AS YOU LIKE I T.

A

CO M E D Y.

DUKE.
Frederick, brother to the Duke, and ufurper of his duke-

dom. Amiens, Lords attending upon the Duke in his banishJaques,

ment. Le Beu, a courtier, attending on Frederick. Oliver, eldest son to Sir Rowland de Boys, who bad

formerly been a servant to the Duke. Jaques, $

Younger brotbers to Oliver. Orlando, Adam, an old servant of Sir Rowland de Boys, noza

following the fortunes of Orlando. Dennis, servant to Oliver. Charles, a wrestler, and servant to the usurping Duke

Frederick.
Touchstone, a clown attending on Celia and Rosalind.
Corin,
Sylvius,

shepherds.
A clown in love with Audrey.
William, another clown, in love with Audrey,
Sir Oliver Mar-text, a country curate.

Rosalind, daughter to the Duke.
Celia, daughter to Frederick.
Phæbe, a shepherdef}.
Audrey, a country wench.

Lords belonging to the two Dukes; with pages, forefters,

and other attendants.

The Scene lyes, firsi, near Oliver's house; and,

afterwards, partly in the Duke's Court; and partly in the Forest of Arden.

AS

As You LIKE IT. (1)

A CT I.

SCENE, OLIVER's Orchard.

Enter Orlando and Adam.

A

ORLANDO. S I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion bequeath'd me by Will, but a poor thousand crowns; and, as thou say'st, charged my brother on his Blefsing to breed me well; and there be

gins my sadness. My brother Jaques he keeps at school, and report speaks goldenly of his profit: for my part, he keeps me rustically at home or, (to speak more properly) stays me here at home, ụnkept; for call you that keeping for a gentleman of my birth, that differs not from the stalling of an ox? his horses are bred better; for besides that they are fair with their feeding, they are taught their manage, and to that end riders dearly hired: but I, his brother, gain nothing under him but growth; for the

(1) As you like it.] Neither Mr. Langbaine nor Mr. Gildor acquaint us, to whom Shakespeare was indebted for any part of the Fable of this Play. But the Characters of Oliver, Jaques, Orlando, and Adam, and the Episodes of the Wrestler and the banish'd Tram seem to me plainly to be borrow'd from CHAUCER's Legend of Gamelyn in the Cook's Tale. Tho' this Legend be found in many of the Old MSS. of that Poet, it was never printed till the laft Edition of his Works, prepar'd by Mr. Urrey, came out.

which his animals on his dunghills are as much bound
to him as I. Besides this Nothing that he so plenti-
fully gives me,the Something, that Nature gave me, his
countenance seems to take from me. He lets me feed
with his hinds, bars me the place of a brother, and
as much as in him lies, mines my gentility with my
education. This is it, Adam, that grieves me; and
the Spirit of my father, which, I think, is within me,
begins to mutiny against this servitude. I will no
longer endure it, tho' yet I know na wise remedy
how to avoid it.

Enter Oliver.
Adam. Yonder comes my master, your brother.

Orla. Go apart, Adam, and thou shalt hear how he will shake me up.

Oli. Now, Sir, what make you here?
Orla. Nothing: I am not taught to make any thing.
Oli. What mar you then, Sir?

Orla. Marry,Sir, I am helping you to mar Thar which
God made, a poor unworthy brother of
idleness.

Oli. Marry, Sir, be better employ'd, and be naught a while. (2)

Orla. Shall I keep your hogs, and eat husks with them ? what Prodigal's portion have I spent, that I should come to such penury?

Oli. Know you where you are, Sir ?
Orla. (), Sir, very well; here in your Orchard.

.
Oli. Know you before whom, Sir?
Orla. Ay, better than he, I am before, knows me.
I know, you are my eldest brother; and in the gentle

(2) be better employ'd, and be naught awhile.] i. e. be better employ'd in my opinion, in being, and doing, Nothing. Your Idleness, as you call it, may be an Exercise, by which you may make a figure, and endear your self to the World : and I'had rather, you were a contemptible Cypher. The Poet seems to me to have that trite proverbial Sentiment in his Eye, quoted from Attilius by the younger Pliny and others;

Satius es otiofum effe quàm nihil agere.
But Oliver, in the Perverseness of his Difpofition, would reverfe the
Doctrine of the Proverb.

condition

yours, with