Phe. I will not eat my word, now thou art mine; Thy faith my fancy to thee doth combine.⚫ Enter Jaques de Bois. [To Silvius. Jaq. de B. Let me have audience for a word or two; I am the second son of old sir Rowland, That bring these tidings to this fair assembly:- Duke S. Welcome, young man; Thou offer'st fairly to thy brothers wedding: That have endur'd shrewd days and nights with us, Play, musick; and you brides and bridegrooms all, Jaq. Sir, by your patience; If I heard you rightly, The duke hath put on a religious life, And thrown into neglect the pompous court? Bind. Jaq. de B. He hath. Jaq. To him will I: out of these convertites There is much matter to be heard and learn'd.You to your former honour I bequeath; [To Duke S. Your patience, and your virtue, well deserves it :You [To Orlando.] to a love, that your true faith doth merit: You [To Oliver.] to your land, and love, and great allies: You To Silvius.] to a long and well-deserved bed; And you [To Touchstone.] to wrangling; for thy loving-voyage Is but for two months victual'd:-So to your plea sures; I am for other than for dancing measures. Duke S. Stay, Jaques, stay. Jaq. To see no pastime, I:- what you would have I'll stay to know at your abandon'd cave. [Exit. Duke S. Proceed, proceed; we will begin these rites, And we do trust they'll end in true delights. Ros. It is not the fashion to see the lady the epilogue: but it is no more unhandsome, than to see the lord the prologue. If it be true, that good wine needs no bush, 'tis true, that a good play needs no epilogue: Yet to good wine they do use good bushes; and good plays prove the better by the help of good epilogues. What a case am I in then, that am neither a good epilogue, nor cannot insinuate with you in the behalf of a good play? I am not furnished like a beggar, therefore to beg will not become me my way is, to conjure you; and I'll be * Dressed. gin with the women. I charge you, O women, for the love you bear to men, to like as much of this play as please them: and so I charge you, O men, for the love you bear to women (as I perceive by your simpering, none of you hate them), that between you and the women, the play may please. If I were a woman, I would kiss as many of you as had beards that pleased me, complexions that liked me, and breaths that I defied not: and, I am sure, as many as have good beards, or good faces, or sweet breaths, will, for my kind offer, when I make curt'sy, bid me farewell. [Exeunt. Of this play the fable is wild and pleasing. I know not how the ladies will approve the facility with which both Rosalind and Celia give away their hearts. To Celia much may be forgiven, for the heroism of her friendship. The character of Jaques is natural and well preserved. The comick dialogue is very sprightly, with less mixture of low buffoon. ery than in some other plays; and the graver part is elegant and harmonious. By hastening to the end of this work, Shakspeare suppressed the dialogue between the usurper and the hermit, and lost an opportunity of exhibiting a moral lesson, in which he might have found matter worthy of his highest powers. • That I liked. JOHNSON. END OF VOL. II. Printed by S. Hamilton, Weybridge. |