DUKE. Frederick, brother to the Duke, and ufurper of his dukedom. Amiens, Lords attending upon the Duke in his banishJaques, S ment. Le Beu, a courtier, attending on Frederick. Oliver, eldest fon to Sir Rowland de Boys, who had formerly been a fervant to the Duke. Jaques, Adam, an old fervant of Sir Rowland de Boys, now following the fortunes of Orlando. Dennis, fervant to Oliver. Charles, a wrestler, and fervant to the ufurping Duke Frederick. Touchstone, a clown attending on Celia and Rofalind. Corin, Sylvius, Shepherds. A clown in love with Audrey. William, another clown, in love with Audrey, Sir Oliver Mar-text, a country curate. Rofalind, daughter to the Duke. Celia, daughter to Frederick. Phoebe, a fhepherdefs. Audrey, a country wench. Lords belonging to the two Dukes; with pages, forefters, and other attendants. The SCENE lyes, firft, near Oliver's house; and, afterwards, partly in the Duke's Court; and partly in the Foreft of Arden. AS AS YOU LIKE IT. (1) s ACT I. SCENE, OLIVER'S Orchard. A Enter Orlando and Adam. ORLANDO. S I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion bequeath'd me by Will, but a poor thousand crowns; and, as thou fay'ft, charged my brother on his Bleffing to breed me well; and there begins my fadness. My brother Jaques he keeps at school, and report fpeaks goldenly of his profit: for my part, he keeps me ruftically at home; or, (to speak more properly) ftays me here at home, unkept; for call you that keeping for a gentleman of my birth, that differs not from the ftalling of an ox? his horfes are bred better; for befides 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 (1) As you like it.] Neither Mr. Langbaine nor Mr. Gildon acquaint us, to whom Shakespeare was indebted for any part of the Fable of this Play. But the Characters of Oliver, Jaques, Orlando, and Adam, and the Epifodes of the Wrestler and the banish'd Tram feem to me plainly to be borrow'd from CHAUCER's Legend of Gamelyn in the Cook's Tale. Tho' this Legend be found in many of the Old MSS. of that Poet, it was never printed till the laft Edition of his Works, prepar'd by Mr. Urrey, came out. which his animals on his dunghills are as much bound to him as I. Befides this Nothing that he fo plentifully gives me,the Something, that Nature gave me, his countenance feems 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 fervitude. 1 will no longer endure it, tho' yet I know no wife remedy how to avoid it. Enter Oliver. Adam. Yonder comes my mafter, your brother. Orla. Go apart, Adam, and thou shalt hear how he will shake me up. Oli. Now, Sir, what make you here? Orla. Nothing: I am not taught to make any thing. Oli. What mar you then, Sir? Orla. Marry,Sir, I am helping you to mar That which God made, a poor unworthy brother of yours, with idlenefs. Oli. Marry, Sir, be better employ'd, and be naught a while. (2) Orla. Shall I keep your hogs, and eat husks with them? what Prodigal's portion have I spent, that I fhould come to fuch penury? Oli. Know you where you are, Sir? Orla. O, Sir, very well; here in your Orchard. Orla. Ay, better than he, I am before, knows me. I know, you are my eldest brother; and in the gentle (2) be better employ'd, and be naught awhile.] i. e. be better employ'd in my Opinion, in being, and doing, Nothing. Your Idleness, as you call it, may be an Exercife, by which you may make a figure, and endear your felf to the World: and I'had rather, you were a contemptible Cypher. The Poet feems to me to have that trite proverbial Sentiment in his Eye, quoted from Attilius by the younger Pliny and others; Satius eft otiofum effe quam nihil agere. But Oliver, in the Perverfenefs of his Difpofition, would reverfe the Doctrine of the Proverb. condition |