图书图片
PDF
ePub

thrice a villain, that fays, fuch a father begot villains. Wert thou not my brother, I would not take this hand from thy throat, 'till this other had pulled out thy tongue for faying fo; thou haft rail'd on thyfelf.

Adam. Sweet mafters, be patient; for your father's remembrance, be at accord.

Oli. Let me go, I say.

[ocr errors]

Orla. I will not, 'till I please. You fhall hear me. -My father charged you in his Will to give me good education; you have trained me up like a peafant, obfcuring and hiding from me all gentleman-like qualities. The fpirit of my father grows ftrong in me, and I will no longer endure it: therefore allow me fuch exercises as may become a gentleman, or give me the poor allottery my father left me by teftament; with that I will go buy my fortunes.

Oli. And what wilt thou do? beg, when that is fpent?Well, Sir, get you in.I will not long be troubled with you: you fhall have fome part of your will. I pray you, leave me.

Orla. 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 loft my teeth in your fervice. God be with my old master, he would not have spoke fuch a word.

[Exe. Orlando and Adam.

SCENE

III.

Oli. Is it even fo?-Begin you to grow upon me? -I will phyfick your ranknefs, and yet give no thousand crowns neither. Holla, Dennis!

Enter Dennis,

Den, Calls your

Worship?

B4

Oli.

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 monfieur Charles, what's the new news at the new Court?

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

Oli. Can you tell, if Rofalind, the old Duke's daughter, be banish'd with her father?

Cha. O, no; for the new Duke's daughter her coufin fo 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 lefs beloved of her uncle than his own daughter; and never two ladies loved, as they do.

Oli. Where will the old Duke live?

Cha. They fay he is already in the foreft of Arden, and a many merry men with him; and there they live like the old Robin Hood of England. They fay, many young gentlemen flock to him every day, and fleet the time carelefly, as they did in the golden world.

Oli. What, you wrestle to-morrow before the new duke?

The old Duke's daughter.] of the dialogue, are inferted The words old and new, which from Sir T, Hanmer's Edition. feem neceffary to the perfpicuity

Cha

Cha. Marry, do I, Sir; and I came to acquaint you with a matter. I am given, Sir, fecretly to underftand, that your younger brother Orlando hath a difpofition to come in difguis'd against me to try a Fall. To-morrow, Sir, I wrestle for my credit; and he, that escapes me without fome broken limb, fhall 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 come 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 fearch, and altogether against my will.

Oli. Charles, I thank thee for thy love to me, which thou shalt find I will moft kindly requite. I had myfelf notice of my brother's purpose herein, and have by under-hand means laboured to diffuade him from it; but he is refolute. I tell thee, Charles, he is the ftubborneft young fellow of France; full of ambition, an envious emulator of every man's good parts, a fecret and villanous contriver against me his natural brother. Therefore use thy discretion; I had as lief thou didft break his neck, as his finger. And thou wert best look to't; for if thou doft him any flight difgrace, or if he do not mightily grace himself on thee, he will practise against thee by poifon; entrap thee by fome treacherous device, and never leave thee, 'till he hath ta'en thy life by fome indirect means or other; for I affure thee (and almost with tears I speak it) there is not one fo young and fo villanous this day living. I fpeak but brotherly of him; but fhould I anatomize him to thee as he is, I must blush and weep, and thou muft 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 And fo, God keep your Worship.

more.

[Exit.

Oli. Fare

1

Oli. Farewel, good Charles. Now will I ftir this gamefter: I hope I fhall fee an end of him; for my foul, yet I know not why, hates nothing more than him. Yet he's gentle; never school'd, 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 beft know him, that I am altogether mifprifed. But it fhall not be fo long-this wrestler fhall clear all. Nothing remains, but that I kindle the boy thither, which now I'll go about. [Exit.

SCENE IV.

Changes to an Open Walk, before the Duke's Palace.
Enter Rofalind and Celia.

Cel.

Ref. Dear Celia, I fhow more mirth than I am mistress of; and would you yet I were merrier? Unlefs you could teach me to forget a banish'd father, you must not learn me how to remember ordinary pleasure.

any extra

Cel. Herein, I fee, thou lov'ft me not with the full weight that I love thee. If my uncle, thy banished father, had banished thy uncle, the Duke my father, fo thou hadst been ftill with me, I could have taught my love to take thy father for mine; fo wouldst thou, if the truth of thy love to me were fo righteously temper'd, as mine is to thee.

Rof. 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 fhalt be his heir; for what he hath taken away from thy father perforce, I will render thee again in affection; by mine Honour, I will-and when I break

that

that oath, let me turn monfter. Therefore, my sweet Rofe, my dear Rofe, be merry.

Rof. From henceforth I will, Coz, and devife Sports. Let me fee-What think you of falling in love?

Cel. Marry, I pr'ythee, do, to make sport withal; but love no man in good earneft; nor no further in sport neither, than with fafety of a pure blush thou may'ft in honour come off again.

Rof. What fhall be our sport then?

Cel. Let us fit and mock the good housewife Fortune from her wheel, that her gifts may henceforth be bestowed equally.

Rof. I would, we could do fo; for her benefits are mightily misplaced, and the bountiful blind woman doth most mistake in her gifts to women.

Cel. 'Tis true; for those that she makes fair, fhe fcarce makes honeft; and thofe that fhe makes honest, the makes very ill-favoured.

Rof. Nay, now thou goeft from fortune's office to nature's fortune reigns in gifts of the world, not in the lineaments of nature.

1

Enter Touchftone, a Clown.

Cel. No! when nature hath made a fair creature, may fhe not by fortune fall into the fire? Though nature hath given us wit to flout at fortune, hath not fortune fent in this Fool to cut off this argument?

Rof. Indeed, there is fortune too hard for nature; when fortune makes nature's Natural the cutter off of nature's Wit.

Cel. Peradventure, this is not fortune's work, neither, but nature's ; who, perceiving our natural wits too dull to reason of such Goddeffes, hath fent this

8 mock the good housewife Fortune from her wheel.] The wheel of fortune is not the wheel of a bouferwife. Shakespeare has confounded fortune, whofe wheel

only figures uncertainty and viciffitude, with the destiny that fpins the thread of life, though indeed not with a wheel.

Natural

« 上一页继续 »