I chanced on this letter. Gra. Were you the clerk, that is to make me cuckold? Ner. Ay; but the clerk that never means to do it, Unless he live until he be a man. Bass. Sweet doctor, you shall be my bedfellow; When I am absent, then lie with my wife. Ant. Sweet lady, you have given me life, and living; For here I read for certain, that my ships Por. How now, Lorenzo? My clerk hath some good comforts too for you. Ner. Ay, and I'll give them him without fee. There do I give to you, and Jessica, Por. It is almost morning, And yet, I am sure, you are not satisfied Of these events at full: Let us go in ; a AS YOU LIKE IT. PERSONS REPRESENTED. Duke, living in exile. William, a country fellow, in love with Audrey, Frederick, brother to the Duke, and usurper of A person representing Hymen. his dominions. Amiens, lords attending upon the Duke in his Jaques, banishment. Le Beau, a courtier attending upon Frederick. Oliver, Jaques, sons of sir Rowland de Bois. Orlando, Rosalind, daughter to the banished Duke. Lords belonging to the two Dukes; pages, foresters, and other attendants. The Scene lies, first, near Oliver's house; afterwards, partly in the usurper's court, and partly in the forest of Arden. Oli. What mar you then, sir? Orl. Marry, sir, I am helping you to mar that SCENE I-An orchard, near Oliver's house. which God made, a poor unworthy brother of Enter Orlando and Adam. Orlando. yours, with idleness. Oli. Marry, sir, be better employ'd, and be naught a while. 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. As I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion bequeathed me: By will, but a poor thousand crowns; and, as thou say'st, 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 Orl. Ay, better than he I am before knows me. speak more properly, stays me here at home un-I know you are my eldest brother, and, in the genkept: For call you that keeping for a gentleman tle condition of blood, you should so know me: of my birth, that differs not from the stalling of an The courtesy of nations allows you my better, in ox? His horses are bred better; for, besides that that you are the first-born; but the same tradition they are fair with their feeding, they are taught takes not away my blood, were there twenty brotheir manage, and to that end riders dearly hired: thers betwixt us: I have as much of my father in but I, his brother, gain nothing under him but me, as you; albeit, I confess, your coming before growth; for the which his animals on his dung-me is nearer to his reverence. hills are as much bound to him as I. Besides this Oli. What, boy! nothing that he so plentifully gives me, the some- Orl. Come, come, elder brother, you are too thing that nature gave me, his countenance seems young in this. to take from me: he lets me feed with his hinds, Oli. Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain? bars me the place of a brother, and, as much as Orl. I am no villain: I am the youngest son of in him lies, mires my gentility with my education. sir Rowland de Bois; he was my father; and he This is it, Adam, that grieves me; and the spirit is thrice a villain, that says, such a father begot of my father, which I think is within me, begins villains: Wert thou not my brother, I would not to mutiny against this servitude: I will no longer take this hand from thy throat, till this other had endure it, though yet I know no wise remedy how pulled out thy tongue for saying so; thou hast railto avoid it. tament; with that I will go buy my fortunes. [and have by underhand means laboured to dissuade Oli. And what wilt thou do? beg, when that is him from it; but he is resolute. I'll tell thee, spent? Well, sir, get you in: I will not long be Charles,-it is the stubbornest young fellow of troubled with you: you shall have some part of France; full of ambition, an envíous emulator of your will: I pray you, leave me. every man's good parts, a secret and villanous Orl. I will no further offend you than becomes contriver against me his natural brother; thereme for my good. fore use thy discretion; I had as lief thou didst Oli. Get you with him, you old dog. break his neck as his finger: And thou wert best Adam. Is old dog my reward? Most true, I look to't; for if thou dost him any slight disgrace, have lost my teeth in your service. God be with or if he do not mightily grace himself on thee, he my old master, he would not have spoke such a will practise against thee by poison, entrap thee by word. [Exeunt Orlando and Adam. some treacherous device, and never leave thee till Oli. Is it even so? begin you to grow upon me? he hath ta'en thy life by some indirect means or I will physic your rankness, and yet give no thou- other: for, I assure thee, and almost with tears I sand 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. speak it, there is not one so young and so villanous this day living. I speak but brotherly of him but should I anatomize him to thee as he is, must blush and weep, and thou must look pale and wonder. Cha. I am heartily glad I came hither to you: If he come to-morrow, I'll give him his payment: If ever he go alone again, I'll never wrestle for prize more: And so, God keep your worship! [Exit. Oli. Farewell, good Charles.