A& IV. Sir To. Hold, Sir, or I'll throw your dagger o'er the houfe.

Clo. This will I tell my Lady ftraight. I would not be in fome of your coats for two pence. [Exit Clown. Sir To. Come on, Sir; hold. [Holding Sebaftian. Sir And. Nay, let him alone, I'll go another way to work with him; I'll have an action of battery against him, if there be any law in Illyria; though I ftruck him first, yet it's no matter for that.

Seb. Let go thy hand.

Sir To. Come, Sir; I will not let you go. Come, my young foldier, put up your iron; you are well flefh'd

come on.

Seb. I will be free from thee. What wouldft thou

now?

If thou dar'ft tempt me further, draw thy fword.

Sir To. What, what? nay, then, I muft have an ounce or two of this malapert blood from you.

SCENE

II.

[They draw and fight.

Enter Olivia.

Oli. Hold, Toby; on thy life, I charge thee, hold. Sir To. Madam?

Oli. Will it be ever thus? ungracious wretch, Fit for the mountains and the barbarous caves, Where manners ne'er were preach'd: out of my fight! Be not offended, dear Cefario:

Rudefby, be gone! I pr'ythee, gentle friend,

[Exeunt Sir Toby, and Sir Andrew. Let thy fair wisdom, not thy paffion, fway In this uncivil and unjust extent

Against thy peace. Go with me to my house,
And hear thou there, how many fruitless pranks
This ruffian hath botch'd up *, that thou thereby
May'ft fmile at this: thou shalt not chufe but
go:
Do not deny; befhrew his foul for me,
He started one poor heart of mine in thee.

Seb. What relifh is in this? how runs the stream?

Or I am mad, or elfe this is a dream.
Let fancy ftill my fenfe in Lethe steep,
If it be thus to dream, ftill let me fleep.

* i. e. fwelled and inflamed; a botch being a fwelling or abfcefs.

Oli. Nay, come, I pray: 'would thou 'dft be rul'd

by me.

Seb. Madam, I will.

Oli. O, fay fo, and fo be!

[Exeunt.

SCENE III. An apartment in Olivia's house. Enter Maria, and Clown.

Mar. Nay, I pr'ythee, put on this gown, and this beard; make him believe thou art Sir Topas the cu→ rate; do it quickly. I'll call Sir Toby the whilft.

[Exit Maria.

Clo. Well, I'll put it on, and I will diffemble myfelf in't; and I would I were the first that ever diffembled in such a gown. I am not tall enough to become the function well, nor lean enough to be thought a good ftudent; but to be faid an honeft man, and a good houfekeeper, goes as fairly, as to fay, a graceful man and a great fcholar. The competitors enter.

Enter Sir Toby and Maria..

Sir To. Jove blefs thee, Mr Parfon.

Clo. Bonos dies, Sir Toby; "for as the old hermit of "Prague, that never faw pen and ink, very wittily faid' "to a niece of King Gorboduck, that that is, is; fo "I being Mr Parfon, am Mr Parfon; for what is that, "but that? and is, but is ?"

Sir To. To him, Sir Topas.

Clo. What, hoa, I fay,-peace in this prifon! Sir To. The knave counterfeits well; a good knave.. [Malvolio within.

Mal. Who calls there?

Clo. Sir Topas the curate, who comes to vifit Malvolio the lunatic..

[This, and what follows from the Clown, in a coun-terfeit voice.]

Mal. Šir Topas, Sir Topas, good Sir Topas, go to my Lady.

Clo. Out, hyperbolical fiend, how vexeft thou this

man?

Talkeft thou of nothing but ladies ?
Sir To. Well faid, Mafter Parfon.

Mal. Sir Topas, never was man thus wrong'd; good Sir Topas, do not think I am mad; they have laid me here in hideous darkness.

Clo. Fie, thou dishoneft Sathan; I call thee by the moft modeft terms; for I am one of thofe gentle ones, that will ufe the devil himself with courtefy: fay'ft thou that houfe is dark?

Mal. As hell, Sir Topas.

Clo. Why, it hath bay windows tranfparent as barricadoes, and the clear ftones towards the fouth-north are as luftrous as ebony; and yet complaineft thou of obftruction?

Mal. I am not mad, Sir Topas; I say to you, this houfe is dark.

Clo. Madman, thou erreft; I fay, there is no darknefs but ignorance; in which thou art more puzzled than the Egyptians in their fog.

