Ros. Now Hercules be thy speed, young man!
Cel. I would I were invisible, to catch the

strong fellow
[They wrestle.

200

[Shout.

can tell who Charles is thrown.

Cel. If I had a thunderbolt in mine eye, I should down.

Duke F. No more, no more.

Orl. Yes, I beseech your grace, I am not yet well breath'd.
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 Rowland

de Boys.

205

Duke F. I would thou hadst been son to some man else: 210

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:

215

I would thou hadst told me of another father.

[Exit Duke Frederick with his train, and Le Beau.

Cel. Were I my father, coz, would I do this?

Orl. 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.

Ros. My father loved Sir Rowland as his soul,
And all the world was of my father's mind:

199. They wrestle] Wrastle Ff 1, 2; They Wrastle Ff 3, 4. thrown] Rowe. 207. Bear

220

202. Charles is man] As Pope; two lines Ff, dividing at man. 208, 209. Rowland de Boys] Roland de Boys F 1; Rowland de Boyes Ff 2-4. 216. Exit... Le Beau] Theobald, subs.; Exit Duke Ff. 218. more] most Hanmer.

away

Cel.

Ros.

Had I before known this young man his son,
I should have given him tears unto entreaties
Ere he should thus have ventured.

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.

Gentleman,

230

[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 ?

Cel.
Ay. Fare you well, fair gentleman.
Orl. Can I not say, I thank you? My better parts 235
Are all thrown down, and that which here stands up
Is but a quintain, a mere lifeless block.

Ros. 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.

Cel.

Will you go, coz ?

Ros. Have with you. Fare you well.

240

[Exeunt Rosalind and Celia.

228. me at] at my Hanmer. deserved :] (colon) Cambridge edd.; comma Ff. 229. love,] comma Ff 2-4; semicolon F 1. 230. as... promise] as you've here exceeded promise Hanmer; as y'have here excell'd Walker. all] omitted Capell; in Ff 2-4. 231. Giving . . . neck] Theobald. 233. could] would Hanmer. 237. mere] more F 4. lifeless] Rowe; livelesse Ff.

228. Sticks me at heart] Either, "pierces me to the heart," for which compare Troilus and Cressida, III. ii. 202: "To stick the heart of falsehood,' and the modern colloquial use, as in the phrase "to stick a sheep"; or "is fixed in my heart," the ethic dative construction, for further examples of which vide Abbott, 220.

232. out of suits] Johnson sees an allusion to cards, but the idea is rather that of the dismissed adherent, stripped of his livery. Malone in this connection cites post, I. iii. 23, 24 ; "but turning these jests out of service, let us talk in good earnest.'

233. could give] that has the will.

Wright cites Antony and Cleopatra,
I. ii. 131: "The hand could pluck her
back that shoved her on."

235. better parts] Compare Macbeth,
v. viii. 18: "For it hath cowed my
better part of man."

237. quintain] See Appendix.

242. Have with you] The primary meaning is one of antagonism, from the cry of a swordsman, as in 2 Henry VI. II. iii. 92: "have at thee with a downright blow," and, in a war of words, Romeo and Juliet, IV. v. 125: "have at you with my wit." An extension of the meaning, with prepositions other than "at," is the idea of following, as in Hamlet, 1. iv. 89:

Orl. What passion hangs these weights upon my tongue?
I cannot speak to her, yet she urged conference.
O poor Orlando, thou art overthrown!

245

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 misconsters all that you have done.
The Duke is humorous: what he is indeed,
More suits you to conceive than I to speak of.

Orl. 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 taller is his daughter:

250

255

246. Re-enter] Dyce; Enter, after line 244 Ff. 251. misconsters] Ff; misconstrues Pope. 253. Ime Rowe. 255. the two] these two Rowe. of the

Duke] to the Duke Ff 3, 4. 258. taller] Ff; shorter Rowe; smaller Malone; lower Staunton; less taller Keightley; lesser Spedding.

"Mar. Let's follow; 'tis not fit thus to obey him.

Ham. Have after."

or of accompanying, as here. Compare Cymbeline, IV. iv. 50: “ Have with you, boys."

250. condition] Johnson gives "character, temper, disposition," and cites Merchant of Venice, 111. ii. 295: “the best conditioned and unwearied spirit." Compare also Merchant of Venice, 1. ii. 143: "the condition of a saint, and the complexion of a devil," a possible reminiscence of Lyly, Euphues and his England (ed. Arber), p. 340: complection of pure sanguine, in condition a right Sainte."

"In

251. misconsters] The folio reading, and the probable pronunciation of the word. Furness gives all the folio readings in which the word occurs; the older form in 1 Henry VI, II. iii. 73, Richard III. III. v. 61, and Merchant of Venice, II. ii. 184; "misconstrue" in Julius Cæsar, v. III. 84, and 1 Henry IV. v. ii. 69. Of the form " "" conster there are five examples in Shakespeare, of "construe," eight.

252. humorous] Wright, following Caldecott, Halliwell, and others gives

'capricious," and cites 2 Henry IV. IV. iv. 34

"As humorous as winter, and as sudden

As flaws congealed in the spring of day."

