A Lawn before the Duke's Palace.
 Enter ROSALIND and CELIA.

Celia	I pray thee, Rosalind, sweet my coz, be merry.

Rosalind	Dear Celia, I show more mirth than I am mistress of, and 
	would you yet I were merrier? Unless you could teach me to 
	forget a banished father, you must not learn me how to 
	remember any extraordinary pleasure.

Celia	Herein I see thou lov'st me not with the full weight that I 
	love thee. If my uncle, thy banished father, had banished 
	thy uncle, the duke my father, so thou hadst been still 
	with me, I could have taught my love to take thy father for 
	mine. So wouldst thou, if the truth of thy love to me were 
	so righteously tempered as mine is to thee.

Rosalind	Well, I will forget the condition of my estate, to rejoice 
	in yours.

Celia	You know my father hath no child but I, nor none is like to 
	have; and, truly, when he dies thou shalt be his heir; for 
	what he hath taken away from thy father perforce, I will 
	render thee again in affection. By mine honour I will, and 
	when I break that oath, let me turn monster. Therefore, my 
	sweet Rose, my dear Rose, be merry.

Rosalind	From henceforth I will, coz, and devise sports. Let me see, 
	what think you of falling in love?

Celia	Marry, I prithee do, to make sport withal. But love no man 
	in good earnest, nor no further in sport neither, than with 
	safety of a pure blush thou mayst in honour come off again.

Rosalind	What shall be our sport then?

Celia	Let us sit and mock the good housewife Fortune from her 
	wheel, that her gifts may henceforth be bestowed equally.

Rosalind	I would we could do so, for her benefits are mightily 
	misplaced, and the bountiful blind woman doth most mistake 
	in her gifts to women.

Celia	'Tis true; for those that she makes fair, she scarce makes 
	honest, and those that she makes honest she makes very ill-
	favouredly.

Rosalind	Nay, now thou go'st from Fortune's office to Nature's. 
	Fortune reigns in gifts of the world, not in the lineaments 
	of Nature.

                            Enter TOUCHSTONE.

Celia	No? When Nature hath made a fair creature, may she not by 
	Fortune fall into the fire? Though Nature hath given us wit 
	to flout at Fortune, hath not Fortune sent in this fool to 
	cut off the argument?

Rosalind	Indeed, there is Fortune too hard for Nature, when Fortune 
	makes Nature's natural the cutter-off of Nature's wit.

Celia	Peradventure this is not Fortune's work neither, but 
	Nature's, who perceiveth our natural wits too dull to 
	reason of such goddesses, hath sent this natural for our 
	whetstone; for always the dullness of the fool is the 
	whetstone of the wits. How now Wit! Whither wander you?

Touchstone	Mistress, you must come away to your father.

Celia	Were you made the messenger?

Touchstone	No, by mine honour, but I was bid to come for you.

Celia	Where learned you that oath, fool?

Touchstone	Of a certain knight that swore by his honour they were good 
	pancakes, and swore by his honour the mustard was naught. 
	Now I'll stand to it, the pancakes were naught and the 
	mustard was good, and yet was not the knight forsworn.

Celia	How prove you that, in the great heap of your knowledge?

Rosalind	Ay, marry, now unmuzzle your wisdom.

Touchstone	Stand you both forth now. Stroke your chins, and swear by 
	your beards that I am a knave.

Celia	By our beards, if we had them, thou art.

Touchstone	By my knavery, if I had it, then I were; but if you swear 
	by that that is not, you are not forsworn. No more was this 
	knight, swearing by his honour, for he never had any, or if 
	he had, he had sworn it away before ever he saw those 
	pancakes or that mustard.

Celia	Prithee, who is't that thou meanest?

Touchstone	One that old Frederick, your father, loves.

Celia	My father's love is enough to honour him. Enough, speak no 
	more of him; you'll be whipped for taxation one of these 
	days.

Touchstone	The more pity that fools may not speak wisely what wise men 
	do foolishly.

Celia	By my troth, thou sayst true; for since the little wit that 
	fools have was silenced, the little foolery that wise men 
	have makes a great show. Here comes Monsieur Le Beau.

