Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

Sir And. Why, I think so: I am not such 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 fingers' ends: marry, now I let go your hand, I am barren.

[Exit MARIA. Sir To. O knight! thou lack'st a cup of canary. When did I see thee so put down?

Sir And. Never in your life, I think; unless you see canary put me down. Methinks, sometimes I have no more wit than a Christian, 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 question.

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

Sir To. Pourquoi, my dear knight?

Sir And. What is pourquoi? do or not do? I would I had bestowed that time in the tongues, that I have in fencing, dancing, and bear-baiting. O, had I but followed the arts!

Sir To. Then hadst thou had an excellent head of hair.

Sir And. Why, would that have mended my hair? Sir To. Past question; for, thou seest, 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 see a housewife take thee between her legs, and spin it off.

7-but I am a great eater of beef, and, I believe, that does harm to my wit.] Ben Jonson, in "Every Man out of his Humour," asserts that porridge thickens the brain:-"'Slud, I think he feeds her with porridge, I: she could never have such a thick brain else." Gifford's "Ben Jonson," vol. ii. p. 63.

8 it will not CURL BY nature.] The old copies read, "cool my nature." The happy emendation was made by Theobald.

Sir And. 'Faith, I'll home to-morrow, sir Toby: your niece will not be seen; or, if she be, it's four to one she'll none of me. The count himself, here hard by, woos her.

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

Sir And. I'll stay a month longer. I am a fellow o' the strangest mind i' the world: I delight in masques and revels sometimes altogether.

Sir To. Art thou good at these kick-shaws, knight? Sir And. As any man in Illyria, whatsoever he be, under the degree of my betters: and yet I will not compare with an old man.

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, simply as strong as any man in Illyria.

Sir To. Wherefore are these things hid? wherefore have these gifts a curtain before them? are they like to take dust, like mistress Mall's picture'? why dost thou not go to church in a galliard, and come home in

9 What is thy excellence in a GALLIARD, knight ?] A "galliard" was a lively species of dance, said to be of Spanish origin, the name of it being derived from gallardo in that language, which signifies cheerful or gay.

1 — mistress MALL's picture ?] The name of this woman was Mary Frith. She was in the habit of wearing men's clothes, and obtained extraordinary celebrity in connexion with many low characters of the time. Her picture might be curtained, either because it was considered indecent, or simply, as Sir Toby says, to preserve it from the dust. If she were born in 1584, as Malone states, at the time "Twelfth-Night" was first acted, (Feb. 1601-2,) she was only sixteen or seventeen years old. Her birth is, therefore, in all probability to be placed earlier: her death is said not to have occurred until 1659, and in 1662 her "Life and Death" was published. John Day, the dramatist, wrote a tract upon her "mad pranks," which was entered at Stationers' Hall in August, 1610, but it is not known to have been printed. Possibly, her "Life and Death," 1662, was only Day's tract with additions. All the known particulars regarding her have been collected by the Rev. Mr. Dyce, in his introduction to Dekker's and Middleton's comedy, "The Roaring Girl," 1611, which has a wood-cut of the heroine upon the title-page. See also Dodsley's Old Plays, last edit. vol. vi.

a coranto?? My very walk should be a jig: I would not so much as make water, but in a sink-a-pace3. What dost thou mean? is it a world to hide virtues in? I did think, by the excellent constitution of thy leg, it was formed under the star of a galliard.

Sir And. Ay, 'tis strong, and it does indifferent well in a flame-coloured stock. Shall we set about some revels?

Sir To. What shall we do else? were we not born under Taurus?

Sir And. Taurus? that's sides and heart".

Sir To. No, sir; it is legs and thighs. Let me see thee caper. Ha! higher: ha, ha!-excellent!

2

[ocr errors]

[Exeunt.

and come home in a CORANTO ?] A" coranto was an active species of dance, and it is also mentioned by Ben Jonson in conjunction with a galliard. "Coranto" is the same as couranto, and has the same etymology; probably from the Spanish correr, or from the Italian correre. The termination shows that it was not of French origin.