But the Duke's character is hardly this; he is rather ruled by a Jonsonian "humour" of obstinacy; compare Jonson, Every Man Out of His Humour, Ind. 102 :—

"As when some one peculiar quality Doth so possess a man, that it doth draw

All his affects, his spirits, and his powers,

In their confluctions, all to run

one way,

This may be truly said to be a humour."

In the mouth of Le Beau, the courtier, the word has its contemporary fashionable meaning.

253. than I] Vide Abbott, 216.

258. taller] An obvious error, in the light of post, 1. iii. III, where Rosalind says: "Because I am more than common tall," and iv. iii. 87, 88, where Celia is described by Oliver as

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 the 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.
Orl. I rest much bounden to you: fare you well.

260

265

270

[Exit Le Beau.

Thus must I from the smoke into the smother;
From tyrant Duke unto a tyrant brother:
But heavenly Rosalind!

SCENE III-A room in the palace.

Enter CELIA and ROSALIND.

275

[Exit.

Cel. Why, cousin! why, Rosalind! Cupid have mercy! not a word?

Ros. Not one to throw at a dog.

Cel. No, thy words are too precious to be cast away upon

259. other is] other's Pope. 264. ta'en] Rowe; tane Ff. 272. Exit Le Beau] Ff omit; Rowe after line 273. 275. Rosalind] Rosaline Ff.

SCENE III.] Scena Tertius Ff. Rosaline Ff. 4. thy] my Ff 3, 4.

"the woman low

SCENE III.

A room in the Palace] Capell. Rosalind]

265. argument] cause, occasion, as post, III. i. 3.

270. better world] Not an allusion to the future life (Wordsworth, p. 300), but rather a better state of things. Compare ante, 1. i. 113, "the golden world."

273. from... smother] Wright's note is here sufficient: "Out of the frying-pan into the fire." Smother = thick smoke. Compare Bacon, Essay xxvII. Of Friendship: "to pass in smother," and Essay xxxI. Of Suspicion : keep their suspicions in smother."

"not to

curs; throw some of them at me; come, lame me
with reasons.

Ros. Then there were two cousins laid up; when the one
should be lamed with reasons, and the other mad
without any.

Cel. But is this all for your father?

Ros. No, some of it is for my child's father. Oh, how full of briers is this working-day world!

Cel. They are but burs, cousin, thrown upon thee in holiday foolery if we walk not in the trodden paths our very petticoats will catch them.

Ros. I could shake them off my coat: these burs are in my heart.

Cel. Hem them away.

5

ΙΟ

15

20

Ros. I would try, if I could cry hem and have him. Cel. Come, come, wrestle with thy affections. Ros. O, they take the part of a better wrestler than myself. Cel. O, a good wish upon you! you will try in time, in despite of a fall. But turning these jests out of service, let us talk in good earnest : is it possible, on such a sudden, you should fall into so strong a liking 25 with old Sir Rowland's youngest son?

II. child's father] father's child Rowe.

II. child's father] I see no reason for Rowe's emendation, which Coleridge upholds. Rosalind's remark is merely in continuation of the frankness of her love at first sight.

66

12. working-day] everyday, common condition, as in Antony and Cleopatra, 1. ii. 55: Prithee, tell her but a worky-day fortune." Mr. Case, in a note to this, quotes Two Wise Men and All the Rest Fools, 1619, 11. i.: "I ha' more weeds grow in one Holy-day than in three worky-days," and George Herbert's Sunday (Temple, No. 48): "The worky-daies are the back part.' Compare also Much Ado About Nothing, II. i. 341, for the idea of "working-day" as distinguished from Sundays and holidays.

16. coat] petticoat; with this meaning nowhere else in Shakespeare. Compare, for the use of the word as a female garment, Song of Solomon (A.V.) v. 3 : "I have put off my coat." New Eng. Dict. cites Shelton's Don Quixote, IV. vii. 54: "Donna Rodriguez tuck'd up her coats." The word is still colloquial

25. strong] Ff 1,2; strange Ff3,4.

in Scotland, in the phrase "to kilt the coats," and in Somerset.

18. Hem them away] Compare Much Ado About Nothing, v. i. 16: "Cry 'hem' when he should groan.'

19. cry... him] Apparently a proverbial expression, although no parallel can be found. Moberly suggests that it refers to a game like Hunt the Slipper.

25. strong] The reading of Ff 3, 4, "strange," is attractive. The Q I reading of King Lear, II. i. 77, is " SO strong and fasten'd villain.” Furness notes the appropriateness of Rosalind's reply to the reading "strange." She reasons that the love of their fathers makes their love not strange, but "she would scarcely urge this parental love in the past as a reason for vehemently loving him now.'

25. liking] Compare Much Ado About Nothing, 1. i. 316: my liking might too sudden seem," and Spenser, Faerie Queene, III. xii. 13: "Great liking unto many, but true love to few." For the same progress from "liking" to "love" (1. 28), compare Much