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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)

    Scena Septima.
    Enter Duke Sen. & Lord, like Out-lawes.
    Du.Sen. I thinke he be transform'd into a beast,
    For I can no where finde him, like a man.
    9751.Lord. My Lord, he is but euen now gone hence,
    Heere was he merry, hearing of a Song.
    Du.Sen. If he compact of iarres, grow Musicall,
    We shall haue shortly discord in the Spheares:
    Go seeke him, tell him I would speake with him.
    980Enter Iaques.
    1.Lord. He saues my labor by his owne approach.
    Du.Sen. Why how now Monsieur, what a life is this
    That your poore friends must woe your companie,
    What, you looke merrily.
    985Iaq. A Foole, a foole: I met a foole i'th Forrest,
    A motley Foole (a miserable world:)
    As I do liue by foode, I met a foole,
    Who laid him downe, and bask'd him in the Sun,
    And rail'd on Lady Fortune in good termes,
    990In good set termes, and yet a motley foole.
    Good morrow foole (quoth I:) no Sir, quoth he,
    Call me not foole, till heauen hath sent me fortune,
    And then he drew a diall from his poake,
    And looking on it, with lacke-lustre eye,
    995Sayes, very wisely, it is ten a clocke:
    Thus we may see (quoth he) how the world wagges:
    'Tis but an houre agoe, since it was nine,
    And after one houre more, 'twill be eleuen,
    And so from houre to houre, we ripe, and ripe,
    1000And then from houre to houre, we rot, and rot,
    And thereby hangs a tale. When I did heare
    The motley Foole, thus morall on the time,
    My Lungs began to crow like Chanticleere,
    That Fooles should be so deepe contemplatiue:
    1005And I did laugh, sans intermission
    An houre by his diall. Oh noble foole,
    A worthy foole: Motley's the onely weare.
    Du.Sen. What foole is this?
    Iaq. O worthie Foole: One that hath bin a Courtier
    1010And sayes, if Ladies be but yong, and faire,
    They haue the gift to know it: and in his braiue,
    Which is as drie as the remainder bisket
    After a voyage: He hath strange places cram'd
    With obseruation, the which he vents
    1015In mangled formes. O that I were a foole,
    I am ambitious for a motley coat.
    Du.Sen. Thou shalt haue one.
    Iaq. It is my onely suite,
    Prouided that you weed your better iudgements
    1020Of all opinion that growes ranke in them,
    That I am wise. I must haue liberty
    Wiithall, as large a Charter as the winde,
    To blow on whom I please, for so fooles haue:
    And they that are most gauled with my folly,
    1025They most must laugh: And why sir must they so?
    The why is plaine, as way to Parish Church:
    Hee, that a Foole doth very wisely hit,
    Doth very foolishly, although he smart
    Seeme senselesse of the bob. If not,
    1030The Wise-mans folly is anathomiz'd
    Euen by the squandring glances of the foole.
    Inuest me in my motley: Giue me leaue
    To speake my minde, and I will through and through
    Cleanse the foule bodie of th'infected world,
    1035If they will patiently receiue my medicine.
    Du.Sen. Fie on thee. I can tell what thou wouldst do.
    Iaq. What, for a Counter, would I do, but good?
    Du.Sen. Most mischeeuous foule sin, in chiding sin:
    For thou thy selfe hast bene a Libertine,
    1040As sensuall as the brutish sting it selfe,
    And all th'imbossed sores, and headed euils,
    That thou with license of free foot hast caught,
    Would'st thou disgorge into the generall world.
    Iaq. Why who cries out on pride,
    1045That can therein taxe any priuate party:
    Doth it not flow as hugely as the Sea,
    Till that the wearie verie meanes do ebbe.
    What woman in the Citie do I name,
    When that I say the City woman beares
    1050The cost of Princes on vnworthy shoulders?
    Who can come in, and say that I meane her,
    When such a one as shee, such is her neighbor?
    Or what is he of basest function,
    That sayes his brauerie is not on my cost,
    1055Thinking that I meane him, but therein suites
    His folly to the mettle of my speech,
    There then, how then, what then, let me see wherein
    My tongue hath wrong'd him: if it do him right,
    Then he hath wrong'd himselfe: if he be free,
    1060why then my taxing like a wild-goose flies
    Vnclaim'd of any. man But who come here?
    Enter Orlando.
    Orl. Forbeare, and eate no more.
    Iaq. Why I haue eate none yet.
    1065Orl. Nor shalt not, till necessity be seru'd.
    Iaq. Of what kinde should this Cocke come of?
    Du.Sen. Art thou thus bolden'd man by thy distres?
    Or else a rude despiser of good manners,
    That in ciuility thou seem'st so emptie?
    1070Orl. You touch'd my veine at first, the thorny point
    Of bare distresse, hath tane from me the shew
    Of smooth ciuility: yet am I in-land bred,
    And know some nourture: But forbeare, I say,
    He dies that touches any of this fruite,
    1075Till I, and my affaires are answered.
