Page:As You Like It (1919) Yale.djvu/95

As You Like It, IV. iii  Did you ever hear such railing?

'Whiles the eye of man did woo me,

That could do no vengeance to me.'

Meaning me a beast.

'If the scorn of your bright eyne

Have power to raise such love in mine,

Alack! in me what strange effect

Would they work in mild aspect.

Whiles you chid me, I did love;

How then might your prayers move!

He that brings this love to thee

Little knows this love in me;

And by him seal up thy mind;

Whether that thy youth and kind

Will the faithful offer take

Of me and all that I can make;

Or else by him my love deny,

And then I'll study how to die.'

Sil. Call you this chiding?

Cel. Alas, poor shepherd!

Ros. Do you pity him? no, he deserves no

pity. Wilt thou love such a woman? What, to

make thee an instrument and play false strains

upon thee! not to be endured! Well, go your

way to her, for I see love hath made thee a tame

snake, and say this to her: that if she love me,

I charge her to love thee: if she will not, I will

never have her, unless thou entreat for her. If

you be a true lover, hence, and not a word, for

here comes more company.

 49 vengeance: mischief, harm

51 eyne: archaic plural of 'eye'

54 aspect; cf. n.

59 seal mind: express thy mind

60 thy youth and kind: i.e., thy youthful nature

69 instrument strains: i.e., use thee for her own purposes and at the same time deceive thee

72 snake: a term of contempt for a wretched fellow 