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  • Title: As You Like It (Folio 1, 1623)
  • Editor: David Bevington

    • ISBN: 978-1-55058-369-4

    Copyright David Bevington. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Editor: David Bevington
    Peer Reviewed

    As You Like It (Folio 1, 1623)

    1915Actus Quartus. Scena Prima.
    Enter Rosalind, and Celia, and Iaques.
    Iaq. I prethee, pretty youth, let me better acquainted
    with thee.
    Ros They say you are a melancholly fellow.
    1920Iaq. I am so: I doe loue it better then laughing.
    Ros. Those that are in extremity of either, are abho-
    minable fellowes, and betray themselues to euery mo-
    derne censure, worse then drunkards.
    Iaq. Why, 'tis good to be sad and say nothing.
    1925Ros. Why then 'tis good to be a poste.
    Iaq. I haue neither the Schollers melancholy, which
    is emulation: nor the Musitians, which is fantasticall;
    nor the Courtiers, which is proud: nor the Souldiers,
    which is ambitious: nor the Lawiers, which is politick:
    1930nor the Ladies, which is nice: nor the Louers, which
    is all these: but it is a melancholy of mine owne, com-
    pounded of many simples, extracted from many obiects,
    and indeed the sundrie contemplation of my trauells, in
    which by often rumination, wraps me in a most humo-
    1935rous sadnesse.
    Ros. A Traueller: by my faith you haue great rea-
    son to be sad: I feare you haue sold your owne Lands,
    to see other mens; then to haue seene much, and to haue
    nothing, is to haue rich eyes and poore hands.
    1940Iaq. Yes, I haue gain'd my experience.
    Enter Orlando.
    Ros. And your experience makes you sad: I had ra-
    ther haue a foole to make me merrie, then experience to
    make me sad, and to trauaile for it too.
    1945Orl. Good day, and happinesse, deere Rosalind.
    Iaq. Nay then God buy you, and you talke in blanke
    verse.
    Ros. Farewell Mounsieur Trauellor: looke you
    lispe, and weare strange suites; disable all the benefits
    1950of your owne Countrie: be out of loue with your
    natiuitie, and almost chide God for making you that
    countenance you are; or I will scarce thinke you haue
    swam in a Gundello. Why how now Orlando, where
    haue you bin all this while? you a louer? and you
    1955serue me such another tricke, neuer come in my sight
    more.
    Orl. My faire Rosalind, I come within an houre of my
    promise.
    Ros. Breake an houres promise in loue? hee that
    1960will diuide a minute into a thousand parts, and breake
    but a part of the thousand part of a minute in the affairs
    of loue, it may be said of him that Cupid hath clapt
    him oth' shoulder, but Ile warrant him heart hole.
    Orl. Pardon me deere Rosalind.
    1965Ros. Nay, and you be so tardie, come no more in my
    sight, I had as liefe be woo'd of a Snaile.
    Orl. Of a Snaile?
    Ros. I, of a Snaile: for though he comes slowly, hee
    carries his house on his head; a better ioyncture I thinke
    1970then you make a woman: besides, he brings his destinie
    with him.
    Orl. What's that?
    Ros. Why hornes: w^c such as you are faine to be be-
    holding to your wiues for: but he comes armed in his
    1975fortune, and preuents the slander of his wife.
    Orl. Vertue is no horne-maker: and my Rosalind is
    vertuous.
    Ros. And I am your Rosalind.
    Cel. It pleases him to call you so: but he hath a Rosa-
    1980lind of a better leere then you.
    Ros. Come, wooe me, wooe mee: for now I am in a
    holy-day humor, and like enough to consent: What
    would you say to me now, and I were your verie, verie
    Rosalind?
    1985Orl. I would kisse before I spoke.
    Ros. Nay,you were better speake first, and when you
    were grauel'd, for lacke of matter, you might take oc-
    casion to kisse: verie good Orators when they are out,
    they will spit, and for louers, lacking (God warne vs)
    1990matter, the cleanliest shift is to kisse.
    Orl. How if the kisse be denide?
    Ros. Then she puts you to entreatie, and there begins
    new matter.
    Orl. Who could be out, being before his beloued
    1995Mistris?
    Ros. Marrie that should you if I were your Mistris,
    or I should thinke my honestie ranker then my wit.
    Orl. What, of my suite?
    Ros. Not out of your apparrell, and yet out of your
    2000suite:
    Am not I your Rosalind?
    Orl. I take some ioy to say you are, because I would
    be talking of her.
    Ros. Well, in her person, I say I will not haue you.
    2005Orl. Then in mine owne person, I die.
    Ros. No faith, die by Attorney: the poore world is
    almost six thousand yeeres old, and in all this time there
    was not anie man died in his owne person (videlicet) in
    a loue cause: Troilous had his braines dash'd out with a
    2010Grecian club, yet he did what hee could to die before,
    and he is one of the patternes of loue. Leander, he would
    haue liu'd manie a faire yeere though Hero had turn'd
    Nun; if it had not bin for a hot Midsomer-night, for
    (good youth) he went but forth to wash him in the Hel-
    2015lespont, and being taken with the crampe, was droun'd,
    and the foolish Chronoclers of that age, found it was
