Or elfe by him my love deny,

And then I'll ftudy how to die.

Sil. Call you this chiding?
Cel. Alas, poor thepherd!

Rof. Do you pity him? no, he deferves no pityWilt thou love fuch a woman-what, to make thee an inftrument, and play false strains upon thee? not to be endured!- Well, go your way to her; for I fee love hath made thee a tame fnake, and say this to her; "that if the love me, I charge her to love thee if she "will not, I will never have her, unlefs thou intreat "for her." If you be a true lover, hence, and not a word; for here comes more company. [Exit Silvius.

:

Where, in the purlews of this foreft, ftands

A fheep-cote fenc'd about with olive-trees?

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

The rank of offers, by the murmuring stream,

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, "the boy is fair,

Such garments, and fuch years:

"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 Rojalind,
He fends this bloody napkin. Are you he?
Rof. I am ; what must we understand by this?
Oli. Some of my Shame, if you will know of me

What

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, whose boughs were mofs'd with age,
And high top bald with dry antiquity;

A wretched ragged man, o'ergrown 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
Into a bush; under which bufh's fhade
A Lionefs, with udders all drawn dry,

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

To prey on nothing that doth seem as dead :

This feen, Orlando did approach the man,

And found it was his brother, his eldeft brother.

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

ther,

And he did render him the most unnatural

That liv'd 'mongst men.

Oli. And well he might do fo;

For, well I know, he was unnatural.

Rof. 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.

* We must read, within two hours.

Cel.

Cel. Are you his brother?

Rof. Was it you he refcu'd?

Cel. Was't you that did so oft contrive to kill him?
Oli. 'Twas I; but 'tis not I; I do not fhame

To tell

what I was, you

fince my converfion

So fweetly taftes, being the thing I am.

Rof. But, for the bloody napkin ?

Oli. By, and by.

When from the first 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 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 Kofalind.

Cel. Why, how now? Ganymed !-Sweet!
Ganymed!

[Rofalind faints. Oli. Many will fwoon, when they do look on blood.

Cel. There is more in it :-coufin-Ganymed * !.

Oli. Look, he recovers.

Ref. 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

*Coufin-Ganymed!] Celia in her firft fright forgets Rofalind's character and difguife, and calls out Coufin, then recollects herself and fays Ganymed.

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 earneft.

Rol 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, How you excufe my brother, Rofalind.

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

[Exeunt.

ACT V.

SCENE I.

W

The FOREST.

Enter Clown and Audrey.

CLOWN.

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

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

Clo. A moft wicked Sir Oliver, Audrey; a moft 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 interest 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

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. 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.

and

Cla. So, fo, is good, very good, very excellent good; yet it is not; it is but fo fo. Art thou wife? Will. Ay, Sir, I have a pretty wit.

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. (6) 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 must marry this woman; therefore you, Clown, abandon-which is in the vulgar,

(6) 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, Pbiloftratu, Eunapius, &c. as appears from its being introduced by one of their wife fayings. WARBURTON.