Cel. Weft of this place, down in the neighbour
bottom,

The rank of ofiers, by the murmuring ftream,
Left on your right-hand, brings you to the place;
But at this hour the house doth keep itself,
There's none within.

Oli. If that an eye may profit by a tongue,
Then should I know you by defcription,
Such garments, and such years: "the boy is fair,
"Of female favour, and bestows himself
"Like a ripe Sifter: but the woman low,
"And browner than her brother." Are not you
The owner of the house, I did enquire for?

Cel. It is no boaft, being afk'd, to fay, we are.
Oli. Orlando doth commend him to you both,
And to that youth, he calls his Rofalind,
He fends this bloody napkin. Are you he?

Rof. I am; what muft we understand by this?
Oli. Some of my Shame, if you will know of me
What man I am, and how, and why, and where,
This handkerchief was ftain'd.

Cel. I pray you, tell it.

Oli. When laft the young Orlando parted from you, He left a promise to return again

*Within an hour; and pacing through the foreft,
Chewing the food of fweet and bitter fancy,
Lo, what befel! he threw his eye afide,
And mark what object did prefent itself.

Under an oak, whofe boughs were mofs'd with age,
And high top bald with dry antiquity,

A wretched ragged man, o'er-grown with hair,
Lay fleeping on his back; about his neck
A green and gilded fnake had wreath'd itself,
Who with her head, nimble in threats, approach'd
The opening of his mouth, but fuddenly
Seeing Orlando, it unlink'd itself,

And with indented glides did flip away

We must read, within two hours.

Into a bufh; under which bush's shade

A Lionefs, with udders all drawn dry,

Lay couching head on ground, with cat-like watch
When that the fleeping man should stir; for 'tis
The royal difpofition of that beast

To prey on nothing that doth feem as dead:
This feen, Orlando did approach the man,

And found it was his brother, his eldest brother.

Cel. O, I have heard him speak of that fame brother,

And he did render him the most unnatural

That liv'd 'mongst men.

Oli. And well he might fo do;

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 battle to the lionefs,

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't 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 fweetly tastes, being the thing I am.

Rof. But, for the bloody napkin ?

Oli. By, and by,

When from the firft 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

The lionefs had torn fome flesh away,

Which all this while had bled; and now he fainted,
And cry'd, in fainting, upon Rofalind.-

Brief, I recover'd him; bound up his wound;
And, after fome fmall space, being strong 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? Ganymed!--Sweet!
Gamymed!

[Rofalind faints. Oli. Many will fwoon, when they do look on blood. Cel. There is more in it :-coufin-Ganymed * ! 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!

Oli. 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.

Cel. Come, you look paler and paler; pray you, draw homewards-good Sir, go with us

Oli. That will I; for I must bear answer back,

* Coufin, Ganymed.] Celia in her firft fright forgets Rofalind's character and difguife, and calls

out Coufin, then recollects herself and fays Ganymed.

How

How you excuse my brother, Rofalind.

Rof. I fhall devife fomething. But, I pray you, commend my counterfeiting to him-Will you go?

[Exeunt.

ACT V. SCENE I.

The

FOREST.

Enter Clown and Audrey.

CLOWN.

E fhall find a time, Audrey-patience, gentle
Audrey.

WE

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

Clo. A most wicked Sir Oliver, Audrey; a most vile Mar-text.-But Audrey, there is a youth here in the Foreft lays claim to you.

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 anfwer for: we shall be flouting; we cannot hold. Will. Good ev'n, Audrey.

Aud. God give 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.

Clo. A fair name.

Waft born i'th' forest 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.

6

Clo. Why, thou fay'ft 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 glass, by filling the one doth empty the other. For all your writers do confent, that ipfe is he now you are not ipfe; for I am he.

Will. Which he, Sir?

Clo. He, Sir, that muft 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, translate thy life into death, thy liberty in

The heathen philofopher, when he defired to eat a grape, &c.] This was defigned as a fneer on the feveral trifling and infignificant fayings and actions, recorded of the ancient philofophers,

by the writers of their lives, fuch as Diogenes Laertius, Philoftratus, Eunapius, &c. as appears from its being introduced by one of their wife fayings.

WARBURTON.

to