AS YOU LIKE IT.

ACT I.

SCENE I. Oliver's Orchard.

Enter ORLANDO and ADAM, R.

Orl. (R. c.) As I remember, Adam, it was in 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 speak more properly, stays me here at home, unkept; for call you that keeping, for a gentleman of my birth, that differs not from the stalling of an ox? His horses are bred better; 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 countenance 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 edu cation. 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. [Crosses to L. Adum. (L.) Yonder comes my master, your brother. Orl. Go apart, Adam, and thou shalt hear how he will shake me up. [ADAM retires up the Stage.

Enter OLIVER, L.

Oli. (L.) Now, sir! what make you here?

Orl. (R. C.) Nothing: I am not taught to make any thing.

Oliv. What mar you then, sir ?

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

Oliv. Marry, sir, be better employed, and be nought 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?

Oliv. Know you where you are, sir?

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

I

Orl. Ay, better than he, I am before, knows me. know you are my eldest brother; and, ir. the gentle condition of blood, you should so know me. The courtesy of nations 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.

Oliv. What, boy! [Advances, and lays hold of him. Orl. Come, come, elder brother, you are too young in this. [Part

Oliv. 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. [Lays hold of OLIVER.] Wert thou not my 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. [Advancing L. c.] Sweet masters, be patient; for your father's remembrance, be at accord.

Oliv. Let me go, I say.

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 up like a peasant, obscuring, and hiding from me all gentleman-like qualities: the spirit of my father grows strong in me, and I will not 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.

Oliv. And what wilt thou do? Beg, when that is spent? Well, sir, get you in; [Crosses to Oliver's House.] 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. [Exit into the House. Oliv. [R. to ADAM.] Get you with him, you old dog! Adam, [Crossing.] Is old dog my reward? Most true, I have lost my teeth in your service.-Heaven be with my old master, he would not have spoke such a word! [Exit into the House. Oliv. Is it even so? begin you to grow upon me? I will physic your rankness, and yet give no thousand crowns neither. [Exit into the House.

SCENE II.-Oliver's House.

Enter OLIVER, R.

Oliv. Holla, Dennis !

Enter DENNIS, L.

Den. Calls your worship?

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

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

Oliv. Call him in.-[Exit DENNIS, L.]-"Twill be a good way; and to-morrow the wrestling is.

Enter CHARLES, L.

Charles. (L.) Good morrow to your worship.

Oliv. (R.) Good Monsieur Charles! what's the new news at the new court?

Charles. 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 three or four lov ing lords have put themselves in voluntary exile with him, whose lands and revenues enrich the new Duke; therefore, he gives them good leave to wander.

Oliv. Can you tell, if Rosalind, the old Duke's daughter, be banished with her father?

Charles. O, no; for the new Duke's daughter, her cousin, so loves her--being ever from their cradles bred together-that she would have followed her exile, or have died

to stay behind her. She is at the court, and no less beloved of her uncle than his own daughter; and never two ladies loved as they do.

Oliv. Where will the old Duke live?

Charles. They say, he is already in the Forest of Arden, and many a merry man with him; and there they live like the old Robin Hood of England: they say, many young gentlemen flock to him every day, and fleet the time carelessly, as they did in the golden world.

Oliv. (L. c.) What, you wrestle to-morrow, before the new Duke?

Charles. (R. c.) Marry do I, sir; and I came to acquaint you with a matter. I am given, sir, secretly to understand, that your younger brother, Orlando, hath a disposition to come in against me, to try a fall. Tomorrow, sir, I wrestle for my credit; and he that escapes me without some broken limb, shall acquit him well. Your brother is but young, and tender; and, for your love, I would be loth to foil him, as I must, for mine own honour, if he came in; therefore, out of my love to you, I came hither to acquaint you withal, that either you might stay him from his intendment, or brook such disgrace well as he shall run into; in that it is a thing of his own search, and altogether against my will.

Oliv. Charles, I thank thee for thy love to me, which, thou shalt find, I will most kindly requite. I had myself notice of my brother's purpose herein, and have, by underhand means, laboured to dissuade him from it; but he is resolute. I'll tell thee, Charles-it is the stubbornest young fellow of France; full of ambition, an envious emulator of every man's good parts, a secret and villanous contriver against me, his natural brother; therefore, use thy discretion; had as lief thou didst break his neck, as his finger; and thou wert best look to't; for, if thou dost him any slight disgrace, or if he do not mightily grace himself on thee, he will practise against thee by poison; entrap thee by some treacherous device; and never leave thee, till he hath ta'en thy life by some indirect means or other for, I assure thee, and almost with tears I 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, I must blush and weep, and thou must look pale and wonder.

Charles. 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, Heaven keep your worship. [Exit, L.

Oliv. Farewell, good Charles! Now will I stir this gamester: I hope, I shall see an end of him; for my soul, yet I know not why, hates nothing more than he. Yet he's gentle; never schooled, and yet learned; full of noble device; of all sorts enchantingly beloved; and, indeed, so much in the heart of the world, and especially of my own people, who best know him, that I am altogether misprised: but it shall not be so long; this wrestler shall clear all: nothing remains, but that I kindle the boy thither, which now I'll go about.

[Exit, R.

SCENE III.-A Lawn before the Duke's Palace.

Enter ROSALIND and CELIA, R.

Cel. (R.) I pray thee, Rosalind, sweet my coz, be merry.

Ros. (L. c.) Dear Celia, I show more mirth than am mistress of; and would you yet I were merrier? Unless you could teach me to forget a banished father, you must not learn me how to remember any extraordinary pleasure.

Cel. (R. C.) Herein, I see, thou lov'st me not with the full weight that I love thee. If my uncle, thy banished father, had banished thy uncle, the Duke, my father, so thou hadst been still with me, I could have taught my love to take thy father for mine; so wouldst thou, if the truth of thy love to me were so righteously tempered as mine is to thee.

Ros. Well, I will forget the condition of my estate, to rejoice in yours.

Cel. You know, my father hath no child but I, nor none is like to have; and, truly, when he dies, thou shalt be his heir: for what he hath taken away from thy father per force, I will render thee again in affection; by mine honour, I will; and, when I break that oath, let me turn monster: therefore, my sweet Rose, my dear Rose, be merry.

Ros. From henceforth I will, coz, and devise sports; let me see; what think you of falling in love?

B