life from opposite viewpoints.
Touchstone then asks the shepherd if he has ever been to court. When Corin responds in the negative, Touchstone then tells him that he is damned (that his soul will go to Hell when he dies). Corin asks him to explain. Touchstone explains that good manners occur only at court, and he then adds the following:
If thou never sawest good manners, then thy manners must be wicked, and wickedness is sin, and sin is damnation. (37-39)
Touchstone uses a syllogism, a form of deductive reasoning or logic, to prove a point that Touchstone himself does not really believe to be true: he does not really believe that Corin’s soul is damned. Since logic and deductive reasoning are vital aspects of philosophical thought, Touchstone is, in essence, actually criticizing philosophy and philosophers. Deductive reasoning can be used to prove absurd or ridiculous points – especially when one does not question the initial premise or concept of the syllogism. In this case, a lack of good manners or etiquette in the court does not really mean a person lacks good behavior or goodness. Touchstone again employs a pun to create his syllogism: the word manners means both (1) social etiquette and (2) behavior. Corin may lack good social etiquette, but he does not lack good behavior.
Touchstone, of course, is a clown. He is joking with Corin. He is just having fun. Thus, when