Mal. At your request? Yes; Nightingales anfwer daws. Mar. Why appear you with this ridiculous boldnefs before my lady? Mal. Be not afraid of greatness:Twas well writ. Oli. Ha? Mal. Some atchieve greatness, Oli. What fay'ft thou? 1 Mal. And fome have greatness thrust upon them. Mal. Remember, who commended thy yellow Rockings; Mal. And wifh'd to fee thee cross-garter'd. Oli. Crofs-garter'd ? Mal. Go to thou art made, if thou defireft to be fo Mal. If not, let me fee thee a fervant ftill. Oli. Why, this is a very midfummer madness'. Enter Servant. Ser. Madam, the young gentleman of the count Orfino's is return'd; I could hardly entreat him back he attends your ladyfhip's pleasure. Oli. I'll come to him. Good Maria, let this fellow be look'd to. Where's my coufin Toby? let fome of my people have a special care of him; I would not have him mifcarry for the half of my dowry. [Exit. Mal. Oh, ho! do you come near me now? no worse man than fir Toby to look to me? This con midfummer madnefs.] Hot weather often turns the brain, which is, I fuppofe, alluded to here. JOHNSON. 'Tis midfummer moon with you, is a proverb in Ray's collection, fignifying you are mad. STEEVENS. curs 2 curs directly with the letter: fhe fends him on purpofe, that I may appear ftubborn to him; for the incites me to that in the letter. Caft thy humble flough fays the—be oppofite with a kinfman,furly with fervants, let thy tongue tang with arguments of fate, put thyfelf into the trick of fingularity; and, confequently, fets down the manner how; as, a fad face, a reverend carriage, a flow. tongue, in the habit of fome fir of note, and fo forth. I have lim'd her 3: but it is Jove's doing, and Jove make me thankful! And, when the went away now, Let this fellow be look'd to: Fellow 4! not Malvolio, nor after my degree, but fellow. Why, every thing adheres together; that no dram of a fcruple, no fcruple of a fcruple, no obftacle, no incredulous or unfafe circumftance, What can be faid? Nothing, that can be, can come between me and the full profpect of my hopes. Well, Jove, not I, is the duer of this, and he is to be thanked. Re-enter Maria, with Sir Toby and Fabian. Sir To. Which way is he, in the name of fanctity? If all the devils in hell be drawn in little, and Legion himself poffeft him, yet I'll fpeak to him. Fab. Here he is, here he is: How is't with you, fir? how is't with you, man? 7 Mal. Go off; I difcard you; let me enjoy my private; go off. Mar. Lo, how hollow the fiend speaks within him! let thy tongue tang, &c.] Here the old copy reads-langer ; but it should be-tang, as I have corrected it from the letter which Malvolio reads in a former scene. STEEVENS. The fecond folio reads-tang.. TYRWHITT. 3 I have lim'd her, -] I have entangled or caught her, as a bird is caught with birdlime, JOHNSON. F4Fellow! This word, which originally fignified companion, was not yet totally degraded to its prefent meaning; and Malvolio takes it in the favourable fenfe. JoHNSON. did not I tell you?-fir Toby, my lady prays you to have a care of him. Mal. Ah, ha! does the fo? Sir To. Go to, go to; peace, gently with him; let me alone. peace, we must deal How do you, Mal volio? how is't with you? What man! defy the devil: confider, he's an enemy to mankind. Mal. Do you know what you fay? Mar. La you! an you speak ill of the devil, how he takes it at heart! Pray God, he be not be witch'd! Fab. Carry his water to the wife woman. Mar. Marry, and it fhall be done to-morrow morn ing, if I live. My lady would not lofe him for more than I'll fay. Mal. How now, miftrefs? Mar. O lord! Sir To. Pr'ythee, hold thy peace, this is not the way: Do you not fee, you move him? let me alone with him. Fab. No way but gentleness; gently, gently: the fiend is rough, and will not be roughly us'd. Sir To. Why, how now, my bawcock? how doft thou, chuck? Mal. Sir? Sir To. Ay, biddy, come with me. What man! 