Duke Frederick suddenly decides to banish Rosalind. His daughter Celia, determined to go with Rosalind into exile, suggests that they seek the banished duke in the Forest of Arden, and that, for safety on their journey, they disguise themselves as a country girl and her brother. They agree to ask the court Fool, Touchstone, to go with them.
Enter Celia and Rosalind.
CELIA0461
Why, cousin! Why, Rosalind! Cupid have mercy, 0462not a word? ROSALIND0463
Not one to throw at a dog. CELIA0464
No, thy words are too precious to be cast away 04655upon curs. Throw some of them at me. Come, lame 0466me with reasons. ROSALIND0467
Then there were two cousins laid up, when 0468the one should be lamed with reasons, and the 0469other mad without any.
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CELIA047010But is all this for your father? ROSALIND0471
No, some of it is for my child’s father. O, 0472how full of briers is this working-day world! CELIA0473
They are but burs, cousin, thrown upon thee in 0474holiday foolery. If we walk not in the trodden paths, 047515our very petticoats will catch them. ROSALIND0476
I could shake them off my coat. These burs 0477are in my heart. CELIA0478
Hem them away. ROSALIND0479
I would try, if I could cry “hem” and have 048020him. CELIA0481
Come, come, wrestle with thy affections. ROSALIND0482
O, they take the part of a better wrestler 0483than myself. CELIA0484
O, a good wish upon you. You will try in time, in 048525despite of a fall. But turning these jests out of 0486service, let us talk in good earnest. Is it possible on 0487such a sudden you should fall into so strong a liking 0488with old Sir Rowland’s youngest son? ROSALIND0489
The Duke my father loved his father dearly. CELIA049030Doth it therefore ensue that you should love his 0491son dearly? By this kind of chase I should hate him, 0492for my father hated his father dearly. Yet I hate not 0493Orlando. ROSALIND0494
No, faith, hate him not, for my sake. CELIA049535Why should I not? Doth he not deserve well? ROSALIND0496
Let me love him for that, and do you love 0497him because I do.
Enter Duke ⌜Frederick⌝ with Lords.
0498Look, here comes the Duke. CELIA0499
With his eyes full of anger. DUKE FREDERICK, ⌜to Rosalind⌝ 050040Mistress, dispatch you with your safest haste, 0501And get you from our court. ROSALIND0502
Me, uncle?
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DUKE FREDERICK0503
You, cousin. 0504Within these ten days if that thou beest found 050545So near our public court as twenty miles, 0506Thou diest for it. ROSALIND0507I do beseech your Grace, 0508Let me the knowledge of my fault bear with me. 0509If with myself I hold intelligence 051050Or have acquaintance with mine own desires, 0511If that I do not dream or be not frantic— 0512As I do trust I am not—then, dear uncle, 0513Never so much as in a thought unborn 0514Did I offend your Highness. DUKE FREDERICK051555Thus do all traitors. 0516If their purgation did consist in words, 0517They are as innocent as grace itself. 0518Let it suffice thee that I trust thee not. ROSALIND 0519Yet your mistrust cannot make me a traitor. 052060Tell me whereon the ⌜likelihood⌝ depends. DUKE FREDERICK 0521Thou art thy father’s daughter. There’s enough. ROSALIND 0522So was I when your Highness took his dukedom. 0523So was I when your Highness banished him. 0524Treason is not inherited, my lord, 052565Or if we did derive it from our friends, 0526What’s that to me? My father was no traitor. 0527Then, good my liege, mistake me not so much 0528To think my poverty is treacherous. CELIA0529
Dear sovereign, hear me speak. DUKE FREDERICK 053070Ay, Celia, we stayed her for your sake; 0531Else had she with her father ranged along. CELIA 0532I did not then entreat to have her stay. 0533It was your pleasure and your own remorse.
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0534I was too young that time to value her, 053575But now I know her. If she be a traitor, 0536Why, so am I. We still have slept together, 0537Rose at an instant, learned, played, eat together, 0538And, wheresoe’er we went, like Juno’s swans 0539Still we went coupled and inseparable. DUKE FREDERICK 054080She is too subtle for thee, and her smoothness, 0541Her very silence, and her patience 0542Speak to the people, and they pity her. 0543Thou art a fool. She robs thee of thy name, 0544And thou wilt show more bright and seem more 054585virtuous 0546When she is gone. Then open not thy lips. 0547Firm and irrevocable is my doom 0548Which I have passed upon her. She is banished. CELIA 0549Pronounce that sentence then on me, my liege. 055090I cannot live out of her company. DUKE FREDERICK 0551You are a fool.—You, niece, provide yourself. 0552If you outstay the time, upon mine honor 0553And in the greatness of my word, you die. Duke ⌜and Lords⌝ exit. CELIA 0554O my poor Rosalind, whither wilt thou go? 055595Wilt thou change fathers? I will give thee mine. 0556I charge thee, be not thou more grieved than I am. ROSALIND0557
I have more cause. CELIA0558
Thou hast not, cousin. 0559Prithee, be cheerful. Know’st thou not the Duke 0560100Hath banished me, his daughter? ROSALIND0561That he hath not. CELIA 0562No, hath not? Rosalind lacks then the love 0563Which teacheth thee that thou and I am one.
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0564Shall we be sundered? Shall we part, sweet girl? 0565105No, let my father seek another heir. 0566Therefore devise with me how we may fly, 0567Whither to go, and what to bear with us, 0568And do not seek to take your change upon you, 0569To bear your griefs yourself and leave me out. 0570110For, by this heaven, now at our sorrows pale, 0571Say what thou canst, I’ll go along with thee. ROSALIND0572
Why, whither shall we go? CELIA 0573To seek my uncle in the Forest of Arden. ROSALIND 0574Alas, what danger will it be to us, 0575115Maids as we are, to travel forth so far? 0576Beauty provoketh thieves sooner than gold. CELIA 0577I’ll put myself in poor and mean attire, 0578And with a kind of umber smirch my face. 0579The like do you. So shall we pass along 0580120And never stir assailants. ROSALIND0581Were it not better, 0582Because that I am more than common tall, 0583That I did suit me all points like a man? 0584A gallant curtal-ax upon my thigh, 0585125A boar-spear in my hand, and in my heart 0586Lie there what hidden woman’s fear there will, 0587We’ll have a swashing and a martial outside— 0588As many other mannish cowards have 0589That do outface it with their semblances. CELIA 0590130What shall I call thee when thou art a man? ROSALIND 0591I’ll have no worse a name than Jove’s own page, 0592And therefore look you call me Ganymede. 0593But what will you ⌜be⌝ called?
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CELIA 0594Something that hath a reference to my state: 0595135No longer Celia, but Aliena. ROSALIND 0596But, cousin, what if we assayed to steal 0597The clownish fool out of your father’s court? 0598Would he not be a comfort to our travel? CELIA 0599He’ll go along o’er the wide world with me. 0600140Leave me alone to woo him. Let’s away 0601And get our jewels and our wealth together, 0602Devise the fittest time and safest way 0603To hide us from pursuit that will be made 0604After my flight. Now go ⌜we in⌝ content 0605145To liberty, and not to banishment. They exit.
