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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 discourse of my dear faith; It fhall become thee well to act my woes; She will attend it better in thy youth, Than in a Nuncio of more grave afpect. Vio. I think not fo, my Lord.

Duke. Dear lad, believe it :

For they shall yet belie thy happy years,
That fay, thou art a man: Diana's lip

Is not more smooth and rubious; thy small pipe
Is as the maiden's organ, fhrill, and found,
And all is femblative-a Woman's part.
I know, thy Constellation is right apt

For this affair.-Some four or five attend him;
All if you will; for I myself am best

When leaft in company. Profper well in this,
And thou shalt live as freely as thy Lord,
To call his fortunes thine.

Vio. I'll do my best

To woo your Lady; [Exit Duke.] yet, a barful ftrife! Who-e'er I woo, myfelf would be his wife. [Exeunt.

Mar.

N

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Changes to Olivia's House.

Enter Maria and Clown.

AY, either tell me where thou hast been, or I will not open my lips fo wide as a

a woman's part.] That is, the proper part in a play would be a woman's. Wo

men were then perfonated by boys.

briftle

briftle may enter, in way of thy excufe; my Lady will hang thee for thy abfence.

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

Mar. Make that good.

Clo. He fhall fee none to fear.

7

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

Clo. Where, good mistress Mary ?

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

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

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

Clo. Marry, a good hanging prevents a bad marriage; and for turning away, let fummer bear it out. Mar. You are refolute then?

Clo. Not fo, neither, but I am refolv'd 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 Sir 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.

SCENE VII.

Enter Olivia and Malvolio..

Clo. Wit, and't be thy will, put me into a good fooling! thofe wits, that think they have thee, do very oft prove fools; and I, that am fure I lack thee,

7

anfwer.

lenten anfwer :-] A lean, or as we now call it,

dry

may

may pass for a wife man.
Better be a witty fool than a foolish wit.

For what fays Quinapatus,

thee, Lady!

Oli. Take the fool away.

God bless

Clo. Do you not hear, fellows? take away the Lady. Oli. Go to, y'are a dry fool; I'll no more of you; befides, you grow dishonest.

Clo. Two faults, Madona, that drink and good counsel will amend; for give the dry fool drink, then is the fool not dry: Bid the difhoneft man mend himself; if he mend, he is no longer dishoneft; 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 Madona, give me leave to prove you a fool.

Oli. Can you do it?

Clo. Dexterously, good Madona.

Oli. Make your proof.

Clo. I muft catechize you for it, Madona; good my mouse of virtue, answer me.

Oli. Well, Sir, for want of other idlenefs, I'll bide your proof.

Cla. Good Madona, why mourn'st thou?
Oli. Good fool, for my brother's death.
Clo. I think, his foul is in hell, Madona.

Hall, in his Chronicle, fpeaking 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.

Oli. I know his foul is in heav'n, fool.

Clo. The more fool you, Madona, to mourn for your brother's foul being in heav'n 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 shake him. Infirmity, that decays the wife, doth ever make better the fool.

Clo. God fend you, Sir, a fpeedy infirmity, for the better increasing 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?

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

Oli. O, you are fick of felf love, Malvolio, and tafte with a diftemper'd appetite To be generous, guiltlefs, and of free difpofition, is to take thofe things for bird-bolts 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. 9 Now Mercury indue thee with leafing, for thou speak'st well of fools!

• Now Mercury indue thee with LEASING, for thou speak' quell of fools!] This is a stupid blunder. We should read, with PLEASING, i, e. with eloquence, make thee a gracious and power

Enter

ful fpeaker, for Mercury was the God of Orators as well as cheats. But the firft Editors, who did no understand the phrase, indue thee with pleafing, made this foolish correction; more excufable, however

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 Uncle.

Oli. Fetch him off, I pray you, he fpeaks nothing but madman: fie on him! 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, Sir, how your fooling grows old, and people diflike it.

Clo. Thou haft fpoke for us, Madona, as if thy eldest Son should be a fool: whofe fcull Jove cram with brains, for here comes one of thy Kin has a most weak Pia Mater!

the

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Oli. By mine honour, half drunk. What is he at gate, Uncle?

Sir To. A Gentleman.

Oli. A Gentleman? what Gentleman?

Sir To. 'Tis a Gentleman here.-A plague o' these pickle herring! how now, fot?

however, than the laft Editor's, who, when this emendation was pointed out to him, would make one of his own; and fo in his Oxford edition, reads, with LEARNING; without troubling himself to fatisfy the reader how the firft editor fhould blunder in a word so easy to be understood

Clo.

as learning, tho' they well might in the word pleafing, as it is used in this place. WARBURTON.

I think the prefent reading more humourous. May Mercury teach thee to lye, fince thou lieft in favour of fools.

'Tis a gentleman. HERE,-] He had before faid it was a gen

tleman.

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