Then he pulled a watch from his bag and, looking at it solemnly, said, “It's ten o'clock. This way, we can see how the world moves. Only an hour ago it was nine, and in another hour it will be eleven. And so, from hour to hour we ripen, and from hour to hour we rot. And there's a story behind that.” When I heard that motley fool moralizing on the subject of time, I began to crow like a rooster. Hearing a fool speaking so contemplatively made me laugh non-stop for an hour. Oh, noble fool! A worthy fool! Motley is the only thing to wear.
DUKE SENIOR
35
What fool is this?
DUKE SENIOR
Who is this fool?
JAQUES
O worthy fool!—One that hath been a courtier
And says, “If ladies be but young and fair,
They have the gift to know it.” And in his brain,
Which is as dry as the remainder biscuit
40
After a voyage, he hath strange places crammed
With observation, the which he vents
In mangled forms. Oh, that I were a fool!
I am ambitious for a motley coat.
JAQUES
A worthy fool! He's been a courtier and says, “If ladies are young and pretty, they always know it.” His brain
is dry as a sailor's biscuit and crammed with all sorts of strange observations, which he presents in mangled fashion. Oh, I wish I were a fool! I'm ambitious for one of those motley coats.