Oli. What, boy!

young in this,

[menacing with his hand. Orla. Come, come, elder brother, you are too [collaring him. Oli. Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain? Orla. I am no villain: 7 I am the youngest son of fir Rowland de Boys; 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 haft rail'd on thyself. Adam. Sweet mafters, be patient; for your father's remembrance, be at accord.

Oli. Let me go, I say.

Orla. I will not, 'till I pleafe. You fhall hear me. --My father charg'd you in his will to give me good education: you have train'd me up like a peafant, obfcuring and hiding from me all gentlemanlike qualities. The spirit 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 teftament; with that I will go buy my fortunes.

Oli. And what wilt thou do? beg, when that is fpent? 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.

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? Moft true, I have loft my teeth in your fervice. God be with my old mafter, he would not have spoke fuch a word.

[Exe. Orlando and Adam.

" I am no villain.] The word villain is ufed by the elder bro ther, in its prefent meaning, for a worthless, wicked, or bloody man; by Orlando in its original fignification, for a fellow of baje extraien. JOHNSON.

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

Enter Dennis.

Den. Calls your worship?

Oli. Was not Charles, the Duke's wreftler, 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, fir, but the old news: that is, the old Duke is banish'd by his younger brother the new Duke; and three or four loving lords have put themselves into voluntary exile with him, whose 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 ftay 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?

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

Cha.

Cha. They fay, he is already in the forest 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?

Cha. Marry, do I, fir; and I came to acquaint you with a matter. I am given, fir, fecretly to underftand, that your younger brother Orlando hath a difpofition to come in difguis'd against me to try a fall. To-morrow, fir, 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 fuch difgrace well as he fhall run into; in that it is a thing of his own search, 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 myself 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 villainous contriver against me his natural brother. Therefore use thy difcretion; I had as lief thou didst 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 himfelf 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 indi

rec

rect means or other: for, I affure thee, (and almost with tears I speak it) there is not one fo young and fo villainous this day living. I fpeak 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.

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 more. And fo, God keep your worship. [Exit.

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 forts enchantingly beloved; and, indeed, fo 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 II.

Changes to an open walk, before the Duke's palace.
Enter Rofalind and Celia.

I

Cel. Pray thee, Rofalind, fweet my coz, be merry. Rof. Dear Celia, I fhow more mirth than I am mistress of; and would you yet I were merrier? Unless you could teach me to forget a banish'd father, you must not learn me how to remember any extraordinary pleasure.

Oli. 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,

father, fo thou hadst been still with me, I could have taught my love to take thy father for mine; fo wouldft 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 shalt 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 oath, let me turn monfter. Therefore, my sweet Rose, my dear Rose, be merry.

Rof. From henceforth I will, coz, and devise sports: let me fee-What think you of falling in love?

Cel. Marry, I pry'thee, do, to make sport withal: but love no man in good earneft; nor no further in fport 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 be 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.

9 mock the good boufe-wife Fortune from her wheel,] The wheel of Fortune is not the wheel of a housewife. Shakespeare has confounded Fortune, whofe wheel only figures uncertainty and viciffitude, with the Deftiny that fpins the thread of life, though indeed not with a wheel. JOHNSON.

Shakespeare is very fond of this idea. He has the fame in Anthony and Cleopatra:

-and rail fo high,

That the false bousewife Fortune break her wheel.

STEEVENS.

Cel.