As You Like It: ACT V , SCENE IV. The forest.

As You Like It: ACT V


	Introduction

	ACT I

	ACT II

	ACT III

	ACT IV

	ACT V

		SCENE I. The forest.

		SCENE II. The forest.

		SCENE III. The forest.

		SCENE IV. The forest.

		EPILOGUE

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SCENE IV. The forest.

Enter DUKE SENIOR, AMIENS, JAQUES, ORLANDO, OLIVER, and CELIA

DUKE SENIOR

Dost thou believe, Orlando, that the boy
Can do all this that he hath promised?

ORLANDO

I sometimes do believe, and sometimes do not;
As those that fear they hope, and know they fear.

Enter ROSALIND, SILVIUS, and PHEBE

ROSALIND

5     Patience once more, whiles our compact is urged:
      You say, if I bring in your Rosalind,
      You will bestow her on Orlando here?

DUKE SENIOR

That would I, had I kingdoms to give with her.

ROSALIND

And you say, you will have her, when I bring her?

ORLANDO

10 That would I, were I of all kingdoms king.

ROSALIND

You say, you'll marry me, if I be willing?

PHEBE

That will I, should I die the hour after.

ROSALIND

But if you do refuse to marry me,
You'll give yourself to this most faithful shepherd?

PHEBE

15 So is the bargain.

ROSALIND

You say, that you'll have Phebe, if she will?

SILVIUS

Though to have her and death were both one thing.

ROSALIND

      I have promised to make all this matter even.
      Keep you your word, O duke, to give your daughter;
20    You yours, Orlando, to receive his daughter:
      Keep your word, Phebe, that you'll marry me,
      Or else refusing me, to wed this shepherd:
      Keep your word, Silvius, that you'll marry her.
      If she refuse me: and from hence I go,
25    To make these doubts all even.

Exeunt ROSALIND and CELIA

DUKE SENIOR

I do remember in this shepherd boy
Some lively touches of my daughter's favour.

ORLANDO

      My lord, the first time that I ever saw him
      Methought he was a brother to your daughter:
30    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 TOUCHSTONE and AUDREY

JAQUES

35    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 called fools.

TOUCHSTONE

Salutation and greeting to you all!

JAQUES

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

TOUCHSTONE

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

JAQUES

And how was that ta'en up?

TOUCHSTONE

Faith, we met, and found the quarrel was upon the
seventh cause.

JAQUES

50 How seventh cause? Good my lord, like this fellow.

DUKE SENIOR

I like him very well.

TOUCHSTONE

      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
55    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 SENIOR

60 By my faith, he is very swift and sententious.

TOUCHSTONE

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

JAQUES

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

TOUCHSTONE

      Upon a lie seven times removed:--bear your body more
65    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
70    would send me word, he cut it to please himself:
      this is called the Quip Modest. If again 'it was
      not well cut,' he disabled my judgment: this is
      called the Reply Churlish. If again 'it was not
      well cut,' he would answer, I spake not true: this
75    is called the Reproof Valiant. If again 'it was not
      well cut,' he would say I lied: this is called the
      Counter-cheque Quarrelsome: and so to the Lie
      Circumstantial and the Lie Direct.

JAQUES

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

TOUCHSTONE

80    I durst go no further than the Lie Circumstantial,
      nor he durst not give me the Lie Direct; and so we
      measured swords and parted.

JAQUES

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

TOUCHSTONE

      O sir, we quarrel in print, by the book; as you have
85    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
      Countercheque Quarrelsome; the sixth, the Lie with
90    Circumstance; the seventh, the Lie Direct. All
      these you may avoid but the Lie Direct; and you may
      avoid that too, with an If. I knew when seven
      justices could not take up a quarrel, but when the
      parties were met themselves, one of them thought but
95    of an If, as, 'If you said so, then I said so;' and
      they shook hands and swore brothers. Your If is the
      only peacemaker; much virtue in If.

JAQUES

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

DUKE SENIOR

100 He uses his folly like a stalking-horse and under
the presentation of that he shoots his wit.

Enter HYMEN, ROSALIND, and CELIA

Still Music

HYMEN

      Then is there mirth in heaven,
      When earthly things made even
      Atone together.
105   Good duke, receive thy daughter
      Hymen from heaven brought her,
      Yea, brought her hither,
      That thou mightst join her hand with his
      Whose heart within his bosom is.

ROSALIND

110 (To DUKE SENIOR) To you I give myself, for I am yours.

To ORLANDO

To you I give myself, for I am yours.

DUKE SENIOR

If there be truth in sight, you are my daughter.

ORLANDO

If there be truth in sight, you are my Rosalind.

PHEBE

If sight and shape be true,
115 Why then, my love adieu!

ROSALIND

      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.

HYMEN

      Peace, ho! I bar confusion:
120   'Tis I must make conclusion
      Of these most strange events:
      Here's eight that must take hands
      To join in Hymen's bands,
      If truth holds true contents.
125   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 sure together,
130   As the winter to foul weather.
      Whiles a wedlock-hymn we sing,
      Feed yourselves with questioning;
      That reason wonder may diminish,
      How thus we met, and these things finish.

SONG.

135   Wedding is great Juno's crown:
      O blessed bond of board and bed!
      'Tis Hymen peoples every town;
      High wedlock then be honoured:
      Honour, high honour and renown,
140   To Hymen, god of every town!

DUKE SENIOR

O my dear niece, welcome thou art to me!
Even daughter, welcome, in no less degree.

PHEBE

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

Enter JAQUES DE BOYS

JAQUES DE BOYS

145   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 Frederick, hearing how that every day
      Men of great worth resorted to this forest,
150   Address'd a mighty power; which were on foot,
      In his own conduct, purposely to take
      His brother here and put him to the sword:
      And to the skirts of this wild wood he came;
      Where meeting with an old religious man,
155   After some 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 restored to them again
      That were with him exiled. This to be true,
160   I do engage my life.

DUKE SENIOR

      Welcome, young man;
      Thou offer'st fairly to thy brothers' wedding:
      To one his lands withheld, and to the other
      A land itself at large, a potent dukedom.
165   First, in this forest, let us do those ends
      That here were well begun and well begot:
      And after, every of this happy number
      That have endured shrewd days and nights with us
      Shall share the good of our returned fortune,
170   According to the measure of their states.
      Meantime, forget this new-fall'n dignity
      And fall into our rustic revelry.
      Play, music! And you, brides and bridegrooms all,
      With measure heap'd in joy, to the measures fall.

JAQUES

175   Sir, by your patience. If I heard you rightly,
      The duke hath put on a religious life
      And thrown into neglect the pompous court?

JAQUES DE BOYS

He hath.

JAQUES

To him will I : out of these convertites
180 There is much matter to be heard and learn'd.

To DUKE SENIOR

You to your former honour I bequeath;
Your patience and your virtue well deserves it:

To ORLANDO

You to a love that your true faith doth merit:

To OLIVER

You to your land and love and great allies:

To SILVIUS

185 You to a long and well-deserved bed:

To TOUCHSTONE

      And you to wrangling; for thy loving voyage
      Is but for two months victuall'd. So, to your pleasures:
      I am for other than for dancing measures.

DUKE SENIOR

Stay, Jaques, stay.

JAQUES

190 To see no pastime I what you would have
I'll stay to know at your abandon'd cave.

Exit

DUKE SENIOR

Proceed, proceed: we will begin these rites,
As we do trust they'll end, in true delights.

A dance

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