ACT I. SCENE I.

An Orchard, near Oliver's House.

Enter ORLANDO and ADAM:

Orl. As I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion bequeathed me: By will, but a poor thousand crowns: andy as thou fay'ft, charged my brother on his bieffing, to breed me well :2 and there begins my sadness. My brother Jaques

he

2 The grammar, as well as fenfe, fuffers cruelly by this reading. There are two nominatives to the verb bequeatbed, and not fo much as one to the verb charged and yet, to the nominative there wanted, [bis bleffing] refers. So that the whole fentence is confufed and obfcure. A very small alteration in the reading and pointing fets all right.-As I remember, Adam, it was upon this my father bequeathed me, &c. The grammar is now rectified, and the fenfe alfo; which is this. Orlando and Adam were difcourfing together on the caufe why the younger bro ther had but a thousand crowns left him. They agree upon it; and'Or. lando opens the fcene in this manner, As I remember, it was upon this, ï. e. for the reafon we have been talking of, that my father left me but a thoufand crowns; however, to make amends for this fcanty provifion, he charged my brother on his bleffing to breed me well. WARBURTON.

There is, in my opinion, nothing but a point mifplaced, and an omif fion of a word which every hearer can fupply, and which therefore an abrupt and eager dialogue naturally excludes.

I read thus: As I remember, Adam, it was on this fashion bequeathed me. By wil, but a poor thousand crowns; and, as thou fayeft, charged my brother, on bis bleffing, to breed me well. What is there in this difficult or obfcure? The nominative my father is certainly left out, but fo left out that the auditor inferts it, in fpite of himself. JOHNSON.

it was on this fafbion bequeathed me, as Dr. Johnfon reads, is but aukward English. I would read: As I remember, Alam, it was on this fashion. He bequeathed me by will, &c. Orlando and Adam entr abruptly in the midst of a converfation on this topick; and Orlando is correcting fome mifapprehenfion of the other. As I remember (fays he) it was thus. He left me a thoufand crowns; and, as thou fayeft, charged my brother, &c, BLACKSTONE.

he keeps at school, and report fpeaks goldenly of his profit: for my part, he keeps me rustically at home, or, to speak more properly, ftays me here at home unkept :3 For call you that keeping for a gentleman of my birth, that differs not from the stalling of an ox? His horfes are bred better; for, befides 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. Befides this nothing that he fo plentifully gives me, the fomething that nature gave me, his countenance feems to take from me :4 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 education. This is it, Adam, that grieves me; and the spirit of my father, which I think is within me, begins to mutiny against this fervitude: I will no longer endure it, though yet I know no wife remedy how to avoid it.

Enter OLIVER.

Adam. Yonder comes my mafter, your brother.

Orl. Go apart, Adam, and thou fhalt hear how he will Shake me up.

Oli. Now, fir! what make you here ?5

Orl. Nothing: I am not taught to make any thing.
Qli. What mar you then, fir?

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

Oli.

Omiffion being of all the errors of the prefs the most common, I have adopted the emendation proposed by Sir W. Blackstone. MALONE. Being fatisfied with Dr. Johnson's explanation of the paffage as it stands in the old copy, I have followed it. STEEVENS.

3 We fhould read fys, i. e. keeps me like a brute. The following words for call you that keeping-that differs not from the falling of an ox? confirms this emendation. WARBURTON.

Sties is better than fays, and more likely to be Shakspeare's.

JOHNSON

4 We fhould certainly read-bis discountenance. WARBURTON. There is no need of change; a countenance is either good or bad. 5 i. c. what do you here? STIEVENS,

JOHNSON

Oli. Marry, fir, be better employ'd, and be naught awhile."

Orl. Shall I keep your hogs, and eat husks with them? What prodigal portion have I spent, that I fhould come to fuch penury.

Oli. Know you where you are, fir?

Orl. O, fir, very well: here in your orchard.

Oli. Know you before whom, fir?

