SCENE III. The Same. Enter TOUCHSTONE and AUDREY. Touch. To-morrow is the joyful day, Audrey: to-morrow will we be married. Aud. 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 come two of the banished duke's pages. Enter two Pages. 1 Page. Well met, honest gentleman. Touch. By my troth, well met. Come, sit; sit, and a song. 2 Page. We are for you: sit i' the middle. 1 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? 2 Page. I'faith, i'faith; and both in a tune, like two gypsies on a horse. SONG 1. It was a lover, and his lass, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, In the spring time, the only pretty ring time, 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. 8 a woman of the world.] See note to "Much Ado about Nothing," p. 29, where Beatrice employs the expression in the same way. This song may be seen somewhat more at large in the second edition of Chappell's "Collection of National English Airs," vol. i. p. 204, from a MS. now in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh. Hence we find, as Dr. Thirlby conjectured, that the stanzas had been transposed, and that the second ought to come last, although not so printed in the old editions of the play. Here, too, we see that "rang time," in the first stanza, is misprinted in the folios for "ring time:" it is "ring time," also in the corr. fo. 1632. This carol they began that hour, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, How that our 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, Touch. Truly, young gentleman, though there was no great matter in the ditty, yet the note was very untimeable3. 1 Page. You are deceived, sir: we kept time; we lost not our time. Touch. 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. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. Another part of the Forest. Enter DUKE Senior, AMIENS, JAQUES, ORLANDO, OLIVER, and CELIA. Duke S. Dost thou believe, Orlando, that the boy Can do all this that he hath promised? Orl. I sometimes do believe, and sometimes do not, As those that fear to hope, and know they fear*. Enter ROSALIND, SILVIUS, and PHEBE. Ros. Patience once more, whiles our compact is urg'd'.— 2 How that our life] The usual text has been "How that a life," &c., but "our" having been written with a contraction was most likely mistaken for a: our reading again is that of the corr. fo. 1632. 3 yet the note was very UNTIMEABLE.] Here the corr. fo. 1632 comes materially to our aid, for the printed reading in all the old copies being untuneable, it is amended in MS. to "untimeable," which entirely accords with what follows. As those that fear to hope, and know they fear.] This line has produced a diversity of opinions; but the meaning of it seems to be, that Orlando is in the state of mind of those who fear to hope, and know they fear it. He dares not hope that Rosalind will perform her promise, and knows that he fears she will not. For "to hope," of the corr. fo. 1632, the old text has been "they hope," which mainly occasioned the difficulty. - whiles our compact is urg'd.] The corr. fo. 1632 has heard for “urg'd," [To the DUKE.] You say, if I bring in your Rosalind, You will bestow her on Orlando here? Duke S. That would I, had I kingdoms to give with her. Ros. [To ORLANDO.] And you say, you will have her when I bring her? Orl. That would I, were I of all kingdoms king. Ros. [To PHEBE.] You say, you'll marry me, if I be willing? Phe. That will I, should I die the hour after. Ros. But if you do refuse to marry me, You'll give yourself to this most faithful shepherd ? Ros. [To SILVIUS.] You say, that you'll have Phebe, if she will? Sil. Though to have her and death were both one thing. Ros. I have promis'd to make all this matter even. Keep you your word, O duke! to give your daughter;— You your's, Orlando, to receive his daughter:Keep you your word, Phebe, that you'll marry me, Or else, refusing me, to wed this shepherd :Keep your word, Silvius, that you'll marry her, If she refuse me :-and from hence I go, To make these doubts all even-even so°. : [Exeunt ROSALIND and CELIA. Duke S. I do remember in this shepherd-boy Orl. My lord, the first time that I ever saw him, Enter TOUCHSTONE and AUDREY. Jaq. There is, sure, another flood toward, and these couples are coming to the ark. Here comes a pair of very strange beasts, which in all tongues are called fools. and the ear may have misled the scribe or the printer; but as "urg'd" sufficiently well answers the purpose, we refrain from making any change. • To make these doubts all even-EVEN SO.] The words “even so" are derived from the corr. fo. 1632: the line is deficient, and we may be confident, from the rhyme, if from nothing else, that the speech of the heroine was originally thus concluded. Touch. Salutation and greeting to you all. Jaq. Good my lord, bid him welcome. This is the motleyminded gentleman, that I have so often met in the forest: he hath been a courtier, he swears. Touch. If any man doubt that, let him put me to my purgation. I have trod a measure; I have flattered a lady; I have been politic with my friend, smooth with mine enemy; I have undone three tailors; I have had four quarrels, and like to have fought one. Jaq. And how was that ta'en up? Touch. 'Faith, we met, and found the quarrel was upon the seventh cause. Jaq. How the seventh cause?-Good my lord, like this fellow. Duke S. I like him very well. Touch. God'ild you, sir; I desire you of the like. I press in here, sir, amongst the rest of the country copulatives, to swear, and to forswear, according as marriage binds, and blood breaks. A poor virgin, sir, an ill-favoured thing, sir, but mine own: a poor humour of mine, sir, to take that that no man else will. Rich honesty dwells like a miser, sir, in a poor house, as your pearl in your foul oyster. Duke S. By my faith, he is very swift and sententious. Touch. According to the fool's bolt, sir, and such dulcet diseases. 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 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 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 7 HOW THE Seventh cause?] "The," evidently omitted by accident in the old copies, for Touchstone has just above spoken of " the seventh cause," is supplied by the corr. fo. 1632. * GOD'ILD you, sir;] i. e. God yield you, or reward you expression before in this play: see p. 400. We have had the 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? Touch. O 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; 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. Your if is the only peace-maker; much virtue in if. Jaq. Is not this a rare fellow, my lord? he's as good at any thing, and yet a fool. 9 -to THE "lie circumstantial,"] So the second folio: the first by mistake omits" the." O sir, we quarrel in print, by the book.] "The poet," says Warburton, has, in this scene, rallied the mode of formal duelling, then so prevalent, with the highest humour and address: nor could he have treated it with a happier contempt, than by making his Clown so knowing in the forms and preliminaries of it. The particular book here alluded to is a very ridiculous treatise of one Vincentio Saviolo, entitled,' Of Honour and Honourable Quarrels,' in 4to, printed by Wolf, 1594. The first part of this tract he entitles, 'A Discourse most necessary for all Gentlemen that have in regard their Honours, touching the giving and receiving the Lie, whereupon the Duello and the Combat in divers Forms doth ensue; and many other Inconveniences, for lack only of true Knowledge of Honour, and the right Understanding of Words, which here is set down.' The contents of the several chapters are as follow: -I. What the Reason is that the Party unto whom the Lie is given ought to become Challenger, and of the Nature of Lies. 11. Of the Manner and Diversity of Lies. III. Of Lies certain, [or direct.] IV. Of conditional Lies, [or the Lie circumstantial.] V. Of the Lie in general. VI. Of the Lie in particular. VII. Of foolish Lies. VIII. A Conclusion touching the wresting or returning back of the Lie, [or the countercheck quarrelsome.] In the chapter of conditional Lies, speaking of the particle if, he says, Conditional lies be such as are given conditionally, as if a man should say or write these words:-if thou hast said that I have offered my lord abuse, thou liest; or if thou sayest so hereafter, thou shalt lie. Of these kind of lies, given in this manner, often arise much contention in words,-whereof no sure conclusion can arise.'" There was another edition of this work in 1595, "Printed for William Mattes." See the "Cat. of the Bridgewater Library," 4to, 1837, p. 275. |