Twelfth night; or, What you will. Edited by Morton Luce

THE ARDEN SHAKESPEARE
GENERAL EDITOR : W. J. CRAIG

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR,
WHAT YOU WILL

THE WORKS

OF

SHAKESPEARE

TWELFTH NIGHT

OR

WHAT YOU WILL

EDITED BY
MORTON LUCE

^

METHUEN AND CO.

36 ESSEX STREET: STRAND
LONDON

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First Published in igo6

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PREFATORY NOTE

In the First Appendix I have ventured to hint that Shake-
speare drew from GV Ingannati not only materials for the
main plot of Tivelfth Night, but also suggestions for its
underplot. On p. 1 80 I have given the probable origin of
the names Agiiecheek and Malvolio\ also on pp. 183-7,
some parallels from Bandello and Belleforest ; and it will
be seen that Shakespeare's indebtedness to Barnabe Riche
has been altogether overrated.

With regard to improvements in the text which are
aimed at in this edition, I should mention that, wherever
possible, I have been faithful to the Folio of 1623 ; I have
made a few changes, mostly in matters of punctuation ;
other and more radical reforms may — some of them — be
suggested here. I certainly think that the passage III.
iv, 33 (see note) is a snatch from a song, and should there-
fore be in quotation marks ; also that the remark " Tell me
your mind " (i. v. 2 1 2) must be given to Olivia. Some sort
of argument in favour of the reading Castiliano (? Castiglione)
Volto (l. iii. 44) is stated on p, 1 80 ; also, by a reference
to Apolonius and Silla (note on III. iv. 210), I think I
may have established the reading out (Fol. ott 't). Other
changes or suggestions will be found in the text and the
notes. Finally, I may call attention to the evident inter-
polation in III. iv. 45-50, as explained in the Introduction,
pp. xxii, xxiii.

vi PREFATORY NOTE

As in my edition of The Tempest^ so in this of Twelfth
Night, some emendations in the Textual Notes have been
retained on the ground of their literary interest. In these
notes F stands for the Folio of 1623, and F 2, F 3, F 4 for
the Second, Third, and Fourth Folios respectively. Ff
indicates the agreement of the Second, Third, and Fourth
Folios.

References to plays other than Tzvelfth Night are to
the Globe Edition.

So much of the mighty harvest of Shakespearean investi-
gation has already been gathered in, that it is manifestly
impossible to assign each particular sheaf to the labourer
who cut it ; but I have wished to identify the more im-
portant among these harvesters ; and by way of further
apology, I may be pardoned for believing that in these
ample fields there is corn in abundance yet left for the
reaper.

My best thanks are due to Mr. W. J. Craig for some
valuable references ; also to Mr. W. J. Lias, late Scholar of
Jesus College, Cambridge, and to the Rev. Tabor Davies,
M.A., for their kindness in revising the proofs.

MORTON LUCE.

CONTENTS

PAGE

Introduction-
Part I.— Sources of Twelfth Night . . . ix

Part II.— Evidence as to Date xviii

Part III. — Characteristics of the Play . . . xxix

Twelfth Night ; or, What You Will .... i

Appendix I.— The Sources of Twelfth Night —

Additional 177

Appendix U.—(a) Act II. Scene iv. Lines 111-116 . . 191

(d) Act II. Scene iv. Line 114 . . .193

Appendix III.— Act and Scene according to Spedding . 194

INTRODUCTION

Part I. — Sources of " Twelfth Night"

I VENTURE to believe that we are too much accustomed to
regard Shakespeare as a writer of impulse rather than
premeditation ; ^ the fact is that almost throughout the
whole period of his authorship he combined a marvellous
spontaneity with an equally marvellous discipline of thought
and command of material. And this fact is not less true
of the sources of his dramas ; he spares no pains in his
research ; he disdains no authority, and no hint in any
authority.

To these preliminary considerations two other facts
may be added. Shakespeare usually avoided the trouble —
not, of course, of elaborating — but of inventing a story ;
he preferred to adapt the plot of some existing novel or
drama ; and rightly, as I think ; for a glance at almost
any one of the great literatures of the world will convince
us that to originate in the matter of myth or episode or
narrative has been more often the frolic of a nation in its
youth, or the task of mere ingenuity, and that the higher
creative genius has displayed itself by its power of trans-
muting the crude metal of popular fable or story into the fine
gold of drama and epic. But the remaining fact has yet
to be stated ; for this power of transmuting was possessed
by Shakespeare in a far greater degree than by any other
literary alchemist.

We are now prepared to discover in the narrative or
dramatic literature which preceded Twelfth Night some
original — or more probably some originals — that suggested
to Shakespeare the leading incidents of his drama ; and we

^ See note on v. 375.

b

X INTRODUCTION

must further expect to trace back to minor sources not a
little of its material generally. But a good many of these
minor sources, which are numerous and often recondite, will,
of course, be reserved for the notes and commentary that
are appended to the text later on.

The stream of story that flows through the main plot
of Tzvelftli Night, as apart from the less serious underplay,
had its source in a remote past ; for the chief incidents of
the drama turn on the confusions arising from the likeness
of twins, which is the motive of the MencBchmi of Plautus,
and had, moreover been derived by him from the Greek
AiSvfioi; and this comedy of Plautus had already been
adapted by Shakespeare when writing his Comedy of Errors.
But as it pursued its course through the centuries of letters,
this earlier stream of story was enriched by tributaries, and
among these was the fable ^ so well represented in Tzvelfth
Night, and shadowed forth already in The Two Gentlemen
of Veroyia ; it is that of a woman disguised as a page who
falls in love with her master, yet pleads his cause with
another woman, who in turn falls in love with her. This
twofold story in one form or another became popular, and
it was told many times by dramatists or novelists, especially
in the sixteenth century.

