Or will not elfe thy craft fo quickly grow,
That thine own trip fhall be thine overthrow ?
Farewel, and take her; but direct thy feet,
Where thou and I henceforth may never meet.
Vio. My lord, I do proteft

Oli. O, do not swear;

Hold little faith, tho' thou haft too much fear!

Enter Sir Andrew, with his head broke.

Sir And. For the love of God a furgeon, and fend one prefently to Sir Toby.

Oli. What's the matter?

Sir And. H'as broke my head a-crofs, and given Sir Toby a bloody coxcomb too: for the love of God, your help. I had rather than forty pound, I were at home. Oli. Who has done this, Sir Andrew?

Sir And. The count's gentleman, one Cefario; we took him for a coward, but he's the very devil incardi

nate.

Duke. My gentleman, Cefario?

Sir And. Od's lifelings, here he is: you broke my head for nothing; and that that I did, I was fet on to do't by Sir Toby.

Vio. Why do you speak to me? I never hurt you :
You drew your fword upon me, without cause ;
But I befpake you fair, and hurt you not.

Enter Sir Toby, and Clown.

Sir And. If a bloody coxcomb be a hurt, you have hurt me: I think, you fet nothing by a bloody coxcomb. Here comes Sir Toby halting, you fhall hear more; but if he had not been in drink, he would have tickled you other-gates than he did.

Duke. How now, gentleman? how is't with you?

Sir To. That's all one, he has hurt me, and there's an end on't; fot, didft fee Dick Surgeon, fot?

Clo. O he's drunk, Sir Toby, above an hour agone; his eyes were fet at eight i'th' morning.

Sir To. Then he's a rogue, and a past-measure Painim. Į hate a drunken rogue.

171

Oli. Away with him: who hath made this havock with them?

Sir And. I'll help you, Sir Toby, because we'll be dreft together.

Sir To. Will you help an afs-head, and a coxcomb, nd a knave, a thin-fac'd knave, a gull?

[Exeunt Clo. To. and And. Oli. Get him to bed, and let his hurt be look'd to.

Enter Sebaftian.

Seb. I am forry, Madam, I have hurt your kinfman : ut had it been the brother of my blood,

muft have done no lefs with wit and safety.

[All ftand in amaze.

ou throw a ftrange regard on me, by which,

do perceive, it hath offended you;

ardon me, fweet one, even for the vows

We made each other, but fo late ago.

Duke. One face, one voice, one habit, and two per

fons;

nat'ral perspective, that is, and is not!

Seb. Antonio, O my dear Antonio!

low have the hours rack'd and tortur'd me, nce I have loft thee?

Ant. Sebaftian are you?

Seb. Fear'ft thou that, Antonio !

Ant. How have you made divifion of your self? n apple, cleft in two, is not more twin

han these two creatures. Which is Sebastian?
Oli. Moft wonderful!

Seb. Do I ftand there? I never had a brother :
or can there be that deity in my nature,
here and every where. I had a fifter,
hom the blind waves and furges have devour'd:
charity, what kin are you to me?

[To Viola.

hat countryman? what name? what parentage?
Vio. Of Meffaline; Sebaftian was my father;
cha Sebaftian was my brother too :
went he fuited to his wat'ry tomb.
fpirits can affume both form and fuit,

H 2

You

You come to fright us.

Seb. A fpirit I am, indeed;

But am in that dimenfion grofsly clad,
Which from the womb I did participate.
Were you a woman, as the rest goes even,
I should my tears let fall upon your cheek,
And fay,
"Thrice welcome, drowned Viola!
Vio. My father had a mole upon his brow.
Seb. And fo had mine.

Vio. And dy'd that day, when Viola from her birth Had numbred thirteen years.

Seb. O, that record is lively in my foul;
He finished, indeed, his mortal act,
That day that made my fister thirteen years.
Vio. If nothing lets to make us happy both,
But this my masculine ufurp'd attire ;

Do not embrace me, 'till each circumstance
Of place, time, fortune, do cohere and jump,
That I am Viola; which to confirm,

I'll bring you to a captain in this town

Where lye my maids weeds; (14) by whofe gentle help I was preferr'd to ferve this noble Duke.

