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SCENE IV.

A Room in the Duke's Palace.

Enter VALENTINE, and VIOLA in man's clothes. Val. If the duke continue thefe favours towards you, Cefario, you are like to be much advanced; he hath known you but three days, and already you are no ftranger.

Vio. You either fear his humour, or my negligence, that you call in queftion the continuance of his love: Is he inconftant, fir, in his favours?

Val. No, believe me.

Enter Duke, CURIO, and Attendants.
Vio. I thank you. Here comes the count.
Duke. Who faw Cefario, ho?

Vio. On your attendance, my lord; here.
Duke. Stand you a-while aloof.-Cefario,
Thou know'ft no lefs but all; I have unclasp'd
To thee the book even of my fecret foul:
Therefore, good youth, address thy gait unto her ;
Be not deny'd accefs, ftand at her doors,
And tell them, there thy fixed foot shall grow,
Till thou have audience.

Vio. Sure, my noble lord,

If the be so abandon'd to her forrow

As it is fpoke, fhe never will admit me.

Duke. Be clamorous, and leap all civil bounds,

Rather than make unprofited return.

Vio. Say, I do fpeak with her, my lord; What then? Duke. O, then, unfold the paffion of my love, Surprize her with difcourfe of my dear faith:

It shall become thee well to act my woes;

She will attend it better in thy youth,
Than in a nuncio's of more grave afpéct.
Vio. I think not fo, my lord.
Duke. Dear lad, believe it;
For they fhall yet belie thy happy years,

That

That fay, thou art a man: Diana's lip

Is not more smooth, and rubious; thy fmall pipe
Is as the maiden's organ, fhrill, and found,
And all is femblative a woman's part7.

I know, thy conftellation is right apt

For this affair :-Some four, or five, attend him
All, if you will; for I myfelf am beft,

When leaft in company :-Profper well in this,
And thou fhall live as freely as thy lord,
To call his fortunes thine.

Vio. I'll do my best,

To woo your lady:-yet, [afide.] a barrful strife!
Who-e'er I woo, myfelf would be his wife.

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[Exeunt.

Mar. Nay, either tell me where thou haft been, or I will not open my lips, fo wide as a briftle may enter, in way of thy excufe: my lady will hang thee for thy ab

fence.

Clo. Let her hang me: he, that is well hang'd in this world, needs to fear no colours 9.

Mar. Make that good.

Clo. He fhall fee none to fear.

Mar. A good lenten answer: I can tell thee where that faying was born, of, I fear no colours.

Clo. Where, good miftrefs Mary?

Mar. In the wars; and that may you be bold to fay in your foolery.

Clo. Well, God give them wifdom, that have it; and those that are fools, let them use their talents.

8

7 -a woman's part.] That is, thy proper part in a play would be a woman's. Women were then perfonated by boys. JOHNSON. a barrful ftrife!] i. e. a conteft full of impediments. STEEV. 9- fear no colours.] This expreffion frequently occurs in the old plays. STEEVENS.

I lenten answer:] A lean, or as we now call it, a dry answer.

JOHNSON.
Mar.

Mar. Yet you will be hang'd, for being fo long ab fent; or, to be turn'd away 2, is not that as good as a hanging to you?

Clo. Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage; and, for turning away, let fummer bear it out 3.

Mar. You are refolute then?

Clo. Not fo neither; but I am refolved on two points. Mar. That, if one break, the other will hold; or, if both break, your gafkins fall.

Clo. Apt, in good faith; very apt! Well, go thy way; if fir Toby would leave drinking, thou wert as witty a piece of Eve's flesh as any in Illyria.

Mar. Peace, you rogue, no more o'that; here comes my lady: make your excufe wifely, you were beft. [Exit. Enter OLIVIA, and MALVOLIO.

Clo. Wit, and't be thy will, put me into good fooling! Those wits, that think they have thee, do very oft prove fools; and I, that am fure I lack thee, may pass for a wife man: For what fays Quinapalus? Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit 4.-God bless thee, lady!

Oli. Take the fool away.

Clo. Do you not hear, fellows? take away the lady. Oli. Go to, you're a dry fool; I'll no more of you: befides, you grow dishoneft.

Clo. Two faults, Madonna', that drink and good counfel will amend: for give the dry fool drink, then is

2 -or, to be turn'd away.] The editor of the fecond folio omitted the word to, in which he has been followed by all the fubfequent editors. MALONE.

3 and, for turning away, let fummer bear it out.] It is common for unfettled and vagrant ferving-men, to grow negligent of their bufinefs towards fummer; and the fenfe of the paffage is: If I am turned arvay, the advantages of the approaching summer will bear out, or fupport all the inconveniences of difmiffion; for I shall find employment in every field, and lodging under every bedge. STEEVENS.

if one break,] Points were laces with metal tags, by which the trunk-hofe, or breeches, were faftened to the doublet. MALONE.

4- Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit.] Hall, in his Chronicle, speaking of the death of Sir Thomas More, fays, "that he knows not whether to call him a foolish wife man, or a wife foolish man." JOHNSON. 5-Madonna,] Ital. miftreis, dame. So, La Maddona, by way of pre-eminence, the Blessed Virgin. STEEVENS.

VOL. IV.

C

the

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the fool not dry; bid the dishonest man mend himself, if he mend, he is no longer difhoneft; if he cannot, let the botcher mend him: Any thing, that's mended, is but patch'd virtue, that tranfgreffes, is but patch'd with fin; and fin, that amends, is but patch'd with virtue : If that this fimple fyllogifm will ferve, fo; if it will not, What remedy? As there is no true cuckold but calamity, fo beauty's a flower :-the lady bade take away the fool; therefore, I fay again, take her away.

Oli. Sir, I bade them take away you.

Clo. Mifprifion in the highest degree !-Lady, Cucullus non facit monachum; that's as much as to fay, I wear not motley in my brain. Good Madonna, give me leave to prove you a fool.

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Clo. Dexterioufly, good Madonna.

Oli. Make your proof.

Clo. I muft catechize you for it, Madonna; Good my mouse of virtue, anfwer me.

Oli. Well, fir, for want of other idleness, I'll bide your proof.

Clo. Good Madonna, why mourn'ft thou?
Oli. Good fool, for my brother's death.
Clo. I think, his foul is in hell, Madonna.
Oli. I know his foul is in heaven, fool.

Clo. The more fool you, Madonna, to mourn for your brother's foul being in heaven.-Take away the fool, gentlemen.

Oli. What think you of this fool, Malvolio? doth he not mend?

Mal. Yes; and fhall do, till the pangs of death fhake him: Infirmity, that decays the wife, doth ever make

the better fool.

Clo. God fend you, fir, a fpeedy infirmity, for the better increafing your folly! Sir Toby will be fworn, that I am no fox; but he will not pafs his word for two-pence that you are no fool.

Oli. How fay you to that, Malvolio?

6-Any thing, that's mended, is but patched :] Alluding to the patch'd or particoloured garment of the fool. MALONE.

Mal. I marvel your ladyfhip takes delight in fuch a barren rafcal; I faw him put down the other day with an ordinary fool, that has no more brain than a stone: Look you now, he's out of his guard already; unless you laugh and minifter occafion to him, he is gagg'd. I proteit, I take these wife men, that crow fo at thefe fet kind of fools, no better than the fools' zanies.

Oli. O, you are fick of felf-love, Malvolio, and tafle with a diftemper'd appetite: to be generous, guiltless, and of free difpofition, is to take those things for birdbolts, that you deem cannon-bullets: There is no flander in an allow'd fool, though he do nothing but rail; nor no railing in a known difcreet man, though he do nothing but reprove.

Clo. Now Mercury indue thee with leafing, for thou fpeak'ft well of fools 7!

Re-enter MARIA.

Mar. Madam, there is at the gate a young gentleman, much defires to speak with you.

Oli. From the count Orfino, is it?

Mar. I know not, madam; 'tis a fair young man, and well attended.

Oli. Who of my people hold him in delay?

Mar. Sir Toby, madam, your kinfman.

Oli. Fetch him off, I pray you; he speaks nothing but madman; Fie on him! [Exit MARIA.] Go you, Malvolio: if it be a fuit from the count, I am fick, or not at home; what you will, to dismiss it. [Exit MALVOLIO.] Now you fee, fir, how your fooling grows old, and people diflike it.

Clo. Thou haft fpoke for us, Madonna, as if thy eldest fon fhould be a fool: whofe fcull Jove cram with brains, for here he comes, one of thy kin, has a most weak pia mater!

7 Now Mercury indue thee with leafing, for thou speak'ft well of fools! May Mercury teach thee to lie, fince thou lieft in favour of fools. JOHNSON.

Sir Thomas Hanmer reads-with learning. MALONE. -for bere he comes,-] Thus the old copy. Mr. Pope and the fubfequent editors have omitted the word be. MALONE.

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