Sir An. Slid, I'll after him again, and beat him. Sir To. Do, cuff him soundly, but never draw thy sword.

Sir An. An I do not,

Fab. Come, let's see the event.

[Exit.

Sir To. I dare lay any money, 'twill be nothing

yet.

ACT IV.

[Exeunt.

SCENE I.

The street before Olivia's house.

Enter SEBASTIAN and CLOWN.

Clown. Will you make me believe, that I am not sent for you?

Seb. Go to, go to, thou art a foolish fellow : Let me be clear of thee.

Clown. Well held out, i'faith! No, I do not know you; nor I am not sent to you by my lady, to bid you come speak with her; nor your name is not master Cesario; nor this is not my nose neither. -Nothing, that is so, is so.

Seb. I pr'ythee, vent thy folly somewhere else: Thou know'st not me.

Clown. Vent my folly! He has heard that word of some great man, and now applies it to a fool. Vent my folly! I am afraid this great lubber, the world, will prove a cockney.1-I pr'ythee now, un

■ Affectation and foppery will overspread the world.

gird thy strangeness, and tell me what I shall vent to my lady. Shall I vent to her, that thou art coming?

Seb. I pr'ythee, foolish Greek,1 depart from me; There's money for thee; if you tarry longer, I shall give worse payment.

Clown. By my troth, thou hast an open hand.— These wise men, that give fools money, get themselves a good report after fourteen years' purchase.

Enter SIR ANDREW, SIR TOBy, and fabian.

Sir An. Now, sir, have I met you again? there's for you. [striking Sebastian. Seb. Why, there's for thee, and there, and there. Are all the people mad? [beating sir Andrew. Sir To. Hold, sir, or I'll throw your dagger o'er the house.

Clown. This will I tell my lady straight. I would not be in some of your coats for twopence.

[Exit Clown. [holding Sebastian. I'll go another way

Sir To. Come on, sir; hold. Sir An. Nay, let him alone: to work with him; I'll have an action of battery against him, if there be any law in Illyria: though I struck 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,

A term for bawd or pander.

2 The highest price for land in Shakspeare's time.

my young soldier, put up your iron: you are well fleshed: 1 come on.

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

now?

If thou darest tempt me farther, draw thy sword.

[draws.

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

Enter OLIVIA.

[draws.

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 sight!

Be not offended, dear Cesario :

Rudesby, be gone!-I pr'ythee, gentle friend,

[Exeunt Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Fabian. Let thy fair wisdom, not thy passion, sway In this uncivil and unjust extent 3

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 Mayst smile at this: thou shalt not choose but go. Do not deny. Beshrew his soul for me,

He started one poor heart of mine in thee.

1 Initiated.

2 Uncivil fellow.

3 Violence,

Seb. What relish is in this?1 how runs the

stream?

Or I am mad, or else this is a dream.-
Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep:
If it be thus to dream, still let me sleep.
Oli. Nay, come, I pr'ythee. Would, thou 'dst
be ruled by me!

Seb. Madam, I will.

Oli.

O, say so, and so be! [Exeunt.

SCENE II.

A room 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 curate; do it quickly. I'll call sir Toby the whilst. [Exit Maria.

Clown. Well, I'll put it on, and I will dissemble 2 myself in 't; and I would I were the first that ever dissembled in such a gown. I am not fat enough to become the function well, nor lean enough to be thought a good student: but to be said, an honest man, and a good housekeeper, goes as fairly, as to say, a careful man, and a great scholar. The competitors 3 enter.

1 How does this taste? what judgment am I to make of this? 2 Disguise. 3 Confederates.

Enter SIR TOBY BELCH and MARIA.

Sir To. Jove bless thee, master parson.

Clown. Bonos dies,1 sir Toby: for as the old hermit of Prague, that never saw pen and ink, very wittily said to a niece of king Gorboduc, That, that is, is; so I, being master parson, am master parson for what is that, but that; and is, but is? Sir To. To him, sir Topas.

Clown. What, hoa, I say,-Peace in this prison! Sir To. The knave counterfeits well; a good knave.

Mal. [in an inner chamber.] Who calls there?

'Clown. Sir Topas the curate, who comes to visit Malvolio the lunatic.

Mal. Sir Topas, sir Topas, good sir Topas, go to my lady.

Clown. Out, hyperbolical fiend! how vexest thou this man? Talkest thou nothing but of ladies?

Sir To. Well said, master parson.

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

Clown. Fie, thou dishonest Sathan! I call thee by the most modest terms; for I am one of those gentle ones, that will use the devil himself with courtesy. Say'st thou, that house is dark?

Mal. As hell, sir Topas.

Good fortune befal thee.