thank you: wait for me at home, we'll have some fun:
don't bother with your thanks, it's worthless.
KING
Let us from point to point this story know,
To make the even truth in pleasure flow.
To DIANA
If thou be'st yet a fresh uncropped flower,
Choose thou thy husband, and I'll pay thy dower;
For I can guess that by thy honest aid
Thou keep'st a wife herself, thyself a maid.
Of that and all the progress, more or less,
Resolvedly more leisure shall express:
All yet seems well; and if it end so meet,
The bitter past, more welcome is the sweet.
Let me know this story from beginning to end,
let's enjoy the truth.
If you are in fact still a virgin,
choose yourself a husband, and I'll pay your dowry;
I can see that with your playful help
you have given a wife back her position, and stayed a virgin.
We'll learn all about this in good time:
Everything seems to have turned out for the best; and if it ends so well
the bitterness of the past makes this sweetness more welcome.
Flourish
EPILOGUE
KING
The king's a beggar, now the play is done:
All is well ended, if this suit be won,
That you express content; which we will pay,
With strife to please you, day exceeding day:
Ours be your patience then, and yours our parts;
Your gentle hands lend us, and take our hearts.
The play is over, now the King is a beggar:
Everything has ended well, if we have succeeded
in pleasing you; we make our best efforts
to do this, day after day:
now it's time for you to act for us;
give us your applause, and we will be grateful.
Exeunt
DUKE, living in exile
FREDERICK, Brother to the Duke, and Usurper of his Dominions
AMIENS, Lord attending on the Duke in his Banishment
JAQUES, Lord attending on the Duke in his Banishment
LE BEAU, a Courtier attending upon Frederick
CHARLES, his Wrestler
OLIVER, Son of Sir Rowland de Bois
JAQUES, Son of Sir Rowland de Bois
ORLANDO, Son of Sir Rowland de Bois
ADAM, Servant to Oliver
DENNIS, Servant to Oliver
TOUCHSTONE, a Clown
SIR OLIVER MARTEXT, a Vicar
CORIN, Shepherd
SILVIUS, Shepherd
WILLIAM, a Country Fellow, in love with Audrey.
A person representing HYMEN.
ROSALIND, Daughter to the banished Duke
CELIA, Daughter to Frederick
PHEBE, a Shepherdess
AUDREY, a Country Wench
Lords belonging to the two Dukes; Pages, Foresters, and other Attendants.
Enter ORLANDO and ADAM
ORLANDO
As I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion
bequeathed me by will but poor a thousand crowns,
and, as thou sayest, charged my brother, on his
blessing, to breed me well: and there begins my
sadness. My brother Jaques he keeps at school, and
report speaks goldenly of his profit: for my part,
he keeps me rustically 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 stalling of an ox? His horses
are bred better; for, besides 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 so
plentifully gives me, the something that nature gave
me his countenance seems 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
servitude: I will no longer endure it, though yet I
know no wise remedy how to avoid it.
Adam, I remember that this was why
my father left me only a thousand crowns in his will
and, like you said, tasked my brother,
while blessing him, to raise me. This began my
sad problems. My brother, Oliver, keeps my other brother, Jacques, at school,
where everyone says he is doing very well, but me
he keeps here at home in the country, or to be
more exact, cages me here. Do you think
that it is fitting for such a noble man as me
to be in the same situation as an ox? Oliver’s horses
are treated better than me:
they are fed well and they are trained
by well paid trainers. Meanwhile, I, his
own brother, get nothing from his care, unless you count growing and maturing naturally –
his animals, sitting on piles of dung and manure, get
as much from him and are just as tied to him. He gives me
a lot of nothing, and even my noble birthrights
he has taken away from me: he
makes me eat with his servants, doesn’t let me have what is rightfully mine as his
brother, and, as much as he can, ruins
my upbringing by refusing me a proper education. This, Adam,
is why I am sad. My father’s spirit – and I
think I share his independence – begs me to rebel against this
servanthood. I will stand for this no longer, even though
I am not sure how to put a stop to it.
ADAM
Yonder comes my master, your brother.
Here comes your brother, my master.
ORLANDO
Go apart, Adam, and thou shalt hear how he will
shake me up.
Go hide, Adam, and you will hear how
poorly he treats me.
Enter OLIVER
OLIVER
Now, sir! what make you here?
Hello, you! What are you doing here?
ORLANDO
Nothing: I am not taught to make any thing.
Nothing – I was never taught how to do anything.
OLIVER
What mar you then, sir?
Then what are you destroying?
ORLANDO
Marry, sir, I am helping you to mar that which God
made, a poor unworthy brother of yours, with idleness.
Well, I am destroying that which God
made – your brother who has nothing to do.
OLIVER
Marry, sir, be better employed, and be naught awhile.
Then you should find something to do and go away for a while.
ORLANDO
Shall I keep your hogs and eat husks with them?
What prodigal portion have I spent, that I should
come to such penury?
Would you like me to watch your pigs and eat their food with them?
When did I act like the prodigal son and spend my inheritance, so that I
must be punished like this?
OLIVER
Know you where your are, sir?
Do you know where you are?
ORLANDO
O, sir, very well; here in your orchard.
Yes, I am in your orchard,
OLIVER
Know you before whom, sir?
ORLANDO
Ay, better than him I am before knows me. I know
you are my eldest brother; and, in the gentle
condition of blood, you should so know me. The
courtesy of nations allows you my better, in that
you are the first-born; but the same 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 reverence.
Yes, I know him better than he knows me. I know
you are my oldest brother, and I know you are a gentleman
by birth, but you should know that I am too. General
tradition says that you are my elder and should be respected,
since you are first-born, but that same tradition
does not take away my nobility, even if there were twenty brothers
and I was the youngest. I have just as much of my father’s blood in me
as you do – even if, I admit, your place as being born first
was more honored by him.