All the occurrence of my fortune fince

Hath been between this Lady, and this Lord.

Seb. So comes it, Lady, you have been mistook :

But nature to her bias drew in that.

You would have been contracted to a maid,

(14)

-

by whofe gentle Help

[To Olivia

I was preferv'd to serve this noble Duke.] Tho' this Sense, and poffeffes all the printed Copies, yet I suspect, fro the Similitude in the two Words preferv'd and ferve (a Sam nefs of Sound, which Shakespeare would, probably, have avoi ed;) the Copyifts, or Men at Prefs, committed a flight Miftak When the Captain and Viola first appear upon the Stage, fays to him;

I'll ferve this Duke ;

Thou shalt present me &c.

I therefore believe, the Author wrote, as I have reform'd

Text.

N

[To Vio.

Nor are you therein, by my life, deceiv'd;
You are betroth'd both to a maid, and man.
Duke. Be not amaz'd: right-noble is his blood:
If this be fo, as yet the glass seems true,
I fhall have share in this moft happy wreck.
Boy, thou haft faid to me a thousand times,
Thou never fhould't love woman like to me.
Vio. And all thofe fayings will I over-fwear,
And all thofe fwearings keep as true in foul;
As doth that orbed continent the fire,
That fevers day from night.

Duke. Give me thy hand,

And let me fee thee in thy woman's weeds.

Vio. The captain, that did bring me firft on fhore, Hath my maids garments: he upon fome action

Is now in durance, at Malvolio's fuit,

A gentleman and follower of my lady's.

Oli. He fhall enlarge him: fetch Malvolio hither. And yet, alas, now I remember me,

They fay, poor gentleman! he's much distract.

Enter the Clown with a Letter, and Fabian.

A moft extracting frenzy of mine own

From

my remembrance clearly banish'd his.

How does he, firrah ?

Clo. Truly, Madam, he holds Belzebub at the stave's end, as well as a man in his cafe may do: h'as here writ a letter to you, I fhould have given't you to day morning. But as a mad-man's epiftles are no gofpels, fo it skills not much, when they are deliver'd.

Oli. Open't, and read it.

Clo. Look then to be well edify'd, when the fool delivers the mad-man-By the Lord, Madam,- [Reads. Oli. How now, art mad?

Clo. No, Madam, I do but read madness: an your Ladyship will have it as it ought to be, you must allow Vox.

Oli. Pr'ythee, read it, i'thy right wits.

Clo. So I do, Madona; but to read his right wits, is to read thus: therefore perpend, my princess, and give ear.

H 3

Oli.

Oli. Read it you, Sirrah. [To Fabian Fab. [Reads.] By the Lord, Madam, you wrong m and the world fall know it: though you have put me in darkness, and given your drunken Uncle rule over me, } bave I the benefit of my fenfes as well as your Ladyhip. have your own Letter, that induced me to the femblance put on; with the which I doubt not, but to do myself mu right, or you much shame: think of me, as you please: leave my duty a little unthought of, and speak out of " injury, The madly us'd Malvoli

Oli. Did he write this?

Clo. Ay, Madam.

Duke. This favours not much of diftraction.

Oli. See him deliver'd, Fabian; bring him hither. My Lord, fo please you, these things further thought or To think me as well a fifter, as a wife;

One day fhall crown th' alliance on't, so please you, Here at my house, and at my proper coft.

[To Viola

Duke. Madam, I am moft apt t'embrace your offer. Your mafter quits you; and for your service done him, So much against the metal of your fex, So far beneath your foft and tender breeding; (And fince you call'd me mafter for fo long.) Here is my hand, you fhall from this time be Your mafter's mistress.

Duke. Is this the mad-man ?

Oli. Ay, my Lord, this fame: how now, Malvolio Mal. Madam, you have done me wrong, notorious

wrong.

Oli. Have I, Malvolio? no.

Mal. Lady, you have; pray you, perufe that Letter You must not now deny it is your hand.

Write from it if you can, in hand or phrase;

Or fay, 'tis not your feal, nor your invention;
You can fay none of this. Well, grant it then;
And tell me in the modefty of honour,

Why you have given me fuch clear lights of favour,

Bad