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Enter CORIN and SILVIUS.

Look you, who comes here; a young man and an old in solemn talk.

Cor. That is the way to make her scorn you still.
Sil. O Corin, that thou knew'st how I do love
her!

Cor. I partly guess; for I have loved ere now.
Sil. No, Corin, being old, thou canst not guess,
Though in thy youth thou wast as true a lover
As ever sigh'd upon a midnight pillow:
But if thy love were ever like to mine—
As sure I think did never man love so-
How many actions most ridiculous

Hast thou been drawn to by thy fantasy?

Cor. Into a thousand that I have forgotten.
Sil. O, thou didst then ne'er love so heartily!
If thou remember'st not the slightest folly

That ever love did make thee run into,
Thou hast not loved :

Or if thou hast not sat as I do now,
Wearing thy hearer in thy mistress' praise,
Thou hast not loved :

Or if thou hast not broke from company
Abruptly, as my passion now makes me,
Thou hast not loved.

O Phebe, Phebe, Phebe!

[Exit.

Ros. Alas, poor shepherd! searching of thy wound,

I have by hard adventure found mine own.

Touch. And I mine. I remember, when I was in love I broke my sword upon a stone and bid him take that for coming a-night to Jane Smile;

29. As, though.

38. Wearing, wearying. 44. searching, probing.

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and I remember the kissing of her batlet and the cow's dugs that her pretty chopt hands had milked; and I remember the wooing of a peascod instead of her, from whom I took two cods and, giving her them again, said with weeping tears 'Wear these for my sake.' We that are true lovers run into strange capers; but as all is mortal in nature, so is all nature in love mortal in folly.

Ros. Thou speakest wiser than thou art ware of. Touch. Nay, I shall ne'er be ware of mine own wit till I break my shins against it.

Ros. Jove, Jove! this shepherd's passion

Is much upon my fashion.

Touch. And mine; but it grows something stale with me.

Cel. I pray you, one of you question yond man If he for gold will give us any food:

I faint almost to death.

Touch.

Holla, you clown!

Ros. Peace, fool: he's not thy kinsman.
Cor.

Touch. Your betters, sir.

Cor.

Who calls?

Else are they very wretched.

Ros. Peace, I say. Good even to you, friend.
Cor. And to you, gentle sir, and to you all.
Ros. I prithee, shepherd, if that love or gold
Can in this desert place buy entertainment,
Bring us where we may rest ourselves and feed:

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53. with weeping tears, tears of weeping, a tautological phrase, used seriously by Lodge in the Rosalynd, but not peculiar to him.

56. mortal in folly, extreme in folly.

Here's a young maid with travel much oppress'd
And faints for succour.

Cor.

Fair sir, I pity her

And wish, for her sake more than for mine own,
My fortunes were more able to relieve her;
But I am shepherd to another man,

And do not shear the fleeces that I

My master is of churlish disposition

graze :

And little recks to find the way to heaven

By doing deeds of hospitality:

Besides, his cote, his flocks and bounds of feed
Are now on sale, and at our sheepcote now,
By reason of his absence, there is nothing
That you will feed on; but what is, come see,
And in my voice most welcome shall you be.

Ros. What is he that shall buy his flock and
pasture?

Cor. That young swain that you saw here but erewhile,

That little cares for buying any thing.

Ros. I pray thee, if it stand with honesty, Buy thou the cottage, pasture and the flock, And thou shalt have to pay for it of us.

Cel. And we will mend thy wages. I like this place, And willingly could waste my time in it.

Cor. Assuredly the thing is to be sold:

Go with me if you like upon report
The soil, the profit and this kind of life,
I will your very faithful feeder be

And buy it with your gold right suddenly.

79. fleeces, flocks.

83. cote, cottage.

ib. bounds of feed, tracts of pasture.

87. in my voice, so far as I have voice in the matter.

[Exeunt.

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93. have to pay, have wherewith to pay.

95. waste, spend.

99. feeder, shepherd, to feed

the sheep.

Ami.

SCENE V. The forest.

Enter AMIENS, JAQUES, and others.

SONG.

Under the greenwood tree
Who loves to lie with me,

And turn his merry note

Unto the sweet bird's throat,

Come hither, come hither, come hither:

Here shall he see

No enemy

But winter and rough weather.

Jaq. More, more, I prithee, more.

Ami. It will make you melancholy, Monsieur Jaques.

I can

Jaq. I thank it. More, I prithee, more. suck melancholy out of a song, as a weasel sucks eggs. More, I prithee, more.

Ami. My voice is ragged: I know I cannot please you.

Jaq. I do not desire you to please me; I do desire you to sing.

call you 'em stanzos ?

Come, more; another stanzo:

Ami. What you will, Monsieur Jaques.

Jaq. Nay, I care not for their names; they owe me nothing. Will you sing?

Ami. More at your request than to please myself.

Sc. v. Song. Prof. Baker (Lyly's Endymion, p. clxxxvii.) has pointed out the resemblance of Amiens's opening words to Pandora's speech in Lyly's The Woman in the Moone, iii. 2. :— Wilt thou for my sake go grove,

into yon

ΙΟ

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And we will sing unto the wild bird's note.

15. ragged, rough, harsh.

18. stanzo, this form (as well, apparently, as stanze, Love's Labour's Lost, iv. 2. 107) was in occasional use for the still exotic and unfamiliar stanza.

Jaq. Well then, if ever I thank any man, I'll thank you; but that they call compliment is like the encounter of two dog-apes, and when a man thanks me heartily, methinks I have given him a penny and he renders me the beggarly thanks. Come, sing; and you that will not, hold your 30 tongues..

He

Ami. Well, I'll end the song. Sirs, cover the while; the duke will drink under this tree. hath been all this day to look you.

Jaq. And I have been all this day to avoid him. He is too disputable for my company: I think of as many matters as he, but I give heaven thanks and make no boast of them. Come, warble,

come.

SONG.

Who doth ambition shun
And loves to live i' the sun,

Seeking the food he eats

[All together here. 40

And pleased with what he gets,

Come hither, come hither, come hither:

Here shall he see

No enemy

But winter and rough weather.

Jaq. I'll give you a verse to this note that I made yesterday in despite of my invention.

Ami. And I'll sing it.

Jaq. Thus it goes :—

If it do come to pass

That any man turn ass,
Leaving his wealth and ease,
A stubborn will to please,

27. dog-apes, baboons.

29. beggarly, beggar's.

32. cover, lay the table.

34. look, look for.

36. disputable, disputatious.

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