Shakespeare Portal

Act 5, Scene 3

Another part of the Forest.

  1. [Enter TOUCHSTONE and AUDREY.]
  2. Touchstone
  3. 2272 To-morrow is the joyful day, Audrey; to-morrow will we be
  4. 2273 married.
  5. Audrey
  6. 2274 I do desire it with all my heart; and I hope it is no
  7. 2275 dishonest desire to desire to be a woman of the world. Here
  8. 2276 come two of the banished duke's pages.
  9. [Enter two Pages.]
  10. First Page
  11. 2277 Well met, honest gentleman.
  12. Touchstone
  13. 2278 By my troth, well met. Come sit, sit, and a song.
  14. Second Page
  15. 2279 We are for you: sit i' the middle.
  16. First Page
  17. 2280 Shall we clap into't roundly, without hawking, or spitting, or
  18. 2281 saying we are hoarse, which are the only prologues to a bad
  19. 2282 voice?
  20. Second Page
  21. 2283 I'faith, i'faith; and both in a tune, like two gipsies on a
  22. 2284 horse.
  23. [I.]
  24. Song
  25. 2285 It was a lover and his lass,
  26. 2286 With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
  27. 2287 That o'er the green corn-field did pass
  28. 2288 In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
  29. 2289 When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding:
  30. 2290 Sweet lovers love the spring.
  31. [II.]
  32. Song
  33. 2291 Between the acres of the rye,
  34. 2292 With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
  35. 2293 These pretty country folks would lie,
  36. 2294 In the spring time, &c.
  37. [III.]
  38. Song
  39. 2295 This carol they began that hour,
  40. 2296 With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
  41. 2297 How that a life was but a flower,
  42. 2298 In the spring time, &c.
  43. [IV.]
  44. Song
  45. 2299 And therefore take the present time,
  46. 2300 With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
  47. 2301 For love is crowned with the prime,
  48. 2302 In the spring time, &c.
  49. Touchstone
  50. 2303 Truly, young gentlemen, though there was no great
  51. 2304 matter in the ditty, yet the note was very untimeable.
  52. First Page
  53. 2305 You are deceived, sir; we kept time, we lost not our time.
  54. Touchstone
  55. 2306 By my troth, yes; I count it but time lost to hear such
  56. 2307 a foolish song. God be with you; and God mend your voices! Come,
  57. 2308 Audrey.
  58. [Exeunt.]