Enter LE BEAU, L.

Le Beau. (L.) Good sir, I do in friendship counsel you

To leave this place. Albeit you have deserved
High commendation, true applause, and love;
Yet, such is now the duke's condition,

That he misconstrues all that you have done.
The dake is humorous ;-what he is, indeed,
More suits you to conceive, than me to speak of.

Orl. (R. c.) I thank you, sir; and pray you, tell me this:

Which of the two was daughter of the duke,

That here was at the wrestling?

Le Beau. Neither his daughter, if we judge by man

ners;

But yet, indeed, the shorter is his daughter:
The other is daughter to the banish'd duke,
And here detain'd by her usurping uncle,
To keep his daughter's company; whose loves
Are dearer than the natural bond of sisters.
But I can tell you, that, of late, this duke
Hath ta'en displeasure 'gainst his gentle niece;
Grounded upon no other argument,

But that the people praise her for her virtues,
And pity her, for her good father's sake;
And, on my life, bis malice 'gainst the lady
Will suddenly break forth.-Sir, fare you well!
Hereafter, in a better world than this,

I shall desire more love and knowledge of you.
Orl. I rest much bounden to you; fare you well!
[Exit LE BEAU, L.
Thus must I, from the smoke into the smother;
From tyrant duke, unto a tyrant brother:
But heavenly Rosalind!

[Exil, R.

SCENE IV.-An Apartment in the Palace.

Enter CELIA and ROSALINd, r.

Cel. (R. C.) Why, cousit; why, Rosalind; Cupid have mercy!-Not a word?

Ros. (L. C.) Not one, to throw at a dog.

Cel. No, thy words are too precious to be cast away

upon curs; throw some of them at me.-But is all this for your father?

Ros. No; some of it is for my father's child. Oh, how full of briars is this working-day world!

Cel. They are but burs, cousin, thrown upon thee in holiday foolery; if we walk not in the trodden paths, our very petticoats will catch them.

Ros. I could shake them off my coat: these burs are in my heart.

Cel. Hem them away.

Ros. I would try; if I could cry hem, and have him. Cel. Come, come, wrestle with thy affections. Ros. Oh, they take the part of a better wrestler than myself. [Crosses to R. Cel. (L.) Oh, a good wish upon you!-But turning these jests out of service, let us talk in good earnest: is it possible, on such a sudden, you should fall into so strong a liking with old Sir Rowland's youngest son ?

Ros. The duke, my father, loved his father dearly.

Cel. Doth it therefore ensue, that you should love his son dearly? By this kind of chase, I should hate him, for my father hated his father dearly; yet I hate not Orlando.

Ros No, 'faith, hate him not, for my sake.

Cel. Why should I? doth he not deserve well?

Ros. Let me love him for that; and do you love him, because I do.

Cel. Ha! here comes the duke, with his eyes full of anger. [Crosses to ROSALIND, Enter DUKE FREDERICK, EUSTACE, LOUIS, and'

GENTLEMEN, L.

Fred. (c.) Mistress, despatch you with your safest haste,

And get you from our court!

Ros. Me, uncle?

Fred. You, cousin :

Within these ten days, if that thou be'st found
So near our public court as twenty miles,

Thou diest for it!

Ros. [Advances, kneels.] I do beseech your grace, Let me the knowledge of my fault bear with me! If with myself I hold intelligence,

'Or have acquaintance with my own desires;

If that I do not dream, or be not frantic
(As I do trust I am not), then, dear uncle,
Never, so much as in a thought unborn,
Did I offend your highness.

Fred. Thus do all traitors;

If their purgation did consist in words,
They are as innocent as grace itself:-
Let it suffice thee, that I trust thee not.

Ros. Yet your mistrust cannot make me a traitor. Tell me, whereon the likelihood depends.

Fred. (L. c.) Thou art thy father's daughter, there's enough.

Ros. [Rising.] So was I, when your highness took his dukedom.

So was I, when your highness banish'd him.
Treason is not inherited, my lord,

Or, if we did derive it from our friends,
What's that to me? my father was no traitor :
Then, good my liege, mistake me not so much,
To think my poverty is treacherous.

