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As You Like It

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Act II, Scene 5

Another part of the forest

       
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Enter AMIENS, JAQUES, and OTHERS

  • Amiens. Under the greenwood tree 820
    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 825
    No enemy
    But winter and rough weather.
  • Amiens. It will make you melancholy, Monsieur Jaques.
  • Jaques (lord). I thank it. More, I prithee, more. I can suck melancholy 830
    out of a song, as a weasel sucks eggs. More, I prithee, more.
  • Amiens. My voice is ragged; I know I cannot please you.
  • Jaques (lord). I do not desire you to please me; I do desire you to sing.
    Come, more; another stanzo. Call you 'em stanzos?
  • Amiens. What you will, Monsieur Jaques. 835
  • Jaques (lord). Nay, I care not for their names; they owe me nothing. Will
    you sing?
  • Amiens. More at your request than to please myself.
  • Jaques (lord). Well then, if ever I thank any man, I'll thank you; but
    that they call compliment is like th' encounter of two dog-apes; 840
    and when a man thanks me heartily, methinks have given him a
    penny, and he renders me the beggarly thanks. Come, sing; and you
    that will not, hold your tongues.
  • Amiens. Well, I'll end the song. Sirs, cover the while; the Duke
    will drink under this tree. He hath been all this day to look 845
    you.
  • Jaques (lord). 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 850
    [All together here]
    Who doth ambition shun,
    And loves to live i' th' sun,
    Seeking the food he eats,
    And pleas'd with what he gets, 855
    Come hither, come hither, come hither.
    Here shall he see
    No enemy
    But winter and rough weather.
  • Jaques (lord). I'll give you a verse to this note that I made yesterday in 860
    despite of my invention.
  • Jaques (lord). Thus it goes:
    If it do come to pass
    That any man turn ass, 865
    Leaving his wealth and ease
    A stubborn will to please,
    Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame;
    Here shall he see
    Gross fools as he, 870
    An if he will come to me.
  • Amiens. What's that 'ducdame'?
  • Jaques (lord). 'Tis a Greek invocation, to call fools into a circle. I'll
    go sleep, if I can; if I cannot, I'll rail against all the
    first-born of Egypt. 875
  • Amiens. And I'll go seek the Duke; his banquet is prepar'd.

Exeunt severally