3 SINK-A-PACE.] i. e. cinque-pas: "the name of a dance," says Sir J. Hawkins, "the measures whereof are regulated by the number five." It is often spoken of by Shakespeare's contemporaries. All the dances mentioned by Shakespeare will shortly be explained by Mr. E. F. Rimbault, in his forthcoming very interesting work, to be entitled, " A Collection of Ancient Music, illustrating the Plays and Poems of Shakespeare." It will contain all that now remains of the original music to his dramas, which, if not composed for the first representation of them, was written during the life-time of the poet: we understand that the whole of the score for "The Tempest" will be included, Mr. Rimbault having discovered it in the British Museum. Another division of his work will consist of the old ballads inserted or alluded to by Shakespeare, with their tunes. The dances will form the third part. All will be taken from English MSS., and old printed books. Mr. Rimbault informs me, with respect to the Cinque-pas, that the only specimen of it he has yet been able to find is contained in two contemporary MSS., one in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, and the other in the library of Trinity College, Dublin.

FLAME-coloured STOCK.] "Dam'd coloured stock," or stocking, is the reading of the original editions. Pope altered it to "flame-coloured," which is possibly right, though we do not meet with any mention of "flame-coloured stocks" elsewhere.

5 TAURUS? that's sides and heart.] Alluding, as Johnson remarks, to the medical astrology still preserved in almanacks, which refers the affections of particular parts of the body to the predominance of particular constella

tions.

SCENE IV.

A Room in the DUKE's Palace.

Enter VALENTINE, and VIOLA in man's attire.

Val. If the duke continue these favours towards you, Cesario, you are like to be much advanced: he hath known you but three days, and already you are no stranger.

Vio. You either fear his humour, or my negligence, that you call in question the continuance of his love. Is he inconstant, sir, in his favours?

Val. No, believe me.

Enter DUKE, CURIO, and Attendants.

Vio. I thank you. Here comes the count.
Duke. Who saw Cesario, ho?

Vio. On your attendance, my lord; here.
Duke. Stand you awhile aloof.-Cesario,
Thou know'st no less but all: I have unclasp'd
To thee the book even of my secret soul;
Therefore, good youth, address thy gait unto her:
Be not denied access, stand at her doors,

And tell them, there thy fixed foot shall grow,
Till thou have audience.

Vio.

Sure, my noble lord,

If she be so abandon'd to her sorrow,

As it is spoke, she never will admit me.

Duke. Be clamorous, and leap all civil bounds, Rather than make unprofited return.

Vio. Say I do speak with her, my lord, what then?
Duke. O then unfold the passion of my love;

Surprise her with discourse of my dear faith:
It shall become thee well to act my woes;

She will attend it better in thy youth,
Than in a nuncio of more grave aspect.

Vio. I think not so, my lord.
Duke.

Dear lad, believe it,

For they shall yet belie thy happy years,
That say thou art a man: Diana's lip

Is not more smooth, and rubious; thy small pipe
Is as the maiden's organ, shrill, and sound,
And all is semblative a woman's part.

I know, thy constellation is right apt

For this affair.-Some four, or five, attend him;
All, if you will, for I myself am best,

When least in company.-Prosper well in this,
And thou shalt live as freely as thy lord

To call his fortunes thine.

Vio.

I'll do my best,

To woo your lady: [Aside.] yet, a barful strife!
Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife.

[Exeunt.

SCENE V.

A Room in OLIVIA'S House.

Enter MARIA, and Clown'.

Mar. Nay; either tell me where thou hast been, or I will not open my lips so wide as a bristle may enter of thy excuse. My lady will hang thee for thy

in way

absence.

Clo. Let her hang me: he that is well hanged in this world needs to fear no colours.

6- yet, a BARFUL strife!] i. e. A struggle on my part full of bars, or impediments.

7 Enter Maria, and CLOWN.] The clown in this play, as well as in "All's Well that Ends Well," is the domestic fool, or jester. In " As You Like It," he is the court-fool. All three wore "motley."

8

needs to fear no colours.] This expression is a common one, but not VOL. III. Ꮓ

« ZurückWeiter »