Act II · Scene V
The Forest.
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Enter AMIENS, JAQUES, and others
SONG.
AMIENS
Under the greenwood treeWho loves to lie with me,And turn his merry noteUnto the sweet bird's throat,Come hither, come hither, come hither:Here shall he see No enemyBut winter and rough weather.
JAQUES
More, more, I prithee, more.
AMIENS
It will make you melancholy, Monsieur Jaques.
JAQUES
I thank it. More, I prithee, more. I can suckmelancholy 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
I do not desire you to please me; I do desire you tosing. Come, more; another stanzo: call you 'em stanzos?
AMIENS
What you will, Monsieur Jaques.
JAQUES
Nay, I care not for their names; they owe menothing. 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 encounterof two dog-apes, and when a man thanks me heartily,methinks I have given him a penny and he renders methe beggarly thanks. Come, sing; and you that willnot, hold your tongues.
AMIENS
Well, I'll end the song. Sirs, cover the while; theduke will drink under this tree. He hath been allthis day to look you.
JAQUES
And I have been all this day to avoid him. He istoo disputable for my company: I think of as manymatters as he, but I give heaven thanks and make noboast of them. Come, warble, come.SONG.Who doth ambition shun
All together here
JAQUES
And loves to live i' the sun,Seeking the food he eatsAnd pleased with what he gets,Come hither, come hither, come hither:Here shall he see No enemyBut winter and rough weather.
JAQUES
I'll give you a verse to this note that I madeyesterday in despite of my invention.
AMIENS
And I'll sing it.
JAQUES
Thus it goes:--If it do come to passThat any man turn ass,Leaving his wealth and ease,A stubborn will to please,Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame:Here shall he seeGross fools as he,An if he will come to me.
AMIENS
What's that 'ducdame'?
JAQUES
'Tis a Greek invocation, to call fools into acircle. I'll go sleep, if I can; if I cannot, I'llrail against all the first-born of Egypt.
AMIENS
And I'll go seek the duke: his banquet is prepared.
Exeunt severally