Touch. By my knavery, if I had it, then I were; but if you 70
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.

Cel. Prithee, who is 't that thou meanest?
Touch. One that old Frederick, your father, loves.
Cel. My father's love is enough to honour him enough:
speak no more of him; you'll be whipped for taxa-
tion one of these days.

75

Touch. The more pity, that fools may not speak wisely 80

what wise men do foolishly.

Cel. 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.

comes Monsieur Le Beau.

Ros. With his mouth full of news.

Here

85

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

Ros. Then shall we be news-cramm'd.

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?

90

Le Beau. What colour, madam?

How shall I answer

95

you?

Ros. As wit and fortune will.

Touch. Or as the destinies decrees.

75. is 't] Ff1-3; is F 4. 76. Frederick] Ferdinand Capell conj. 77. Cel.] Ros. Ff; Celia Theobald. him enough] Ff;_him :-enough! Hanmer; him. Enough: Malone. 81. wise men] Ff 3, 4; Rowe; Wisemen Ff 1, 2. 85. Monsieur] F 1; Mounsieur Ff 2-4. Le Beau] the Beu F 1; Le Beu Ff 2-4. 89. Enter .] Dyce; after line 88 Ff. 90. Bon jour] Boon-iour F 1; Boon-jour Ff2-4. what's the] F 1; what th`F 2; what Ff 3, 4. good] Ff 1, 2; much Ff 3, 4. 96. decrees] Ff decree Pope.

91. much

Lear, 11. 145: This is a fellow of the self-same colour our sister speaks of"; where the quartos read "nature." Collier's suggestion that Le Beau affectedly pronounces sport as spot, "and Celia replies "Spot; of what colour?" seems disposed of by this citation of Wright. Compare also Bacon, "A Table of Coulers, or apparances of good and evill" (Title, 1597).

Cel. Well said: that was laid on with a trowel.
Touch. Nay, if I keep not my rank,-

Ros. Thou losest thy old smell.

Le Beau. You amaze me, ladies: I would have told you 100 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 105 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.

Le Beau. Three proper young men, of excellent growth 110 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 115
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 120
weeping.

99. losest] F 4; loosest Ff 1-3. Farmer. 112, 113.

...

"Be.

98, 99. rank smell] For the same pun, Compare Cymbeline, 11. i. 17:"Clown. Would he had been one of my rank!

Sec. Lord. (aside). To have smelt like a fool!" Niel cites Harrison, Description of England, v. (ed. 1574 of Holinshed's Chronicle, p. 162): "the old smell of ancient race latelie defaced."

112. With... necks] given to Le Beau, presents "] given to Touchstone, Warburton. Beau, or with Warburton, who gives "Be presents" to Touchstone. Rosalind's repartee is quite in keeping with her reply to Touchstone (1. 99), and her previous jesting with Le Beau. Farmer cites Rosalynde (ante, p. xxxviii.): "Rosader came pacing towards them with his forrest bill on his necke"; Steevens had already given a parallel in Sidney, Arcadia (i. 68, ed. 1598): "Dametus with his sword by his side, a Forrest bill on his necke." Rosalind plays on the word, with "bill " legal instrument. Compare Much Ado About Nothing, 1. i. 39: "He set up his bills here in Messina and challenged Cupid at the flight." For the same play on the word, compare 2 Henry IV. IV. vii. 135, and Much Ado About Nothing, 111. iii. 191.

100. amaze] confusion of mind, rather than wonder, is meant, as commonly in Shakespeare. Vide Schmidt, s.v. Compare also St. Mark xiv. 33: they began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy."

"And

110. proper] handsome, as frequently in Shakespeare. Compare post, III. v. 51, and vide Schmidt, s.v.

112, 113. With . . . presents] There seems no reason to redistribute the speeches, either with Farmer, who gives With .. necks" to Le

66

115. which Charles] Compare II. i. 33 and II. vii. 118 for this use of the relative adjective before words.

Ros. Alas!

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.

125

Ros. But is there any else longs to see this broken music 130 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.

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?

Le Beau. Even he, madam.

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;

135

140

145

125. this] Ff 1-3; this is F 4. 126. may] omitted Rowe. 127. heard] Ff 1-3; heard of F 4. 130. see] set Theobald; feel Johnson conj.; get Heath conj.; seek Jackson conj. 134. for the] F 1; for Ff 2-4; Rowe. 137. Duke Frederick] Rowe; Duke Ff; Duke junior Capell. 138. Duke F.] Duke Ff. entreated] Ff 3, 4; intreated Ff 1, 2.

