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A green and gilded snake had wreath'd itself, |
Who with her head nimble in threats approach'd |
The opening of his mouth; but suddenly, |
Seeing Orlando, it unlink'd itself, |
And with indented glides did slip away |
Into a bush; under which bush's shade |
A lioness, with udders all drawn dry, |
Lay couching, head on ground, with catlike watch, |
When that the sleeping man should stir; for 'tis |
The royal disposition of that beast |
To prey on nothing that doth seem as dead. |
This seen, Orlando did approach the man, |
And found it was his brother, his elder brother. |
CELIA. O, I have heard him speak of that same brother; |
And he did render him the most unnatural |
That liv'd amongst men. |
OLIVER. And well he might so do, |
For well I know he was unnatural. |
ROSALIND. But, to Orlando: did he leave him there, |
Food to the suck'd and hungry lioness? |
OLIVER. Twice did he turn his back, and purpos'd so; |
But kindness, nobler ever than revenge, |
And nature, stronger than his just occasion, |
Made him give battle to the lioness, |
Who quickly fell before him; in which hurtling |
From miserable slumber I awak'd. |
CELIA. Are you his brother? |
ROSALIND. Was't you he rescu'd? |
CELIA. Was't you that did so oft contrive to kill him? |
OLIVER. 'Twas I; but 'tis not I. I do not shame |
To tell you what I was, since my conversion |
So sweetly tastes, being the thing I am. |
ROSALIND. But for the bloody napkin? |
OLIVER. By and by. |
When from the first to last, betwixt us two, |
Tears our recountments had most kindly bath'd, |
As how I came into that desert place- |
In brief, he led me to the gentle Duke, |
Who gave me fresh array and entertainment, |
Committing me unto my brother's love; |
Who led me instantly unto his cave, |
There stripp'd himself, and here upon his arm |
The lioness had torn some flesh away, |
Which all this while had bled; and now he fainted, |
And cried, in fainting, upon Rosalind. |
Brief, I recover'd him, bound up his wound, |
And, after some small space, being strong at heart, |
He sent me hither, stranger as I am, |
To tell this story, that you might excuse |
His broken promise, and to give this napkin, |
Dy'd in his blood, unto the shepherd youth |
That he in sport doth call his Rosalind. |
[ROSALIND swoons] |
CELIA. Why, how now, Ganymede! sweet Ganymede! |
OLIVER. Many will swoon when they do look on blood. |
CELIA. There is more in it. Cousin Ganymede! |
OLIVER. Look, he recovers. |
ROSALIND. I would I were at home. |
CELIA. We'll lead you thither. |
I pray you, will you take him by the arm? |
OLIVER. Be of good cheer, youth. You a man! |
You lack a man's heart. |
ROSALIND. I do so, I confess it. Ah, sirrah, a body would think |
this was well counterfeited. I pray you tell your brother how |
well I counterfeited. Heigh-ho! |
OLIVER. This was not counterfeit; there is too great testimony in |
your complexion that it was a passion of earnest. |
ROSALIND. Counterfeit, I assure you. |
OLIVER. Well then, take a good heart and counterfeit to be a man. |
ROSALIND. So I do; but, i' faith, I should have been a woman by |
right. |
CELIA. Come, you look paler and paler; pray you draw homewards. |
Good sir, go with us. |
OLIVER. That will I, for I must bear answer back |
How you excuse my brother, Rosalind. |
ROSALIND. I shall devise something; but, I pray you, commend my |
counterfeiting to him. Will you go? Exeunt |
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ACT V. SCENE I. |
The forest |
Enter TOUCHSTONE and AUDREY |
TOUCHSTONE. We shall find a time, Audrey; patience, gentle Audrey. |
AUDREY. Faith, the priest was good enough, for all the old |
gentleman's saying. |
TOUCHSTONE. A most wicked Sir Oliver, Audrey, a most vile Martext. |
But, Audrey, there is a youth here in the forest lays claim to |
you. |
AUDREY. Ay, I know who 'tis; he hath no interest in me in the |
world; here comes the man you mean. |
Enter WILLIAM |
TOUCHSTONE. It is meat and drink to me to see a clown. By my troth, |
we that have good wits have much to answer for: we shall be |
flouting; we cannot hold. |
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