Cel. Dear sovereign, hear me speak!

[Advances to DUKE. Fred. Ay, Celia; we but stay'd her for your sake; Else had she with her father ranged along.

Cel. I did not then entreat to have her stay,-
It was your pleasure, and your own remorse.
If she be a traitor,

Why, so am I; we still have slept together,

Rose at an instant, learn'd, play'd, eat together;
And, whereso'er we went, like Juno's swans,

Still we went coupled, and inseparable.

Fred. She is too subtle for thee; and her smoothness,

Her very silence, and her patience,

Speak to the people, and they pity her:

Then open not thy lips;

Firm, and irrevocable, in my doom

Which I have pass'd upon her-she is banish'd

Cel. Pronounce that sentence, then, on me, my liege;

I cannot live out of her company.

Fred. You are a fool !-You, niece, provide yourself; If you outstay the time, upon mine honour,

And in the greatness of my word, you die!

[Exeunt DUKE FREDERICK, &c., L. Cel. (R.) O my poor Rosalind! whither wilt thou go?

Wilt thou change fathers?—I will give thee mine.
I charge thee, be not thou more grieved than I am.
Ros. (R.) I have more cause.

Cel. Thou hast not, cousin ;

Pr'ythee, be cheerful: know'st thou not, the duke
Hath banish'd me, his daughter?

Ros. That he hath not.

Cel. No! hath not? Rosalind lacks then the love,
Which teacheth me, that thou and I are one.
Shall we be sunder'd? shall we part, sweet girl?
No; let my father seek another heir.

Therefore devise with me, how we may fly,
Whither to go, and what to bear with us;
For, by this heaven, now at our sorrows pale,
Say what thou canst, I'll go along with thee!
Ros. Why, whither shall we go?

[Crossing to L
Cel. To seek my uncle, in the forest of Arden.
Ros. Alas, what danger will it be to us,
Maids as we are, to travel forth so far!
Beauty provoketh thieves sooner than gold.

Cel. I'll put myself in poor and mean attire:
The like do you; so shall we pass along,
And never stir assailants.

Ros. Were it not better,

Because that I am more than common tall,
That I did suit me all points like a man?
A gallant curtle-axe by my side,

A boar-spear in my hand; and (in my heart,
Lie there what hidden woman's fear there will)
We'll have a swashing and a martial outside,

As many other mannish cowards have,

That do outface it with their semblances.

Cel. (L.) What shall I call thee, when thou art a

man?

Ros. I'll have no worse a name than Jove's own page; And, therefore, look you call me Gany mede.

But what will you be call'd?

Cel. (L.) Something that hath a reference to my state;

No longer Celia, but Aliena.

Ros. But, cousin, what if we essay'd to steal The clownish fool out of your father's court? Would he not be a comfort to our travel?

Cel. He'll go along o'er the wide world with me: Leave me alone to woo him: Let's away, [Crosses to R.

And get our jewels and our wealth together;
Devise the fittest time, and safest way

To hide us from pursuit, that will be made
After my flight.

Ros. Now, go we in content,

To liberty, and not to banishment.

ACT II.

[Exeunt, n.

SCENE I.-Oliver's House.

Enter ORLANDO, R.-Knocks at the Door, L. Orl. Who's there?

Enter ADAM, from Oliver's House.

Adam. (L.) What! my young master?-Oh, my gentle master,

Oh, my sweet master! Oh! you memory

Of old Sir Rowland! why, what make you here?
Why are you virtuous? Why do people love you?
And wherefore are you gentle, strong, and valiant?
Why would you be so fond to overcome
The boney priser of the humorous duke?
Your praise is come too swiftly home before you.
Know you not, master, to some kind of men,
Their graces serve them but as enemies?

No more do yours; your virtues, gentle master,
Are sanctified and holy traitors to you.

Oh, what a world is this, when, what is comely,
Envenoms him that bears it!

Orl. (R. C.) Why, what's the matter?
Adam. Oh, unhappy youth!

Come not within these doors; within this roof,
The enemy of all your graces lives:
Your brother

[Comes out of the House.