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As You Like It

ACT II SCENE V The Forest. 
 Enter AMIENS, JAQUES, and others. 
  
 SONG. 
AMIENS Under the greenwood tree 
 Who loves to lie with me, 5
 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. 10
JAQUES More, more, I prithee, more. 
AMIENS It will make you melancholy, Monsieur Jaques. 
JAQUES I thank it. More, I prithee, more. I can suck 
 melancholy out of a song, as a weasel sucks eggs. 
 More, I prithee, more. 15
AMIENS My voice is ragged: I know I cannot please you. 
JAQUES 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. 
JAQUES Nay, I care not for their names; they owe me 20
 nothing. Will you sing? 
AMIENS More at your request than to please myself. 
JAQUES 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, 25
 methinks I 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 30
 this day to look you. 
JAQUES 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. 35
  
 SONG. 
 Who doth ambition shun 
 All together here 
 And loves to live i' the sun, 
 Seeking the food he eats 40
 And pleased with what he gets, 
 Come hither, come hither, come hither: 
 Here shall he see No enemy 
 But winter and rough weather. 
JAQUES I'll give you a verse to this note that I made 45
 yesterday in despite of my invention. 
AMIENS And I'll sing it. 
JAQUES Thus it goes:-- 
 If it do come to pass 
 That any man turn ass, 50
 Leaving his wealth and ease, 
 A stubborn will to please, 
 Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame: 
 Here shall he see 
 Gross fools as he, 55
 An if he will come to me. 
AMIENS What's that 'ducdame'? 
JAQUES '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. 60
AMIENS And I'll go seek the duke: his banquet is prepared. 
 Exeunt severally. 

Next: As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 6



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