-Now will I stir this gamester:2 I hope, I shall see an end of him; for my soul, yet I know not why, hates nothing Cha. Good morrow to your worship. Oli. Good monsieur Charles! what's the new more than he. Yet he's gentle; never school'd, news at the new court? and yet learned; full of noble device; of all sorts3 Cha. There's no news at the court, sir, but the enchantingly beloved; and, indeed, so much in old news: that is, the old duke is banished by his the heart of the world, and especially of my own younger brother the new duke; and three or four people, who best know him, that I am altogether loving lords have put themselves into voluntary misprized: but it shall not be so long; this wrestler exile with him, whose lands and revenues enrich shall clear all: nothing remains, but that I kindle the new duke; therefore he gives them good leave the boy thither, which now I'll go about. [Exit. SCENE II-A lawn before the Duke's palace. Enter Rosalind and Celia. to wander. Oli. Can you tell, if Rosalind, the duke's daughter, be banished with her father? Cel. I pray thee, Rosalind, sweet my coz, be Cha. O, no; for the duke's daughter, her cousin, so loves her, being ever from their cradles bred merry. together, that she would have followed her exile, Ros. Dear Celia, I show more mirth than I am or have died to stay behind her. She is at the mistress of; and would you yet I were merrier? court, and no less beloved of her uncle than his Unless you could teach me to forget a banished own daughter; and never two ladies loved as father, you must not learn me how to remember they do. any extraordinary pleasure. Oli. Where will the old duke live? Cel. Herein, I see, thou lovest me not with the Cha. They say, he is already in the forest of full weight that I love thee: if my uncle, thy baArden, and a many merry men with him; and nished father, had banished thy uncle, the duke there they live like the old Robin Hood of England: my father, so thou hads't been still with me, I could they say, many young gentlemen flock to him every have taught my love to take thy father for mine; day; and fleet the time carelessly, as they did in so would'st thou, if the truth of thy love to me the golden world. were so righteously temper'd as mine is to thee. Oli. What, you wrestle to-morrow before the new duke? Ros. Well, I will forget the condition of my estate, to rejoice in yours. Cha. Marry, do I, sir; and I came to acquaint Cel. You know, my father hath no child but I, you with a matter. I am given, sir, secretly to nor none is like to have; and, truly, when he dies, understand, that your younger brother, Orlando, thou shalt be his heir: for what he hath taken hath a disposition to come in disguis'd against me away from thy father perforce, I will render thee to try a fall: To-morrow, sir, I wrestle for my again in affection; by mine honour, I will; and credit: and he that escapes me without some bro-when I break that oath, let me turn monster: thereken limb shall acquit him well. Your brother is fore, my sweet Rose, my dear Rose, be merry. but young, and tender; and, for your love, I would Ros. From henceforth I will, coz, and devise be loath to foil him, as I must, for my own honour, sports: let me see; What think you of falling in if he come in: therefore, out of my love to you, I love? came hither to acquaint you withal; that either Cel. Marry, I pr'ythee, do, to make sport withal: you might stay him from his intendment, or brook but love no man in good earnest; nor no further in such disgrace well as he shall run into; in that it sport neither, than with safety of a pure blush thou is a thing of his own search, and altogether against may'st in honour come off again. my will. Oli. Charles, I thank thee for thy love to me, which thou shalt find I will most kindly requite. had myself notice of my brother's purpose herein, (1) A ready assent. (2) Frolicksome fellow. Ros. What shall be our sport then? (3) Of all ranks. |