Mal. I fay, this houfe is as dark as ignorance, though ignorance were as dark as hell; and I fay, there was never man thus abufed; I am no more mad than you are, make the trial of it in any conftant queftion.

Clo. What is the opinion of Pythagoras concerning wild-fowl?

Mal. That the foul of our grandam might happily inhabit a bird.

Clo. What think'ft thou of his opinion?

Mal. I think nobly of the foul, and no way approve of his opinion.

Clo. Fare thee well: remain thou ftill in darkness; thou shalt hold th' opinion of Pythagoras ere I will allow of thy wits; and fear to kill a woodcock, left thou difpoffefs the foul of thy grandam. Fare thee well. Mal. Sir Topas, Sir Topas !

Sir To. My moft exquifite Sir Topas !

Clo. Nay, I am for all waters *. [This in his own voice. Mar. Thou might'ft have done this without thy beard and gown; he fees thee not.

Sir To. To him in thine own voice, and bring me word how thou find'ft him: I would we were all rid of this knavery. If he may be conveniently deliver'd, I

* A phrafe taken from the actor's ability of making the audience cry either with mirth or grief.

139 would he were; for I am now fo far in offence with my niece, that I cannot purfue with any fafety this fport to the upfhot. Come by and by to my chamber. [Exit with Maria.

Clo. Hey Robin, jolly Robin, tell me how my Lady does.

Mal. Good fool, as ever thou wilt deferve well at my hand, help me to a candle, and pen, ink, and paper; as I am a gentleman, I will live to be thankful to thee for 't.

Clo. Mr Malvolio !

Mal. Ay, good fool.

Clo. Alas, Sir, how fell you befides your five wits? Mal. Fool, there was never man fo notoriously abus'd; I am as well in my wits, fool, as thou art.

Clo. But as well! then thou art mad, indeed, if you be no better in your wits than a fool.

Mal. They have here propertied me; keep me in darknefs, fend minifters to me, affes, and do all they can to face me out of my wits.

Clo. Advise you what you fay; the minifter is here.— Malvolio, Malvolio, thy wits the heav'ns reftore; endeavour thyself to fleep, and leave thy vain bibble babble. [In a counterfeit voice.

Mal. Sir Topas,

Clo. Maintain no words with him, good fellow. [In the counterfeit voice.

Who, I, Sir? not I, Sir. God b'w' you, good Sir [In his own voice.

Topas

Marry, amen. [Counterfeit.]I will, Sir, I will. [In his own voice.

Mal. Fool, fool, fool, I fay.

Clo. Alas, Sir, be patient. What fay you, Sir? I am fhent for fpeaking to you.

Mal. Good fool, help me to fome light, and fome paper; I tell thee, I am as well in my wits, as any man in Illyria.

Clo. Well-a-day, that you were, Sir!

Mal. By this hand, I am. Good fool, fome ink, paper, and light; and convey what I fet down to my Lady: it fhall advantage thee more than ever the bearing of letter did.

Clo. I will help you to 't.

But tell me true, are you

not mad, indeed, or do you but counterfeit ?

Mal. Believe me I am not: I tell thee true.

Clo. Nay, I'll ne'er believe a madman, till I see his brains. I will fetch you light, and paper, and ink. Mal. Fool, I'll requite it in the highest degree.

I pr'ythee be gone.

Clo. I am gone, Sir, and anon, Sir,
I'll be with you again

In a trice, like to the old vice,

Your need to fuftain:

[Singing.

Who with dagger of lath, in his rage, and his wrath,

Cries, Ah, ha! to the devil:

Like a mad lad, pare thy nails, dad,

Adieu good man drivel.

[Exit.

Changes to another apartment in Olivia's houfe.
Enter Sebaftian.

Seb. This is the air, that is the glorious fun;
This pearl the gave me, I do feel 't and fee't.
And though 'tis wonder that enwraps me thus,
Yet 'tis not madness. Where's Antonio then?
I could not find him at the Elephant;

Yet there he was, and there I found this credit *,
That he did range the town to feek me out.
His counsel now might do me golden fervice;-
For tho' my foul difputes well with my fenfe,
That this may be fome error, but no madness;
Yet doth this accident and flood of fortune
So far exceed all inftance, all difcourfe +,

*Credit, for account, information.

Inftance, for fense; difcourfe, for reason,