AS YOU LIKE IT

Act 2 Scene 3

(Enter Orlando and Adam, meeting)
l1l	Orlando	 Who’s there?
l2l	Adam	What, my young master, O my gentle master,
l3l		O my sweet master, O you memory
l4l		Of old Sir Rowland, why, what make you here!
l5l		Why are you virtuous? Why do people love you?
l6l		And wherefore are you gentle, strong, and valiant?
l7l		Why would you be so fond to overcome
l8l		The bonny prizer of the humorous Duke?
l9l		Your praise is come too swiftly home before you.
l10l		Know you not, master, to some kind of men
l11l		Their graces serve them but as enemies?
l12l		No more do yours. Your virtues, gentle master,
l13l		Are sanctified and holy traitors to you.
l14l		O, what a world is this, when what is comely
l15l		Envenoms him that bears it!
l16l	Orlando	Why, what’s the matter?
l17l	Adam	O, unhappy youth,
l18l		Come not within these doors. Within this roof
l19l		The enemy of all your graces lives,
l20l		Your brother—no, no brother—yet the son—
l21l		Yet not the son, I will not call him son—
l22l		Of him I was about to call his father,
l23l		Hath heard your praises, and this night he means
l24l		To burn the lodging where you use to lie,
l25l		And you within it. If he fail of that,
l26l		He will have other means to cut you off.
l27l		I overheard him and his practices.
l28l		This is no place, this house is but a butchery.
l29l		Abhor it, fear it, do not enter it.
l30l	Orlando	Why, whither, Adam, wouldst thou have me go?
l31l	Adam	No matter whither, so you come not here.
l32l	Orlando	What, wouldst thou have me go and beg my food,
l33l		Or with a base and boisterous sword enforce
l34l		A thievish living on the common road?
l35l		This I must do, or know not what to do.
l36l		Yet this I will not do, do how I can.
l37l		I rather will subject me to the malice
l38l		Of a diverted blood and bloody brother.
l39l	Adam	But do not so. I have five hundred crowns,
l40l		The thrifty hire I saved under your father,
l41l		Which I did store to be my foster-nurse
l42l		When service should in my old limbs lie lame,
l43l		And unregarded age in corners thrown.
l44l		Take that, and he that doth the ravens feed,
l45l		Yea providently caters for the sparrow,
l46l		Be comfort to my age. Here is the gold.
l47l		All this I give you. Let me be your servant.
l48l		Though I look old, yet I am strong and lusty,
l49l		For in my youth I never did apply
l50l		Hot and rebellious liquors in my blood,
l51l		Nor did not with unbashful forehead woo
l52l		The means of weakness and debility.
l53l		Therefore my age is as a lusty winter,
l54l		Frosty but kindly. Let me go with you,
l55l		I’ll do the service of a younger man
l56l		In all your business and necessities.
l57l	Orlando	O good old man, how well in thee appears
l58l		The constant service of the antique world,
l59l		When service sweat for duty, not for meed!
l60l		Thou art not for the fashion of these times,
l61l		Where none will sweat but for promotion,
l62l		And having that do choke their service up
l63l		Even with the having. It is not so with thee.
l64l		But, poor old man, thou prun’st a rotten tree,
l65l		That cannot so much as a blossom yield
l66l		In lieu of all thy pains and husbandry.
l67l		But come thy ways. We’ll go along together,
l68l		And ere we have thy youthful wages spent,
l69l		We’ll light upon some settled low content.
l70l	Adam	Master, go on, and I will follow thee
l71l		To the last gasp with truth and loyalty.
l72l		From seventeen years till now almost fourscore
l73l		Here livèd I, but now live here no more.
l74l		At seventeen years, many their fortunes seek,
l75l		But at fourscore, it is too late a week.
l76l		Yet fortune cannot recompense me better
l77l		Than to die well, and not my master’s debtor.
		(Exeunt)