Oli. Why, how doft thou, man what is the matter with thee?

Mal. Not black in my mind, though yellow in my legs It did come to his hands, and command's fhall be executed. I think, we do know the fweet Roman hand.

Oli, Wilt thou go to bed, Malvolio?

Mal. To beday, fweet-heart; and I'll come to thee. Oli. God comfort thee! Why dost thou smile so, and kiss thy hand so oft? 9:

Mar. How do you, Malvolio?

Mal. At your requeft? Yes; Nightingales anfwer daws. Mar. Why appear you with thi, ridiculous boldness before my lady?

Mal. Be not afraid of greatness :-'Twas well writ.
Oli.. What meaneft thou by that, Malvolio è
Mal. Some are born great,-

Oli. Ha.?

Mal. Some atchieve greatness,

Oli. What fay'st thou?

Mal. And fome have greatness thruft upon them.

Oli. Heaven restore thee !

Mal. Remember, who commended thy yellow flockings

Oli. Thy yellow stockings ?

Mal. And wife'd to fee thee cross-garter'd

Oli. Cross-garter'd?

Mal. Go to: thou art made, if thou deftreft to be fo;

Oli. Am I made?

Mal. If not, let me fee thee a fervant frill.

Oli. Why, this is very midfummer madness,

9 This fantastical custom is taken notice of by Barnaby Riche, in Faults and nothing but Faults, 4to. 1606, p. 6: " and thefe Flowers of Courtefie, as they are full of affectation, fo are they no lefs formall in their fpeeches, full of fuftian phrases, many times delivering fuch fentences, as do betray and lay open their masters' ignorance: and they are fo frequent with the kiffe on the band, that word fhall not paffe their mouthes, till they have clapt their fingers over their lippes.!! REED..

2 Hot weather often hurts the brain, which is, I fuppose, alluded to here. JOHNSON. 'Tis midsummer moon with you, is a proverb in Ray's collection, signitying, you are mad.. STEEVENS.

Enter Servant,

Ser. Madam, the young gentleman of the count Orfino's is return'd; I could hardly entreat him back: he attends your ladyfhip's pleasure. Oli. I'll come to him. let this fellow be look'd to. fome of my people have a have him mifcarry for the half of my dowry.

[Exit Servant.] Good Maria, "Where's my coufin Toby? Let fpecial care of him; I would not

[Exeunt OLIVIA and MARIA, Mal. Oh, ho! do you come near me now? no worfe man than fir Toby to look to me? This concurs directly with the letter: the fends him on purpose, that I may appear ftubborn to him; for the incites me to that in the letter. Caft thy humble flough, fays fhe ;-be oppofite with a kinfman,3 furly with fervants, let thy tongue tang with arguments of state,put thyself into the trick of fingularity;-and, confequently, fets down the manner how: as, a fad face, a reverend carriage, a flow tongue, in the habit of fome fir of note, and fo forth. I have limed her; 4 but it is Jove's doing, and Jove make me thankful! And, when he went away now, Let this fellow be look'd to: Fellow! 5 not Malvolio, nor after my degree, but fellow. Why, every thing adheres together; that no dram of a fcruple, no fcruple of a scruple, no obstacle, no incredulous or unfafe circumftance,-What can be faid? Nothing, that can be, can come between me and the full profpect of my hopes. Well, Jove, not I, is the doer of this,

and he is to be thanked.

Re-enter MARIA, with SIR TOBY BELCH, and FABIAN.

Sir To. Which way is he, in the name of fanctity? If all the devils in hell be drawn in little, and Legion himself posfeffed him, yet I'll fpeak to him.

Fab. Here he is, here he is :-How is't with you,

fir?

how is't with you, man?

Mal.

3 Oppofite, here, as in many other places, means- -adverse, boftile.

MALONE.

I have entangled or caught her, as a bird is caught with birdlime.

JOHNSON.

This word, which originally fignified companion, was not yet totally. degraded to its prefent meaning; and Malvolio takes it in the favourable fente. JOHNSON.

Mal. Go off; I difcard you; let me enjoy my private ; go off.

Mar. Lo, how hollow the fiend fpeaks within him! did not I tell you ?-Sir Toby, my lady prays you to have a

care of him.

Mal. Ah, ha! does the fo?

Sir To. Go to, go to; peace, peace, we must deal gently with him; let me alone. How do you, Malvolio? how ist with you? What, man! defy the devil: confider, he's an enemy to mankind.

Mal. Do you know what you say?

Mar. La you, an you fpeak ill of the devil, how he takes it at heart! Pray God, he be not bewitch'd!

Fab. Carry his water to the wife woman.

Mar. Marry, and it fhall be done to-morrow morning, if I live. My lady would not lofe him for more than I'll fay. Mal. How now, mistress?

Mar. O lord!

Sir To. Pr'ythee, hold thy peace; this is not the way: Do you not fee, you move him? let me alone with him. Fab. No way but gentleness; gently, gently: the fiend is rough, and will not be roughly used.

Sir To. Why, how now, my bawcock? how dost thou, chuck?

Mal. Sir?

