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- Edition: As You Like It
As You Like It (Modern)
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702[2.3]
703Enter Orlando and Adam,[ meeting].
704Orlando
Who's there?
705Adam
What, my young master? Oh, my gentle master!
706Oh, my sweet master, oh, you memory
707Of old Sir Rowland! Why, what make you here?
708Why are you virtuous? Why do people love you?
709And wherefore are you gentle, strong, and valiant?
710Why would you be so fond to overcome
711The bonny prizer of the humorous Duke?
712Your praise is come too swiftly home before you.
713Know you not, master, to some kind of men
714Their graces serve them but as enemies?
715No more do yours. Your virtues, gentle master,
716Are sanctified and holy traitors to you.
717Oh, what a world is this, when what is comely
718Envenoms him that bears it!
719Orlando
Why, what's the matter?
720Adam
O unhappy youth,
721Come not within these doors! Within this roof
722The enemy of all your graces lives.
723Your brother -- no, no brother; yet the son --
724Yet not the son; I will not call him son
725Of him I was about to call his father --
726Hath heard your praises, and this night he means
727To burn the lodging where you use to lie,
728And you within it. If he fail of that,
729He will have other means to cut you off.
730I overheard him and his practices.
731This is no place; this house is but a butchery.
732Abhor it, fear it, do not enter it.
733Orlando
Why, whither, Adam, wouldst thou have me go?
734Adam
No matter whither, so you come not here.
735Orlando
What, wouldst thou have me go and beg my food,
736Or with a base and boist'rous sword enforce
737A thievish living on the common road?
738This I must do, or know not what to do;
739Yet this I will not do, do how I can.
740I rather will subject me to the malice
741Of a diverted blood and bloody brother.
742Adam
But do not so. I have five hundred crowns,
743The thrifty hire I saved under your father,
744Which I did store to be my foster nurse
745When service should in my old limbs lie lame
746And unregarded age in corners thrown.
747Take that, and He that doth the ravens feed,
748Yea, providently caters for the sparrow,
749Be comfort to my age! Here is the gold;
[Offering money]
750All this I give you. Let me be your servant.
751Though I look old, yet I am strong and lusty,
752For in my youth I never did apply
753Hot and rebellious liquors in my blood,
754Nor did not with unbashful forehead woo
755The means of weakness and debility;
756Therefore my age is as a lusty winter,
757Frosty, but kindly. Let me go with you;
758I'll do the service of a younger man
759In all your business and necessities.
760Orlando
Oh, good old man, how well in thee appears
761The constant service of the antique world,
762When service sweat for duty, not for meed!
763Thou art not for the fashion of these times,
764Where none will sweat but for promotion,
765And having that do choke their service up
766Even with the having. It is not so with thee.
767But, poor old man, thou prun'st a rotten tree
768That cannot so much as a blossom yield
769In lieu of all thy pains and husbandry.
770But come thy ways. We'll go along together,
771And ere we have thy youthful wages spent
772We'll light upon some settled low content.
773Adam
Master, go on, and I will follow thee
774To the last gasp, with truth and loyalty.
775From seventeen years till now almost fourscore
776Here livèd I, but now live here no more.
777At seventeen years many their fortunes seek,
778But at fourscore it is too late a week;
779Yet fortune cannot recompense me better
780Than to die well and not my master's debtor.
Exeunt.