                              Enter LE BEAU.

Rosalind	With his mouth full of news.

Celia	Which he will put on us, as pigeons feed their young.

Rosalind	Then shall we be news-crammed.

Celia	All the better - we shall be the more marketable. Bonjour, 
	Monsieur Le Beau. What's the news?

Le Beau	Fair Princess, you have lost much good sport.

Celia	Sport? Of what colour?

Le Beau	What colour, madam? How shall I answer you?

Rosalind	As wit and fortune will.

Touchstone	Or as the Destinies decree.

Celia	Well said! That was laid on with a trowel.

Touchstone	Nay, if I keep not my rank-

Rosalind	Thou losest thy old smell.

Le Beau	You amaze me, ladies. I would have told you of good 
	wrestling, which you have lost the sight of.

Rosalind	Yet tell us the manner of the wrestling.

Le Beau	I will tell you the beginning, and, if it please your 
	ladyships, you may see the end, for the best is yet to do; 
	and here, where you are, they are coming to perform it.

Celia	Well, the beginning, that is dead and buried.

Le Beau	There comes an old man and his three sons-

Celia	I could match this beginning with an old tale.

Le Beau	Three proper young men, of excellent growth and presence-

Rosalind	With bills on their necks: 'Be it known unto all men by 
	these presents'-

Le Beau	The eldest of the three wrestled with Charles, the duke's 
	wrestler, which Charles in a moment threw him and broke 
	three of his ribs, that there is little hope of life in 
	him. So he served the second, and so the third. Yonder they 
	lie, the poor old man, their father, making such pitiful 
	dole over them that all the beholders take his part with 
	weeping.

Rosalind	Alas!

Touchstone	But what is the sport, monsieur, that the ladies have lost?

Le Beau	Why, this that I speak of.

Touchstone	Thus men may grow wiser every day. It is the first time 
	that ever I heard breaking of ribs was sport for ladies.

Celia	Or I, I promise thee.

Rosalind	But is there any else longs to see this broken music in his 
	sides? Is there yet another dotes upon rib-breaking? Shall 
	we see this wrestling, cousin?

Le Beau	You must if you stay here, for here is the place appointed 
	for the wrestling, and they are ready to perform it.

Celia	Yonder, sure, they are coming. Let us now stay and see it.

                                Flourish.
      Enter DUKE FREDERICK, LORDS, ORLANDO, CHARLES, and ATTENDANTS.

Frederick	Come on. Since the youth will not be entreated, his own 
	peril on his forwardness.

Rosalind	Is yonder the man?

Le Beau	Even he, madam.

Rosalind	Alas, he is too young; yet he looks successfully.

Frederick	How now, daughter and cousin! Are you crept hither to see 
	the wrestling?

Rosalind	Ay, my liege, so please you give us leave.

Frederick	You will take little delight in it, I can tell you, there 
	is such odds in the man. In pity of the challenger's youth 
	I would fain dissuade him, but he will not be entreated. 
	Speak to him ladies; see if you can move him.

Celia	Call him hither, good Monsieur Le Beau.

Frederick	Do so. I'll not be by.
															[Stands aside.

Le Beau	Monsieur the challenger, the princess calls for you.

Orlando	I attend them with all respect and duty.

Rosalind	Young man, have you challenged Charles the wrestler?

Orlando	No, fair Princess, he is the general challenger. I come but 
	in as others do, to try with him the strength of my youth.

Celia	Young gentleman, your spirits are too bold for your years. 
	You have seen cruel proof of this man's strength; if you 
	saw yourself with your eyes or knew yourself with your 
	judgement, the fear of your adventure would counsel you to 
	a more equal enterprise. We pray you, for your own sake, to 
	embrace your own safety and give over this attempt.

Rosalind	Do, young sir; your reputation shall not therefore be 
	misprized. We will make it our suit to the duke that the 
	wrestling might not go forward.

