Within an hour; and, pacing through the forest, A wretched ragged man, o'ergrown with hair, A green and gilded snake had wreath'd itself, And with indented glides did slip away Lay couching, head on ground, with catlike watch, Το prey on nothing that doth seem as dead: And found it was his brother, his elder brother. ther; And he did render + him the most unnatural, Oli. And well he might so do, For well I know he was unnatural. Ros. But, to Orlando ;-Did he leave him there, Food to the suck'd and hungry lioness? Oli. Twice did he turn his back, and purpos'd so: But kindness, nobler ever than revenge, And nature, stronger than his just occasion, Made him give battle to the lioness, Who quickly fell before him; in which hurtling * From miserable slumber I awak'd. Cel. Are you his brother? Was it you he rescu'd? Ros. To tell you what I was, since my conversion Oli. There stripp'd himself, and here upon his arm Which all this while had bled; and now he fainted, And cry'd, in fainting, upon Rosalind. Brief, I recover'd him; bound up his wound; To tell this story, that you might excuse That he in sport doth call his Rosalind. mede ? Cel. Why, how now, Ganymede? sweet Gany[Rosalind faints. Oli. Many will swoon when they do look on blood. Cel. There is more in it :-Cousin-Ganymede! Oli. Look, he recovers. Ros. I would I were at home. Cel. We'll lead you thither : I pray you, will you take him by the arm? Ros. I do so, I confess it. Ah, sir, a body would think this was well counterfeited: I pray you tell your brother how well I counterfeited.-Heigh ho! Oli. This was not counterfeit; there is too great testimony in your complexion, that it was a passion of earnest. Ros. Counterfeit, I assure you. Oli. Well then, take a good heart, and counterfeit to be a man. Ros. So I do: but, i'faith I should have been a woman by right. Cel. Come, you look paler and paler; pray you, draw homewards :-Good sir, go with us. Oli. That will I, for I must bear answer back how you excuse my brother, Rosalind. Ros. I shall devise something: But, I pray you, commend my counterfeiting to him :-Will you go? [Exeunt. ACT V. SCENE I. The same. Enter Touchstone and Audrey. Touch. We shall find a time, Audrey; patience, gentle Audrey. Aud. 'Faith, the priest was good enough, for all the old gentleman's saying. Touch. A most wicked sir Oliver, Audrey, a most vile Mar-text. But, Audrey, there is a youth here in the forest lays claim to you. Aud. Ay, I know who 'tis, he hath no interest in me in the world: here comes the man you mean. Enter William. Touch. It is meat and drink to me, to see a clown: By my troth, we that have good wits, have much to answer for; we shall be flouting; we cannot hold. Will. Good even, Audrey. Aud. God ye good even, William. Touch. Good even, gentle friend: Cover thy head, cover thy head; nay, pr'ythee, be covered. How old are you, friend? Will. Five and twenty, sir. Touch. A ripe age; Is thy name William ? Touch. A fair name; Wast born i'the forest here? Touch. Thank God ;-a good answer: Art rich? Touch, So, so, is good, very good, very excellent good:-and yet it is not; it is but so so. wise? Will. Ay, sir, I have a pretty wit. Art thou Touch. Why, thou say'st well. I do now remember a saying; The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. The heathen philosopher, when he had a desire to eat a grape, would open his lips when he put it into his mouth; meaning thereby, that grapes were made to eat, and lips to open. You do love this maid? Will. I do, sir. Touch. Give me your hand: Art thou learned ? Touch. Then learn this of me; To have, is to have: For it is a figure in rhetorick, that drink being poured out of a cup into a glass, by filling the one doth empty the other: For all your writers do consent, that ipse is he; now you are not ipse, for I am he. Will. Which he, sir? Touch. He, sir, that must marry this woman : Therefore, you clown, abandon,-which is in the vulgar, leave, the society, which in the boorish is, company, of this female,-which in the common is, -woman, which together is, abandon the society of this female; or, clown, thou perishest; or, to thy better understanding, diest; to wit, I kill thee, make thee away, translate thy life into death, thy liberty into bondage: I will deal in poison with thee, or in bastinado, or in steel; I will bandy with thee in faction; I will o'er-run thee with policy; I will kill thee a hundred and fifty ways; therefore, tremble, and depart. Aud. Do, good William. Will. God rest you merry, sir. Enter Corin. [Exit. Cor. Our master and mistress seek you; come, away, away. Touch. Trip, Audrey, trip, Audrey ;-I attend, I attend. [Exeunt. SCENE II. The same. Enter Orlando and Oliver. Orl. Is't possible, that on so little acquaintance you should like her? that, but seeing, you should love her? and, loving, woo? and, wooing, she should grant? and will you perséver to enjoy her? Oli. Neither call the giddiness of it in question, the poverty of her, the small acquaintance, my sudden wooing, nor her sudden consenting; but say with me, I love Aliena; say with her, that she loves me; consent with both, that we may enjoy each other: it shall be to your good; for my father's house, and all the revenue that was old sir Rowland's, will I estate upon you, and here live and die a shepherd. Enter Rosalind. Orl. You have my consent. Let your wedding be to-morrow: thither will I invite the duke, and all his contented followers: Go you, and prepare Aliena; for, look you, here comes my Rosalind. Ros. God save you, brother. Oli. And you, fair sister. Ros. O, my dear Orlando, how it grieves me to see thee wear thy heart in a scarf! Orl. It is my arm. |