Act II.
Scene V.
Scene V.—Another Part of the Forest.
Enter AMIENS, JAQUES, and Other.
Ami. 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.
Jaq. I thank it. More! I prithee, more.
I can 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. Come, more; another stanzo:
call you them stanzos?
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.
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 tongues.
Ami. 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 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.
Ami. Who doth ambition shun, [All together here.
And loves to live i' the sun,
Seeking the food he eats,
And pleas'd 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,
Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame:
Here shall he see
Gross fools as he,
An if he will come to me.
Ami. What's that 'ducdame?'
Jaq. '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.
Ami. And I'll go seek the duke: his banquet
is prepared. [Exeunt severally.
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