'tis not for gravity to play at cherry-pit with fatan: Hang him, foul collier! Mar. 3 cherry-pit Cherry-pit is pitching cherry-ftones into a little hole. Nafh, fpeaking of the paint on ladies' faces, fays: "You may play at cherry-pit in their cheeks." So, in a comedy called The Ile of Gulls, 1611; "if fhe were here, I would have a bout at cobnut or cherry-pit." So, in The Witch of Edmonton : “ I have lov'd a witch ever fince I play'd at therry-pit." STEEVENS. Hang him, foul collier! Collier was, in our author's time, a term of the highest reproach. So great were the impofitions practifed by the venders of coals, that R. Greene, at the conclufion 6 of Mar. Get him to fay his prayers; good fir Toby, get him to pray. Mal. My prayers, minx? Mar. No, I warrant you, he will not hear of godlinefs. Mal. Go, hang yourselves all! you are idle fhallow things I am not of your element; you fhall know more hereafter.... Sir To. Is't poffible? [Exit. Fab. If this were play'd upon a ftage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction. Sir To. His very genius hath taken the infection of the device, man. Mar. Nay, purfue him now; left the device take air, and taint. Fab. Why, we fhall make him mad, indeed, Sir To. Come, we'll have him in a dark room, and bound. My niece is already in the belief that he is mad; we may carry it thus, for our pleasure, and his penance, till our very paftime, tired out of breath, prompt us to have mercy on him: at which time, we will bring the device to the bar, and crown thee for a finder of madmen: But fee, but fee. of his Notable Difcovery of Cozenage, 1592, has published what he calls, A pleafant Difcovery of the Cofenage of Colliers. STEEVENS. The devil is called Collier for his blackness; Like will to like, fays the Devil to the Collier. JOHNSON. 7 a finder of madmen: ] This is, I think, an allufion to the witch-finders, who were very bufy. JOHNSON. -crown thee for a finder, rather feems to be an allufion to coroner's. It is furely a fatire on those officers, who fo often bring in felf-murder, lunacy, to which title many other offences have to the full as juft pretenfions. STEEVENS. VOL. IV. R Enter Enter Sir Andrew. Fab. More matter for a May morning 3. Sir And. Here's the challenge, read it; I warrant, there's vinegar and pepper in't. Fab. Is't fo fawcy? Sir And. Ay, is't? I warrant him: do but read. [Sir Toby reads. Youth, whatfoever thou art, thou art but a fcurvy fel low. Fab. Good, and valiant. Sir To. Wonder not, nor admire not in thy mind, why. I do call thee fo, for I will shew thee no reafon for't. Fab. A good note: that keeps you from the blow of the law. Sir Fo. Thou com'ft to the lady Olivia, and in my fight She uses thee kindly: but thou lieft in thy throat, that is not the matter I challenge thee for. Fab. Very brief, and exceeding good fenfe-less. Sir To. I will way-lay thee going home; where if it be thy chance to kill me, Fab. Good. Sir To. Thou kill'ft me like a rogue and a villain. Fab. Still you keep o'the windy fide of the law: Good. Sir To. Fare thee well; And God have mercy upon one of our fouls! He may have mercy upon mine; but my hope More matter for a May morning.] It was ufual on the first of May to exhibit metrical interludes of the comic kind, as well as the morris-dance, of which a plate is given at the end of the first part of K. Henry IV. with Mr. Tollet's obfervations on it.. 9 He may have mercy upon mine; STEEVENS. -] We may read: He may have mercy upon thine, but my hope is better. Yet the paffage may well enough ftand without alteration. It were much to be wifhed that Shakespeare in this and fome other paffages, had not ventured fo near profanenefs. JOHNSON. |