"Above my fortunes, yet my state is well: I am a gentleman."-I'll be sworn thou art: Thy tongue, thy face, thy limbs, actions, and spirit, soft! Unless the master were the man.-How now? Even so quickly may one catch the plague. To creep in at mine eyes. Well, let it be.- Mal. Re-enter MALVOLIO. Here, madam, at your service. Oli. Run after that same peevish messenger", [Exit. Oli. I do I know not what, and fear to find [Exit. 6 Run after that same PEEVISH messenger,] Another instance, out of many, to prove that in the time of Shakespeare, and earlier, "peevish" did not mean petulant or testy, but silly or foolish. See vol. ii. p. 150, note 8, and p. 162, note 4. In this place Olivia may wish Malvolio not to perceive that she takes any interest about so insignificant a person as "the county's man." 7 ourselves we do not owE:] i. e. own, as in Vol. ii. p. 45, and many other places. The meaning, as Malone remarks, is "we are not our own masters." I ACT II. SCENE I. The Sea-coast. Enter ANTONIO and SEBASTIAN. Ant. Will you stay no longer? nor will you not, that go with you? Seb. By your patience, no. My stars shine darkly over me: the malignancy of my fate might, perhaps, distemper yours; therefore, I shall crave of you your leave, that I may bear my evils alone. It were a bad recompense for your love, to lay any of them on you. Ant. Let me yet know of you, whither you are bound. Seb. No, 'sooth, sir. My determinate voyage is mere extravagancy; but I perceive in you so excellent a touch of modesty, that you will not extort from me what I am willing to keep in: therefore, it charges me in manners the rather to express myself. You must know of me then, Antonio, my name is Sebastian, which I called Roderigo. My father was that Sebastian of Messaline, whom, I know, you have heard of: he left behind him, myself, and a sister, both born in an hour. If the heavens had been pleased, would we had so ended! but, you, sir, altered that; for some hour before you took me from the breach of the sea was my sister drowned. Ant. Alas, the day! Seb. A lady, sir, though it was said she much resembled me, was yet of many accounted beautiful: but, though I could not with such estimable wonder overfar believe that', yet thus far I will boldly publish her— 7-but, though I could not with such estimable wonder overfar believe that,] "The meaning is," says Johnson, "that he could not venture to think so highly as others of his sister." Warburton would read merely, "but though I could not overfar believe that," omitting "with such estimable wonder," as an interpolation by the players: "estimable wonder" is esteeming wonder. she bore a mind that envy could not but call fair. She is drowned already, sir, with salt water, though I seem to drown her remembrance again with more. Ant. Pardon me, sir, your bad entertainment. Seb. O, good Antonio! forgive me your trouble. Ant. If you will not murder me for my love, let me be your servant. Seb. If you will not undo what you have done, that is, kill him whom you have recovered, desire it not. Fare ye well at once: my bosom is full of kindness; and I am yet so near the manners of my mother, that upon the least occasion more, mine eyes will tell tales of me. I am bound to the count Orsino's court: farewell. [Exit. Ant. The gentleness of all the gods go with thee! I have many enemies in Orsino's court, Else would I very shortly see thee there; But, come what may, I do adore thee so, [Exit. SCENE II. A Street. Enter VIOLA; MALVOLIO following3. Mal. Were not you even now with the countess Olivia? Vio. Even now, sir: on a moderate pace I have since arrived but hither. Mal. She returns this ring to you, sir: you might have saved me my pains, to have taken it away yourself. She adds, moreover, that you should put your lord into a desperate assurance she will none of him. And one thing more; that you be never so hardy to Enter Viola; Malvolio following.] The old stage-direction is, "Enter Viola and Malvolio at several doors." Malvolio may be supposed to be coming out of Olivia's house, but Viola must necessarily be in the street, having lately quitted Olivia. come again in his affairs, unless it be to report your lord's taking of this: receive it soo. Vio. She took the ring of me!-I'll none of it. Mal. Come, sir; you peevishly threw it to her, and her will is, it should be so returned: if it be worth stooping for, there it lies in your eye; if not, be it his that finds it. [Exit. Vio. I left no ring with her: what means this lady? Fortune forbid my outside have not charm'd her! She made good view of me; indeed, so much, That, methought, her eyes had lost her tongue, For she did speak in starts distractedly. She loves me, sure: the cunning of her passion Poor lady, she were better love a dream. In women's waxen hearts to set their forms! For such as we are made, if such we be'. 9 receive it so.] i. e. understand or take it so, without reference to the ring. Viola follows it up by expressing surprise at what Malvolio had said about the ring, which she had never seen till then. 10 That, methought,] The second folio inserts sure before "methought," to amend the measure; but if the measure be defective, which may admit of doubt, sure could hardly be the word omitted, as it occurs in the next line but "She loves me, sure," &c. one. 1 Alas! OUR frailty is the cause, not we, 66 our For such as we are made, if such we be,] The first folio has 0, for which the second folio substitutes "our;" and it was probably a misprint, having been written, in the MS. used by the old printer, with a contraction, as was frequently done. Malone and Steevens give the second line thus : "For, such as we are made of, such we be;" but this seems a decided error. The meaning of the four lines, beginning at "How easy is it," appears not so difficult as some of the commentators imagined: proper," as Steevens suggests, is to be understood handsome, a sense it will bear. "How easy is it (says Viola) for handsome false men to set their forms in the waxen hearts of women! for which, alas! our frailty is the cause, not ourselves, inasmuch as we are made such as we are, if indeed we be such." How will this fadge?? My master loves her dearly; What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe. SCENE III. A Room in OLIVIA'S House. [Exit. Enter Sir TOBY BELCH, and Sir ANDREW AGUECHEEK. Sir To. Approach, sir Andrew: not to be a-bed after midnight is to be up betimes; and diluculo surgere, thou know'st, Sir And. Nay, by my troth, I know not; but I know, to be up late, is to be up late. can. Sir To. A false conclusion: I hate it as an unfilled To be up after midnight, and to go to bed then, is early; so that, to go to bed after midnight, is to go to bed betimes. Do not our lives consist of the four elements? Sir And. 'Faith, so they say; but, I think, it rather consists of eating and drinking. Sir To. Thou art a scholar; let us therefore eat and drink.—Marian, I say!-a stoop of wine! Enter Clown. Sir And. Here comes the fool, i̇' faith. Clo. How now, my hearts! Did you never see the picture of we three? 2 How will this FADGE ?] To "fadge" is to suit, to answer the purpose--a word of common occurrence in our old writers. We have had it before in "Love's Labour's Lost," Vol. ii. p. 349. 3 A STOOP of wine!] The word "stoop," says Reed, is derived from the Belgic, and is equivalent to a measure of two quarts. |