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As You Like It

Act II, Scene 1

The Forest of Arden.
 
[Enter DUKE SENIOR, AMIENS, and two or three Lords, like foresters]
 
DUKE SENIOR
       ,        T   T    .    T             , ,
      Now my | co-mates and broth|ers in / exile:
            ,          ,       ,           ,            ,
      Hath not | old^cust|om made | this life | more* sweet
             ,         ,        ,         ,            ,
      Than that | of paint|ed pomp?| Are not | these woods
             ,          ,       ,         ,   2     ,
      More free | from per|il than | the env|ious court?
              ,     ,    2       ,     ,       ,
      Here* feel | we but the | penal|ty of | Adam,
            ,         ,           ,        ,     ,
      The seas|ons' diffe|rence, as | the ic|y fang
            ,         ,       ,         ,         ,
      And churl|ish chid|ing of | the wint|er's wind,
        ,        2       ,           ,      ,        ,
      Which, when it | bites and | blows u|pon my | body
        2    ,         ,            ,        ,          ,
      Even till | I shrink | with cold,| I smile,| and say
                 ,   ,    2     ,           ,       ,
      This is / no flat|tery: these | are couns|ellors
             ,      ,        ,          ,       ,
      That feel|ingly | persuade | me what | I am:
        ,              ,     ,       ,    ,
      Sweet are | the us|es of | advers|ity
              ,          ,     ,          ,     ,
      Which^like | the toad,| ugly | and ven|omous,
        T    T  .   T        ,      ,         ,
      Wears yet a prec|ious jew|el in | his head:
            ,          ,       ,           ,        ,
      And this | our life | exempt | from pub|lic haunt,
        T      T     .   T       ,             ,         ,
      Finds tongues in trees,| books in | the run|ning brooks,
       ,              ,           ,        ,      ,
      Sermons | in stones,| and good | in eve|rything.
 
AMIENS
                 ,     ,          ,      ,          ,
      I would / not change | it, hap|py is | your grace
          2      ,     ,          ,        ,        ,
      That can trans|late the | stubborn|ness of | fortune
       ,         ,      ,         ,         ,
      Into | so qui|et and | so sweet | a style.
 
DUKE SENIOR
        ,               ,         ,        ,    ,
      Come, shall | we go | and kill | us ven|ison?
           ,         ,               ,   ,         ,
      And yet | it irks | me the / poor dap|pled fools
        2    ,        ,    ,    2           ,     ,
      Being nat|ive burg|hers of this | desert | city,  ??
         ,     2         T   T   T            ,       ,
      Should in their | own confines | with fork|ed heads
        ,            T       Tx     T
      Have their | round haunches gored.
 
FIRST LORD
                                            ,         ,
                                        Indeed | my lord
           ,      ,      ,        ,           ,
      The mel|anchol|y Jaqu|es grieves | at that,
       ,               ,       ,              ,       ,
      And, in | that kind,| swears you | do more | usurp
             ,           ,        ,          ,         ,
      Than doth | your broth|er that | hath ban|ished you:
         ,         ,        ,  2     ,        ,
      Today | my Lord | of Am|iens, and | myself,
            ,         ,         ,       ,       ,
      Did steal | behind | him as | he lay | along
       ,          ,           ,         ,           ,
      Under | an oak,| whose ant|ique^root | peeps^out
        ,          ,             ,        ,           ,
      Upon | the brook | that brawls | along | this wood,
                 ,     ,         ,        ,          ,
      To the / which place | a poor | seques|tered stag
             ,          ,        ,          ,        ,
      That from | the hunt|er's aim | had tane | a hurt,
            ,         ,         ,        ,         ,
      Did come | to lang|uish; and | indeed,| my lord,
             ,       ,  2      ,       T     T     T
      The wretch|ed an|imal heaved | forth such groans
             ,           ,            ,            ,         ,
      That their | discharge | did stretch | his leath|ern coat
       ,    2       ,         ,         T    T     T
      Almost to | bursting,| and the | big round tears
         T     T  .  T       ,         ,   2      ,
      Coursed one anoth|er down | his in|nocent nose
          ,   2     ,           ,          ,      ,
      In pit|eous chase:| and thus | the hair|y fool,
        ,     ,               ,     ,       ,
      Much marked / of the | melan|choly | Jaques,
        ,     2          ,        ,                ,     ,
      Stood on the | extrem|est verge | of the / swift brook,
          ,        ,          ,
      Augmen|ting it | with tears.
 
DUKE SENIOR
                                        ,            x
                                  But what | said Jaques?
           ,        ,     ,           ,     ,
      Did he | not mor|alize | this spec|tacle?
 
FIRST LORD
         ,     ,         ,        ,    ,
      O yes,| into | a thous|and sim|iles.
        ,                ,       ,   2      ,          ,
      First, for | his weep|ing in|to the need|less stream;
              ,           ,          ,         ,     ,
      Poor* deer | quoth^he,| thou makst | a test|ament
           ,          ,    ,            ,         ,
      As world|lings do,| giving | thy sum | of more
           ,           ,           ,           x          2   ,
      To that | which had | too* much:| then being | there alone,
        ,          ,         ,        ,         ,
      Left and | aban|doned of | his vel|vet friend;
             ,            ,         ,    ,         ,
      'Tis right | quoth^he,| thus mis|ery | doth part
            ,         ,   2    x         ,         ,
      The flux | of comp|any: anon | a care|less herd
        ,             ,         ,        ,        ,
      Full of | the past|ure, jumps | along | by him
            x       ,          ,          T    T     Tx
      And never | stays to | greet him:| Aye quoth Jaques,
             ,        ,          ,      ,     ,
      Sweep^on | you fat | and greas|y cit|izens,
             ,          ,         ,         ,         ,
      'Tis just | the fash|ion; where|fore do | you look
        ,           ,          ,       ,         ,
      Upon | that poor | and brok|en bank|rupt^there?
             ,        ,      ,        ,          ,
      Thus most | invect|ively | he pierc|eth through
           ,     ,         ,        ,       ,
      The bo|dy of | the count|ry, cit|y, court,
       ,              ,          ,      ,              ,
      Yea, and | of this | our life,| swearing | that we
            ,      ,         ,         ,              ,
      Are mere | usur|pers, ty|rants, and | what's^worse,
            ,          ,    ,       2     ,          ,
      To fright | the an|imals,| and to kill | them up
           ,          ,          ,        ,         ,
      In their | assigned | and nat|ive dwel|ling-place.
 
DUKE SENIOR
           ,          ,      ,    2        ,      ,
      And did | you leave | him in this | contem|plation?
 
SECOND LORD
          ,         ,      ,            ,       ,
      We did | my lord,| weeping | and com|menting
        ,         ,         ,
      Upon | the sob|bing deer.
 
DUKE SENIOR
                                  ,             ,
                                Show me | the place,
          ,         ,         ,          ,        ,
      I love | to cope | him in | these sul|len fits,
            ,           ,          x
      For then | he's full | of matter.
 
FIRST LORD
             ,          ,           ,
      I'll bring | you to | him straight.  (tri with prev)
 
[Exeunt]

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