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.
Sir An. Good, i' faith! Come, begin.

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-Ramsey, and Three merry men be we.' Am not I consanguineous? am I not of her blood? Tilly-valley, 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.

The name of an old song.

An interjection of contempt.

posed, and so do

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!2

Mal. Sir Toby, I must be round with you. My 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.'

Botchers of old clothes and shoes were called coziers.
jo, and hang yourself.

Mal. Is 't even so?

Sir To. But I will never die.'
Clown. Sir Toby, there you lie.
Mal. This is much credit to you.

Sir To.

Clown.
Sir To.

Shall I bid him go?'

What an if you do?'

[singing

Shall I bid him 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.-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

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.

lenge, 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 lady, she is much out of quiet. For monsieur Malvolio, let me alone with him: if I do not gull him into a nayword,' and make him a common recreation, do not think I have wit enough to lie straight my bed. I know, I can do it.

in

2

Sir To. Possess us, possess us; tell us something of him.

Mar. Marry, sir, sometimes he is a kind of puritan.

Sir An. O, if I thought that, I'd beat him like a dog.

Sir To. What, for being a puritan? Thy exquisite reason, dear knight?

Sir An. I have no exquisite reason for 't, but I have reason good enough.

Mar. The devil a puritan that he is, or any thing constantly, but a time-pleaser; an affectioned 3 ass, that cons state without book, and utters it by great swarths: the best persuaded of himself, so crammed, as he thinks, with excellences, that it is his ground of faith, that all, that look on him, love him; and on that vice in him will my revenge find notable cause to work.

Byword

2 Inform us.

3 Affected.

A swarth is as much grass or corn as a mower cuts dɔwn at one stroke of his sevthe