AS YOU LIKE IT.

ACT I. SCENE I.

A

OLIVER's Orchard.

Enter Orlando and Adam.

ORLANDO.

SI remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion bequeath'd me. By Will, but a poor thoufand crowns'; and, as thou fay'st, charged my brother on his Bleffing to breed me well. And there begins my faduefs. My brother Jaques he keeps at fchool, and report fpeaks goldenly of his profit.

' As I remember, Adam, it was upon this FASHION bequeathed me by Will, but a poor thousand. crowns, &c.] The Grammar, as well as fenfe, fuffers cruelly by this reading. There are two nominatives to the verb be queathed, and not so much as one to the verb charged: and yet, to the nominative there wanted, [bis bleffing] refers. So that the whole fentence is confufed and obfcure. A very fmall alteration in the reading and pointing fets all right.

For

As I remember, Adam, it was upon this MY FATHER bequeathed me, &c. The Grammar is now rectified, and the fenfe alfo ; which is this, Orlando and Adam were difcourfing together on the caufe why the younger brother had but a thoufand crowns left him. They agree upon it; and Orlando opens the scene in this manner, As I remember, it was upon this, i. e. for the reason we have been talking of, that my father left me but a thoufand crowns; however, to make a

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mends

For my part, he keeps me ruftically at home; or, to fpeak more properly, ftays 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. Besides 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 fupply, 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 bleing to breed me well. What is there in this difficult or obfcure? the nominative my father is certainly left out, but fo left out that the auditor inferts it, in fpite of himself.

2 STAYS me here at home, unkept.] We should read srys, 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 says,

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

3 His COUNTENANCE feems to take from me.] We should cer tainlyread his DISCOUNTENANCE. WARBURTON.

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

SCENE

SCENE H.

Enter Oliver.

Adam. Yonder comes my mafter, your brother. Orla. Go apart, Adam, and thou shalt 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 nouglit 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 exrcife, 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 ett otiofum effe quàm nihil agere. But Oliver in the perverfenefs of his difpofition would reverse the doctrine of the proverb. Does the Read

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

Oli Know where

you

?

you are,

Sir?

Orla. O, 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 condition of blood, you fhould fo know me. The 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 confefs your coming before me is nearer to his

reverence".

Oli. What, boy!

[menacing with his hand. Orla. Come, come, elder brother, you are too young

[collaring him. in this. Oli. Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain? Orla. I am no villain: I am the youngest fon of was my father, and he is

Sir Rowland de Boys; he

be better employed, and be naught a while.

In the fame fenfe as we say it is better to do mischief, 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 Orlando did not here mean to compliment his brother, or condemn himself; fomething of both which there is in that fenfe. I rather think he

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

I

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

6 I am no villain.] The word villain 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 bafe extraction.

thrice

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 thyself.

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 charged you in his Will to give me good education; you have train'd me up like a peafant, obfcuring 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,

for my good.

than becomes mę

Oli. Get you with him, you old dog.

Adam. Is old dog my reward? moft true, I have loft my teeth in your fervice. God be with my old mafter, he would not have spoke fuch a word.

[Exe. Orlando and Adam.

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

Enter Dennis.

Den. Calls your Worship?

Oli.

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