Orlando demands that his elder brother Oliver give him part of the money left by their father. Oliver decides to get rid of Orlando by encouraging him to take part in a wrestling match almost sure to be fatal.
Enter Orlando and Adam.
ORLANDO0001
As I remember, Adam, it was upon this 0002fashion bequeathed me by will but poor a thousand 0003crowns, and, as thou sayst, charged my brother on 0004his blessing to breed me well. And there begins my 00055sadness. My brother Jaques he keeps at school, and 0006report speaks goldenly of his profit. For my part, he 0007keeps me rustically at home, or, to speak more 0008properly, stays me here at home unkept; for call you 0009that “keeping,” for a gentleman of my birth, that 001010differs not from the stalling of an ox? His horses are 0011bred better, for, besides that they are fair with their 0012feeding, they are taught their manage and, to that 0013end, riders dearly hired. But I, his brother, gain 0014nothing under him but growth, for the which his 001515animals on his dunghills are as much bound to him 0016as I. Besides this nothing that he so plentifully gives 0017me, the something that nature gave me his countenance 0018seems to take from me. He lets me feed with 0019his hinds, bars me the place of a brother, and, as 002020much as in him lies, mines my gentility with my 0021education. This is it, Adam, that grieves me, and the 0022spirit of my father, which I think is within me, 0023begins to mutiny against this servitude. I will no
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0024longer endure it, though yet I know no wise remedy 002525how to avoid it.
Enter Oliver.
ADAM0026
Yonder comes my master, your brother. ORLANDO0027
Go apart, Adam, and thou shalt hear how he 0028will shake me up.⌜Adam steps aside.⌝ OLIVER0029
Now, sir, what make you here? ORLANDO003030Nothing. I am not taught to make anything. OLIVER0031
What mar you then, sir? ORLANDO0032
Marry, sir, I am helping you to mar that 0033which God made, a poor unworthy brother of 0034yours, with idleness. OLIVER003535Marry, sir, be better employed, and be naught 0036awhile. ORLANDO0037
Shall I keep your hogs and eat husks with 0038them? What prodigal portion have I spent that I 0039should come to such penury? OLIVER004040Know you where you are, sir? ORLANDO0041
O, sir, very well: here in your orchard. OLIVER0042
Know you before whom, sir? ORLANDO0043
Ay, better than him I am before knows me. I 0044know you are my eldest brother, and in the gentle 004545condition of blood you should so know me. The 0046courtesy of nations allows you my better in that you 0047are the first-born, but the same tradition takes not 0048away my blood, were there twenty brothers betwixt 0049us. I have as much of my father in me as you, albeit I 005050confess your coming before me is nearer to his 0051reverence. OLIVER, ⌜threatening Orlando⌝0052
What, boy! ORLANDO, ⌜holding off Oliver by the throat⌝0053
Come, 0054come, elder brother, you are too young in this. OLIVER005555Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain? ORLANDO0056
I am no villain. I am the youngest son of Sir
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0057Rowland de Boys. He was my father, and he is 0058thrice a villain that says such a father begot villains. 0059Wert thou not my brother, I would not take this 006060hand from thy throat till this other had pulled out 0061thy tongue for saying so. Thou hast railed on thyself. ADAM, ⌜coming forward⌝0062
Sweet masters, be patient. For 0063your father’s remembrance, be at accord. OLIVER, ⌜to Orlando⌝0064
Let me go, I say. ORLANDO006565I will not till I please. You shall hear me. My 0066father charged you in his will to give me good 0067education. You have trained me like a peasant, 0068obscuring and hiding from me all gentlemanlike 0069qualities. The spirit of my father grows strong in 007070me, and I will no longer endure it. Therefore allow 0071me such exercises as may become a gentleman, or 0072give me the poor allottery my father left me by 0073testament. With that I will go buy my fortunes. ⌜Orlando releases Oliver.⌝ OLIVER0074
And what wilt thou do—beg when that is 007575spent? Well, sir, get you in. I will not long be 0076troubled with you. You shall have some part of your 0077will. I pray you leave me. ORLANDO0078
I will no further offend you than becomes 0079me for my good. OLIVER, ⌜to Adam⌝008080Get you with him, you old dog. ADAM0081
Is “old dog” my reward? Most true, I have lost 0082my teeth in your service. God be with my old 0083master. He would not have spoke such a word. Orlando ⌜and⌝ Adam exit. OLIVER0084
Is it even so? Begin you to grow upon me? I 008585will physic your rankness, and yet give no thousand 0086crowns neither.—Holla, Dennis!
