pair of unclean beafts*, which in all tongues are call'd fools.

Cio. Salutation, and greeting, to you all!

Jaq. Good my Lord, bid him welcome. This is the motly-minded gentleman, that I have fo often met in the foreft: he hath been a courtier, he fwears,

Clo. If any man doubt that, let him put me to my purgation. I have trod a measure; I have flatter'd a lady; I have been politic with my friend, fmooth • with mine enemy; I have undone three tailors; I have had four quarrels, and like to have fought ' one.'

Jaq. And how was that ta'en up?

Clo. 'Faith, we met; and found, the quarrel was upon the feventh cause.

Jaq. How the feventh caufe?,

like this fellow.

Duke fen. I like him very well.

-Good my Lord,

I

Clo. God'ild you, Sir, I desire of you the like. prefs in here, Sir, amongst the rest of the country copulatives, to fwear, and to forfwear, according as marriage binds, and blood breaks: a poor virgin, Sir, an

ill-favour'd thing, Sir, but mine own; a poor humour " of mine, Sir, to take that that no man else will.” Rich honefty dwells like a mifer, Sir, in a poor house; as your pearl in your foul oyster.

Duke fen. By my faith, he is very swift and fententious.

1

Clo. According to the fool's bolt, Sir, and fuch dulcet diseases +.

Jaq. But, for the feventh caufe; how did you find the quarrel on the feventh caufe?

Clo. "Upon a lye feven times removed; (bear your "body more feeming, Audrey); as thus, Sir. I did "diflike the cut of a certain courtier's beard; he fent

me word, if I faid his beard was not cut well, he was in the mind it was. This is call'd the Retort courteous. If I fent him word again, it was not well

* Noah was ordered to take into the ark the clean beasts by fevens, and the unclean by pairs

† Meaning love, as what is apt to make folks fententious.

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cut, he would fend me word, he cut it to please him"felf. This is call'd the Quip modeft. If again, it was "not well cut, he difabled my judgment. This is "call'd the Reply churlish. If again, it was not well cut, he would answer, I fpake not true. This is "call'd the Reproof valiant. If again, it was not well cut, he would fay, I lye. This is call'd the Coun"tercheck quarrelfome; and fo, the Lye circumftan"tial, and the Lye direct."

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Faq. And how oft did you fay, his beard was not well cut?

Glo. "I durft go no further than the Lye circumftan"tial; nor he durft not give me the Lye direct, and so "we meafur'd fwords and parted."

Jaq. Can you nominate in order now the degrees of the lye?

Clo. "O Sir, we quarrel in print, by the book; as 66 you have books for good manners. I will name you "the degrees. The firft, the Retort courteous; the fecond, the Quip modeft; the third, the Reply "churlish; the fourth, the Reproof valiant; the fifth, "the Countercheck quarrelfome; the fixth, the Lye "with circumftance; the feventh, the Lye direct. "All these you may avoid, but the Lye direct; and you may avoid that too, with an If. I knew, when "feven juftices could not take up a quarrel; but when "the parties were met themselves, one of them thought "but of an If; as, If you faid so, then I faid fo; "and they fhook hands, and fwore brothers. Your "If is the only peace-maker; much virtue in If."

Jaq. Is not this a rare fellow, my Lord? he's good at any thing, and yet a fool.

Duke fen. He ufes his folly like a ftalking-horse, and under the presentation of that he shoots his wit.

Enter Hymen, Rofalind in woman's cloaths, and Celia.

Still mufic.

Hym. Then is there mirth in heav'n,
When earthly things made even
Atone together.

Good Duke, receive thy daughter,
Hymen from heaven brought her,
Yea, brought her hither:

That thou might'ft join her hand with his,
Whofe heart within his bofom is.

Rof. To you I give myself; for I am your's.

[To the Duke. To you I give myself; for I am your's. [To Orlando. Duke fen. If there be truth in fight, you are my daughter.