    Hero of Cestos. But these are all lies, men haue died
    from time to time, and wormes haue eaten them, but not
    for loue.
    2020Orl. I would not haue my right Rosalind of this mind,
    for I protest her frowne might kill me.
    Ros. By this hand, it will not kill a flie: but come,
    now I will be your Rosalind in a more comming-on dis-
    position: and aske me what you will, I will grant it.
    2025Orl. Then loue me Rosalind.
    Ros. Yes faith will I, fridaies and saterdaies, and all.
    Orl. And wilt thou haue me?
    Ros. I, and twentie such.
    Orl. What saiest thou?
    2030Ros. Are you not good?
    Orl. I hope so.
    Rosalind. Why then, can one desire too much of a
    good thing: Come sister, you shall be the Priest, and
    marrie vs: giue me your hand Orlando: What doe you
    2035say sister?
    Orl. Pray thee marrie vs.
    Cel. I cannot say the words.
    Ros. You must begin, will you Orlando.
    Cel. Goe too: wil you Orlando, haue to wife this Ro-
    2040salind?
    Orl. I will.
    Ros. I, but when?
    Orl. Why now, as fast as she can marrie vs.
    Ros. Then you must say, I take thee Rosalind for
    2045wife.
    Orl. I take thee Rosalind for wife.
    Ros. I might aske you for your Commission,
    But I doe take thee Orlando for my husband : there's a
    girle goes before the Priest, and certainely a Womans
    2050thought runs before her actions.
    Orl. So do all thoughts, they are wing'd.
    Ros. Now tell me how long you would haue her, af-
    ter you haue possest her?
    Orl. For euer, and a day.
    2055Ros. Say a day, without the euer: no, no Orlando, men
    are Aprill when they woe, December when they wed:
    Maides are May when they are maides, but the sky chan-
    ges when they are wiues: I will bee more iealous of
    thee, then a Barbary cocke-pidgeon ouer his hen, more
    2060clamorous then a Parrat against raine, more new-fang-
    led then an ape, more giddy in my desires, then a mon-
    key: I will weepe for nothing, like Diana in the Foun-
    taine, & I wil do that when you are dispos'd to be merry:
    I will laugh like a Hyen, and that when thou art inclin'd
    2065to sleepe.
    Orl. But will my Rosalind doe so?
    Ros. By my life, she will doe as I doe.
    Orl. O but she is wise.
    Ros. Or else shee could not haue the wit to doe this:
    2070the wiser, the waywarder: make the doores vpon a wo-
    mans wit, and it will out at the casement: shut that, and
    'twill out at the key-hole: stop that, 'twill flie with the
    smoake out at the chimney.
    Orl. A man that had a wife with such a wit, he might
    2075say, wit whether wil't?
    Ros. Nay, you might keepe that checke for it, till you
    met your wiues wit going to your neighbours bed.
    Orl. And what wit could wit haue, to excuse that?
    Rosa. Marry to say, she came to seeke you there: you
    2080shall neuer take her without her answer, vnlesse you take
    her without her tongue: ô that woman that cannot
    make her fault her husbands occasion, let her neuer nurse
    her childe her selfe, for she will breed it like a foole.
    Orl. For these two houres Rosalinde, I wil leaue thee.
    2085Ros. Alas, deere loue, I cannot lacke thee two houres.
    Orl. I must attend the Duke at dinner, by two a clock
    I will be with thee againe.
    Ros. I, goe your waies, goe your waies: I knew what
    you would proue, my friends told mee as much, and I
    2090thought no lesse: that flattering tongue of yours wonne
    me: 'tis but one cast away, and so come death: two o'
    clocke is your howre.
    Orl. I, sweet Rosalind.
    Ros. By my troth, and in good earnest, and so God
    2095mend mee, and by all pretty oathes that are not dange-
    rous, if you breake one iot of your promise, or come one
    minute behinde your houre, I will thinke you the most
    patheticall breake-promise, and the most hollow louer,
    and the most vnworthy of her you call Rosalinde, that
    2100may bee chosen out of the grosse band of the vnfaith-
    full: therefore beware my censure, and keep your pro-
    mise.
    Orl. With no lesse religion, then if thou wert indeed
    my Rosalind: so adieu.
    2105Ros. Well, Time is the olde Iustice that examines all
    such offenders, and let time try: adieu. Exit.
    Cel. You haue simply misus'd our sexe in your loue-
    prate: we must haue your doublet and hose pluckt ouer
    your head, and shew the world what the bird hath done
    2110to her owne neast.
    Ros. O coz, coz, coz: my pretty little coz, that thou
    didst know how many fathome deepe I am in loue: but
    it cannot bee sounded: my affection hath an vnknowne
    bottome, like the Bay of Portugall.
    2115Cel. Or rather bottomlesse, that as fast as you poure
    affection in, in runs out.
    Ros. No, that same wicked Bastard of Venus, that was
    begot of thought, conceiu'd of spleene, and borne of
    madnesse, that blinde rascally boy, that abuses euery
    2120ones eyes, because his owne are out, let him bee iudge,
    how deepe I am in loue: ile tell thee Aliena, I cannot be
    out of the sight of Orlando: Ile goe finde a shadow, and
    sigh till he come.
    Cel. And Ile sleepe. Exeunt.
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