Enter Dennis.
DENNIS0087
Calls your Worship?
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OLIVER0088
Was not Charles, the Duke’s wrestler, here to 0089speak with me? DENNIS009090So please you, he is here at the door and 0091importunes access to you. OLIVER0092
Call him in.⌜Dennis exits.⌝ ’Twill be a good 0093way, and tomorrow the wrestling is.
Enter Charles.
CHARLES0094
Good morrow to your Worship. OLIVER009595Good Monsieur Charles, what’s the new news 0096at the new court? CHARLES0097
There’s no news at the court, sir, but the old 0098news. That is, the old duke is banished by his 0099younger brother the new duke, and three or four 0100100loving lords have put themselves into voluntary 0101exile with him, whose lands and revenues enrich 0102the new duke. Therefore he gives them good leave 0103to wander. OLIVER0104
Can you tell if Rosalind, the Duke’s daughter, 0105105be banished with her father? CHARLES0106
O, no, for the Duke’s daughter her cousin so 0107loves her, being ever from their cradles bred together, 0108that ⌜she⌝ would have followed her exile or have 0109died to stay behind her. She is at the court and no 0110110less beloved of her uncle than his own daughter, 0111and never two ladies loved as they do. OLIVER0112
Where will the old duke live? CHARLES0113
They say he is already in the Forest of Arden, 0114and a many merry men with him; and there they 0115115live like the old Robin Hood of England. They say 0116many young gentlemen flock to him every day and 0117fleet the time carelessly, as they did in the golden 0118world. OLIVER0119
What, you wrestle tomorrow before the new 0120120duke?
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CHARLES0121
Marry, do I, sir, and I came to acquaint you 0122with a matter. I am given, sir, secretly to understand 0123that your younger brother Orlando hath a 0124disposition to come in disguised against me to try a 0125125fall. Tomorrow, sir, I wrestle for my credit, and he 0126that escapes me without some broken limb shall 0127acquit him well. Your brother is but young and 0128tender, and for your love I would be loath to foil 0129him, as I must for my own honor if he come in. 0130130Therefore, out of my love to you, I came hither to 0131acquaint you withal, that either you might stay him 0132from his intendment, or brook such disgrace well 0133as he shall run into, in that it is a thing of his own 0134search and altogether against my will. OLIVER0135135Charles, I thank thee for thy love to me, which 0136thou shalt find I will most kindly requite. I had 0137myself notice of my brother’s purpose herein, and 0138have by underhand means labored to dissuade him 0139from it; but he is resolute. I’ll tell thee, Charles, it is 0140140the stubbornest young fellow of France, full of 0141ambition, an envious emulator of every man’s good 0142parts, a secret and villainous contriver against me 0143his natural brother. Therefore use thy discretion. I 0144had as lief thou didst break his neck as his finger. 0145145And thou wert best look to ’t, for if thou dost him 0146any slight disgrace, or if he do not mightily grace 0147himself on thee, he will practice against thee by 0148poison, entrap thee by some treacherous device, 0149and never leave thee till he hath ta’en thy life by 0150150some indirect means or other. For I assure thee— 0151and almost with tears I speak it—there is not one so 0152young and so villainous this day living. I speak but 0153brotherly of him, but should I anatomize him to 0154thee as he is, I must blush and weep, and thou must 0155155look pale and wonder. CHARLES0156
I am heartily glad I came hither to you. If he
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0157come tomorrow, I’ll give him his payment. If ever 0158he go alone again, I’ll never wrestle for prize more. 0159And so God keep your Worship. ⌜OLIVER⌝0160160Farewell, good Charles.⌜Charles⌝ exits. 0161Now will I stir this gamester. I hope I shall see an 0162end of him, for my soul—yet I know not why— 0163hates nothing more than he. Yet he’s gentle, never 0164schooled and yet learned, full of noble device, of all 0165165sorts enchantingly beloved, and indeed so much in 0166the heart of the world, and especially of my own 0167people, who best know him, that I am altogether 0168misprized. But it shall not be so long; this wrestler 0169shall clear all. Nothing remains but that I kindle the 0170170boy thither, which now I’ll go about. He exits.
