Act 2

Scene V

The Forest.

	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.
Amiens	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.