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ACT FIRST

SCENE I

Orchard of Oliver's house.

Enter Orlando and Adam.

Orl. As I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion: bequeathed me by will but poor a thousand crowns, and, as thou sayest, charged my brother, on his blessing, to breed me well: and there begins my sadness. My brother Jaques he keeps at school, and report speaks goldenly of his profit: for my part, he keeps me rustically at home, or, to speak more properly, stays me here at home un

1. "it was upon this fashion: bequeathed," &c. The Folio does not place a stop at "fashion," but makes "bequeathed" a past participle; the words "charged" "on his blessing" presuppose "he" or "my father"; the nominative, may, however, be easily supplied from the context, or possibly, but doubtfully, “a” (=“he”) has been omitted before "charged." There is very much to be said in favor of the Folio reading; a slight confusion of two constructions seems to have produced the difficulty. Warburton, Hanmer, and Capell proposed to insert “my father" before "bequeathed.” . Others punctuate in the same way as in the present text, but read "he bequeathed” or “my father bequeathed"; the Cambridge editors hold that the subject of the sentence is intentionally omitted. -I. G.

kept; for call you that keeping for a gentle- 10
man of my birth, that differs not from the
stalling of an ox? His horses are bred bet-
ter; for, besides that they are fair with their
feeding, they are taught their manage, and
to that end riders dearly hired: but I, his
brother, gain nothing under him but growth;
for the which his animals on his dunghills are
as much bound to him as I. Besides this
nothing that he so plentifully gives me, the
something that nature gave me his counte- 20
nance seems to take from me: he lets me feed
with his hinds, bars me the place of a
brother, and, as much as in him lies, mines
my gentility with my education. This is it,
Adam, that grieves me; and the spirit of my
father, which I think is within me, begins to
mutiny against this servitude: I will no
longer endure it, though yet I know no wise
remedy how to avoid it.

Adam. Yonder comes my master, your brother. 30
Orl. Go apart, Adam, and thou shalt hear how

he will shake me up.

Enter Oliver.

Oli. Now, sir! what make you here?

Orl. Nothing: I am not taught to make any thing.

33. "what make you here"; that is, what do you here? See The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act. ii. sc. 1, and Act iv. sc. 2.-H. N. H.

Oli. What mar you then, sir?

Orl. Marry, sir, I am helping you to mar that which God made, a poor unworthy brother of yours, with idleness.

Oli. Marry, sir, be better employed, and be naught awhile.

Orl. Shall I keep your hogs and eat husks with them? What prodigal portion have I spent, that I should come to such penury?

Oli. Know you where you are, sir?

Orl. O, sir, very well, here in your orchard.
Oli. Know you before whom, sir?

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Orl. Aye, better than him I am before knows me. I know you are my eldest brother; and, in the gentle condition of blood, you should so know me. The courtesy of na- 50 tions allows you my better, in that you are the first-born; but the same tradition takes not away my blood, were there twenty brothers betwixt us: I have as much of my father in me as you; albeit, I confess, your coming before me is nearer to his reverence. Oli. What, boy!

Orl. Come, come, elder brother, you are too
young in this.

Oli. Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain?
Orl. I am no villain; I am the youngest son of
Sir Rowland de Boys; he was my father,
and he is thrice a villain that says such a
father begot villains. Wert thou not my

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brother, I would not take this hand from
thy throat till this other had pulled out thy
tongue for saying so; thou hast railed on
thyself.
Adam. Sweet masters, be patient: for your
father's remembrance, be at accord.
Oli. Let me go, I say.

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Orl. I will not, till I please: you shall hear me.
My father charged you in his will to give
me good education: you have trained me like
a peasant, obscuring and hiding from me
all gentleman-like qualities. The spirit of
my father grows strong in me, and I will
no longer endure it: therefore allow me such
exercises as may become a gentleman, or
give me the poor allottery my father left me
by testament; with that I will go buy my
fortunes.

Oli. And what wilt thou do? beg, when that is
spent? Well, sir, get you in: I will not
long be troubled with you; you shall have
some part of your will: I pray you, leave

me.

Orl. I will no further offend you than becomes
me for my good.

Oli. Get you with him, you old dog.
Adam. Is 'old dog' my reward? Most true,
I have lost my teeth in your service. God
be with my old master! he would not have
spoke such a word.

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80

90

[Exeunt Orlando and Adam. Oli. Is it even so? begin you to grow upon me?

I will physic your rankness, and yet give no
thousand crowns neither. Holla, Dennis!

Enter Dennis,

Den. Calls your worship?

Oli. Was not Charles, the Duke's wrestler, here to speak with me?

Den. So please you, he is here at the door and importunes access to you.

Oli. Call him in. [Exit Dennis.] "Twill be a good way; and to-morrow the wrestling is.

Enter Charles.

Cha. Good morrow to your worship.
Oli. Good Monsieur Charles, what's the new
news at the new court?

100

Cha. There's no news at the court, sir, but the old news: that is, the old Duke is banished by his younger brother the new Duke; and 110 three or four loving lords have put themselves into voluntary exile with him, whose lands and revenues enrich the new Duke; therefore he gives them good leave to wander.

Oli. Can you tell if Rosalind, the Duke's daughter, be banished with her father? Cha. O, no; for the Duke's daughter, her cousin, so loves her, being ever from their cradles bred together, that she would have 120 followed her exile, or have died to stay be

118. “Duke's daughter"; that is, the usurping duke's daughter.H. N. H.

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