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For my part, he keeps me ruftically at home; or, to speak more properly, stays me here at home, unkept; for call you that keeping for a gentleman of my birth, that differs not from the ftalling of an ox? His horses are bred better; for befides 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 which his animals on his dunghills are as much bound to him as I. Befides this Nothing that he fo plentifully gives me, the Something that nature gave me, his countenance feems 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 fervitude. I will no longer endure it, tho' yet I know no wife remedy how to avoid it.

mends for this fcanty provifion, he charged my brother on his bleffing to breed me well.

WARBURTON.

There is, in my opinion, nothing but a point mifplaced, and an omiffion of a word which every hearer can supply, and which therefore an abrupt and eager dialogue naturally excludes.

I read thus: As I remember, Adam, it was on this fashion bequeathed me. By will but a poor thousand crowns; and, as thou fayft, charged my brother on his bleffing to breed me well. What is there in this difficult or ob. fcure? the nominative my father is certainly left out, but fo left out that the auditor inferts it, in fpite of himself.

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2 STAYS me here at home, unkept.] We fhould read STYS, i. e. keeps me like a brute. The following words ・for call you that keeping that differs not from the falling of an ox, confirms this emendation. So Caliban fays,

And here you STY me in this hard rock. WARB. Sties is better than stays, and more likely to be Shakespeare's.

3 His COUNTENANCE feems to take from me.] We fhould certainly read his DISCOUNTENANCE. WARBURTON.

There is no need of change, a countenance is either good or bad.

SCENE

SCENE II.

Enter Oliver.

Adam. Yonder comes my master, your brother. Orla. Go apart, Adam, and thou fhalt hear how he will shake me up.

Oli. Now, Sir, what make ye here?

Orla. Nothing: I am not taught to make any thing.

Oli. What mar ye then, Sir?

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

Oli. Marry, Sir, be better employ'd, and be nought

a while, +

4 Be better, employ'd, and be nought a while.] Mr. Theobald has here a very critical note; which, though his modefty fuffered him to withdraw it from his fecond edition, deferves to be perpetuated, i. e. (fays he) be better employed, in my opinion, in being and doing nothing. Your idleness as you call it may be an exercife, by which you may make a figure, and endear your felf to the world: and I had rather you were a contemptible Cypher. The poet Jeems to me to have that trite proverbial fentiment in his eye quoted, from Attilius, by the younger Pliny and others; fatius eft otiofum effe quam nihil agere. But Oliver in the perverjenefs of his difpofition would reverfe the doctrine of the proverb. Does the Read

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

Oli. Know you where you are, Sir?

Orla. O, Sir, very well; here in your Orchard.
Oli. Know you before whom, Sir?

The

Orla. Ay, better than he, I am before, knows me. I know, you are my eldeft brother; and in the gentle condition of blood, you fhould fo know me. courtesy of nations allows you my better, in that you are the first born; but the fame tradition takes not away my blood, were there twenty brothers betwixt us. I have as much of my father in me, as you; albeit, I confess your coming before me is nearer to his

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Oli. What, boy!

[menacing with bis band. Orla. Come, come, elder brother, you are too young

in this.

[collaring him. Oi. Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain? Orla. I am no villain: I am the youngest fon of Sir Rowland de Boys; he was my father, and he is

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Be better employed, and be naught intended a fatirical reflection on

a while. In the fame fenfe as we say, it is better to do mjchief, than to do nothing.

5 Albeit, I confefs your coming before me is nearer to his REVERENCE.] This is fenfe indeed, and may be thus understood,The reverence due to my father is, in fome degree, derived to you, as the first born-But I am perfuaded that Orlands did not here mean to compliment his brother, or condemn himself; fomething of both which there is in that fenfe. I rather think he

his brother, who by letting him
feed with his binds treated him as
Sir Robert as himself was.
one not fo nearly related to old
I
imagine therefore Shakespear
might write,
albeit your

coming before me is nearer to his
REVENUE, i. e. though you are
no nearer in blood, yet it muft
be owned, indeed, you are near-
er in estate. WARBURTON.

6 I am no villain.] The word villa n is ufed by the elder brother, in its prefent meaning, for a wicked or bloody man, by Orlando in its original fignification for a fellow of baje extraction.

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 pulled 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 fay.

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, obscuring 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.

loft

Oli. Get you with him, you old dog.

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

[Exe. Orlando and Adam.

SCEN E III.

Oli. Is it even fo?-Begin you to grow upon me? -I will phyfick your ranknefs, and yet give no thoufand crowns neither. Holla, Dennis!

Enter Dennis.

Den. Calls your Worship?

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Oli.

Oli. Was not Charles, the Duke's Wrestler, here to speak with me?

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

Oli. Call him in-[Exit Dennis.] 'Twill be a good way; and to morrow 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 banifh'd by his younger brother the new Duke, and three or four loving lords have put themselves into voluntary exile with him; whofe lands and revenues enrich the new Duke, therefore he gives them good leave to wander.

Oli. Can you tell, if Rofalind, the old 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 cradles bred together, that she would have followed her exile, or have died to flay 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 foreft 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 wreftle to-morrow before the new Duke?

The old Duke's daughter.] of the dialogue, are inferted from The words old and new which Sir T. Hanmer's Edition. teem neceffary to the perfpicuity

Cha.

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