Comedy plays; Exiles -- Drama; Fathers and daughters -- Drama; Pastoral drama
that there shall not be one spot of love in 't.
ORLANDO. I would not be cured, youth.
ROSALIND. I would cure you, if you would but call me Rosalind,
and
come every day to my cote and woo me.
ORLANDO. Now, by the faith of my love, I will. Tell me where it
is.
ROSALIND. Go with me to it, and I'll show it you; and, by the
way,
you shall tell me where in the forest you live. Will you go?
ORLANDO. With all my heart, good youth.
ROSALIND. Nay, you must call me Rosalind. Come, sister, will
you
go? Exeunt
SCENE III.
The forest
Enter TOUCHSTONE and AUDREY; JAQUES behind
TOUCHSTONE. Come apace, good Audrey; I will fetch up your
goats,
Audrey. And how, Audrey, am I the man yet? Doth my simple
feature
content you?
AUDREY. Your features! Lord warrant us! What features?
TOUCHSTONE. I am here with thee and thy goats, as the most
capricious poet, honest Ovid, was among the Goths.
JAQUES. [Aside] O knowledge ill-inhabited, worse than Jove in a
thatch'd house!
TOUCHSTONE. When a man's verses cannot be understood, nor a
man's
good wit seconded with the forward child understanding, it
strikes a man more dead than a great reckoning in a little
room.
Truly, I would the gods had made thee poetical.
AUDREY. I do not know what 'poetical' is. Is it honest in deed
and
word? Is it a true thing?
TOUCHSTONE. No, truly; for the truest poetry is the most
feigning,
and lovers are given to poetry; and what they swear in poetry
may
be said as lovers they do feign.
AUDREY. Do you wish, then, that the gods had made me poetical?
TOUCHSTONE. I do, truly, for thou swear'st to me thou art
honest;
now, if thou wert a poet, I might have some hope thou didst
feign.
AUDREY. Would you not have me honest?
TOUCHSTONE. No, truly, unless thou wert hard-favour'd; for
honesty
coupled to beauty is to have honey a sauce to sugar.
JAQUES. [Aside] A material fool!
AUDREY. Well, I am not fair; and therefore I pray the gods make
me
honest.
TOUCHSTONE. Truly, and to cast away honesty upon a foul slut
were
to put good meat into an unclean dish.
AUDREY. I am not a slut, though I thank the gods I am foul.
TOUCHSTONE. Well, praised be the gods for thy foulness;
sluttishness may come hereafter. But be it as it may be, I
will
marry thee; and to that end I have been with Sir Oliver
Martext,
the vicar of the next village, who hath promis'd to meet me
in
this place of the forest, and to couple us.
JAQUES. [Aside] I would fain see this meeting.
AUDREY. Well, the gods give us joy!
TOUCHSTONE. Amen. A man may, if he were of a fearful heart,
stagger
in this attempt; for here we have no temple but the wood, no
assembly but horn-beasts. But what though? Courage! As horns
are
odious, they are necessary. It is said: 'Many a man knows no
end
of his goods.' Right! Many a man has good horns and knows no
end
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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