Clown. How now, my hearts? Did you never see the picture of we three ? 1 Sir To. Welcome, ass. Now let's have a catch. Sir An. By my troth, the fool has an excellent breast. I had rather than forty shillings I had such a leg, and so sweet a breath to sing, as the fool has. In sooth, thou wast in very gracious fooling last night, when thou spokest of Pigrogromitus, of the Vapians passing the equinoctial of Queubus; 'twas very good, i'faith. I sent thee sixpence for thy leman; 3 hadst it? 4 Clown. I did impeticos thy gratillity; for Malvolio's nose is no whipstock.5 My lady has a white hand, and the Myrmidons 6 are no bottle-ale houses. Sir An. Excellent! Why, this is the best fooling, when all is done. Now, a song. Sir To. Come on; there is sixpence for you : let's have a song. Sir An. There's a testril 7 of me too: if one knight give a― Clown. Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life? 8 Sir To. A love-song, a love-song. 1 Loggerheads be. 2 Voice. 3 Mistress. 4 Impocket thy gratuity. 5 A whipstock is the handle of a whip, round which a strap of leather is usually twisted, and is sometimes put for the whip itself. 6 Myrmidon was a cant term for officers of justice. 7 Sixpence. 8 A song of a moral turn. Sir An. Ay, ay; I care not for good life. SONG. Clown. O mistress mine, where are you roaming? That can sing both high and low : Trip no farther, pretty sweeting; Every wise man's son doth know. Sir An. Excellent good, i' faith! Clown. What is love? 'tis not hereafter; In delay there lies no plenty; Then come kiss me, sweet-and-twenty:1 Sir An. A mellifluous voice, as I am true knight. Sir To. A contagious breath. Sir An. Very sweet and contagious, i' faith. Sir To. To hear by the nose, it is dulcet in contagion. But shall we make the welkin dance indeed ? 2 Shall we rouse the night-owl in a catch, that will draw three souls out of one weaver? 3 shall we do that? 1 Probably a phrase of endearment. 2 Drink till the sky seems to turn round. 3 Dr. Warburton conjectures that allusion is here made to the peripatetic philosophy, which supposed man to be endowed with three souls; the vegetative or plastic, the animal, and the rational. Our author represents weavers as much given to harmony in his time. Sir An. An you love me, let's do 't: I am dog at a catch. Clown. By 'r lady, sir, and some dogs will catch well. Sir An. Most certain: let our catch be, "Thou knave.' Clown. Hold thy peace, thou knave,' knight? I shall be constrained in 't to call thee knave, knight. Sir An. 'Tis not the first time I have constrained one to call me knave. Begin, fool; it begins, Hold thy peace.' Clown. I shall never begin, if I hold my peace. Enter MARIA. [they sing a catch. Mar. What a catterwauling do you keep here! If my lady have not called up her steward, Malvolio, and bid him turn you out of doors, never trust me. Sir To. My lady's a Cataian,1 we are politicians; Malvolio's a Peg-a-Ramsey, and Three merry men be we.' Am not I consanguineous? am I not of her blood? Tilly-valley,3 lady! There dwelt a man in Babylon, lady, lady!' [singing. Clown. Beshrew me, the knight's in admirable fooling. Sir An. Ay, he does well enough, if he be dis 1 Romancer. 2 The name of an old song. 3 An interjection of contempt. posed, and so do I too; he does it with a better grace, but I do it more natural. Sir To. 'O' the twelfth day of December,'— Mar. For the love o' God, peace. Enter MALVOLIO. [singing. Mal. My masters, are you mad, or what are you? Have you no wit, manners, nor honesty, but • to gabble like tinkers at this time of night? Do ye make an alehouse of my lady's house, that ye squeak out your coziers' 1 catches without any mitigation or remorse of voice? Is there no respect of place, persons, nor time in you? Sir To. We did keep time, sir, in our catches. Sneck up!? My Mal. Sir Toby, I must be round with you. lady bade me tell you, that, though she harbors you as her kinsman, she's nothing allied to your disorders. If you can separate yourself and your misdemeanors, you are welcome to the house; if not, an it would please you to take leave of her, she is very willing to bid you farewell. Sir To. Farewell, dear heart, since I must needs be gone.' Mal. Nay, good sir Toby. Clown. His eyes do show his days are almost done.' 1 Botchers of old clothes and shoes were called coziers. 2 Go, and hang yourself. Mal. Is 't even so? Sir To. But I will never die.' [singing. go, and spare not?' Clown. O no, no, no, no, you dare not.' Sir To. Out o' time? sir, ye lie.-Art any more than a steward? Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale? ? 1 Clown. Yes, by Saint Anne; and ginger shall be hot i' the mouth too. Sir To. Thou 'rt i'the right.-Go, sir, rub your chain with crums.2—A stoop of wine, Maria! Mal. Mistress Mary, if you prized my lady's favor at any thing more than contempt, you would not give means for this uncivil rule: 3 she shall know of it, by this hand. [Exit. Mar. Go, shake your ears. Sir An. "Twere as good a deed as to drink when a man's hungry, to challenge him to the field; and then to break promise with him, and make a fool of him. Sir To. Do't, knight; I'll write thee a chal 1 It was the custom on holydays to feed on cakes and ale in honor of the day. 2 Stewards were accustomed to wear a gilt chain, the best method of cleaning which is by rubbing it with crums. 3 Method of life. |