Copyright David Bevington. This text may be freely used for educational, non-profit purposes; for all other uses contact the Editor.
Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: David Bevington
Peer Reviewed
As you Like it.
1 A ct us primus. Scœna Prima.
2 Enter Orlando and Adam.
3 Orlando.
4As I remember Adam, it was vpon this fa s h ion
5bequeathed me by will, but poore a thou s and
6Crownes, and as thou s ai s t , charged my bro -
7ther on his ble s s i ng to breed mee well: and
8there begins my s adne s s e: My brother Iaques he keepes
9at s choole, and report s peakes goldenly of his pro fi t:
10for my part, he keepes me ru s t ically at home, or (to s peak
11more properly) s t aies me heere at home vnkept: for call
12you that keeping for a gentleman of my birth, that dif -
13fers not from the s t alling of an Oxe? his hor s es are bred
14better, for be s i des that they are faire with their feeding,
15they are taught their mannage, and to that end Riders
16deerely hir'd: but I (his brother) gaine nothing vnder
17him but growth, for the which his Animals on his
18dunghils are as much bound to him as I: be s i des this no -
19thing that he s o plentifully giues me, the s omething that
20nature gaue mee, his countenance s eemes to take from
21me: hee lets mee feede with his Hindes, barres mee the
22place of a brother, and as much as in him lies, mines my
23gentility with my education. This is it Adam that
24grieues me, and the s pirit of my Father, which I thinke
25is within mee, begins to mutinie again s t this s eruitude.
26I will no longer endure it, though yet I know no wi s e
27remedy how to auoid it.
28 Enter Oliuer.
29 Adam. Yonder comes my Ma s t er, your brother.
30 Orlan. Goe a-part Adam, and thou s h alt heare how
31he will s h ake me vp.
32 Oli. Now Sir, what make you heere?
33 Orl. Nothing: I am not taught to make any thing.
34 Oli. What mar you then s i r?
35 Orl. Marry s i r, I am helping you to mar that which
36God made, a poore vnworthy brother of yours with
37idlene s s e.
38 Oliuer. Marry s i r be better employed, and be naught
40 Orlan. Shall I keepe your hogs, and eat hu s kes with
41them? what prodigall portion haue I s pent, that I s h ould
42come to s uch penury?
43 Oli. Know you where you are s i r?
44 Orl. O s i r, very well: heere in your Orchard.
45 Oli. Know you before whom s i r?
46 Orl. I, better then him I am before knowes mee: I
47know you are my elde s t brother, and in the gentle con - 1751
48dition of bloud you s h ould s o know me: the courte s i e of
49nations allowes you my better, in that you are the fi r s t
50borne, but the s ame tradition takes not away my bloud,
51were there twenty brothers betwixt vs: I haue as much
52of my father in mee, as you, albeit I confe s s e your com -
53ming before me is neerer to his reuerence.
54 Oli. What Boy.
55 Orl. Come, come elder brother, you are too yong in(this.
56 Oli. Wilt thou lay hands on me villaine?
57 Orl. I am no villaine: I am the yonge s t s onne of Sir
58Rowland de Boys, he was my father, and he is thrice a vil -
59laine that s aies s uch a father begot villaines: wert thou
60not my brother, I would not take this hand from thy
61throat, till this other had puld out thy tongue for s aying
62 s o, thou ha s t raild on thy s elfe.
63 Adam. Sweet Ma s t ers bee patient, for your Fathers
64remembrance, be at accord.
65 Oli. Let me goe I s ay.
66 Orl. I will not till I plea s e: you s h all heare mee: my
67father charg'd you in his will to giue me good educati -
68on: you haue train'd me like a pezant, ob s curing and
69hiding from me all gentleman-like qualities: the s pirit
70of my father growes s t rong in mee, and I will no longer
71endure it: therefore allow me s uch exerci s es as may be -
72come a gentleman, or giue mee the poore allottery my
73father left me by te s t ament, with that I will goe buy my
75 Oli. And what wilt thou do? beg when that is s pent?
76Well s i r, get you in. I will not long be troubled with
77you: you s h all haue s ome part of your will, I pray you
79 Orl. I will no further o ff end you, then becomes mee
80for my good.
81 Oli. Get you with him, you olde dogge.
82 Adam. Is old dogge my reward: mo s t true, I haue
83lo s t my teeth in your s eruice: God be with my olde ma -
84 s t er, he would not haue s poke s uch a word. Ex. Orl. Ad.
85 Oli. Is it euen s o, begin you to grow vpon me? I will
86phy s i cke your ranckene s s e, and yet giue no thou s and
87crownes neyther: holla Denn is .
