she will keep no fool, sir, till she be married; and fools are as like husbands, as pilchards are to herrings; the husband's the bigger: I am, indeed, not her fool, but her corrupter of words.

Vio. I saw thee late at the count Orsino's.
about the orb, like
I would be sorry,

Clo. Foolery, sir, does walk the sun; it shines every where. sir, but the fool should be as oft with your master, as with my mistress: I think I saw your wisdom there.

Vio. Nay, an thou pass upon me, I'll no more with thee. Hold; there's expenses for thee.

Clo. Now Jove, in his next commodity of hair, send thee a beard!

Vio. By my troth, I'll tell thee: I am almost sick for one; though I would not have it grow on my chin. Is thy lady within ?

Clo. Would not a pair of these have bred, sir? 3 Vio. Yes, being kept together, and put to use. Clo. I would play lord Pandarus of Phrygia, sir, to bring a Cressida to this Troilus.

Vio. I understand you, sir: 'tis well begg'd. Clo. The matter, I hope, is not great, sir; begging but a beggar: Cressida was a beggar. My lady is within, sir. I will conster to them whence you come; who you are, and what you would, are

5

3 That is, two pieces of money, instead of the one Viola had given him.

H.

4 In Henryson's Testament of Cresseid she is thus spoken to: "Great penurye thou shalt suffer, and as a beggar dye." And again :

"Thou shalt go begging from hous to hous,
With cuppe and clapper like a Lazarous."

5 So in the original. used by the writers of in the time of Pope. properly admissible.

Conster is the old form of construe, often Shakespeare's time, and occasionally even So that the received emendation is not

H.

out of my welkin: I might say, element; but the word is over-worn.

[Exit.

Vio. This fellow's wise enough to play the

fool;

And, to do that well, craves a kind of wit:
He must observe their mood on whom he jests,
The quality of persons, and the time;
And, like the haggard, check at every feather
That comes before his eye. This is a practice
As full of labour as a wise man's art:

For folly, that he wisely shows, is fit;

But wise men's folly, fall'n,' quite taints their wit.

Enter Sir TOBY BELCH and Sir ANDREW AGUECHEEK.

Sir To. Save you, gentleman.

Vio. And you, sir.

Sir And. Dieu vous garde, monsieur.

Vio. Et vous aussi : votre serviteur.

Sir And. I hope, sir, you are; and I am yours. Sir To. Will you encounter the house? my niece is desirous you should enter, if your trade be to her.

6 A haggard is a wild or untrained hawk, which flies, checks, at all birds, or birds of every feather, indiscriminately. "The stannyel checks at it" occurs in the last scene of the preceding act. See note 10.

166

H.

7 That is, "wise men's folly, being or having fallen.” The original reads, - But wisemens folly falne, quite taint their wit." We concur in the reading proposed by Mr. Collier and endorsed by Mr. Verplanck. The usual reading is, " But wise men, follyfallen, quite taint their wit;" which we are not a little puzzled to understand. The meaning of the passage, as we give it, seems to be: The fool, that is, the professional fool, thrives by folly, because folly is his art; but the involuntary folly of wise men, having lost its value, brings their wit into bad odour; on much the same principle as,· -"A liar will not be believed when he speaks the truth."

H.

Vio. I am bound to your niece, sir: I mean, she

8

is the list of my voyage.

9

Sir To. Taste your legs, sir; put them to motion.

Vio. My legs do better understand me, sir, than I understand what you mean by bidding me taste my legs.

Sir To. I mean, to go, sir, to enter.

Vio. I will answer you with gait and entrance: But we are prevented.'

10

Enter OLIVIA and MARIA.

Most excellent accomplish'd lady, the heavens rain odours on you!

Sir And. That youth's a rare courtier! "Rain odours! well.

Vio. My matter hath no voice, lady, but to your own most pregnant" and vouchsafed ear.

Sir And. "Odours," "pregnant," and "vouchsafed": -I'll get 'em all three all ready.

Oli. Let the garden door be shut, and leave me to my hearing.

[Exeunt Sir To., Sir AND., and MAR. Give me your hand, sir.

Vio. My duty, madam, and most humble service. Oli. What is your name?

Vio. Cesario is your servant's name, fair princess. Oli. My servant, sir? "Twas never merry world, Since lowly feigning was call'd compliment : You are servant to the count Orsino, youth.

8 Lists again occurs in Measure for Measure in the sense of bounds or limits.

H.

9 Taste was sometimes used by the old poets in the sense of try. Thus in Chapman's Odyssey: "He now began to taste the bow."

H.

10 That is, we are anticipated. So in the 119th Psalm, "Mine eyes prevent the night-watches."

11 That is, ready, apprehensive.

Vio. And he is yours, and his must needs be

yours:

Your servant's servant is your servant, madam.

Oli. For him, I think not on him: for his thoughts, 'Would they were blanks, rather than fill'd with me! Vio. Madam, I come to whet your gentle thoughts On his behalf.

Oli.

O! by your leave, I pray you:

I bade you never speak again of him;
But, would you undertake another suit,
I had rather hear you to solicit that,
Than music from the spheres.

Vio.

Dear lady,

Oli. Give me leave, 'beseech you: I did send, After the last enchantment you did here,

A ring in chase of you; so did I abuse
Myself, my servant, and, I fear me, you.
Under your hard construction must I sit,
To force that on you, in a shameful cunning,
Which you knew none of yours: What might you

think?

Have you not set mine honour at the stake,

And baited it with all the unmuzzled thoughts
That tyrannous heart can think?

receiving 12

To one of your

Enough is shown; a cyprus,13 not a bosom,

Hides my heart: So, let me hear you speak.
Vio. I pity you.

Oli. That's a degree to love.

Vio. No, not a grise; 14 for 'tis a vulgar proof,

That very oft we pity enemies.

Oli. Why, then, methinks, 'tis time to smile again :

12 Quick apprehension.

13 That is, a thin veil of crape or cyprus.

14 Step from the French grez.

O world, how apt the poor are to be proud!
If one should be a prey, how much the better
To fall before the lion than the wolf?

[Clock strikes.
The clock upbraids me with the waste of time.
Be not afraid, good youth, I will not have you :
And yet, when wit and youth is come to harvest,
Your wife is like to reap a proper man:

There lies your way, due west.

Vio.

Then westward hoe!"

Grace and good disposition 'tend your ladyship! You'll nothing, madam, to my lord by me?

Oli. Stay :

I pr'ythee, tell me what thou think'st of me.

Vio. That you do think you are not what you are. Oli. If I think so, I think the same of you. Vio. Then think you right: I am not what I am. Oli. I would you were as I would have you be ! Vio. Would it be better, madam, than I am, I wish it might; for now I am your fool.

Oli. [Aside.] O! what a deal of scorn looks beautiful

In the contempt and anger of his lip!

A murderous guilt shows not itself more soon
Than love that would seem hid: love's night is

noon.

Cesario, by the roses of the spring,

By maidhood, honour, truth, and every thing,
I love thee so, that, maugre 16 all thy pride,
Nor wit, nor reason, can my passion hide.
Do not extort thy reasons from this clause,
For, that I woo, thou therefore hast no cause;

15 An exclamation used by watermen on the Thames. Westward ho, Northward ho, and Eastward ho, are also used as titles of plays.

16 In spite of: from the French malgré.

H.