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  • Title: As You Like It (Folio 1, 1623)
  • Editor: David Bevington

    • ISBN: 978-1-55058-369-4

    Copyright David Bevington. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Editor: David Bevington
    Peer Reviewed

    As You Like It (Folio 1, 1623)

    197
    As yoa like it.
    against whom I know mosl faults.
    Iaq. The worst fault you haue, is to be in loue.
    1475Orl. 'Tis a fault I will not change, for your best ver-
    tue: I am wearie of you.
    Iaq. By my troth, I was seeking for a Foole, when I
    found you.
    Orl. He is drown'd in the brooke, looke but in, and
    1480you shall see him.
    Iaq. There I shal see mine owne figure.
    Orl. Which I take to be either a foole, or a Cipher.
    Iaq. Ile tarrie no longer with you, farewell good sig-
    nior Loue.
    1485Orl. I am glad of your departure: Adieu good Mon-
    sieur Melancholly.
    Ros. I wil speake to him like a sawcie Lacky. and vn-
    der that habit play the knaue with him, do you hear For-(rester.
    Orl. Verie wel, what would you?
    1490Ros. I pray you, what i'st a clocke?
    Orl. You should aske me what time o'day: there's no
    clocke in the Forrest.
    Ros. Then there is no true Louer in the Forrest, else
    sighing euerie minute, and groaning euerie houre wold
    1495detect the lazie foot of time, as wel as a clocke.
    Orl. And why not the swift foote of time? Had not
    that bin as proper?
    Ros. By no meanes sir; Time trauels in diuers paces,
    with diuers persons: Ile tel you who Time ambles with-
    1500all, who Time trots withal, who Time gallops withal,
    and who he stands stil withall.
    Orl. I prethee, who doth he trot withal?
    Ros. Marry he trots hard with a yong maid, between
    the contract of her marriage, and the day it is solemnizd:
    1505if the interim be but a sennight, Times pace is so hard,
    that it seemes the length of seuen yeare.
    Orl. Who ambles Time withal?
    Ros. With a Priest that lacks Latine, and a rich man
    that hath not the Gowt : for the one sleepes easily be-
    1510cause he cannot study, and the other liues merrily, be-
    cause he feeles no paine: the one lacking the burthen of
    leane and wasteful Learning; the other knowing no bur-
    then of heauie tedious penurie. These Time ambles
    withal.
    1515Orl. Who doth he gallop withal?
    Ros. With a theefe to the gallowes : for though hee
    go as softly as foot can fall, he thinkes himselfe too soon
    there.
    Orl. Who staies it stil withal?
    1520Ros. With Lawiers in the vacation: for they sleepe
    betweene Terme and Terme, and then they perceiue not
    how time moues.
    Orl. Where dwel you prettie youth?
    Ros. With this Shepheardesse my sister : heere in the
    1525skirts of the Forrest, like fringe vpon a petticoat.
    Orl. Are you natiue of this place?
    Ros. As the Conie that you see dwell where shee is
    kindled.
    Orl. Your accent is something finer, then you could
    1530purchase in so remoued a dwelling.
    Ros. I haue bin told so of many: but indeed, an olde
    religious Vnckle of mine taught me to speake, who was
    in his youth an inland man, one that knew Courtship too
    well: for there he fel in loue. I haue heard him read ma-
    1535ny Lectors against it, and I thanke God, I am not a Wo-
    man to be touch'd with so many giddie offences as hee
    hath generally tax'd their whole sex withal.
    Orl. Can you remember any of the principall euils,

    that he laid to the charge of women?
    1540Ros. There were none principal, they were all like
    one another, as halfe pence are, euerie one fault seeming
    monstrous, til his fellow-fault came to match it.
    Orl. I prethee recount some of them.
    Ros. No: I wil not cast away my physick, but on those
    1545that are sicke. There is a man haunts the Forrest, that a-
    buses our yong plants with caruing Rosalinde on their
    barkes; hangs Oades vpon Hauthornes, and Elegies on
    brambles; all (forsooth) defying the name of Rosalinde.
    If I could meet that Fancie-monger, I would giue him
    1550some good counsel, for he seemes to haue the Quotidian
    of Loue vpon him.
    Orl. I am he that is so Loue-shak'd, I pray you tel
    me your remedie.
    Ros. There is none of my Vnckles markes vpon you:
    1555he taught me how to know a man in loue: in which cage
    of rushes, I am sure you art not prisoner.
    Orl. What were his markes?
    Ros. A leane cheeke, which you haue not: a blew eie
    and sunken, which you haue not: an vnquestionable spi-
    1560rit, which you haue not: a beard neglected, which you
    haue not: (but I pardon you for that, for simply your ha-
    uing in beard, is a yonger brothers reuennew) then your
    hose should be vngarter'd, your bonnet vnbanded, your
    sleeue vnbutton'd, your shoo vnti'de, and euerie thing
    1565about you, demonstrating a carelesse desolation: but you
    are no such man; you are rather point deuice in your ac-
    coustrements, as louing your selfe, then seeming the Lo-
    uer of any other.
    Orl. Faire youth, I would I could make thee beleeue (I Loue.
    1570Ros. Me beleeue it? You may assoone make her that
    you Loue beleeue it, which I warrant she is apter to do,
    then to confesse she do's: that is one of the points, in the
    which women stil giue the lie to their consciences. But
    in good sooth, are you he that hangs the verses on the
    1575Trees, wherein Rosalind is so admired?
    Orl. I sweare to thee youth, by the white hand of
    Rosalind, I am that he, that vnfortunate he.
    Ros. But are you so much in loue, as your rimes speak?
    Orl. Neither rime nor reason can expresse how much.
    1580Ros: Loue is meerely a madnesse, and I tel you, de-
    serues as wel a darke house, and a whip, as madmen do:
    and the reason why they are not so punish'd and cured, is
    that the Lunacie is so ordinarie, that the whippers are in
    loue too: yet I professe curing it by counsel.
    1585Orl. Did you euer cure any so?
    Ros. Yes one, and in this manner. Hee was to ima-
    gine me his Loue, his Mistris: and I set him euerie day
    to woe me. At which time would I, being but a moonish
    youth, greeue, be effeminate, changeable, longing, and
    1590liking, proud, fantastical, apish, shallow, inconstant, ful
    of teares, full of smiles; for euerie passion something, and
    for no passion truly any thing, as boyes and women are
    for the most part, cattle of this colour: would now like
    him, now loath him: then entertaine him, then forswear
    1595him: now weepe for him, then spit at him; that I draue
    my Sutor from his mad humor of loue, to a liuing humor
    of madnes, w^c was to forsweare the ful stream of y^e world,
    and to liue in a nooke meerly Monastick: and thus I cur'd
    him, and this way wil I take vpon mee to wash your Li-
    1600uer as cleane as a sound sheepes heart, that there shal not
    be one spot of Loue in't.
    Orl. I would not be cured, youth.
    Ros. I would cure you, if you would but call me Rosa-
    lind, and come euerie day to my Coat, and woe me.
    Orl.
    R 3
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