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SONG.

It was a lover, and his lass,

With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
That o'er the green corn-field did pass

In the spring time, the pretty rank time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding ;
Sweet lovers love the spring.

Between the acres of the rye,

With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,

These pretty country folks would lie,

In the spring time, &c.

The carol they began that hour,

With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,

How that life was but a flower
In the spring time, &c.

And therefore take the present time,

With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino;

For love is crowned with the prime

In the spring time, &c.

210

220

Clo. Truly, young gentlemen, though there was no great matter in the ditty, yet the note was very untuneable.

1 Page. You are deceiv'd, sir; we kept time, we lost not our time.

Clo. By my troth, yes; I count it but time lost to

hear

hear such a foolish song. God be with you; and God mend your voices.-Come, Audrey.

[Exeunt.

SCENE IV.

Another Part of the Forest. Enter Duke Senior, AMIENS, JAQUES, ORLANDO, OLIVER, and CELIA.

Duke Sen. Dost thou believe, Orlando, that the boy Can do all this that he hath promised ? 230 Orla. I sometimes do believe, and sometimes do

not;

As those that fear they hope, and know they fear.

Enter ROSALIND, SILVIUS, and PHEBE.

Ros. Patience once more, whiles our compact is

You

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say, if I bring in your Rosalind,

You will bestow her on Orlando here?

[To the Duke.

Duke Sen. That would I, had I kingdoms to give

with her.

her?

Ros. And you say, you will have her, when I bring [TO ORLANDO. Orla. That would I, were I of all kingdoms king. Ros. You say, you'll marry me, if I be willing? [TO PHEBE. Phe. That will I, should I die the hour after. 240 Ros. But, if you do refuse to marry me, You'll give yourself to this most faithful shepherd?

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Phe. So is the bargain.

Ros. You say, that you'll have Phebe, if she will? [TO SILVIUS.

Sil. Though to have her and death were both one

thing.

Ras. I have promis'd to make all this matter even. Keep you your word, O duke! to give your daugh

ter;

You yours, Orlando, to receive his daughter

Keep your word, Phebe, that you'll marry me;
Or else, refusing me, to wed this shepherd: :- 250
Keep your word, Silvius, that you'll marry her,
If she refuse me :-and from hence I go,

To make these doubts all even.

[Exeunt ROSALIND, and CELIA. Duke Sen. I do remember in this shepherd-boy Some lively touches of my daughter's favour.

Orla. My lord, the first time that I ever saw him, Methought, he was a brother to your daughter : But, my good lord, this boy is forest-born; And hath been tutor'd in the rudiments Of many desperate studies by his uncle, Whom he reports to be a great magician, Obscured in the circle of this forest.

Enter Clown, and AUDREY.

260

Jaq. There is, sure, another flood toward, and these couples are coming to the ark! Here comes a pair of very strange beasts, which in all tongues are call'd fools.

Clo.

Clo. Salutation and greeting to you all!

Jaq. Good my lord, bid him welcome: This is the motley-minded gentleman, that I have so often met in the forest: he hath been a courtier, he 271

swears.

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 politick with my friend, smooth 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 seventh cause.

Jaq. How seventh cause ?-Good my lord, like this fellow. 281

Duke Sen. I like him very well.

Clo. God'ild you, sir; I desire you of the like. I press in here, sir, amongst the rest of the country copulatives, to swear, and to forswear; according as marriage binds, and blood breaks :-A poor virgin, sir, an ill-favoured thing, sir, but mine own; a poor humour of mine, sir, to take that that no man else will: Rich honesty dwells like a miser, sir, in a poor house; as your pearl, in your foul oyster. Duke Sen. By my faith, he is very swift and sententious.

290

Clo. According to the fool's bolt, sir, and such dulcet diseases.

Jaq. But, for the seventh cause; how did you find the quarrel on the seventh cause?

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Clo. Upon a lie seven times removed ;-Bear your body more seeming, Audrey :-as thus, sir, I did dislike the cut of a certain courtier's beard; he sent me word, if I said his beard was not cut well, he was in the mind it was: This is called the Retort courteous. If I sent him word again, it was not well cut, he would send me word, he cut it to please himself: This is call'd the Quip modest. If again, it was not well cut, he disabled my judgment: This is call'd the Reply churlish. If again, it was not well cut, he would answer, I spake not true. This is call'd the Reproof valiant. If again, it was not well cut, he would say, I lie. This is called the Countercheck quarrelsome; and so to the Lie circumstantial, and the Lie direct.

Jaq. And how oft did you say, his beard was not well cut?

312

Clo. I durst go no further than the Lie circumstantial, nor he durst not give me the Lie direct; and so we measur'd swords, and parted.

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

Clo. O sir, we quarrel in print, by the book; as you have books for good manners: I will name you the degrees. The first, the Retort courteous; the second, the Quip modest; the third, the Reply churlish; the fourth, the Reproof valiant; the fifth, the Countercheck quarrelsome; the sixth, the Lie with circumstance; the seventh, the Lie direct. All these you may avoid, but the Lie direct; and you may avoid that too, with an f. I knew when seven jus

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