Affure yourself, after our fhip did split,

When you, and that poor number fav'd with you,
Hung on our driving boat; I faw your brother,
Most provident in peril, bind himself

(Courage and hope both teaching him the practice)
To a strong maft, that liv'd upon the fea;
Where, like Arion on the dolphin's back,

I faw him hold acquaintance with the waves,
So long as I could fee.

Vio. For faying fo, there's gold.

Mine own escape unfoldeth to my hope,
Whereto thy fpeech ferves for authority,
The like of him. Know'st thou this country?

Cap. Ay, Madam, well; for I was bred and born Not three hours travel from this very place.

Vio. Who governs here!

Cap. A noble Duke in nature, as in name.
Vio. What is his name?

Cap. Orfino.

Vio. Orfino! I have heard my father name him : He was a bachelor then.

Cap. And fo is now, or was fo very late :
For but a month ago I went from hence,
And then 'twas fresh in murmur (as you know,
What great ones do, the lefs will prattle of)
That he did feek the love of fair Olivia..

Vio. What's fhe?

Cap. A virtuous maid, the daughter of a Count, That dy'd fome twelvemonths fince, then leaving her In the protection of his fon, her brother,

Who fhortly alfo dy'd; for whofe dear love,

They fay, fhe hath abjur'd the fight

And company of men.

Vio. O that I ferv'd that lady,

And might not be deliver'd to the world,

Till I had made mine own occafion mellow,

What my eftate is !

Cap. That were hard to compass;

Because fhe will admit no kind of fuit,

No, not the Duke's.

Vio. There is a fair behaviour in thee, Captain;

And tho' that nature with a beauteous wall

Doth oft clofe in pollution; yet of thee,
I will believe thou haft a mind that fuits
With this thy fair and outward character:
I pr'ythee, and I'll pay thee bounteously,
Conceal me what I am, and be my aid
For fuch difguife as, haply, fhall become
The form of my intent. I'll ferve this Duke;
Thou fhalt prefent me as an eunuch to him,
It may be worth thy pains; for I can fing,
And fpeak to him in many forts of mufic,
That will allow me very worth his fervice.
What elfe may hap, to time I will commit;
Only fhape thou thy filence to my wit.

Cap. Be you his eunuch, and your mute I'll be ;
When my tongue blabs, then let mine eyes not fee.
Vio. I thank thee; lead me on.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III. An apartment in Olivia's house.

Enter Sir Toby, and Maria.

Sir To. What a plague means my niece, to take the death of her brother thus? I am fure care's an enemy to life.

Mar. By my troth, Sir Toby, you must come in earlier a-nights; your niece, my Lady, takes great exceptions to your ill hours.

Sir To. Why, let her except before excepted.

Mar, Ay, but you must confine yourself within the modeft limits of order.

Sir To. Confine, I'll confine myself no finer than I am; these cloaths are good enough to drink in, and so be these boots too; an they be not, let them hang themselves in their own ftraps.

Mar. That quaffing and drinking will undo you; I heard my Lady talk of it yesterday, and of a foolish knight that you brought in one night here, to be her

wooer.

Sir To. Who, Sir Andrew Ague-cheek?

Mar. Ay, he.

Sir To. He's as tall a man as any 's in Illyria.
Mar. What's that to th' purpose ?

Sir To. Why, he has three thousand ducats a-year. Mar. Ay, but he'll have but a year in all these ducats he's a very fool and a prodigal.

Sir To. Fie, that you'll fay fo! he plays o' th' violde-gambo, and fpeaks three or four languages word for word without book, and hath all the good gifts of na

ture.

Mar. He hath, indeed, almoft natural; for befides that he's a fool, he's a great quarreller; and but that he hath the gift of a coward to allay the guft he hath in quarrelling, 'tis thought among the prudent, he would quickly have the gift of a grave.

Sir To. By this hand, they are fcoundrels and fubtractors that fay fo of him. Who are they?

Mar. They that add moreover, he's drunk nightly in your company.

Sir To. With drinking healths to my niece. I'll drink to her as long as there's a paffage in my throat, and drink in Illyria. He's a coward, and a coystril, that will not drink to my niece till his brains turn o' th' toe like a parish-top. What, Wench? Caftiliano volto* i for here comes Sir Andrew Ague-cheek.

SCENE IV. Enter Sir Andrew.

