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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)

    191
    As you like it.
    He will haue other meanes to cut you off;
    730I ouerheard him: and his practises:
    This is no place, this house is but a butcherie;
    Abhorre it, feare it, doe not enter it.
    Ad. Why whether Adam would'st thou haue me go?
    Ad. No matter whether, so you come not here.
    735Orl. What, would'st thou haue me go & beg my food,
    Or with a base and boistrous Sword enforce
    A theeuish liuing on the common rode?
    This I must do, or know not what to do:
    Yet this I will not do, do how I can,
    740I rather will subiect me to the malice
    Of a diuerted blood, and bloudie brother.
    Ad. But do not so: I haue fiue hundred Crownes,
    The thriftie hire I saued vnder your Father,
    Which I did store to be my foster Nurse,
    745When seruice should in my old limbs lie lame,
    And vnregarded age in corners throwne,
    Take that, and he that doth the Rauens feede,
    Yea prouidently caters for the Sparrow,
    Be comfort to my age: here is the gold,
    750All this I giue you, let me be your seruant,
    Though I looke old, yet I am strong and lustie;
    For in my youth I neuer did apply
    Hot, and rebellious liquors in my bloud,
    Nor did not with vnbashfull forehead woe,
    755The meanes of weaknesse and debilitie,
    Therefore my age is as a lustie winter,
    Frostie, but kindely; let me goe with you,
    Ile doe the seruice of a yonger man
    In all your businesse and necessities.
    760Orl. Oh good old man, how well in thee appeares
    The constant seruice of the antique world,
    When seruice sweate for dutie, not for meede:
    Thou art not for the fashion of these times,
    Where none will sweate, but for promotion,
    765And hauing that do choake their seruice vp,
    Euen with the hauing, it is not so with thee:
    But poore old man, thou prun'st a rotten tree,
    That cannot so much as a blossome yeelde,
    In lieu of all thy paines and husbandrie,
    770But come thy waies, weele goe along together,
    And ere we haue thy youthfull wages spent,
    Weele light vpon some setled low content.
    Ad. Master goe on, and I will follow thee
    To the last gaspe with truth and loyaltie,
    775From seauentie yeeres, till now almost fourescore
    Here liued I, but now liue here no more
    At seauenteene yeeres, many their fortunes seeke
    But at fourescore, it is too late a weeke,
    Yet fortune cannot recompence me better
    780Then to die well, and not my Masters debter. Exeunt.


    Scena Quarta.


    Enter Rosaline for Ganimed, Celia for Aliena, and
    Clowne, alias Touchstone.

    Ros. O Iupiter, how merry are my spirits?
    785Clo. I care not for my spirits, if my legges were not
    wearie.
    Ros. I could finde in my heart to disgrace my mans
    apparell, and to cry like a woman: but I must comfort
    the weaker vessell, as doublet and hose ought to show it
    790selfe coragious to petty-coate; therefore courage, good
    Aliena.
    Cel. I pray you beare with me, I cannot goe no fur-
    ther.
    Clo. For my part, I had rather beare with you, then
    795beare you: yet I should beare no crosse if I did beare
    you, for I thinke you haue no money in your purse.
    Ros. Well, this is the Forrest of Arden.
    Clo. I, now am I in Arden, the more foole I, when I
    was at home I was in a better place, but Trauellers must
    800be content.

    Enter Corin and Siluius.

    Ros. I, be so good Touchstone: Look you, who comes
    here, a yong man and an old in solemne talke.
    Cor. That is the way to make her scorne you still.
    805Sil. Oh Corin, that thou knew'st how I do loue her.
    Cor. I partly guesse: for I haue lou'd ere now.
    Sil. No Corin, being old, thou canst not guesse,
    Though in thy youth thou wast as true a louer
    As euer sigh'd vpon a midnight pillow:
    810But if thy loue were euer like to mine,
    As sure I thinke did neuer man loue so:
    How many actions most ridiculous,
    Hast thou beene drawne to by thy fantasie?
    Cor. Into a thousand that I haue forgotten.
    815Sil. Oh thou didst then neuer loue so hartily,
    If thou remembrest not the slightest folly,
    That euer loue did make thee run into,
    Thou hast not lou'd.
    Or if thou hast not sat as I doe now,
    820Wearing thy hearer in thy Mistris praise,
    Thou hast not lou'd.
    Or if thou hast not broke from companie,
    Abruptly as my passion now makes me,
    Thou hast not lou'd.
    825O Phebe, Phebe, Phebe. Exit.
    Ros. Alas poore Shepheard searching of they would,
    I haue by hard aduenture found mine owne.
    Clo. And I mine: I remember when I was in loue, I
    broke my sword vpon a stone, and bid him take that for
    830comming a night to Iane Smile, and I remember the kis-
    sing of her batler, and the Cowes dugs that her prettie
    chopt hands had milk'd; and I remember the wooing
    of a peascod instead of her, from whom I tooke two
    cods, and giuing her them againe, said with weeping
    835teares, weare these for my sake: wee that are true Lo-
    uers, runne into strange capers; but as all is mortall in
    nature, so is all nature in loue, mortall in folly.
    Ros. Thou speak'st wiser then thou art ware of.
    Clo. Nay, I shall nere be ware of mine owne wit, till
    840I breake my shins against it.
    Ros. Ioue, Ioue, this Shepherds passion,
    Is much vpon my fashion.
    Clo. And mine, but it growes something stale with
    mee.
    845Cel. I pray you, one of you question yon'd man,
    If he for gold will giue vs any foode,
    I faint almost to death.
    Clo. Holla; you Clowne.
    Ros. Peace foole, he's not thy kinsman.
    850Cor. Who cals?
    Clo. Your betters Sir.
    Cor. Else are they very wretched.
    Ros.Peace
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