may 'fleet the time carelessly, as they did in the golden world.' It is an Arcadia inhabited by shepherds and shepherdesses, a never-never land whose exact location is in the uncharted seas of a poet's imagination.
I. i. 127. golden world. According to classical mythology, the first inhabitants of the world lived together in innocence and happiness under the natural laws of truth and right. The earth brought forth all man's necessities, without labor, and strife was unknown. For a description of the golden world and man's successive departures from an age of innocence see Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book I.
I. ii. 4. I. The addition of 'I' is Rowe's emendation (1709), accepted by later authorities as necessary.
I. ii. 36. Fortune . . . wheel. Fortune's emblem was a wheel which symbolized the instability of her favors. A good housewife also had a wheel, but one of another kind, namely, a spinning wheel. Celia jestingly likens Fortune's wheel to the housewife's, and proposes to drive this housewife Fortune from her wheel by wit to prevent her hereafter from being inconstant.
I. ii. 90. Cel. The First Folio assigns this speech to Rosalind. In that case it would be necessary to infer that both the Dukes were named Frederick. As they were brothers, this would not be probable.
I. ii. 96. fools . . . silenced. Wright believes this to be a reference to some recent inhibition of the players; Fleay, 'probably to the burning of satirical books by public authority 1st June, 1599.' If the latter were true it would be an important indication of the date of the play.
I. ii. 108. Sport. Le Beau probably pronounces 'sport' so that it sounds like 'spot.' Hence Celia's quibble.
I. ii. 112. Destinies. There were three Destinies