130. broken music] Wright's note is as follows: "[Broken music] was first explained by Mr. Chappell (Popular Music of the Olden Time, p. 246) as the music of a string band. But he has since altered his opinion. Some instruments, such as viols, violins, flutes, etc., were formerly made in sets of four, which when played together formed a 'consort.' If one or more of the instruments of one set were substituted for the corresponding ones of another set, the result was no longer a 'consort' but broken music.' The New Eng. Dict., however, cites Morley,

145. Ay] Rowe; I Ff (and throughout). Introduction to Practicall Musike, p. 97: "The plainsong of the Hymne Salvator Mundi, broken in division, and brought in a Canon of thre parts in one," where "broken = harmonised. Thus "broken music" would here signify part music. Compare Troilus and Cressida, III. i. 18:—

there is such odds in the man.

In pity of the chal

lenger's youth, I would fain dissuade him, but he will
Speak to him, ladies; see if you

not be entreated.

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.

Orl. I attend them with all respect and duty.

Ros. Young man, have you challenged Charles the wrestler ?

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.

155

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 adventure would counsel you to a more equal enterprise. 165 We 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.

Orl. I beseech you, punish me not with your hard

...

170

147. in the] Ff; on the Anon. (ap. Cambridge edd.). man] Ff; men Hanmer. 152. [Duke goes apart.] Theobald. 153. the princess calls] F 4; Princesse cals F1; Princesse calls Ff 2, 3; Princesses call Theobald; princess' call Dyce. 155. them] her Rowe. 159. but in] F 1; but Ff 2-4. 163, 164. your eyes your judgment] Ff; our eyes, our judgment Hanmer; your own eyes your own judgment Johnson. 147. odds in the man] Hanmer's change of " man to "men" is unnecessary. "Man" refers to Charles, the man of greater strength. Compare Spenser, Faerie Queene, v. ii. 16: "And then no odds at all in him he fownd," i.e. Artegal found no superiority in Pollente, when both were swimming in the stream. Wright cites Love's Labour's Lost, 1. ii. 183, as an example of "odds" as meaning "superiority." 'Cupid's butt-shaft is too hard for Hercules' club; and therefore too much odds for a Spaniard's rapier."

153. the princess calls] The folio reading is upheld by the previous line; only Celia calls. Orlando, in responding, looks towards, and thinks of, both

Celia and Rosalind. Walker, however (Crit. i. 263), gives this as an instance of the omission of the apostrophe s, Dyce, following him, cites The Tempest, 1. ii. 173, where princesse is plural. In this case, cals or calls of the folios is an example of a very common plural in s, probably of Northern origin. Compare Antony and Cleopatra, 1. iv. 21, 49, and notes in Arden edition.

163, 164. your eyes your judgement] Hanmer's emendation, though plausible, seems unnecessary. Wright paraphrases," If you used the senses and reason which you possess"; the whole conveying a mild charge of rashness.

169. misprised] See 1. i. 161 ante, and note there.

thoughts; wherein I confess me much guilty, to deny
so fair and excellent ladies anything. But let your
fair eyes and gentle wishes go with me to my trial;
wherein if I be foil'd, there is but one shamed that 175
was never gracious: if kill'd, 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 180
made it empty.

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.

185

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.

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

190

Orl. You mean to mock me after; you should not have 195 mock'd me before; but come your ways.

172. wherein] Therein Johnson conj.; herein Capell conj.; omitted Spedding. 182. that] omitted Rowe. 184. eke out] eeke out Ff 1, 2; eek-out Ff 3, 4. 186. Cel.] Orlando Theobald. 196. mock'd me] mockt me Ff 1, 2; mockt Ff3, 4.

172. wherein] The construction is vague, and I prefer to read with Malone the idea of punishment as the antecedent of "wherein," rather than the "hard thoughts" to which grammatically it refers. Thus the meaning would be: "I am sufficiently guilty, in denying so fair and excellent ladies anything, to deserve punishment; but I beseech you, punish me not." Knight reads, "Punish me not with your hard thoughts, because I confess me much guilty to deny what you ask." But this twists the meaning of "wherein "too much; it is supported by no parallel.

176. gracious] favoured, Italian graciato, as in 3 Henry VI. III. iii. 117: "Is he gracious in the people's eyes?

179. only] For this transposition,

vide Abbott, 420, and compare post, v. iii. II.

190. working] motion. Macbeth, 11. i. 19:

Compare

"Our will become the servant to defect;

Which else should free have wrought."

195. You mean] Theobald's conjecture, "An you mean," is supported by the Cambridge Editors, who make a plausible case for the omission of "And" by a compositor who took it for part of the stage direction "Orland." But there is no necessity for the change.

196. come your ways] Compare post, II. iii. 66 and iv. i. 158. A case of adverbial genitive, still in use colloquially.