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HGravelot in & del. Vol: 2.P: 263.

G.V. Gucht Scul

AS YOU LIKE IT.

A.

COMED Y.

VOL. II.

M

Dramatis Perfonæ.

DUKE.

Frederick, brother to the Duke, and ufurper of his dukedom.

Amiens, }

Lords attending upon the Duke in his banishment. Jaques, S Le Beu, a courtier, attending on Frederick.

Oliver, eldeft fon to Sir Rowland de Boys, who had formerly been a fervant to the Duke.

Jaques, Younger brothers to Oliver.

Orlando,

Adam, an old fervant of Sir Rowland de Boys, now following the fortunes of Orlando.

Dennis, fervant to Oliver.

Charles, a wrestler, and fervant to the ufurping Duke
Frederick,

Touchstone, a clown attending on Celia and Rosalind.
Corin,
Shepherds.

Sylvius,

A clown in love with Audrey.

William, another clown, in love with Audrey.

Sir Oliver Mar-text, a country curate.

Rofalind, daughter to the Duke.

Celia, daughter to Frederick.
Phoebe, a jhepherdess.

Audrey, a country wench.

Lords belonging to the two Dukes; with pages, forefters, and other Attendants.

The SCENE lies, first, near Oliver's house; and afterwards, partly in the Duke's Court; and partly in the Forest of Arden.

AS

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AS YOU LIKE IT. (1)

A C T I.

SCENE, Oliver's Orchard.

Enter Orlando and Adam.

ORLAND 0.

SI remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion

Α A bequeath'd me by will, but a poor thoufand

crowns; and, as thou fay'ft, charged my brother on his bleffing to breed me well; and there begins my fadnefs. My brother Jaques he keeps at fchool, and report fpeaks goldenly of his profit: for my part, he keeps me ruftically at home; or, (to fpeak more properly) tays 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 horfes are bred better; for besides that they are fair with their

(1) As you like it.] Neither Mr. Langbaine nor Mr. Gildon 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 epifodes of the Wrefler and the banifb'd Tram feem 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 last edition of his works, prepar'd by Mr. Urrey, came out,

M 2

feeding

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.

Enter Oliver.

Adam. Yonder comes my mafter, your brother. Orla, Go apert, 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 that which God made, a poor unworthy brother of yours, with idlenefs.

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

Orla. Shall I keep your hogs, and eat hufks 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

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orchard.

(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 exercife, by which you may make a figure, and endear yourself to the world: and I had rather, you were a contemptible cypher. The poet feems to me to have that trite proverbial fentiment in his eye, quoted from Atilius by the younger Pliny and others;

Statius eft otiofum effe quam nihil agere.

But Oliver, in the perverfenefs of his difpofition, would reverse the doctrine of the proverb.

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