William Shakespeare: As You Like It

ACT V. 4. SCENE IV. Another part of the Forest. (continued)

DUKE SENIOR.
O my dear niece, welcome thou art to me!
Even daughter, welcome in no less degree.

PHEBE.
[To SILVIUS.] I will not eat my word, now thou art mine;
Thy faith my fancy to thee doth combine.

[Enter JAQUES DE BOIS.]

JAQUES DE BOIS.
Let me have audience for a word or two;
I am the second son of old Sir Rowland,
That bring these tidings to this fair assembly:--
Duke Frederick, hearing how that every day
Men of great worth resorted to this forest,
Address'd a mighty power; which were on foot,
In his own conduct, purposely to take
His brother here, and put him to the sword:
And to the skirts of this wild wood he came;
Where, meeting with an old religious man,
After some question with him, was converted
Both from his enterprise and from the world;
His crown bequeathing to his banish'd brother,
And all their lands restored to them again
That were with him exil'd. This to be true
I do engage my life.

DUKE SENIOR.
Welcome, young man:
Thou offer'st fairly to thy brother's wedding:
To one, his lands withheld; and to the other,
A land itself at large, a potent dukedom.
First, in this forest, let us do those ends
That here were well begun and well begot:
And after, every of this happy number,
That have endur'd shrewd days and nights with us,
Shall share the good of our returned fortune,
According to the measure of their states.
Meantime, forget this new-fall'n dignity,
And fall into our rustic revelry:--
Play, music!--and you brides and bridegrooms all,
With measure heap'd in joy, to the measures fall.

JAQUES.
Sir, by your patience. If I heard you rightly,
The duke hath put on a religious life,
And thrown into neglect the pompous court?

JAQUES DE BOIS.
He hath.

JAQUES.
To him will I: out of these convertites
There is much matter to be heard and learn'd.--
You [To DUKE SENIOR] to your former honour I bequeath;
Your patience and your virtue well deserves it:--
You [To ORLANDO] to a love that your true faith doth merit:--
You [To OLIVER] to your land, and love, and great allies:--
You [To SILVIUS] to a long and well-deserved bed:--
And you [To TOUCHSTONE] to wrangling; for thy loving voyage
Is but for two months victuall'd.--So to your pleasures;
I am for other than for dancing measures.