A&. IV. not, I will never have her, unless thou intreat for her. If you be a true lover, hence, and not a word; for here comes more company. [Exit Syl.

SCENE VI. Enter Oliver.

Oli. Good morrow, fair ones: pray you, if you Where, in the purlews of this forest, stands [know, A fheep-cote fenc'd about with olive-trees?

Gel. Weft of this place, down in the neighbour bot-
The rank of ofiers, by the murmuring ftream, [tom,
Left on your right-hand, brings you to the place;
But at this hour the houfe doth keep itself,
There's none within.

Oli. If that an eye may profit by a tongue,
Then should I know you by defcription,
Such garments, and fuch years: the boy is fair,
Of female favour, and beftows himself
Like a ripe fifter: but the woman low,
And browner than her brother. Are not you
The owner of the house I did enquire for?

Gel. It is no boast, being afk'd, to fay, we are.
Oli. Orlando doth commend him to you both,
And to that youth he calls his Rofalind,
He fends his bloody napkin. Are you he?

Rof. I am; what must we understand by this?
Oli. Some of my thame, if you will know of me
What man I am, and how, and why, and where
This handkerchief was ftain'd.

Cel. I pray you, tell it.

Oli. When laft the young Orlando parted from you, He left a promise to return again

Within an hour; and pacing through the foreft,
Chewing the food of fweet and bitter fancy,
Lo, what befel! he threw his eyes afide,
And mark what object did prefent itself.

• Under an oak, whofe boughs were mofs'd with age, And high top bald with dry antiquity;

A wretched ragged man, o'ergrown with hair,

Lay fleeping on his back; about his neck

A green and gilded fnake had wreath'd itself,
Who with her head, nimble in threats, approach'd
The opening of his mouth; but fuddenly

Seeing Orlando, it unlink'd itself,

And with indented glides did slip away • Into a bufh; under which bufh's fhade A lionefs, with udders all drawn dry,

Lay couching head on ground, with cat-like watch
When that the fleeping man fhould ftir; for 'tis
The royal difpofition of that beast,

To prey on nothing that doth feem as dead :'
This feen, Orlando did approach the man,

And found it was his brother, his eldest brother.

Cel. O, I have heard him speak of that fame brother,

And he did render him the most unnatural

That liv'd 'mongst men.

Oli. And well he might fo do;

For, well I know, he was unnatural.

Rof. But, to Orlando; did he leave him there,

Food to the fuck'd and hungry lionefs?

Oli. Twice did he turn his back, and purpos'd fo: But kindness, nobler ever than revenge,

And nature ftronger than his juft occafion,

Made him give battle to the lioness,

Who quickly fell before him; in which hurtling,
From miferable flumber I awak'd.

Cel. Are you his brother?

Rof. Was it you he rescu'd ?

Cel. Was it you that did fo oft contrive to kill him? Oli. 'Twas I; but 'tis not I; I do not fhame

To tell you what I was, fince my converfion

So fweetly taftes, being the thing I am.
Rof. But for the bloody napkin?

Oli. By, and by.

When from the first to laft, betwixt us two,
Tears our recountments had most kindly bath'd,
As how I came into that defart place;
In brief, he led me to the gentle Duke,
Who gave me fresh array and entertainment,
(ommitting me unto my brother's love;
Who led me inftantly unto his cave,

There ftrip dimfelf, and here upon his arm

The lionefs had torn fome flesh away,

Which all this while had bled; and now he fainted,

And cry'd, in fainting, upon Rolind.

Brief, I recover'd him; bound up his wound;
And, after fome fmall space, being strong at heart,
He fent me hither, ftranger as I am,

To tell this ftory, that you might excufe
His broken promife; and to give this napkin,
Dy'd in his blood, unto the fhepherd youth,
That he in fport doth call his Rofalind.

Cel. Why, how now Ganymede, sweet, Ganymede ?
[Rof. faints.
Oli. Many will fwoon when they do look on blood.
Cel. There is more in it :-Cousin Ganymede!
Oli. Look, he recovers.

