Take that; and He that doth the ravens feed,
Yea, providently caters for the sparrow, 44
Be comfort to my age! Here is the gold;
All this I give you. Let me be your servant:
Though I look old, yet I am strong and lusty;
For in my youth I never did apply 48
Hot and rebellious liquors in my blood,
Nor did not with unbashful forehead woo
The means of weakness and debility;
Therefore my age is as a lusty winter, 52
Frosty, but kindly. Let me go with you;
I'll do the service of a younger man
In all your business and necessities.
Orl. O good old man! how well in thee appears 56
The constant service of the antique world,
When service sweat for duty, not for meed!
Thou art not for the fashion of these times,
Where none will sweat but for promotion, 60
And having that, do choke their service up
Even with the having: it is not so with thee.
But, poor old man, thou prun'st a rotten tree,
That cannot so much as a blossom yield, 64
In lieu of all thy pains and husbandry.
But come thy ways, we'll go along together,
And ere we have thy youthful wages spent,
We'll light upon some settled low content. 68
Adam. Master, go on, and I will follow thee
To the last gasp with truth and loyalty.
From seventeen years till now almost fourscore
Here lived I, but now live here no more. 72
At seventeen years many their fortunes seek;
But at fourscore it is too late a week:
43 ravens; cf. n.
50 Nor . . . not; cf. n.
51 means: causes
53 kindly: seasonable, healthful
58 meed: reward
65 In lieu of: in return for
67 youthful: i.e., earned in youth
74 a week; cf. n.