Sir To. Ay, Biddy, come with me. What, man! 'tis not for gravity to play at cherry-pit 6 with Satan: Hang him,' foul collier! 7

Mar. Get him to fay his prayers; good fir Toby, get him

to pray.

Mal. My prayers, minx?

Mar. No, I warrant you, he will not hear of godliness.

Mal.

6 Cherry-pit is pitching cherry-ftones into a little hole. Nafh, fpeaking of the paint on ladies' faces, fays: "You may play at cherry-pit in their cheeks." STEEVENS.

7 Collier was, in our author's time, a term of the highest reproach. So great were the impofitions practifed by the venders of coals, that R.: Greene at the conclufion of his Notable Difcovery of Cozenage, 1592, has published what he calls, A pleasant Difcovery of the Cofenage of Colliers.

STEEVENS.

The devil is called Collier for his blackness; Like will to like, quoth the Devil to the Collier. JOHNSON.

Mal. Go, hang yourselves all! you are idle fhallow things: I am not of your element; you shall know more hereafter.

Sir To. Is't poffible?

[Exit.

Fab. If this were play'd upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction.

Sir To. His very genius hath taken the infection of the device, man.

Mar. Nay, purfue him now; left the device take air, and

taint.

Fab. Why, we shall make him mad, indeed.

Mar. The house will be the quieter.

Sir To. Come, we'll have him in a dark room, and bound. My niece is already in the belief that he is mad; we may carry it thus, for our pleasure, and his penance, till our very paftime, tired out of breath, prompt us to have mercy on him at which time, we will bring the device to the bar, and crown thee for a finder of madmen. But fee, but fee. Enter SIR ANDREW AGUE-CHEEK.

Fab. More matter for a May morning."

Sir And. Here's the challenge, read it; I warrant, there's vinegar and pepper in't.

Fab. Is't fo fawcy?

Sir And. Ay, is it, I warrant him: do but read.

Sir To. Give me. [reads.] Youth, whatfoever thou art, thou art but a fcurvy fellow.

Fab.

This is, I think, an allufion to the witch-finders, who were very bufy.
JOHNSON

If there he any doubt whether a culprit is become non compos mentis, after indictment, conviction, or judgement, the matter is tried by a jury; and if he be found either an ideot or lunatick, the lenity of the English law will not permit him, in the first cafe, to be tried, in the second, to receive judgement, or in the third, to be executed. In other cafes also inquefts are held for the finding of madmen. MALONE.

Finders of madmen must have been those who acted under the writ De lunatico inquirendo; in virtue whereof they found the man mad. It does not appear that a finder of madmen was ever a profeffion, which was most certainly the cafe with witch finders. RITSON.

9 It was ufual on the firft of May to exhibit metrical interludes of the comic kind, as well as the morris-dance, of which a plate is given at the end of the First Part of King Henry IV. with Mr. Tollet's obfervations on it..

STEVENS.

Fab. Good, and valiant.

Sir To. Wonder not, nor admire not in thy mind, why I do call thee fo, for I will show thee no reason for't.

Fab. A good note: that keeps you from the blow of the law. Sir To. Thou comeft to the lady Olivia, and in my fight fhe ufes thee kindly but thou lieft in thy throat, that is not the matter I challenge thee for.

Fab. Very brief, and exceeding good fenfe-less.

Sir To. I will way lay thee going home; where if it be thy chance to kill me,

Fab. Good.

Sir To. Thou kill'fi me like a rogue and a villain.

Fab. Still you keep o'the windy fide of the law: Good. Sir To. Fare thee well; And God have mercy upon one of our fouls! He may have mercy upon mine; but my hope is better, and fo look to thyfelf. Thy friend, as thou ufeft him, and thy fworn enemy, ANDREW AGUE-CHEEK. Sir To. If this letter move him not, his legs cannot: I'll give't him.

Mar. You may have very fit occafion for't; he is now in fome commerce with my lady, and will by and by depart.

Sir To. Go, fir Andrew; fcout me for him at the corner of the orchard, like a bum-bailiff: fo foon as ever thou feest him, draw; and, as thou draw'ft, fwear horrible : 3 for it comes to pass oft, that a terrible oath, with a swaggering accent fharply twang'd off, gives manhood more approbation than ever proof itself would have earn'd him. Away. Sir And. Nay, let me alone for fwearing.

[Exit. Sir

2 We may read-He may have mercy upon thine, but my hope is better. Yet the paffage may well enough ftand without alteration.

It were much to be wished that Shakspeare, in this, and fome other paffages, had not ventured fo near profanene fs. JoHNSON.

The prefent reading is more humourous than that fuggested by Johnson. The man on whofe foul he hopes that God will have mercy, is the one that he fuppofes will fall in the combat: but Sir Andrew hopes to efcape unhurt, and to have no prefent occafion for that blefling.

The fame idea occurs in Henry V. where Mrs. Quickly, giving an account of poor Falstaff's diffolution, fays: "Now, I, to comfort him, bid him not think of God; I hoped there was no need to trouble himself with any fuch thoughts yet." M. MASON.

3. Adjectives are often used by our author and his contemporaries, adverbially. MALONE.