Be

good opinion of my knowledge, insomuch, I say, I know you are; neither do I labor for a greater esteem than may in some little measure draw a belief from you, to do yourself good, and not to grace me. lieve then, if you please, that I can do strange things; I have, since I was three years old, conversed with a magician, most profound in this art, and yet not damnable. If you do love Rosalind so near the heart as your gesture cries it out, when your brother marries Aliena, shall you marry her. I know into what straits of fortune she is driven; and it is not impossible to me, if it appear not inconvenient to you, to set her before your eyes to-morrow; human as she is,1 and without any danger.

Orl. Speakest thou in sober meanings?

Ros. By my life, I do, which I tender dearly, though I say I am a magician. Therefore put you in your best array; bid your friends; for if you will be married tomorrow, you shall; and to Rosalind, if you will.

Enter SILVIUS and PHEbe.

Look, here comes a lover of mine, and a lover of hers. Phe. Youth, you have done me much ungentleness, To show the letter that I writ to you.

Ros. I care not, if I have; it is my study To seem despiteful and ungentle to you.

You are there followed by a faithful shepherd;

Look upon him, love him; he worships you.

Phe. Good shepherd, tell this youth what 'tis to love. Sil. It is to be all made of sighs and tears;—

And so am I for Phebe.

Phe. And I for Ganymede.

Orl. And I for Rosalind.

Ros. And I for no woman.

Sil. It is to be all made of faith and service;— And so am I for Phebe.

1 "Human as she is;" that is, not a phantom, but the real Rosalind, without any of the danger generally conceived to attend upon the rites of incantation.

Phe. And I for Ganymede.
Orl. And I for Rosalind.

Ros. And I for no woman.

Sil. It is to be all made of fantasy,

All made of passion, and all made of wishes;
All adoration, duty, and observance,

All humbleness, all patience, and impatience,
All purity, all trial, all obeisance; 1-
And so am I for Phebe.

Phe. And so am I for Ganymede.
Orl. And so am I for Rosalind.
Ros. And so am I for no woman.

Phe. If this be so, why blame you me to love you?

[To ROSALIND.

Sil. If this be so, why blame you me to love you?

[TO PHEBE. Orl. If this be so, why blame you me to love you? Ros. Who do you speak to why blame you me to

love you? Orl. To her that is not here; nor doth not hear. Ros. Pray you, no more of this; 'tis like the howling of Irish wolves against the moon. I will help you, [TO SILVIUS.] if I can.-I would love you, [To PHEBE.] if I could.-To-morrow meet me all together. -I will marry you, [To PHEBE.] if ever I marry woman, and I'll be married to-morrow.-I will satisfy you, [To ORLANDO.] if ever I satisfied man, and you shall be married to-morrow.-I will content you, [To SILVIUS.] if what pleases you contents you, and you shall be married to-morrow.-As you [To ORLANDO.] love Rosalind, meet ;-as you [To SILVIUS.] love Phebe, meet; and as I love no woman, I'll meet. So fare you well; I have left you commands.

Sil. I'll not fail, if I live.
Phe.

Orl.

Nor I.

Nor I. [Exeunt.

1 "Obeisance." The old copy reads observance, but it is very unlikely that word should have been set down by Shakspeare twice so close to each other. Ritson proposed the present emendation. Observance is attention, deference.

Enter TOUCHSTONE and AUDREY.

Touch. To-morrow is the joyful day, Audrey; tomorrow 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 comes 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 gipsies on a horse.

SONG.

I.

It was a lover and his lass,

With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,2
That o'er the green corn-field did pass,

In the spring time, the only pretty rank time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.

1 i. e. a married woman. So in Much Ado about Nothing, Beatrice says: "Thus every one goes to the world but I."

2 This burden is common to Ed. 1611, sub voce Fossa.

many old songs. See Florio's Ital. Dict.

II.

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.

III.

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.

IV.

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.

Touch. Truly, young gentlemen, though there was no greater matter in the ditty, yet the note was very untunable.

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 with 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 they hope, and know they fear.1

Enter ROSALIND, SILVIUS, and PHEBE.

Ros. Patience once more, whiles our compáct is urged.

You say, if I bring in your Rosalind,

You will bestow her on Orlando here?

[To the Duke.

Duke S. That would I, had I kingdoms to give with

her.

her?

Ros. And you say, you will have her, when I bring [TO ORLANDO. Orl. That would I, were I of all kingdoms king. Ros. You say, you'll marry me, if I be willing?

[TO PHEBE. 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? Phe. So is the bargain.

Ros. You say, that you'll have Phebe, if she will? [TO SILVIUS. Sil. Though to have her and death were both one

thing.

Ros. I have promised to make all this matter even. Keep you your word, O duke, to give your daughter;— You yours, Orlando, to receive his daughter :Keep 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.

[Exeunt ROSALIND and CELIA. Duke S. I do remember in this shepherd-boy Some lively touches of my daughter's favor.

1 This line is very obscure, and probably corrupt. Henley proposed to point it thus:

"As those that fear; they hope, and know they fear."

Heath proposes this emendation:

"As those that fear their hope, and know their fear."