Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Adaptations; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Stories, plots, etc. -- Juvenile literature
presently returned, bringing Adam in his arms; and the duke said: 'Set
down your venerable burthen; you are both welcome'; and they fed the
old man, and cheered his heart, and he revived, and recovered his
health and strength again.
The duke inquired who Orlando was; and when he found that he was the
son of his old friend, Sir Rowland de Boys, he took him under his
protection, and Orlando and his old servant lived with the duke in the
forest.
Orlando arrived in the forest not many days after Ganymede and Aliena
came there, and (as has been before 'elated) bought the shepherd's
cottage.
Ganymede and Aliena were strangely surprised to find the name of
Rosalind carved on the trees, and love-sonnets, fastened to them, all
addressed to Rosalind; and while they were wondering how this could be,
they met Orlando, and they perceived the chain which Rosalind had given
him about his neck.
Orlando little thought that Ganymede was the fair princess Rosalind,
who, by her noble condescension and favour, had so won his heart that
he passed his whole time in carving her name upon the trees, and
writing sonnets in praise of her beauty: but being much pleased with
the graceful air of this pretty shepherd-youth, he entered into
conversation with him, and he thought he saw a likeness in Ganymede to
his beloved Rosalind, but that he had none of the dignified deportment
of that noble lady; for Ganymede assumed the forward manners often seen
in youths when they are between boys and men, and with much archness
and humour talked to Orlando of a certain lover, 'who,' said he,
'haunts our forest, and spoils our young trees with carving Rosalind
upon their barks; and he hangs odes upon hawthorns, and elegies on
brambles, all praising this same Rosalind. If I could find this lover,
I would give him some good counsel that would soon cure him of his
love.'
Orlando confessed that he was the fond lover of whom he spoke, and
asked Ganymede to give him the good counsel he talked of. The remedy
Ganymede proposed, and the counsel he gave him, was that Orlando should
come every day to the cottage where he and his sister Aliena dwelt:
'And then,' said Ganymede, 'I will feign myself to be Rosalind, and you
shall feign to court me in the same manner as you would do if I was
Rosalind, and then I will imitate the fantastic ways of whimsical
ladies to their lovers, till I make you ashamed of your love; and this
is the way I propose to cure you.' Orlando had no great faith in the
remedy, yet he agreed to come every day to Ganymede's cottage, and
feign a playful courtship; and every day Orlando visited Ganymede and
Aliena, and Orlando called the shepherd Ganymede his Rosalind, and
every day talked over all the fine words and flattering compliments
which young men delight to use when they court their mistresses. It
does not appear, however, that Ganymede made any progress in curing
Orlando of his love for Rosalind.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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