Orl. Ay, better than he I am before knows me. I know, you are my eldest brother; and, in the gentle condition of blood, you should fo know me: The courtesy of nations allows you my better, in that you are the firft-born; but the fame tradition takes not away my blood, were there twenty brothers betwixt us: I have as much of my father in me, as

:

you ;

be better employ'd, and be naught a while.] Mr. Theobald has here a very critical note; which, though his modefty fuffered him to withdraw it from his fecond edition, deferves to be perpetuated, i. e. (fays he) be better employed, in my opinion, in being and doing nothing. Your idleness, as you call it, may be an exercife by which you make a figure, and endear your felf to the world and I bad rather you were a contemptible cypher. The poet feems to me to bave that trite proverbial fentiment in bis eye, quoted from Attilius, by the younger Pliny and others; fatius eft otiofum effe quam nihil agere. But Oliver, in the perverfeness of bis difpofition, would reverse the doctrine of the proverb. Does the reader know what all this means? But 'tis no matter. I will affure him be nought arvbile is only a north-country proverbial curse equivalent to, a mischief on you.

WARBURTON.

If be nought awbile has the fignification here given it, the reading may certainly stand; but till I learned its meaning from this note, I read ; Be better employed, and be naught awhile.

In the fame fenfe as we fay,-It is better to do mischief, than to do nothing. JOHNSON.

Notwithstanding Dr. Warburton's far-fetched explanation, I believe that the words be naught awhile, mean no more than this: "Be content to be a cypher, till I fhall think fit to elevate you into confequence." This was certainly a proverbial saying. STEEVENS.

Naught and nought are frequently confounded in old English books.

MALONE.

Malone fays that nought (meaning nothing) was formerly fpelled with an a, naught; which is clearly the manner in which it ought ftill to be spelled, as the word aught (any thing) from whence it is derived, is fpelled fo. M. MASON.

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you; albeit, I confefs, your coming before me is nearer to his reverence ?1

Oli. What, boy?

Orl. Come, come, elder brother, you are too young in this.

Oli. Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain ?

Orl. I am no villain: I am the youngest fon of Sir Rowland de Bois; he was my father; and he is 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 hast railed on thyfelf.

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

Oli. Let me go, Lfay.

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 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 exercifes as may become a gentleman, or give me the poor allottery my father left me by tefta ment; with that I will go buy my fortunes.

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

Orl.

This is fenfe indeed, and may be thus understood.-The reverence due to my father is, in fome degree, derived to you, as the first born. But I am perfuaded that Orlando did not here mean to compliment his brother, or condemn himself; fomething of both which there is in that fenfe. I rather think he intended a fatirical reflection on his brother, who by letting him feed with his binds, treated him as one not fo nearly related to old Sir Rowland as himself was. I imagine therefore Shakspeare might write,--Albeit your coming before me is nearer bis revenue, i. e. though you are no nearer in blood, yet it must be owned, indeed, you are nearer in eftate. WARBURTON.

This, I apprehend, refers to the courtesy of diftinguishing the elde fon of a knight, by the title of efquire. HENLEY.

8 The word villain is ufed by the elder brother, in its prefent meaning for a worthless, wicked, or bloody man; by Orlando in its original fignificantion for a fellow of base extration. JOHNSON.

Orl. 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? Moft true, I have loft my teeth in your fervice. God be with my old master! he would not have spoke such a word.

[Exeunt ORLANDO and ADAM. Oli. Is it even fo? begin you to grow upon me? I will phyfick your ranknefs, and yet give no thoufand crowns neither. Hola, Dennis!

Enter DENNIS.

Dez. Calls your worship?

Oli, Was not Charles, the duke's wrestler, here to fpeak with me?

Den. So pleafe you, he is here at the door, and importunes accefs 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, fir, but the old news: that is, the old duke is banished by his younger brother the new duke; and three or four loving lords have put themfelves into voluntary exile with him, whofe lands and reve nues enrich the new duke; therefore he gives them good leave to wander.

Oli. Can you tell, if Rofalind, the duke's daughter,' be banifhed with her father.

Cha.

As often as this phrafe occurs, it means a ready affent. STEEVENS. 2 →→→tke duke's daughter,] i. e. the banished duke's daughter.

MALONE. The author of The Revifal is of opinion, that the subsequent words,ber coufin, fufficiently diftinguish the perfon intended. STEEVENS,