wit that fools have was silenced,' the little foolery that wise men have makes a great show. Here comes Monsieur Le Beau.

Ros. With his mouth full of news.

CEL. Which he will put on us, as pigeons feed their

young.

Ros. Then shall we be news-crammed.

CEL. 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. CEL. Sport! of what colour? *

LE BEAU. What colour, madam! how shall I answer you Ros. As wit and fortune will.

TOUCH. Or as the Destinies decrees.

CEL. Well said that was laid on with a trowel.'

TOUCH. Nay, if I keep not my rank,

Ros. Thou losest thy old smell."

90

?

100

LE BEAU. You amaze me, ladies: I would have told you of good wrestling, which you have lost the sight of.

Ros. Yet 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.

CEL. Well, the beginning, that is dead and buried.

LE BEAU. There comes an old man and his three sons,CEL. I could match this beginning with an old tale.' 110

1

Perhaps some local hit.

$ Kind.

2 Heavier.
Laid on thick.

A vulgar pun on "rank"; the most refined women in Shakspere's day often talked much worse than this, without exciting comment; it was merely the taste of the times.

"Bewilder; " put me in a maze."

'Le Beau begins slowly, like "Once upon a time."

LE BEAU. Three proper' young men, of excellent growth

and presence.

Ros. 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.

Ros. Alas!*

121

TOUCH. But what is the sport, monsieur, that the ladies have lost?

LE BEAU. Why, this that I speak of.

TOUCH. Thus men may grow wiser every day it is the first time that ever I heard breaking of ribs was sport for ladies.

CEL. Or I, I promise thee.

6

Ros. But is there any else longs to see this broken music' in his sides? is there yet another dotes upon ribbreaking? 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.

'Handsome.

135

A weak pun; puns were an unfailing source of amusement to Elizabethan audiences.

Dolorous lamentation.

4 This exclamation is a key to Rosalind's character; Le Beau expected an exclamation of delight at such thoroughly good sport. Touchstone takes his cue from Rosalind.

Broken music was a technical term, used in instrumental quartet music, where an instrument got into the wrong set; here it refers simply to the broken ribs.

"With what emphasis should Rosalind pronounce this sentence?

f conversatio Мини Алки and Orlands.

CEL. Yonder, sure, they are coming: let us now stay and see it.

Flourish. Enter DUKE FREDERICK, LORDS, ORLANDO,
CHARLES, and ATTENDANTS.

DUKE F. Come on: since the youth will not be entreated,
his own peril on his forwardness.

Ros. Is yonder the man ?1

LE BEAU. Even he, madam.

140

CEL. Alas, he is too young! yet he looks successfully. DUKE F. How now, daughter and cousin! are you crept hither to see the wrestling?

Ros. Ay, my liege, so please you give us leave.

DUKE F. You will take little delight in it, I can tell you,
there is such odds in the man. In pity of the chal-
lenger's youth I would fain' dissuade him, but he will
not be entreated. Speak to him, ladies; see if you can
move him.

CEL. Call him hither, good Monsieur Le Beau.
DUKE F. Do so; I'll not be by.

150

LE BEAU. Monsieur the challenger, the princess calls for

you.

૩

ORL. I attend them with all respect and duty.

Ros. Young man, have you challenged Charles the wrest

ler?

ORL. No, fair princess; he is the general challenger: I come but in, as others do, to try with him the strength of my youth.

160

CEL. 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 judgement, the fear of your adven-
ture would counsel you to a more equal enterprise. We
1 Rosalind naturally sympathizes with the smaller and younger
man, especially as he is so handsome. She decides to stay.
" He includes both ladies.

2 Gladly.

pray you, for your own sake, to embrace your own safety, and give over this attempt. Ros. 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. 170 ORL. 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 is 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.*

181

Ros. The little strength that I have, I would it were

with you."

CEL. And mine, to eke out hers.

Ros. Fare you well: pray heaven I be deceived in you!" CEL. Your heart's desires be with you!

CHA. Come, where is this young gallant that is so desirous to lie with his mother earth?

ORL. Ready, sir; but his will hath in it a more modest working.

DUKE F. You shall try but one fall.

190

CHA. No, I warrant your Grace, you shall not entreat him to a second, that have so mightily persuaded him from a first.

1 Cf. I. i. 163.

3

Only goes with place.

Fortunate: "I never had any luck."

'He says this without a trace of bitterness; he speaks with goodnatured philosophical resignation.

'Orlando's modest bearing strengthens Rosalind's sympathy. His success and high birth will do the rest.

ORL. You mean to mock me after; you should not have mocked me before:' but come your ways.

Ros. Now Herculus be thy speed,' young man !

CEL. I would I were invisible, to catch the strong fellow by the leg.

Ros. O excellent young man!

[They wrestle.

200

CEL. If I had a thunderbolt in mine eye I can tell who
should down.
[Shout. CHARLES is thrown.

DUKE F. No more, no more.

ORL. Yes, I beseech your Grace: I am not yet well breathed.
DUKE F. How dost thou, Charles ?

LE BEAU. He cannot speak, my lord.

DUKE F. Bear him away. What is thy name, young

man ?

ORL. Orlando, my liege; the youngest son of Sir RowConstruction land de Boys.*

Jean.

210
DUKE F. 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:7

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 FRED., train, and LE BEAU. CEL. Were I my father, coz, would I do this?

"You expect to win; you had better not crow until you do." "Protector; cf. "God speed."

This wrestling on the stage is apt to be anything but impressive, on account of the too easy way in which so strong a fellow as Charles is "knocked out"; but where the actors have studied scientific wrestling, and make the bout last some time, Charles can be thrown in such a way as to apparently kill him without really hurting the actor at all. When this is done, it makes a great addition to the stage "business."

This increases Rosalind's admiration.