As You Like It: ACT II
Introduction ACT I ACT II SCENE I. The Forest of Arden. SCENE II. A room in the palace. SCENE III. Before OLIVER'S house. SCENE IV. The Forest of Arden. SCENE V. The Forest. SCENE VI. The forest. SCENE VII. The forest. ACT III ACT IV ACT V About the Play Feedback			Search: All the plays Hamlet Coriolanus Julius Caesar King Lear Macbeth Othello Romeo and Juliet Richard II Richard III Titus Andronicus Antony and Cleopatra Timon of Athens Henry IV Part 1 Henry IV Part 2 Henry the Fifth Henry VI Part 1 Henry VI Part 2 Henry VI Part 3 Henry VIII King John Pericles Troilus and Cressida All's Well... As You Like It The Comedy of Errors Cymbeline A Midsummer... Love's Labour's Lost Measure for Measure The Merry Wives... Much Ado about Nothing The Merchant of Venice Twelfth Night The Taming of... The Tempest The Two Gentlemen... The Winter's Tale    for: SCENE III. Before OLIVER'S house. Enter ORLANDO and ADAM, meeting ORLANDO       Who's there? ADAM       What, my young master? O, my gentle master!       O my sweet master! O you memory       Of old Sir Rowland! why, what make you here? 5     Why are you virtuous? why do people love you?       And wherefore are you gentle, strong and valiant?       Why would you be so fond to overcome       The bonny priser of the humorous duke?       Your praise is come too swiftly home before you. 10    Know you not, master, to some kind of men       Their graces serve them but as enemies?       No more do yours: your virtues, gentle master,       Are sanctified and holy traitors to you.       O, what a world is this, when what is comely 15    Envenoms him that bears it! ORLANDO       Why, what's the matter? ADAM       O unhappy youth!       Come not within these doors; within this roof       The enemy of all your graces lives: 20    Your brother--no, no brother; yet the son--       Yet not the son, I will not call him son       Of him I was about to call his father--       Hath heard your praises, and this night he means       To burn the lodging where you use to lie 25    And you within it: if he fail of that,       He will have other means to cut you off.       I overheard him and his practises.       This is no place; this house is but a butchery:       Abhor it, fear it, do not enter it. ORLANDO 30    Why, whither, Adam, wouldst thou have me go? ADAM       No matter whither, so you come not here. ORLANDO       What, wouldst thou have me go and beg my food?       Or with a base and boisterous sword enforce       A thievish living on the common road? 35    This I must do, or know not what to do:       Yet this I will not do, do how I can;       I rather will subject me to the malice       Of a diverted blood and bloody brother. ADAM       But do not so. I have five hundred crowns, 40    The thrifty hire I saved under your father,       Which I did store to be my foster-nurse       When service should in my old limbs lie lame       And unregarded age in corners thrown:       Take that, and He that doth the ravens feed, 45    Yea, providently caters for the sparrow,       Be comfort to my age! Here is the gold;       And all this I give you. Let me be your servant:       Though I look old, yet I am strong and lusty;       For in my youth I never did apply 50    Hot and rebellious liquors in my blood,       Nor did not with unbashful forehead woo       The means of weakness and debility;       Therefore my age is as a lusty winter,       Frosty, but kindly: let me go with you; 55    I'll do the service of a younger man       In all your business and necessities. ORLANDO       O good old man, how well in thee appears       The constant service of the antique world,       When service sweat for duty, not for meed! 60    Thou art not for the fashion of these times,       Where none will sweat but for promotion,       And having that, do choke their service up       Even with the having: it is not so with thee.       But, poor old man, thou prunest a rotten tree, 65    That cannot so much as a blossom yield       In lieu of all thy pains and husbandry       But come thy ways; well go along together,       And ere we have thy youthful wages spent,       We'll light upon some settled low content. ADAM 70    Master, go on, and I will follow thee,       To the last gasp, with truth and loyalty.       From seventeen years till now almost fourscore       Here lived I, but now live here no more.       At seventeen years many their fortunes seek; 75    But at fourscore it is too late a week:       Yet fortune cannot recompense me better       Than to die well and not my master's debtor. Exeunt Return to top of page ... or ... Go to next scene