1

Abruptly, as my passion now makes me,
Thou hast not lov'd:-O Phebe, Phebe, Phebe !

[Exit SILVIUS.

Ros. Alas, poor shepherd! searching of thy wound, I have by hard adventure found mine own.

Touch. And I mine: I remember, when I was in love, I broke my sword upon a stone, and bid him take that for coming anight to Jane Smile: and I remember the kissing of her batlet, and the cow's dugs that her pretty chop'd hands had milk'd: and I remember the wooing of a peascod instead of her; from whom I took two cods, and, giving her them again, said with weeping tears, Wear these for my sake. We, that are true lovers, run into strange capers; but as all is mortal in nature, so is all nature in love mortal in folly.

Ros. Thou speak'st wiser than thou art 'ware of.

Touch. Nay, I shall ne'er be 'ware of mine own wit, till I break my shins against it.

Ros. Jove! Jove! this shepherd's passion

Is much upon my fashion.

Touch. And mine; but it grows something stale with me Cel. I pray you, one of you question yond man,

If he for gold will give us any food;

I faint almost to death.

Touch. Holla; you, clown!

Ros. Peace, fool; he's not thy kinsman.

Cor. Who calls?

Touch. Your betters, sir.

Cor. Else are they very wretched.

Ros. Peace, 1 say :

Good even to you, friend.

Cor. And to you, gentle sir, and to you all.

Ros. I pr'ythee, shepherd, if that love, or gold,

Can in this desert place buy entertainment,

JOHNS.

[5] Batlet, the instrument with which washers beat coarse clothes. [6] For cods it would be more like sense to read peas, which having the shape JOHNSON.

of pearls, resembled the common presents of lovers.

In a schedule of jewels in the 15th Vol. of Rymer's Fadera, we find, "Item, two peascoddes of gold with 17 pearles." FARMER.

The peascod certainly means the whole of the pea as it hangs upon the stalk. It was formerly used as an ornament in dress, and was represented with the shell open exhibiting the peas. The passage cited from Rymer, by Dr. Farmer, shows that the peas were sometimes made of pearls, and rather overturns Dr. Johnson's conjecture, who probably imagined that Touchstone took the cods from the peascods, and not from his mistress. DOUCE.

[7] A ridiculous expression from a sonnet in Lodge's Rosalynd, the novel on which this comedy is founded.

STEEVENS.

That you will feed on; but what is, com And in my voice most welcome shall you Ros. What is he that shall buy his floc Cor. That young swain that you saw he That little cares for buying any thing. Ros. I pray thee, if it stand with hone Buy thou the cottage, pasture, and the f And thou shalt have to pay for it of us. Cel. And we will mend thy wages: II And willingly could waste my time in it. Cor. Assuredly, the thing is to be sold Go with me; If you like, upon report, The soil, the profit, and this kind of life, I will your very faithful feeder be, And buy it with your gold right suddenly

SCENE V.

The same. Enter AMIENS, JAQUES,

SONG.

Ami. Under the greenwood tree,

Who loves to lie with me,

And tune his merry note

Unto the sweet bird's throat,

Come hither, come hither, come hither

Here shall he see

No enemy,

But winter and rough weather.

Jaq. More, more, I pr'ythee, more.

Ami. It will make you melancholy, monsieur Jaques. Jaq. I thank it. More, I pr'ythee, more. I can suck melancholy out of a song, as a weazel sucks eggs: More, I pr'ythee, more.

Ami. My voice is ragged; I know, I cannot please you. Jaq. I do not desire you to please me, I do desire you to sing: Come, more; another stanza; Call you them stanzas ? Ami. What you will, monsieur Jaques.

Jaq. Nay, I care not for their names; they owe me nothing: Will you sing?

Ami. More at your request, than to please myself.

Jaq. Well then, if ever I thank any man, I'll thank you : but that they call compliment, is like the encounter of two dog-apes; and when a man thanks me heartily, methinks, I have given him a penny, and he renders me the beggarly thanks. Come, sing; and you that will not, hold your tongues.

Ami. Well, I'll end the song. -Sirs, cover the while ; the duke will drink under this tree: - he hath been all this day to look you.

Jaq. And I have been all this day to avoid him. He is too dispútable for my company: I think of as many matters as he; but I give heaven thanks, and make no boast of them. Come, warble, come.

SONG.

Who doth ambition shun,

And loves to live i' th' sun,

Seeking the food he eats,

And pleas'd with what he gets,

[All together here.

Come hither, come hither, come hither;

Here shall he see

No enemy,

But winter and rough weather.

Jaq. I'll give you a verse to this note, that I made yes

terday in despite of my invention.

Ami. And I'll sing it.

Jaq. Thus it goes :

If it do come to pass,

That any man turn ass

Adam. Dear master, I can go no furt food! Here lie I down, and measure out well, kind master.

Orla. Why, how now, Adam! no grea Live a little; comfort a little; cheer th this uncouth forest yield any thing savag food for it, or bring it for food to thee nearer death than thy powers. For my able; hold death awhile at the arm's en with thee presently; and if I bring thee eat, I'll give thee leave to die: but if t come, thou art a mocker of my labour. look'st cheerily: and I'll be with thee q liest in the bleak air: Come, I will shelter; and thou shalt not die for la there live any thing in this desert. Che

SCENE VII.

The same. A table set out. Enter Du Lords, and others.

Duke S. I think he be transform'd into For I can no where find him like a man 1 Lord. My lord, he is but even now Here was he merry, hearing of a song. Duke S. If he, compact of jars, grow

[8] A proverbial expression for high-born persons

We shall have shortly discord in the spheres:-
Go, seek him; tell him, I would speak with him.

Enter JAQUES.

1 Lord. He saves my labour by his own approach. Duke S. Why, how now, monsieur! what a life is this

That your poor friends must woo your company?
What! you look merrily.

Jaq. A fool, a fool! - I met a fool i' th' forest,
A motley fool;-a miserable world!-
As I do live by food, I met a fool;
Who laid him down and bask'd him in the sun,
And rail'd on lady Fortune in good terms,
In good set terms, and yet a motley fool.
Good-morrow, fool, quoth I: No, sir, quoth he,
Call me not fool, till heaven hath sent me fortune :
And then he drew a dial from his poke;
And looking on it with a lack-lustre eye,
Says, very wisely, It is ten o'clock:
Thus may we see, quoth he, how the world wags:
'Tis but an hour ago, since it was nine;
And after an hour more, 'twill be eleven ;
And so, from hour to hour, we ripe and ripe,
And then, from hour to hour, we rot, and rot,
And thereby hangs a tale. When I did hear
The motley fool thus moral on the time,
My lungs began to crow like chanticleer,
That fools should be so deep-contemplative;
And I did laugh, sans intermission,
An hour by his dial.- O noble fool!
A worthy fool! Motley's the only wear.
Duke S. What fool is this?

Jaq. O worthy fool! - One that hath been a courtier;

And says, if ladies be but young, and fair,
They have the gift to know it: and in his brain,-
Which is as dry as the remainder bisket

After a voyage, he hath strange places cramm'd
With observation, the which he vents

In mangled forms:-O, that I were a fool!
I am ambitious for a motley coat.
Duke S. Thou shalt have one.

Jaq. It is my only suit ;

Provided, that you weed your better judgments
Of all opinion that grows rank in them,
That I am wise. I must have liberty