OLIVER
What, boy!
How dare you!
strikes ORLANDO
ORLANDO
Come, come, elder brother, you are too young in this.
Now, now – you may be my older brother, but you are not very experienced in fighting.
seizes OLIVER
OLIVER
Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain?
Do you dare touch me, scoundrel?
ORLANDO
I am no villain; I am the youngest son of Sir
Rowland de Boys; he was my father, and he is thrice
a villain that says such 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 saying so: thou hast railed on thyself.
I am not a scoundrel: I am the youngest son of Sir
Rowland de Boys. He is my father, and whoever says
that he had scoundrels as sons is himself three times the scoundrel.
If you were not my brother, I would keep
choking you with this hand while my other one would rip out
your tongue for suggesting such a thing. You have insulted only yourself.
ADAM
Sweet masters, be patient: for your father's
remembrance, be at accord.
Masters, please stop. For your father’s
sake, be at peace.
OLIVER
Let me go, I say.
Let me go, now.
ORLANDO
I will not, till I please: you shall hear me. My
father charged you in his will to give me good
education: you have trained me like a peasant,
obscuring and hiding from me all gentleman-like
qualities. The spirit of my father grows strong in
me, and I will no longer endure it: therefore allow
me such exercises as may become a gentleman, or
give me the poor allottery my father left me by
testament; with that I will go buy my fortunes.
Not until I want to – first you will listen. My
father requested in his will that you make sure I get a good
education, and yet you have had me educated like a peasant and commoner,
failing to teach me the proper qualities of a gentleman.
I have the same character of my father in
me and so I will no longer stand for this treatment. Either
train me in the proper ways of becoming a gentleman or
give me the small inheritance that my father let me
in his will, and I will leave to pursue my own future.
OLIVER
And what wilt thou do? beg, when that is spent?
Well, sir, get you in: I will not long be troubled
with you; you shall have some part of your will: I
pray you, leave me.
And then what will you do? Will you beg from me when you run out of money?
Well, fine, get – I will not be bothered
by you any longer. You will have your inheritance and then,
please, leave.
ORLANDO
I will no further offend you than becomes me for my good.
I will not bother you any more than I have to so that I get what is due me.
OLIVER
Get you with him, you old dog.
Go away with him, you old dog.
ADAM
Is 'old dog' my reward? Most true, I have lost my
teeth in your service. God be with my old master!
he would not have spoke such a word.
An ‘old dog’ am I? True enough – I am old enough
to have lost my teeth serving you and your family. God be with your father,
my old master! He would never have called me such a name.
Exeunt ORLANDO and ADAM
OLIVER
Is it even so? begin you to grow upon me? I will
physic your rankness, and yet give no thousand
crowns neither. Holla, Dennis!
Is it true? Have you grown big enough to challenge me? Well,
I will cure your rashness against me and will not give you a thousand
crowns either. Hello, Dennis!
Enter DENNIS
DENNIS
Calls your worship?
You called, your worship?
OLIVER
Was not Charles, the duke's wrestler, here to speak with me?
Has the duke’s wrestler, Charles, come to see me yet?
DENNIS
So please you, he is here at the door and importunes
access to you.
He is in fact here at the door now, and asks
to speak with you.
OLIVER
Call him in.
Call him in.
Exit DENNIS
'Twill be a good way; and to-morrow the wrestling is.
This will work – and, tomorrow is the wrestling match.
Enter CHARLES
CHARLES
Good morrow to your worship.
Hello, your worship.
OLIVER
Good Monsieur Charles, what's the new news at the
new court?
Good sir Charles, what is the news at the
new court?
CHARLES
There's no news at the court, sir, but the old news:
that is, the old duke is banished by his younger
brother the new duke; and three or four loving lords
have put themselves into voluntary exile with him,
whose lands and revenues enrich the new duke;
therefore he gives them good leave to wander.
Only the old news, sir:
that the duke has been banished by his younger
brother who has become the new duke, and three or four devoted lords
have joined the old duke in voluntary exile –
but since their land and money have been given up to the new duke,
he has freely allowed them to leave.
OLIVER
Can you tell if Rosalind, the duke's daughter, be
banished with her father?
Was Rosalind, the old duke’s daughter,
banished with her father?
CHARLES
O, no; for the duke's daughter, her cousin, so loves
her, being ever from their cradles bred together,
that she would have followed her exile, or have died
to stay behind her. She is at the court, and no
less beloved of her uncle than his own daughter; and
never two ladies loved as they do.
No, the new duke’s daughter, Rosalind’s cousin, loves
her – they
were raised together from their cradles –
and would have followed her into exile or would have died
without her. Rosalind is at the court, and she
is just as loved by her uncle as his own daughter, Celia.
Two ladies were never so fond of each other as they are.
OLIVER
Where will the old duke live?
Where will the old duke live?
CHARLES
They say he is already in the forest of Arden, and
a many merry men with him; and there they live like
the old Robin Hood of England: they say many young
gentlemen flock to him every day, and fleet the time
carelessly, as they did in the golden world.
Some say he is already in the forest of Arden
with a group of happy men, living like
Robin Hood from England. They say young
gentleman come to him every day and spend the time
without a care in the world, as if it were the Garden of Eden.
OLIVER
What, you wrestle to-morrow before the new duke?
So will you be wrestling tomorrow in front of the new duke?
CHARLES
Marry, do I, sir; and I came to acquaint you with a
matter. I am given, sir, secretly to understand
that your younger brother Orlando hath a disposition
to come in disguised against me to try a fall.
To-morrow, sir, I wrestle for my credit; and he that
escapes me without some broken limb shall acquit him
well. Your brother is but young and tender; and,
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 216