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Oli. Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain?

Orla. I am no villain: I am the youngeft fon of Sir Rowland de Boys; he was my father, and he is thrice a villain, that fays, fuch a father begot villains. Wert thou not my brother, I would not take this hand from thy throat, 'till this other had pull'd out thy tongue for faying fo; thou haft rail'd on thyfelf. Adam. Sweet mafters, be patient; for your father's remembrance, be at accord.

Oli. Let me go, I say.

Orla. I will not, 'till I please : you shall hear me. My father charg'd you in his Will to give me good education: you have train'd me up like a peafant, obfcuring and hiding from me all gentleman-like qualities; the Spirit of my father grows ftrong in me, and I will no longer endure it: therefore allow me fuch exercises as may become a gentleman, or give me the poor allottery my father left me by teftament; with that I will go buy my fortunes.

Oli. And what wilt thou do? beg, when that is fpent? well, Sir, get you in. I will not long be troubled with you: you fhall have fome part of your will. I pray you, leave me.

Orla. I will no further offend you, than becomes me for my good.

Oli. Get you with him, you old dog.

Adam. Is old dog my reward? moft true, I have loft my teeth in your service. God be with my old mafter, he would not have spoke such a word.

Oli.

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[Exeunt Orlando and Adam.

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S it even fo? begin you to grow upon me? I will phyfic your rankness, and yet give no thousand crowns neither. Holla, Dennis!

Enter Dennis.

Den. Calls your Worship?

VOL. III.

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Oli.

Oli. Was not Charles, the Duke's wreftler, here to fpeak with me?

Den. So please you, he is here at the door, and importunes access to you.

Oli. Call him in;-'twill be a good way; and tomorrow the wrestling is.

Enter Charles.

Cha. Good morrow to your Worship.

Oli. Good Monfieur Charles, what's the new news at the new Court?

Cha. There's no news at the Court, Sir, but the old news; that is, the old Duke is banish'd by his younger brother the new Duke, and three or four lov. ing lords have put themselves into voluntary exile with him; whose lands and revenues enrich the new Duke, therefore he gives them good leave to wander. Oli. Can you tell, if Rofalind, the Duke's daughter, be banish'd with her father?

Cha. O, no; *for the new Duke's daughter her coufin fo loves her, being ever from their cradle bred together, that fhe would have followed her exile, or have died to ftay behind her. She is at the Court, and no lefs beloved of her uncle than his own daughter; and never two ladies loved, as they do.

Oli. Where will the old Duke live?

Cha. They fay, he is already in the forest of Arden, and a many merry men with him; and there they live like the old Robin Hood of England; they fay, many young gentlemen flock to him every day, and fleet the time carelefly, as they did in the golden world. Oli. What, you wrestle to-morrow before the new Duke?

Cha. Marry, do I, Sir; and I came to acquaint you with a matter. I am given, Sir, fecretly to understand, that your younger brother Orlando hath a

for the Duke's daughter her coufin] read, the new Duke's.

disposition to come in difguis'd againft me to try a Fall; to-morrow, Sir, I wreftle for my credit; and he, that escapes me without some broken limb, fhall acquit him well. Your brother is but young and tender, and for your love I would be loth to foil him; as L must for mine own honour, if he come in; therefore

out of my love to you, I came hither to acquaint you withal; that either you might ftay him from his intendment, or brook fuch disgrace well as he fhall run into; in that it is a thing of his own fearch, and altogether against my will.

Oli. Charles, I thank thee for thy love to me, which thou shalt find, I will moft kindly requite. I had myself notice of my brother's purpose herein, and have by underhand means laboured to diffuade him from it; but he is refolute. I tell thee, Charles, he is the ftubborneft young fellow of France; full of ambition, an envious emulator of every man's good parts, a fecret and villanous contriver againft me his natural brother; therefore ufe thy difcretion; I had as lief thou didst break his neck, as his finger. And thou wert best look to't; for if thou doft him any flight difgrace, or if he do not mightily grace himfelf on thee, he will practise against thee by poison; entrap thee by some treacherous device; and never leave thee, 'till he hath ta'enthy life by fome indirect means or other; for I affure thee, (and almost with tears I speak it) there is not one so young and fo villanous this day living. I speak but brotherly of him; but fhould I anatomize him to thee as he is, I must blush and weep, and thou must look pale and wonder.