Sir And. Sir Toby Belch! how now, Sir Toby Belch? Sir To. Sweet Sir Andrew !

Sir And. Blefs you, fair fhrew.

Mar. And you too, Sir.

Sir To. Accoft, Sir Andrew, accoft.

Sir And. What's that?

Sir To. My niece's chambermaid.

Sir And. Good Miftrefs Accoft, I defire better ac

quaintance.

Mar. My name is Mary, Sir.

Sir And. Good Miftrefs Mary Accoft,

Sir To. You mistake, Knight: Accoft is, front her, board her, woo her, affail her.

*In English, Put on your Caftilian countenance; that is, grave, folemn looks.

your

Sir And. By my troth, I would not undertake her in Is that the meaning of accoft?

this company.

Mar. Fare you well, Gentlemen.

Sir To. An thou let her part fo, Sir Andrew, would thou might'ft never draw fword again.

Sir And. An you part fo, Mistress, I would I might never draw fword again. Fair Lady, do you think you

have fools in hand?

Mar. Sir, I have not you by th' hand.

Sir And. Marry, but you fhall have, and here's my hand.

Mar. Now, Sir, thought is free. I pray you, bring your hand to th' buttery-bar, and let it drink.

Sir And. Wherefore, fweet heart? what's your metaphor ?

Mar. It's dry, Sir.

Sir And. Why, I think fo: I am not fuch an ass, but I can keep my hand dry. But what's your jest? Mar. A dry jest, Sir.

Sir And. Are you full of them ?

Mar. Ay, Sir, I have them at my finger's ends: marry, now I let your hand go, I am barren.

[Exit. Maria. Sir To. O Knight, thou lack'ft a cup of canary: when did I fee thee fo put down?

fee

Sir And. Never in your life, I think, unless you canary put me down: methinks fometimes I have no more wit than a Chriftian, or an ordinary man has; but I am a great eater of beef, and I believe that does harm to my wit.

Sir To. No queftion.

Sir And. An I thought that, I'd forfwear it. I'll ride home to-morrow, Sir Toby.

Sir To. Pourquoy? my dear Knight?

Sir And. What is Pourquoy, do, or not do? I would I had beftowed that time in the tongues that I have in fencing, dancing, and bear-baiting. O had I but follow'd the arts!

Sir To. Then hadft thou had an excellent head of hair. Sir And. Why, would that have mended my hair? Sir To. Paft queftion; for thou feeft it will not curl by nature.

Sir And. But it becomes me well enough, does 't not? Sir To. Excellent! it hangs like flax on a distaff; and I hope to fee a housewife take thee between her legs, and fpin it off.

Sir And. 'Faith, I'll home to-morrow, Sir Toby; your niece will not be feen; or, if she be, it's four to one fhe'll none of me: the Duke himself here, hard by, wooes her.

Sir To. She'll none o' th' Duke: fhe'll not match above her degree, neither in estate, years, nor wit; I have heard her fwear it. Tut, there's life in 't, man.

Sir And. I'll ftay a month longer. I am a fellow o' th' ftrangeft mind i' th' world. I delight in masks and revels fometimes altogether.

Sir To. Art thou good at thefe kickfhaws, Knight? Sir And. As any man in Illyria, whatsoever he be, under the degree of my betters; and yet I will not with an old man.

compare

Sir To. What, is thy excellence in a galliard, Knight?
Sir And. 'Faith, I can cut a caper.

: Sir To. And I can cut the mutton to 't.

Sir And. And I think I have the back-trick, fimply as ftrong as any man in Illyria.

Sir To. Wherefore are these things hid? wherefore have thefe gifts a curtain before them? are they like to take duft, like Mistress Mall's picture? Why doft thou not go to church in a galliard, and come home in a coranto? My very walk fhould be a jig! I would not so much as make water, but in a cinque-pace. What dost thou mean? is it a world to hide virtues in? I did think, by the excellent conftitution of thy leg, it was form'd under the ftar of a galliard.

Sir And. Ay, 'tis ftrong, and it does indifferent well in a flame-colour'd ftocking. Shall we fet about fome revels?

Sir To. What fhall we do elfe? were we not born under Taurus ?

Sir And. Taurus? that's fides and heart.

Sir To. No, Sir, it is legs and thighs. Let me see caper; ha higher ha, ha !

thee

-excellent.

[Exeunt.