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And with indented glides did flip away
Into a bush; under which bufh's fhade
A Lionefs, with udders all drawn dry,

Lay couching head on ground, with cat-like watch
When that the fleeping man fhould stir; 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 eldeft brother,

Cel. O, I have heard him fpeak of that fame brother, And he did render him the moft unnatural.

That liv'd 'mongst men.

Oli. And well he might fo do;

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For, well I know, he was unnatural,

Ref. 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 lioness,

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, fo 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 feetly taftes, being the thing I am.
Rof. But, for the bloody napkin.?

Oli. By, and by.

When from the first to laft, betwixt us two,
Tears our recountments had moft kindly bath'd,
As how I came into that defert 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 ftripp'd himself, and here upon his arm
The lionefs had torn fome flesh awy,

Which all this while had bled; and now he fainted,

YOU

And cry'd, in fainting, upon Rofalind
Brief, I recover'd him; bound pup his wound;
And, after fome small space, being ftrong at heart,
He fent me hither, ftranger as I am,

To tell this ftory, that you might excufe
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?
[Rofalind faints.
Oli. Many will fwoon, when they do look on blood.
Cel. There is more in it;-cousin Ganimed!

Oli. Look, he recovers.

Rof. Would, I were at home!

Cel. We'll lead you thither.

I pray you, will you take him by the arm?

Oli. Be of good cheer, 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!

O. 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.

Gel. 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.

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A C T V.

SCENE, the FOREST.

Enter Clown and Audrey.

CLOWN.

E fhall find a time, Audrey; patience, gentle

WR Audrey.

1

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

Clo. A moft wicked Sir Oliver, Audrey; a moft vile Mar-text! but Audrey, there is a youth here in the foreft lays claim to you.

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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 an fwer for: we fhall 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, fo, fo.

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't 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 rhetorick, that drink being poured out of a cup into a glafs, by filling the one doth 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 understanding, dieft; or, to wit, I kill thee, make thee away, tranflate thy life into death, thy liberty into bondage; 1 will deal in poifon with thee, or in baftinado, 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 miftrefs feek you; come away,

away.

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Clo. Trip, Audrey; trip, Audrey; I attend, I attend.

Enter Orlando and Oliver.

[Exeunt.

Orla. Is't poffible, that on fo little acquaintance you

fhould

fhould like her? that, but feeing, you should 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 he loves me: confent with both, that we may enjoy each other; it fhall be to your Good; for my father's houfe, and all the revenue that was old. Sir Rowland's, will I eftate upon you, and here live and die a shepherd.

Enter Rofalind.

Orla. You have my confent. Let your wedding be to-morrow: thither will I invite the Duke, and all his contented followers: go you, and prepare Aliena; for, look you, here comes my Rofalind.

Rof. God fave you, brother. ·Oli. And you, fair fister.

9

Rof. Oh, my dear Orlando, how it grieves me to fee thee wear thy heart in a scarf.

*

Orla. It is my arm.

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Rof. I thought, thy heart had been wounded with the claws of a lion. 1

Orla. Wounded it is, but with the eyes of a lady. Raf. Did your brother tell you how I counterfeited to fwoon, when he fhew'd me your handkerchief?

Orla. Ay, and greater wonders than that.

Rof. O, I know where you are: nay, 'tis true: there was never any thing fo fudden, but the fight of two rams, and Cafar's thrafonical brag of, I came, Jaw, and overcame for your brother and my fifter no fooner met, but they look'd; no fooner look'd, but they lov'd; no fooner lov'd, but they figh'd; no fooner figh'd, but they ask'd one another the reafon; no fooner knew the reafon, but they ought the remedy; and in thefe degrees have they made a pair of ftairs to marriage, which they will climb incontinent, or elfe be incontinent before marriage; they are in the

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