Orlando	I beseech you, punish me not with your hard thoughts, 
	wherein I confess me much guilty to deny so fair and 
	excellent ladies anything. But let your fair eyes and 
	gentle wishes go with me to my trail; wherein, if I be 
	foiled, there is but one shamed that was never gracious; if 
	killed, but one dead that is willing to be so. I shall do 
	my friends no wrong, for I have none to lament me; the 
	world no injury, for in it I have nothing; only in the 
	world I fill up a place, which may be better supplied when 
	I have made it empty.

Rosalind	The little strength that I have, I would it were with you.

Celia	And mine to eke out hers.

Rosalind	Fare you well. Pray heaven I be deceived in you!

Celia	Your heart's desires be with you!

Charles	Come, where is this young gallant that is so desirous to 
	lie with his mother earth?

Orlando	Ready, sir; but his will hath in it a more modest working.

Frederick	You shall try but one fall.

Charles	No, I warrant your grace you shall not entreat him to a 
	second, that have so mightily persuaded him from a first.

Orlando	You mean to mock me after; you should not have mocked me 
	before. But come your ways.

Rosalind	Now Hercules be thy speed, young man!

Celia	I would I were invisible, to catch the strong fellow by the 
	leg.
										 [CHARLES and ORLANDO wrestle.
Rosalind	O excellent young man!

Celia	If I had a thunderbolt in mine eye, I can tell who should 
	down.
											 [CHARLES is thrown. Shout.
Frederick	No more, no more!

Orlando	Yes, I beseech your grace; I am not yet well breathed.

Frederick	How dost thou, Charles?

Le Beau	He cannot speak, my lord.

Frederick	Bear him away.
								[CHARLES is borne off by ATTENDANTS.
	What is thy name, young man?

Orlando	Orlando, my liege; the youngest son of Sir Rowland de Boys.

Frederick	I would thou hadst been son to some man else.
	The world esteemed thy father honourable,
	But I did find him still mine enemy.
	Thou shouldst have better pleased me with this deed
	Hadst thou descended from another house.
	But fare thee well; thou art a gallant youth.
	I would thou hadst told me of another father.
					[Exeunt all but ROSALIND, ORLANDO, and CELIA.

Celia	Were I my father, coz, would I do this?

Orlando	I am more proud to be Sir Rowland's son,
	His youngest son, and would not change that calling
	To be adopted heir to Frederick.

Rosalind	My father loved Sir Rowland as his soul,
	And all the world was of my father's mind.
	Had I before known this young man his son,
	I should have given him tears unto entreaties
	Ere he should thus have ventured.

Celia											Gentle cousin,
	Let us go thank him and encourage him;
	My father's rough and envious disposition
	Sticks me at heart. Sir, you have well deserved.
	If you do keep your promises in love
	But justly, as you have exceeded all promise,
	Your mistress shall be happy.

Rosalind	[Giving him a chain from her neck.]	Gentleman,
	Wear this for me - one out of suits with fortune,
	That could give more but that her hand lacks means.
	Shall we go, coz?

Celia						Ay. Fare you well, fair gentleman.

Orlando	Can I not say 'I thank you'? My better parts
	Are all thrown down, and that which here stands up
	Is but a quintain, a mere lifeless block.

Rosalind	He calls us back. My pride fell with my fortunes;
	I'll ask him what he would. Did you call sir?
	Sir, you have wrestled well, and overthrown
	More than your enemies.

Celia								Will you go, coz?

Rosalind	Have with you. Fare you well.
											[Exeunt ROSALIND and CELIA.

Orlando	What passion hangs these weights upon my tongue?
	I cannot speak to her, yet she urged conference.

                            Re-enter LE BEAU.

	O poor Orlando, thou art overthrown!
	Or Charles or something weaker masters thee.

Le Beau	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 misconsters all that you have done.
	The duke is humorous; what he is, indeed,
	More suits you to conceive than I to speak of.

Orlando	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 manners;
	But yet indeed the smaller is his daughter.
	The other is daughter to the banished duke,
	And here detained by her usurping uncle
	To keep his daughter 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, his 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.

Orlando	I rest much bounden to you. Fare you well.
															[Exit LE BEAU.
	Thus must I from the smoke into the smother,
	From tyrant duke unto a tyrant brother.
	But heavenly Rosalind!
															[Exit.