Rof. 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.

Rof. I do fo, I confefs 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 teftimony in your complexion, that it was a paffion of earneft.

Rof. Counterfeit, I affure you.

Oli. Well then, take a good heart, and counterfeit to be a man.

Rof. So I do: but, i' faith, I should have been a woman by right.

Gel. Come, you look paler and paler; pray you, draw homewards; good Sir, go with us.

Oli. That will I; for I must bear anfwer back, How you excufe my brother, Rofalind.

Rof. I fhall devife fomething; but, I pray you, commmend my counterfeiting to him. Will you go? [Exeunt.

Enter Clown and Audrey.

E fhall find a time, Audrey; patience, gentle Audrey.

Aud. Faith, the priest was good enough, for all the old gentleman's faying.

Clo. A most wicked Sir Oliver, Audrey; a moft vile Mar-text! but, Audrey, there is a youth here in the foreft lays claim to you.

Aud. Ay, I know who 'tis, he hath no intereft in me in the world; here comes the man you mean.

Enter William.

Clo. It is meat and drink to me to fee a clown; by my troth, we that have good wits, have much to answer for: we fhall be flouting; we cannot hold.

Will. Good ev’n, Audrey.

Aud. God ye good ev'n, William.

Will. And good ev'n to you, Sir.

Clo. Good ev'n, gentle friend. Cover thy head, cover thy head; nay, pr'ythee be cover'd. How old are you, friend?

Will. Five and twenty, Sir.

Clo. A ripe age. Is thy name William ?

Will. William, Sir.

Clo. A fair name. Waft born i' th' foreft here ?

Will. Ay, Sir, I thank God.

Clo. Thank God: a good answer. Art rich?

Will. 'Faith, Sir, fo, so.

Clo. So, fo, is good, very good, very excellent good and yet it is not; it is but fo fo. Art thou wife?

Will. Ay, Sir, I have a pretty wit.

Clo. Why, thou fay'ft well: I do now remember a faying, The fool doth think he is wife, but the wife man knows himself to be a fool, The Heathen philofopher, when he had a defire 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.

Clo. Give me your hand. Art thou learned?

Will. No, Sir.

Clo. Then learn this of me; to have, is to have. For it is a figure in rhetoric, that drink being poured out of a cup into a glafs, by filling the one doth empty the cVOL. II.

A a

ther. For all your writers do confent, that ipfe is he : now you are not ipfe; for I am he.

Will. Which he, Sir?

or

Clo. He, Sir, that muft marry this woman ; therefore you, Clown, abandon, which is in the vulgar, leave the fociety, which in the boorish, is company, of this female; which in the common, is woman; which together is, abandon the fociety of this female : Clown, thou perifheft; or, to thy better understanding, dieft; or, to wit, I kill thee, make thee away, tranflate thy life into death, thy liberty into bondage; I will deal in poifon with thee, or in baftinado, or in fteel; I will bandy with thee in faction; I will over-run thee with policy; I will kill thee a hundred and fifty ways; therefore tremble and depart.

Aud. Do, good William.

Will. God reft you merry, Sir.

Enter Corin.

[Exit.

Cor. Our mafter and mistress feek you; come away,

away.

Clo. Trip, Audrey; trip, Audrey; I attend, I attend.

SCENE

II.

[Exeunt.

Enter Orlando and Oliver.

Orla. Is't poflible, that on fo little acquaintance you fhould like her? that, but feeing, you should love her? and loving, woo? and wooing, fhe fhould grant? and will you perfevere to enjoy her ?

Oli. Neither call the giddinefs of it in queftion, the poverty of her, the fmall acquaintance, my fudder wooing, nor her fudden confenting; but fay with me, I love Aliena; fay with her, that she loves me; confent with both, that we may enjoy each other; it shall be to your good; for my father's houfe, and all the revenue that was old Sir Rowland's, will I eftate upon you, and here live and die a fhepherd.

Enter Rofalind.

Orla. You have my confent. 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 Rofalind,