Cel. It is no boaft, 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 this bloody napkin. Are you he?

Rof. I am; what must we understand by this?

Oli. Some of my Shame, 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 promife to return again

Within an hour; and pacing through the foreft,
Chewing the food of sweet and bitter fancy,
Lo, what befel! he threw his eye

afide, And mark what object did present itself.

Under an oak, whofe boughs were mofs'd with age,
And high top bald with dry antiquity;
A wretched ragged man, o'er-grown 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 itfelf,

And with indented glides did flip away
Into a bush; under which bufh's fhade
A Lioness, 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 beaft

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.

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 battel to the lionefs,

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

Cel. Are you his brother?

Rof. Was it you he refcu'd?

Cel. Was it you that did so 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.. Ref. But, for the bloody napkin ?—

Oli. By, and by.

When from the firft to laft, betwixt us two,
Tears our recountments had moft 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,
Committing me unto my brother's love;
Who led me inftantly unto his cave,

There ftrip'd himself, 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 Rofalind.

Brief, I recover'd him; bound up his wound;

And, after some small space, being strong at heart,
He fent me hither, ftranger as I am,

To tell this ftory, that you might excuse
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 Ganimed, Sweet, Ganimed?
[Rof. faints.
Oli. Many will fwoon, when they do look on blood.
hurtling. Skirmishing. Mr. Pope.

Cel.

I

Cel. There is more in it :-coufin Ganimed!

Oli. Look, he recovers.

Rof. Would, I were at home!

Cel. We'll lead you thither.

pray you, will you

take him by the arm? Oli. Be of good cher, 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 earnest.

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 fhould 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 muft bear answer back, How you excufe my brother, Rofalind.

Rof. I fhall devife fomething; but, I pray you commend my counterfeiting to him: will you go? [Exeunt.

ACT V.

SCENE I.

The FOREST.

Enter Clown and Audrey.

CLOWN.

E fhall find a time, Audrey; patience, gentle

WE WR Audrey.

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

Clo. A moft wicked Sir Oliver, Audrey; a most

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 shall 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, so, 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 Saying; 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 glass, by filling the one doth

empty

empty the other. For all your writers do consent, that ipfe is he now you are not ipfe; for I am he. Will. Which he, Sir?

Clo. He, Sir, that must 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; or Clown, thou perifheft; or, to thy better underftanding, 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 bastinado, 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.

Orla.

I

SCENE II.

Enter Orlando and Oliver.

[Exeunt.

S'T poffible, that on fo little acquaintance fhould like her? that, but feeing, you you fhould love her? and loving, woo? and wooing, the should 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 fudden wooing, nor her fudden confenting; but fay with me, I love Aliena; fay with her, that she loves me; con fent with both, that we may enjoy each other; it fhal

b