Cha. I am heartily glad, I came hither to you: if he come to-morrow, I'll give him his payment; if ever he go alone again, I'll never wreftle for prize more; and fo, God keep your Worship.

Exit.

Oli. Farewel, good Charles. Now will I ftir this gamefter: I hope, I fhall fee an end of him; for my

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foul,

foul, yet I know not why, hates nothing more than he. Yet he's gentle; never fchool'd, and yet learned; full of noble device, of all Sorts enchantingly beloved; and, indeed, so much in the heart of the world, and efpecially of my own people who beft know him, that I am altogether mifprifed. But it it. fhall not be fo, long; this wrestler fhall clear all; nothing remains, but that I kindle the boy thither, which now I'll go about.

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[Exit.

Changes to an Open Walk, before the Duke's Palace.

Enter Rofalind and Celia.

Cel. Pray thee, Rofalind, fweet I Pray thee, Rofalind, fweet my coz, be merry. Rof. Dear Celia, I fhow more mirth than I am mistress of; and would you yet I were merrier? unless you could teach me to forget a banish'd father, you muft not learn me how to remember

ordinary pleasure.

any extra

Cel. Herein, I see, thou lov'ft me not with the full weight that I love thee. If my uncle, thy banished father, had banished thy uncle the Duke, my father, fo thou hadst been still with me, I could have taught my love to take thy father for mine; fo would'st thou if the truth of thy love to me were fo righteously temper'd, as mine is to thee.

Rof. Well, I will forget the condition of my estate, to rejoice in yours.

Cel. You know, my father hath no child but I, nor none is like to have; and, truly, when he dies, thou shalt be his heir; for what he hath taken away from thy father perforce, I will render thee again in affection; by mine Honour, I will; and when I break that oath, let me turn monster: therefore, my fweet Rofe, my dear Rofe, be merry,

Rof.

Rof. From henceforth I will, coz, and devife Sports: let me fee, what think you of falling in love?

Cel. Marry, I pr'ythee, do, to make sport withal : but love no man in good earnest, nor no further in fport neither, than with safety of a pure blush thou may'st in honour come off again.

Rof. What fhall be our Sport then?

Cel. Let us fit and mock the good housewife Fortune from her wheel, that her gifts may henceforth be bestowed equally.

Rof. I would, we could do fo; for her benefits are mightily mifplaced, and the bountiful blind woman doth most mistake in her gifts to women.

Cel. 'Tis true; for those, that fhe makes fair, fhe fcarce makes honeft; and those, that she makes honeft, she makes very ill-favoured.

Rof. Nay, now thou goeft from fortune's office to nature's fortune reigns in gifts of the world, not in the lineaments of nature.

Enter Touchstone, a Clown.

Cel. No! when nature hath made a fair creature, may fhe not by fortune fall into the fire? tho' nature hath given us wit to flout at fortune, hath not fortune fent in this Fool to cut off this argument?

Rof. Indeed, there is fortune too hard for nature; when fortune makes Nature's natural the cutter off of nature's Wit.

Cel. Peradventure, this is not fortune's work neither, but nature's; who, perceiving our natural wits too dull to reafon of fuch Goddeffes, hath sent this Natural for our whetstone: for always the dulness of the fool is the whetstone of the wits. How now, Wit, whither wander you?

Clo. Mistress, you must come away to your father.

Cel. Were you made the messenger?

Clo. No, by mine honour; but I was bid to come for you.

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Rof.

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