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As You Like It: Act 1 Scene 1

Scene: Oliver's house; Duke Frederick's court; and the Forest of Arden.

Scene I Orchard of Oliver's house.

[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

Yonder comes my master, your brother.

ORLANDO

Go apart, Adam, and thou shalt hear how he will

shake me up.

[Enter OLIVER]

OLIVER

Now, sir! what make you here?

ORLANDO

Nothing: I am not taught to make any thing.

OLIVER

What mar you then, sir?

ORLANDO

Marry, sir, I am helping you to mar that which God

made, a poor unworthy brother of yours, with idleness.

OLIVER

Marry, sir, be better employed, and be naught awhile.

ORLANDO

Shall I keep your hogs and eat husks with them?

What prodigal portion have I spent, that I should

come to such penury?

OLIVER

Know you where your are, sir?

ORLANDO

O, sir, very well; here 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.

OLIVER

What, boy!

ORLANDO

Come, come, elder brother, you are too young in this.

OLIVER

Wilt thou lay hands on me, villain?

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.

ADAM

Sweet masters, be patient: for your father's

remembrance, be at accord.

OLIVER

Let me go, I say.

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.

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.

ORLANDO

I will no further offend you than becomes me for my good.

OLIVER

Get you 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.

[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!

[Enter DENNIS]

DENNIS

Calls your worship?

OLIVER

Was not Charles, the duke's wrestler, here to speak with me?

DENNIS

So please you, he is here at the door and importunes

access to you.

OLIVER

Call him in.

[Exit DENNIS]

'Twill be a good way; and to-morrow the wrestling is.

[Enter CHARLES]

CHARLES

Good morrow to your worship.

OLIVER

Good Monsieur Charles, what's the new 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.

OLIVER

Can you tell if Rosalind, the duke's daughter, be

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.

OLIVER

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.

OLIVER

What, you wrestle to-morrow before 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,

for your love, I would be loath to foil him, as I

must, for my own honour, if he come in: therefore,

out of my love to you, I came hither to acquaint you

withal, that either you might stay him from his

intendment or brook such disgrace well as he shall

run into, in that it is a thing of his own search

and altogether against my will.

OLIVER

Charles, I thank thee for thy love to me, which

thou shalt find I will most kindly requite. I had

myself notice of my brother's purpose herein and

have by underhand means laboured to dissuade him from

it, but he is resolute. I'll tell thee, Charles:

it is the stubbornest young fellow of France, full

of ambition, an envious emulator of every man's

good parts, a secret and villanous contriver against

me his natural brother: therefore use thy

discretion; I had as lief thou didst break his neck

as his finger. And thou wert best look to't; for if

thou dost him any slight disgrace or if he do not

mightily grace himself on thee, he will practise

against thee by poison, entrap thee by some

treacherous device and never leave thee till he

hath ta'en thy life by some indirect means or other;

for, I assure thee, and almost with tears I speak

it, there is not one so young and so villanous this

day living. I speak but brotherly of him; but

should I anatomize him to thee as he is, I must

blush and weep and thou must look pale and wonder.

CHARLES

I am heartily glad I came hither to you. If he come

to-morrow, I'll give him his payment: if ever he go

alone again, I'll never wrestle for prize more: and

so God keep your worship!

OLIVER

Farewell, good Charles.

[Exit CHARLES]

Now will I stir this gamester: I hope I shall see

an end of him; for my soul, yet I know not why,

hates nothing more than he. Yet he's gentle, never

schooled and yet learned, full of noble device, of

all sorts enchantingly beloved, and indeed so much

in the heart of the world, and especially of my own

people, who best know him, that I am altogether

misprised: but it shall not be so long; this

wrestler shall clear all: nothing remains but that

I kindle the boy thither; which now I'll go about.

[Exit]

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