88 Enter Denn is .
89 Den. Calls your wor s h ip?
90 Oli. Was not Charles the Dukes Wra s t ler heere to
91 s peake with me?
92 Den. So plea s e you, he is heere at the doore, and im -
93portunes acce s s e to you.
94 Oli. Call him in: 'twill be a good way: and to mor -
95row the wra s t ling is.
96 Enter Charles.
97 Cha. Good morrow to your wor s h ip.
98 Oli. Good Moun s i er Charles: what's the new newes
99at the new Court?
100 Charles. There's no newes at the Court Sir, but the
101olde newes: that is, the old Duke is bani s h ed by his yon -
102ger brother the new Duke, and three or foure louing
103Lords haue put them s elues into voluntary exile with
104him, who s e lands and reuenues enrich the new Duke,
105therefore he giues them good leaue to wander.
106 Oli. Can you tell if Ro s alind the Dukes daughter bee
107bani s h ed with her Father?
108 Cha. O no; for the Dukes daughter her Co s en s o
109loues her, being euer from their Cradles bred together,
110that hee would haue followed her exile, or haue died to
111 s t ay behind her; s h e is at the Court, and no le s s e beloued
112of her Vncle, then his owne daughter, and neuer two La -
113dies loued as they doe.
114 Oli. Where will the old Duke liue?
115 Cha. They s ay hee is already in the Forre s t of Arden,
116and a many merry men with him; and there they liue
117like the old Robin Hood of England: they s ay many yong
118Gentlemen fl ocke to him euery day, and fl eet the time
119carele s l y as they did in the golden world.
120 Oli. What, you wra s t le to morrow before the new
122 Cha. Marry doe I s i r: and I came to acquaint you
123with a matter: I am giuen s i r s ecretly to vnder s t and, that
124your yonger brother Orlando hath a di s po s i tion to come
125in di s guis'd again s t mee to try a fall: to morrow s i r I
126wra s t le for my credit, and hee that e s capes me without
127 s ome broken limbe, s h all acquit him well: your brother
128is but young and tender, and for your loue I would bee
129loth to foyle him, as I mu s t for my owne honour if hee
130come in: therefore out of my loue to you, I came hither
131to acquaint you withall, that either you might s t ay him
132from his intendment, or brooke s uch di s grace well as he
133 s h all runne into, in that it is a thing of his owne s earch,
134and altogether again s t my will.
135 Oli. Charles, I thanke thee for thy loue to me, which
136thou s h alt fi nde I will mo s t kindly requite: I had my
137 s elfe notice of my Brothers purpo s e heerein, and haue by
138vnder-hand meanes laboured to di s s wade him from it;
139but he is re s olute. Ile tell thee Charles, it is the s t ubbor -
140ne s t yong fellow of France, full of ambition, an enuious
141emulator of euery mans good parts, a s ecret & villanous
142contriuer again s t mee his naturall brother: therefore v s e
143thy di s cretion, I had as liefe thou did s t breake his necke
144as his fi nger. And thou wert be s t looke to't; for if thou
145do s t him any s l ight di s grace, or if hee doe not mightilie
146grace him s elfe on thee, hee will pra ct i s e again s t thee by
147poy s on, entrap thee by s ome treacherous deui s e, and ne -
148uer leaue thee till he hath tane thy life by s ome indire ct
149meanes or other: for I a s s ure thee, (and almo s t with
150teares I s peake it) there is not one s o young, and s o vil -
151lanous this day liuing. I s peake but brotherly of him,
152but s h ould I anathomize him to thee, as hee is, I mu s t
153blu s h , and weepe, and thou mu s t looke pale and
155 Cha. I am heartily glad I came hither to you: if hee
156come to morrow, Ile giue him his payment: if euer hee
157goe alone againe, Ile neuer wra s t le for prize more: and
158 s o God keepe your wor s h ip. Exit.
159 Farewell good Charles. Now will I s t irre this Game -
160 s t er: I hope I s h all s ee an end of him; for my s oule (yet
161I know not why) hates nothing more then he: yet hee's
162gentle, neuer s chool'd, and yet learned, full of noble
163deui s e, of all s orts enchantingly beloued, and indeed
164 s o much in the heart of the world, and e s pecially of my
165owne people, who be s t know him, that I am altogether
166mi s pri s ed: but it s h all not be s o long, this wra s t ler s h all
167cleare all: nothing remaines, but that I kindle the boy
168thither, which now Ile goe about. Exit.