desires be with you!
CHARLES Come, where is this young gallant
that is so desirous to lie with his mother earth?
ORLANDO Ready, sir; but his will hath in it
a more modest working.
DUKE FREDERICK You shall try but one fall.
CHARLES No, I warrant your grace,
you shall not entreat him to a second,
that have so mightily persuaded him
from a first.
ORLANDO An you mean to mock me after,
you should not have mocked me before:
but come your ways.
ROSALIND Now Hercules be thy speed, young man!
CELIA I would I were invisible, to catch the
strong fellow by the leg.
[They wrestle]
ROSALIND O excellent young man!
CELIA If I had a thunderbolt in mine eye,
I can tell who should down.
[Shout. CHARLES is thrown]
DUKE FREDERICK No more, no more.
ORLANDO Yes, I beseech your grace:
I am not yet well breathed.
DUKE FREDERICK How dost thou, Charles?
LE BEAU He cannot speak, my lord.
DUKE FREDERICK Bear him away.
What is thy name, young man?
ORLANDO Orlando, my liege;
the youngest son of Sir Rowland de Boys.
DUKE FREDERICK I would thou hadst been
son to some man else:
The world esteem’d thy father honourable,
But I did find him still mine enemy:
Thou shouldst have better pleased me with this deed,
Hadst thou descended from another house.
But fare thee well; thou art a gallant youth:
I would thou hadst told me of another father.
[Exeunt DUKE FREDERICK,
train, and LE BEAU]
ORLANDO I am more proud to be Sir Rowland’s son,
His youngest son; and would not change that calling,
To be adopted heir to Frederick.
CELIA Were I my father, coz, would I do this?
ROSALIND My father loved Sir Rowland as his soul,
And all the world was of my father’s mind:
Had I before known this young man his son,
I should have given him tears unto entreaties,
Ere he should thus have ventured.
CELIA Gentle cousin,
Let us go thank him and encourage him:
My father’s rough and envious disposition
Sticks me at heart. Sir, you have well deserved:
If you do keep your promises in love
But justly, as you have exceeded all promise,
Your mistress shall be happy.
ROSALIND Gentleman,
[Giving him a chain from her neck]
Wear this for me, one out of suits with fortune,
That could give more, but that her hand lacks means.
Shall we go, coz?
CELIA Ay. Fare you well, fair gentleman.
ORLANDO Can I not say, I thank you? My better parts
Are all thrown down, and that which here stands up
Is but a quintain, a mere lifeless block.
ROSALIND He calls us back: my pride fell with
my fortunes;
I’ll ask him what he would. Did you call, sir?
Sir, you have wrestled well and overthrown
More than your enemies.
CELIA Will you go, coz?
ROSALIND Have with you. Fare you well.
[Exeunt ROSALIND and CELIA]
ORLANDO What passion hangs these weights
upon my tongue?
I cannot speak to her, yet she urged conference.
O poor Orlando, thou art overthrown!
Or Charles or something weaker masters thee.
[Re-enter LE BEAU]
LE BEAU Good sir, I do in friendship counsel you
To leave this place. Albeit you have deserved
High commendation, true applause and love,
Yet such is now the duke’s condition
That he misconstrues all that you have done.
The duke is humorous; what he is indeed,
More suits you to conceive than I to speak of.
ORLANDO I thank you, sir: and, pray you, tell me this:
Which of the two was daughter of the duke
That here was at the wrestling?
LE BEAU Neither his daughter, if we judge by manners;
But yet indeed the lesser is his daughter
The other is daughter to the banish’d duke,
And here detain’d by her usurping uncle,
To keep his daughter company; whose loves
Are dearer than the natural bond of sisters.
But I can tell you that of late this duke
Hath ta’en displeasure ‘gainst his gentle niece,
Grounded upon no other argument
But that the people praise her for her virtues
And pity her for her good father’s sake;
And, on my life, his malice ‘gainst the lady
Will suddenly break forth. Sir, fare you well:
Hereafter, in a better world than this,
I shall desire more love and knowledge of you.
ORLANDO I rest much bounden to you: fare you well.
[Exit LE BEAU]
Thus must I from the smoke into the smother;
From tyrant duke unto a tyrant brother:
But heavenly Rosalind!
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