Enter Touchstone and Audrey.

Touch. We shall find a time, Audrey; patience, gentle Audrey.

Aud.

Faith, the priest was good enough, for all the old gentleman's saying.

Touch. A most wicked Sir Oliver, Audrey, a most vile Martext. But, Audrey, there is a youth here in the forest lays claim to you.

Aud.

Ay, I know who 'tis; he hath no interest in me in the world: here comes the man you

mean.

Touch. It is meat and drink to me to see a clown:

by my troth, we that have good wits have
much to answer for; we shall be flouting; we
cannot hold.

IO

Enter William.

Will. Good even, Audrey.

Aud. God ye good even, William.
Will. And good even to you, sir.

Touch. Good even, gentle friend. Cover thy head,
cover thy head; nay, prithee, be covered.
How old are you, friend?

Will. Five and twenty, sir.

Touch. A ripe age.

Is thy name William?

Will. William, sir. Touch. A fair name. here?

Wast born i' the forest

20

Will. Ay, sir, I thank God.

Touch. "Thank God;" a good answer. Art rich?
Will. Faith, sir, so so.

Touch. "So so" is good, very good, very excellent
good; and yet it is not; it is but so so.

thou wise?

Will. Ay, sir, I have a pretty wit.

Art

Touch. Why, thou sayest well. I do now remember a saying, "the fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knoweth himself to be a fool." The heathen philosopher, when he had a desire to eat a grape, would open his lips when he put it into his mouth; meaning thereby that grapes were made to eat and lips to open. You do love this maid?

Will. I do, sir.

Touch. Give me your hand. Art thou learned?
Will. No, sir.

Touch. Then learn this of me to have, is to have;
for it is a figure in rhetoric that drink, being

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40

poured out of a cup into a glass, by filling the
one doth empty the other; for all your writers
do consent that ipse is he: now, you are not
ipse, for I am he.

Will. Which he, sir.
Touch. He, sir, that must marry this woman. There-
fore, you clown, abandon,—which is in the vul-
gar leave, the society,-which in the boorish
is company, of this female,-which in the
common is woman; which together is, abandon
the society of this female, or, clown, thou perish-
est; or, to thy better understanding, diest; or, to
wit, I kill thee, make thee away, translate thy
life into death, thy liberty into bondage: I will
deal in poison with thee, or in bastinado, or in
steel; I will bandy with thee in faction: I will o'er-
run thee with policy; I will kill thee a hundred
and fifty ways: therefore tremble, and depart.
Aud. Do, good William.

Will. God rest you merry, sir.

Enter Corin.

Cor. Our master and mistress seeks you; come,

away, away!

Touch. Trip, Audrey! trip, Audrey! I attend, I

attend.

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60

[Exit.

[Exeunt.