What’s the meaning of these sentences?

Question

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.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Great stuff! I've got to stop answering these things!

LE BEAU: Fair princess, you have lost much good sport. Not sure about this one. Maybe she's not as much fun now as she used to be. Or maybe she has missed some great opportunity.

CELIA: Sport! of what colour? What kind of sport?

LE BEAU: What colour, madam! how shall I answer you? What do you mean?

ROSALIND: As wit and fortune will. Answer with all your cleverness and good luck.

TOUCHSTONE: Or as the Destinies decree. Answer as the gods tell you to.

CELIA: Well said: that was laid on with a trowel. I like what you said. Very smooth! (A brick or stone mason uses a special tool to smooth out the mortar. He uses his trowel to lay some mortar on a row of bricks, and then he uses it to smooth the mortar out. That's how smooth Touchstone's answer was.)

Fivejedjon · Answer

Avangi I like what you said. Very smooth! (A brick or stone mason uses a special tool to smooth out the mortar. He uses his trowel to lay some mortar on a row of bricks, and then he uses it to smooth the mortar out. That's how smooth Touchstone's answer was.)

That could have been the meaning Shakespeare intended with those word, and the 'Well said' appears to confirm this. However, in modern British English, the expressions means "To crudely labour a point, or flatter in an overly generous manner" (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/224600.html). I suspect that Shakespeare meant it to have that negative meaning, though intending Celia to come out with it as a compliment.

This site http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/laid-with-trowel has this to say.
"The young lady Celia uses the figure to describe language that's plastered on, not with workmanlike care, but with unsubtle force. The clown Touchstone's inflated language itself parodies the lady Rosalind's courtly discourse, just as Rosalind makes fun of Le Beau's unspontaneous phraseology. While Celia refers to Touchstone's crude linguistic workmanship, our use of the phrase is slightly different. Le Beau's sort of "polite" language, a little too elegant and weighty for the situation, is the usual object of the phrase "laid on with a trowel"—eagerly flattering speech."

Eipjoo · Answer

AvangiI've got to stop answering these things!

Thank you very much.
And I have another question from you reply.
In the quote sentence, does the participle, 'answering,' has the meaning of purpose
as would mean 'I've got to stop to answer these things'?

Fivejedjon · Answer

eipjooIn the quote sentence, does the participle, 'answering,' hasve the meaning of purposeas would mean 'I've got to stop to answer these things'?

No. It means that the speaker must answer no more. The answering must stop.

Avangi · Answer

fivejedjon "To crudely labour a point, or flatter in an overly generous manner"

Hi Jed,
Aha! You're probably right! My mother used to use the expression "That's/He's laying it on thick!" Surely not referring to refinement!
Thanks!

Anonymous · Answer

i need a help what a delightful time i shall have in my garden ' hans said , and he went to work at once (change into indirect)

Please start a new thread with this question. It is nothing to to with the topic of this thread. FJJ

Eipjoo · Answer

fivejedjonNo. It means that the speaker must answer no more. The answering must stop.

Now I can understand what he intended to say. Thank you very much.

Avangi · Answer

eipjoodoes the participle, 'answering,' has the meaning of purpose as would mean 'I've got to stop to answer these things'?

No, it was more like "I've got to stop smoking!" (It's something I enjoy doing, but it's bad for me.) Actually, I've never smoked.

When I said I've got to stop answering these things I was really joking!

Eipjoo · Answer

AvangiWhen I said I've got to stop answering these things I was really joking!

Yes, I got a bit of your meaning after reading fivejedjon's reply.
And I resumed that you have represented your honor to Shakespeare.

What’s the meaning of these sentences?

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