    Iaq. And you will not be answer'd with reason,
    I must dye.
    Du.Sen. What would you haue?
    Your gentlenesse shall force, more then your force
    1080Moue vs to gentlenesse.
    Orl. I almost die for food, and let me haue it.
    Du.Sen. Sit downe and feed, & welcom to our table
    Orl. Speake you so gently? Pardon me I pray you,
    I thought that all things had bin sauage heere,
    1085And therefore put I on the countenance
    Of sterne command'ment. But what ere you are
    That in this desert inaccessible,
    Vnder the shade of melancholly boughes,
    Loose, and neglect the creeping houres of time:
    1090If euer you haue look'd on better dayes:
    If euer beene where bels haue knoll'd to Church:
    If euer sate at any good mans feast:
    If euer from your eye-lids wip'd a teare,
    And know what 'tis to pittie, and be pittied:
    1095Let gentlenesse my strong enforcement be,
    In the which hope, I blush, and hide my Sword.
    Du.Sen. True is it, that we haue seene better dayes,
    And haue with holy bell bin knowld to Church,
    And sat at good mens feasts, and wip'd our eies
    1100Of drops, that sacred pity hath engendred:
    And therefore sit you downe in gentlenesse,
    And take vpon command, what helpe we haue
    That to your wanting may be ministred.
    Orl. Then but forbeare your food a little while:
    1105Whiles (like a Doe) I go to finde my Fawne,
    And giue it food. There is an old poore man,
    Who after me, hath many a weary steppe
    Limpt in pure loue: till he be first suffic'd,
    Opprest with two weake euils, age, and hunger,
    1110I will not touch a bit.
    Duke Sen. Go finde him out.
    And we will nothing waste till you returne.
    Orl. I thanke ye, and be blest for your good comfort.
    Du Sen. Thou seest, we are not all alone vnhappie:
    1115This wide and vniuersall Theater
    Presents more wofull Pageants then the Sceane
    Wherein we play in.
    Ia. All the world's a stage,
    And all the men and women, meerely Players;
    1120They haue their Exits and their Entrances,
    And one man in his time playes many parts,
    His Acts being seuen ages. At first the Infant,
    Mewling, and puking in the Nurses armes:
    Then, the whining Schoole-boy with his Satchell
    1125And shining morning face, creeping like snaile
    Vnwillingly to schoole. And then the Louer,
    Sighing like Furnace, with a wofull ballad
    Made to his Mistresse eye-brow. Then, a Soldier,
    Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the Pard,
    1130Ielous in honor, sodaine, and quicke in quarrell,
    Seeking the bubble Reputation
    Euen in the Canons mouth: And then, the Iustice
    In faire round belly, with good Capon lin'd,
    With eyes seuere, and beard of formall cut,
    1135Full of wise sawes, and moderne instances,
    And so he playes his part. The sixt age shifts
    Into the leane and slipper'd Pantaloone,
    With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side,
    His youthfull hose well sau'd, a world too wide,
    1140For his shrunke shanke, and his bigge manly voice,
    Turning againe toward childish trebble pipes,
    And whistles in his sound. Last Scene of all,
    That ends this strange euentfull historie,
    Is second childishnesse, and meere obliuion,
    1145Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans euery thing.
    Enter Orlando with Adam.
    Du Sen. Welcome: set downe your venerable bur-
    then, and let him feede.
    Orl. I thanke you most for him.
    1150Ad. So had you neede,
    I scarce can speake to thanke you for my selfe.
    Du.Sen. Welcome, fall too: I wil not trouble you,
    As yet to question you about your fortunes:
    Giue vs some Musicke, and good Cozen, sing.
    1155Song.
    Blow, blow, thou winter winde,
    Thou art not so vnkinde, as mans ingratitude
    Thy tooth is not so keene, because thou art not seene,
    although thy breath be rude.
    1160Heigh ho, sing heigh ho, vnto the greene holly,
    Most frendship, is fayning; most Louing, meere folly:
    The heigh ho, the holly,
    This Life is most iolly.
    Freize, freize, thou bitter skie that dost not bight so nigh
    1165 as benefitts forgot:
    Though thou the waters warpe, thy sting is not so sharpe,
    as freind remembred not.
    Heigh ho, sing, &c.
    Duke Sen. If that you were the good Sir Rowlands son,
    1170As you haue whisper'd faithfully you were,
    And as mine eye doth his effigies witnesse,
    Most truly limn'd, and liuing in your face,
    Be truly welcome hither: I am the Duke
    That lou'd your Father, the residue of your fortune,
    1175Go to my Caue, and tell mee. Good old man,
    Thou art right welcome, as thy masters is:
    Support him by the arme: giue me your hand,
    And let me all your fortunes vnderstand. Exeunt.
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