Cel. I warrant you, with pure love, and troubled brain, he hath ta'en his bow and arrows, and is gone forth -to sleep: Look, who comes here? Enter SILVIUS. Sil. My errand is to you, fair youth ; My gentle Phebe bid me give you this: [Giving a letter. By the stern brow, and waspish action I am but as a guiltless messenger. Ros. Patience herself would startle at this letter, Why writes she to me?-Well, shepherd, well, Sil. No, I protest, I know not the contents; Ros. Come, come, you are a fool, And turn'd into the extremity of love. I saw her hand she has a leathern hand, A freestone-colour'd hand; I verily did think That her old gloves were on, but 'twas her hands ; This is a man's invention, and his hand. Sil. Sure, it is hers. Ros. Why, 'tis a boisterous and cruel style, Than in their countenance :-Will you hear the letter? Yet heard too much of Phebe's cruelty. Ros. She Phebes me : Mark how the tyrant writes. [Reads.] Art thou god to shepherd turn'd, That a maiden's heart hath burn'd?---- Can a woman rail thus ?. Sil. Call you this railing? Ros. Why, thy godhead laid apart, Warr'st thou with a woman's heart? Did you ever hear such railing ?— Meaning me a beast.— If the scorn of your bright eyne And then I'll study how to die. Sil. Call you this chiding? Cel. Alas, poor shepherd! Ros. Do you pity him? no, he deserves no pity.Wilt thou love such a woman?-What, to make thee an instrument, and play false strains upon thee ! not to be endured !—Well, go your way to her, (for I see, love hath made thee a tame snake, 6) and say this to her ;-That if she love me, I charge her to love thee: if she will not, I will never have her, unless thou entreat for her. If you be a true lover, hence, and not a word; for here comes more company. [Exit SILVIUS. Enter OLIVER. Oli. Good-morrow, fair ones: Pray you, if you know, Where, in the purlieus of this forest, stands A sheep-cote, fenc'd about with olive-trees? Cel. West of this place, down in the neighbour bottom, The rank of osiers, by the murmuring stream, Left on your right hand, brings you to the place : [5] Vengeance is used for mischief. JOHNSON. [6] This term was, in our author's time, frequently used to express a poor contemptible fellow. MALONE. But at this hour the house doth keep itself," Oli. If that an eye doth profit by a tongue, Cel. It is no boast, being ask'd, to say, we are. Ros. I am: What must we understand by this? Cel. I pray you, tell it. Oli. When last the young Orlando parted from you, He left a promise to return again Within an hour; and, pacing through the forest, Lo, what befel! he threw his eye aside, A wretched ragged man, o'ergrown with hair, Lay sleeping on his back: about his neck A green and gilded snake had wreath'd itself, Who with her head, nimble in threats, approach'd Seeing Orlando, it unlink'd itself, And with indented glides did slip away A lioness, with udders all drawn dry, Lay couching, head on ground, with cat-like watch, To prey on nothing that doth seem as dead: This seen, Orlando did approach the man, And found it was his brother, his elder brother. Cel. O, I have heard him speak of that same brother; [7] i. e. passing by the rank of osiers, and leaving them on your right hand, you will reach the place. MAL. And he did render him the most unnatural That liv'd 'mongst men. 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, Who quickly fell before him; in which hurtling," Cel. Are you his brother? Ros. Was it you he rescu❜d? Cel. Was't you that did so oft contrive to kill him? Oli. 'Twas I; but 'tis not I: I do not shame To tell you what I was, since my conversion So sweetly tastes, being the thing I am. Ros. But, for the bloody napkin ? Oli. By, and by. When from the first to last, betwixt us two, 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; And, after some small space, being strong at heart, To tell this story, that you might excuse His broken promise, and to give this napkin, Cel. Why, how now, Ganymede ?—sweet Ganymede ? [ROSALIND faints. Oli. Many will swoon when they do look on blood. [8] To hurtle is to move with impetuosity and tumult. So, in Spenser's Fairy Queen, Book I. c. viii. Game hurtling in fall fierce, and forc'd the knight retire." STEEV. Cel. There is more in it :-Cousin-Ganymede !9 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? Oli. Be of good cheer, youth:-You a man?—you lack a man's heart. 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? [Exe. ACT V. SCENE I-The same. Enter TOUCHSTONE and AUDREY. Touchstone. 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. 1 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. [9] Celia, in her first fright, forgets Rosalind's character and disguise, and calls out cousin, then recollects herself, and says, Ganymede. JOHNSON. 14* VOL. II. |