Duke Sen. Why, how now, Monfieur, what a life is this, That your poor friends must woo your company ?

What! you look merrily.
Jag. A fool, a fool;

I met a fool i'th' forest,

A motley fool-a miferable world- *

As I do live by food, I met a fool,

Who laid him down and bask'd him in the fun,

And rail'd on Lady Fortune in good terms,

In good fet terms and yet a motley fool.

Good morrow, fool, quoth I-No, Sir, quoth he, Call me not fool, 'till heaven hath fent me fortune;

And then he drew a dial from his poke,

And looking on it with lack-lustre eye,

Says, very wisely, it is ten a-clock:

Thus may we fee, quoth he, how the world wags:

'Tis but an hour ago since it was nine,
And after one hour more 'twill be eleven;

And fo from hour to hour we ripe and ripe,
And then from hour to hour we rot and rot.
And thereby hangs a tale; when I did hear
The motley fool thus moral on the time,
My lungs began to crow like chanticleer,
That fools should be so deep contemplative:
And I did laugh, fans intermiffion,
An hour by his dial. O noble fool,

2 A motley fool; a miserable WORLD!] What! because he met a motley fool, was it therefore a miferable world? This is fadly blundered; we should read,

-a miserable VARLET.

His head is altogether running on this fool, both before and af ter these words, and here he calls him a miserable varlet, notwithftanding he railed on lady fortune in good terms, &c. Nor is the

change we make so great as appears at first fight.

WARBURTON.

I fee no need of changing fool to varlet, nor, if a change were neceffary, can I guess how it should be certainly known that varlet is the true word. A miferable world is a parenthetical exclamation, frequent among melancholy men, and natural to Jaques at the fight of a fool, or at the hearing of reflections on the fragility of life.

1

1

A worthy fool-motley's the only wear.
Duke Sen. What fool is this?

Jaq. O worthy fool! one that hath been a Courtier,
And fays, if ladies be but young and fair,
They have the gift to know it: and in his brain,
Which is as dry as the remainder bisket
After a voyage, he hath strange places cramm'd
With observation, the which he vents
In mangled forms. O that I were a fool!
I am ambitious for a motley coat.

Duke Sen. Thou shalt have one,

Jaq. It is my only fuit; 3

Provided, that you weed your better judgments
Of all opinion, that grows rank in them,
That I am wife. I must have liberty
Withal; as large a charter as the wind,
To blow on whom I please; for so fools have;
And they that are most gauled with my folly,
They moft must laugh: and why, Sir, must they so?
The why is plain, as way to parish church;
* He, whom a fool doth very wisely hit,
Doth very foolishly, although he smart,
Not to feem senseless of the bob. If not,
The wife man's folly is anatomiz'd
Even by the squandring glances of a fool.

3 Only fuit.] Suit means pe-
țition, I believe, not dress.

* He, whom a Fool doth very
wifely bit,

Doth very foo'ish'y, although he
Smart,

- Seem fenfeless of the bob.

If

*

which I have supplyed, were el. ther by Accident wanting in the Manuscript Copy, or by Inadvertence were left out.

THEOBALD,

* If not, &c.] Unless men have the prudence not to appear touched with the farcasms of a Jester, they subject themselves to his power, ver, and the wife man will have his folly anatomised, that is, dissected and laid open by the Squandring glances or random skots of a fool.

i

1

Invest me in my motley, give me leave
To fpeak my mind, and I will through and through
Cleanse the foul body of th' infected world,
If they will patiently receive my medicine.

Duke Sen. Fie on thee! I can tell what thou wouldst
do.

Jaq. What, for a counter, would I do but good?
Duke Sen. Most mischievous foul fin, in chiding

fin:

For thou thyself hast been a libertine,
As sensual as the brutish sting itself; 5
And all the embossed fores and headed evils,
That thou with licence of free foot hast caught,
Wouldst thou disgorge into the general world.

Jaq. Why, who cries out on pride,
That can therein tax any private party ?
Doth it not flow as hugely as the Sea,
'Till that the very very means do ebb?
What woman in the city do I name,
When that I fay the city-woman bears
The cost of Princes on unworthy shoulders?
Who can come in, and fay, that I mean her;
When such a one as she, such is her neighbour ?
Or what is he of basest function,
That fays, his bravery is not on my cost;
Thinking, that I mean him; but therein sutes.
His folly to the metal of my speech ?

There then; how then? what then? let me fee

wherein

My tongue hath wrong'd him; if it do him right,
Then he hath wrong'd himself; if he be free,
Why, then my taxing, like a wild goose, flies
Unclaim'd of any man-But who comes here?

5 As fenfual as the brutish sting.] Though the brutish fting is capable of a sense not inconvenient

in this passage, yet as it is a harsh and unusual mode of speech, I should read the brutish sty.

SCENE SCENE VIII.

Enter Orlando, with Sword drawn.

Orla. Forbear, and eat no more.

Jaq. Why, I have eat none yet.

Orla. Nor shalt thou, 'till neceffity be serv'd...
Jaq. What kind should this Cock come of?

Duke Sen. Art thou thus bolden'd, man, by thy

distress;

Or else a rude despiser of good manners,
That in civility thou seem'st so empty ?

Orla. You touch'd my vein at first. The thorny

point

6

Of bare distress hath ta'en from me the shew

Of fmooth civility; yet am I inland bred,
And know fome nurture. But forbear, I say :
He dies, that touches any of this fruit,

'Till I and my affairs are answered.
Jaq. If you will not

Be answered with reason, I must die.

Duke Sen. What would you have? Your gentleness

shall force,

More than your force move us to gentleness.

Orla. I almost die for food, and let me have it. Duke Sen. Sit down and feed; and welcome to our

table.

Orla. Speak you so gently?-Pardon me, I pray

you; I thought, that all things had been favage here; And therefore put I on the countenance

Of stern commandment. But whate'er you are,

The thorny point

Of sharp distress has ta'en from me the shew

Of Smooth civil ty.] We might

read torn with more elegance, but elegance alone will not juftify alteration.

That

That in this defert inaccessible,
Under the shade of melancholy boughs,
Lose and neglect the creeping hours of time;
If ever you have look'd on better days;
If ever been where bells have knoll'd to church;
If ever fate at any good man's feast;
If ever from your eyelids wip'd a tear,
And known what 'tis to pity, and be pitied;
Let gentleness my strong enforcement be.
In the which hope I blush, and hide my fword.

[Sheathing his sword.

Duke Sen. True is it, that we have seen better days;
And have with holy bell been knoll'd to church;
And fate at good men's feasts, and wip'd our eyes
Of drops, that facred pity hath engender'd:
And therefore fit you down in gentleness,
And take upon command what help we have, '
That to your wanting may be ministred.

Orla. Then but forbear your food a little while,
Whiles, like a doe, I go to find my fawn,
And give it food. There is an old poor man,
Who after me hath many a weary step
Lamp'd in pure love; 'till he be first suffic'd,
Oppress'd with two weak evils, age and hunger,
I will not touch a bit.

Duke Sen. Go find him out,

. And we will nothing waste till you return.

Orla. I thank ye; and be bless'd for your good com

fort!

SCENE IX.

[Exit.

Duke Sen. Thou seest, we are not all alone un