Act 2, Scene V

Enter AMIENS, JAQUES, and others

SONG.

AMIENS

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.

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.

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

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,

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

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.

SONG.

Who doth ambition shun

All together here

And loves to live i' the sun,

Seeking the food he eats

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

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,

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.

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.

AMIENS

And I'll go seek the duke: his banquet is prepared.

Exeunt severally