Orla. If there be truth in fight, you are my Rofalind. Phe. If fight and fhape be true,

Why, then, my love adieu!

Rof. I'll have no father, if you be not he;
I'll have no husband, if you be not he;
Nor ne'er wed woman, if you be not she.
Hym. Peace, hoa! I bar confusion:
'Tis I must make conclufion

Of thefe moft ftrange events.
Here's eight that must take hands,
To join in Hymen's bands,

If truth holds true contents.
You and you no cross shall part;
You and you are heart in heart;
You to his love must accord,
Or have a woman to your lord;
You and you are fure together,
As the winter to foul weather:
Whiles a wedlock-hymn we fing,
Feed yourselves with queftioning;
That reafon wonder may diminish,
How thus we met, and these things finish.

Duke fen. O my dear niece, welcome thou art to

me;

Ev'n daughter-welcome, in no lefs degree.

Phe. I will not eat my word, now thou art mine; Thy faith my fancy to thee doth combine.

SCENE VIII. Enter Jaques de Boyes. Faq. de B. Let me have audience for a word or two, I am the fecond fon of old Sir Rowland, That bring these tidings to this fair affembly. Duke Frederick hearing, how that every day Men of great worth reforted to this foreft, Addrefs'd a mighty power, which were on foot In his own conduct purposely to take His brother here, and put him to the fword: And to the skirts of this wild wood he came, Where meeting with an old religious man, After fome question with him, was converted Both from his enterprise, and from the world; His crown bequeathing to his banish'd brother, And all their lands reftor'd to them again, That were with him exil'd. This to be true, I do engage my

life.

Duke fen. Welcome, young man :

Thou offer'ft fairly to thy brother's wedding;
To one, his lands with-held; and to the other,
A land itself at large, a potent dukedom.
Firft, in this foreft, let us do thofe ends
That here were well begun, and well begot:
And after, every of this happy amber,

That have endur'd fhrewd days and nights with us,
Shall fhare the good of our returned fortune,
According to the measure of their states.

Mean time, forget this new-fall'n dignity,

And fall into our ruftic revelry:

Play, mufic; and you brides and bridegrooms all,
With measure heap'd in joy, to th' measures fall.
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.
Jaq. de B. He hath,

Jaq. To him will I: out of thefe convertites

There is much matter to be heard and learn’d.
You to your former honour I bequeath, [To the Duke.
Your patience and your virtue well deserve it:

You to a love, that your true faith doth merit;

[To Orla.

[To Sylv.

You to your land, and love, and great allies; [To Oli. You to a long and well deferved bed;

And you to wrangling; for thy loving voyage

[To the Clown. Is but for two months victual'd: fo to your pleasures: I am for other than for dancing measures. Duke fen. Stay, Jaques, ftay.

Jaq. To fee no paftime, I: what you would have, I'll stay to know at your abandon'd cave.

[Exit. Duke fen. Proceed, proceed; we will begin these rites, As we do truft they'll end, in true delights.

EPILOGU E.

for

Rof. It is not the fashion to fee the lady the epilogue; but it is no more unhandsome, than to fee 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 ufe good bufhes; and good plays prove the better by the help of good epilogues. What a cafe am I in then, that am neither a good epilogue, nor can infinuate with you in the behalf of a good play? I am not furnish'd like a beggar; therefore to beg will not become me. My way is to conjure you, and I'll begin with the women. I charge you, O women, the love you bear to men, to like as much of this play as pleafes them and I charge you, O men, for the love you bear to women, (as I perceive by your fimpering, none of you hate them), to like as much as pleafes 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 pleas'd me, complexions that lik'd me, and breaths that I defy'd not: and, I am fure, as many as have good beards, or good faces, or fweet breaths, will, for my kind offer, when I make my curt'fie, bid me farewel. [Exeunt omnes.

*Note, that in this author's time the parts of women were al ways performed by men or boys.