SCENE II. Lawn before the Duke's palace. As You Like It  Shakespeare homepage  |  As You Like It  | Act 1, Scene 2 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE II. Lawn before the Duke's palace. 

 Enter CELIA and ROSALIND  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 lovest 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 goest 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 and hath sent this 

 natural for our whetstone; for always the dulness 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. 

 ROSALIND  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 sayest 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. 

 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. 



 Enter LE BEAU  Bon jour, 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  You 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  DUKE 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. 

 CELIA  Alas, he is too young! yet he looks successfully. 

 DUKE FREDERICK  How now, daughter and cousin! are you crept hither 

 to see the wrestling? 

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

 DUKE 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. 

 DUKE FREDERICK  Do so: I'll not be by. 

 LE BEAU  Monsieur the challenger, the princesses call 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 judgment, 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 misprised: 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 any thing. But let 

 your fair eyes and gentle wishes go with me to my 

 trial: wherein if I be foiled, there is but one 

 shamed that was never gracious; if killed, but one 

 dead that was 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. 

 DUKE 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  An 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. 



 They wrestle  ROSALIND  O excellent young man! 

 CELIA  If I had a thunderbolt in mine eye, I can tell who 

 should down. 



 Shout. CHARLES is thrown  DUKE FREDERICK  No more, no more. 

 ORLANDO  Yes, I beseech your grace: I am not yet well breathed. 

 DUKE FREDERICK  How dost thou, Charles? 

 LE BEAU  He cannot speak, my lord. 

 DUKE FREDERICK  Bear him away. What is thy name, young man? 

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

 DUKE FREDERICK  I would thou hadst been son to some man else: 

 The world esteem'd 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 DUKE FREDERICK, train, and LE BEAU  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  Gentleman, 



 Giving him a chain from her neck  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. 

 O poor Orlando, thou art overthrown! 

 Or Charles or something weaker masters thee. 



 Re-enter LE BEAU  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 misconstrues 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 lesser is his daughter 

 The other is daughter to the banish'd duke, 

 And here detain'd 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  Shakespeare homepage  |  As You Like It  | Act 1, Scene 2 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene 