SCENE III. A Room in Olivia's House. Enter Sir TOBY BELCH and Sir ANDREW AGUE CHEEK. Sir To. Approach, sir Andrew: not to be a-bed after midnight, is to be up betimes; and diluculo surgere, thou know'st, Sir And. Nay, by my troth, I know not: but I know, to be up late, is to be up late. Sir To. A false conclusion; I hate it as an unfilled can: To be up after midnight, and to go to bed then is early so that, to go to bed after midnight, is to go to bed betimes. Do not our lives consist of the four elements? Sir And. 'Faith, so they say; but, I think, it rather consists of eating and drinking. Sir To. Thou art a scholar; let us therefore eat and drink.—Marian, I say!-a stoop of wine! Enter Clown. Sir And. Here comes the fool, i'faith. Clo. How now, my hearts? Did you never see the picture of we three? Sir To. Welcome ass. Now let's have a catch. Sir And. 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 3 4 diluculo surgere,] saluberrimum est: an adage. a stoop-] A stoop seems to have been something more than half a gallon. 5 the fool has an excellent breast.] i. e. voice. very good, i'faith. I sent thee sixpence for thy leman: Hadst it? Clo. I did impeticos thy gratillity; for Malvolio's nose is no whipstock: My lady has a white hand, and the Myrmidons are no bottle-ale houses. Sir And. 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 And. There's a testril of me too: if one knight give a Clo. Would you have a love-song, or a song of good life ?s Sir To. A love-song, a love-song. Sir And. Ay, ay; I care not for good life. SONG. Clo. O mistress mine, where are you roaming? Sir And. Excellent good, i'faith. Clo. What is love? 'tis not hereafter; I sent thee sixpence for thy leman ;] i. e. mistress. "I did impeticos thy gratillity; for Malvolio's nose is no whipstock ;] i. e. I did impetticoat or impocket thy gratuity, for Mal volio may smell out our connection. 8 of good life?] i. e. of a moral, or perhaps, a jovial turn. Sir And. A mellifluous voice, as I am true knight. Sir To. A contagious breath. Sir And. 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 Shall we rouse the night-owl in a catch, that will draw three souls out of one weaver shall we do that? Sir And. An you love me, let's do't: I am dog at a catch. Clo. By'r lady, sir, and some dogs will catch well. Sir And. Most certain: let our catch be, Thou knave. Clo. Hold thy peace, thou knave, knight? I shall be constrain'd in't to call thee knave, knight. Sir And. "Tis not the first time I have constrain'd one to call me knave. Begin, fool; it begins, Hold thy peace. Clo. 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, we are politicians; Malvolio's a Peg-a-Ramsay, and Three merry men be we. Am not I consanguineous? am I not of her make the welkin dance-] That is, drink till the sky seems to turn round. 1 draw three souls out of one weaver ;] i. e. hale the soul out of a weaver (the warmest lover of a song) thrice over; or, in other words, give him thrice more delight than it would give another man. MALONE. blood? Tilly-valley, lady! There dwelt a man in Babylon, lady, lady! [Singing. Clo. Beshrew me, the knight's in admirable fool ing. Sir And. Ay, he does well enough, if he be disposed, 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' 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!* Mal. Sir Toby, I must be round with you. My lady bade me tell you, that, though she harbours 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. Tilly-valley, lady!] Tilly-valley was an interjection of contempt; or as Mr. Douce thinks, is a hunting phrase borrowed from the French. 3 - coziers' catches -] A cozier is a tailor, or botcher. Sneck up!] Mr. Malone and others observe, that from the manner in which this cant phrase is employed in our ancient conedies, it seems to have been synonymous to the modern expression-Go hang yourself. STEEVENS. Sir To. Farewell, dear heart, since I must needs be gone. Mar. Nay, good sir Toby. Clo. His eyes do shew his days are almost done. Mal. Is't even so? Sir To. But I will never die. Clo. Sir Toby, there you lie. [Singing. Sir To. Shall I bid him go, and spare not? Sir To. Out o'time? sir, you lie.-Art any more than a steward? Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale? Clo. 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:5-A stoop of wine, Maria! Mal. Mistress Mary, if you prized my lady's favour at any thing more than contempt, you would not give means for this uncivil rule; she shall know of it, by this hand. [Exit. Mar. Go shake your ears. Sir And. "Twere as good a deed as to drink when a man's a 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 challenge; or I'll deliver thy indignation to him by word of mouth. Mar. Sweet sir Toby, be patient for to-night; since the youth of the count's was to-day with my rub your chain with crums :] Stewards anciently wore a chain, as a mark of superiority over other servants. And the best method of cleaning any gilt plate, is by rubbing it with crums. rule;] Rule is method of life. |