First to be mentioned among these productions or
reproductions of the story is the Italian play Gl' Ingannati^
(" The Deceived, Cheated, Dupes "), which was acted at Siena
in 1 531 and printed at Venice in 1537; this Shakespeare
almost certainly consulted ; and in the poetical Induction ^
// Sacrificio, which preceded the play, he doubtless found
the name Malevolti, and changed it, as I believe, to Ague-
cheek. Yox Malvolio, see Appendix I. pp. 179, 180.

If not familiar with Italian literature, Shakespeare
certainly had some means of access to it ; ■^ this must be
evident to all who study his works, and I see no reason to

^ See also Appendix I. pp. 178, 182. ' See Appendix I. p. 178.

' Appendix I. p. 178. It bears some slight comparison with the Induction
to The Taming of the Shrew.

* " Gosson says in his JVays Confuted (\^^i) that comedies in Latin, French,
Italian, and Spanish had been thoroughly ransacked to furnish the playhouses in
London," Hunter. Sec also Appendix, p. 181,

INTRODUCTION xi

doubt that Gl' Ingannati contributed, and that materially, to
the development of Twelfth Night.

It is to Hunter that we are indebted for the discovery
of this Italian play, and the title of the volume containing
it is // Sacrificio, Comedia de gV Intronati, a fuller account
of which is given in Appendix I, pp. 177 sqq.

But Hunter was led on to this discovery by the follow-
ing passage in the Diary of John Manningham, which was
first published by Collier in 1831. Manningham was a
barrister of the Middle Temple, and his Diary extends with
certain breaks and digressions from Christmas 1601 to the
14th of April 1603. The passage runs thus: —

" Febr. 1601.
" Feb. 2. — At our feast wee had a play called ' Twelue
Night, or What you Will,' much like the Commedy of Errores,
or Menechmi in Plautus, but most like and neere to that in
Italian called Inganni. A good practise in it to make the
steward beleeue his Lady widdowe was in loue with him, by
counterfayting a lettre as from his Lady in generall termes,
telling him what shee liked best in him, and prescribing his
gesture in smiling, his apparraile, etc., and then when he
came to practise making him beleeue they tooke him to be
mad."

To Hunter the discovery of this important Diary may
be partly due ; it was he at least who identified its author.
Moreover, its mention of the Italian play Inganni prompted
those researches which led him to the earlier and far more
important GU Ingannati. As to the Inganni of Manning-
ham, there were two plays with that title, one was printed
at Florence in 1562, and — so we read on the title-page —
" Recitata in Milano I'anno 1547"; and the author was
one Nicolo Secchi ; but compared with GV Ingannati, its
resemblance to Twelfth Night is not by any means
striking ; and although Shakespeare may have glanced at
its pages, they do not appear to have laid him under any
serious obligation.^

^ See also Appendix I. pp. 182, 183.

xii INTRODUCTION

Somewhat more deserving of mention is another Italian
play, another Inganni}- which followed the former after an
interval of thirty years. This was the work of Curzio
Gonzaga, and it was printed at Venice in 1592. Like that
of the earlier higanni, its plot turned on the pivot of a
resemblance between a brother and a sister, the latter being
dressed in man's attire ; but, as in the former instance, the
play itself affords no very material proof of having been
used by Shakespeare. In this case, however, we have to
note one item of evidence which is almost convincing
(especially in connection with Hunter's volume of five plays
which is described below), and reminds us of the probable
origin of the name *' Malvolio," and the possible origin of
" Fabian " ; for in Gonzaga's play the name assumed by the
lady in disguise is " Cesare " ; and when we remember the
many other occasions on which Shakespeare borrowed only
a name or two from a whole play or a whole book, we may
well believe that he was indebted for his " Cesario " to this
Inganni by Gonzaga. Further, it is at least a remarkable
coincidence that Hunter should have found Gonzaga's
higanni of 1 592 and Gl' Ingannati of 1585 bound up
in a volume with three other Italian plays, in one of which,
// Viluppo, di M. G. Parabosco, 1547, Orsino innamorato
appears among the Dramatis Personcs. No wonder that
Hunter should imagine that the volume must have been
used by Shakespeare. Of the poet's indebtedness to
Gringannati, and the " Sacrificio of the Intronati," I have
spoken already.^

There is yet to be mentioned a third Inganni, that of
Cornaccini, also printed at Venice, and dated 1604; but
apart from the date, which, as we shall see further on, is too
late for Tzvelfth Night, this Inganni is less important for
our purpose than either of the others.

It is customary to assume that Shakespeare gained
access to Italian books through English or perhaps French
(and we might add Latin) translations, and we know that a
French version of GT Ingannati appeared as early as 1543,
and that a Latin version, Laelia, of which the MS. is pre-

' Appendix I. p. 190. "^ See also Appendix I. pp. 178 5^(/.

INTRODUCTION xiii

served at Lambeth Palace, was performed at Queens' College,
Cambridge, in 1590 and 1598; and further, that a Spanish
translation was made in 1556 by Lope de Rueda, entitled
Los Enganos or (edition of i 567) Comedia de los Engaiiados.

Of such renderings it is likely enough that Shakespeare
glanced at the Latin, but again I prefer to think that he
had some access to the Italian ; and, as we shall see below,
he appears to have read Bandello in the original, and if so,
why not Gringannati as well ? ^

From these Italian plays we now turn to other probable
sources of Twelfth Night. The story which is woven into
the plot of GV Ingannati is told also in Bandello's Novelle,
1554, and in Belleforest's Histoires Tragiques, 1570, where
we have a French version of the former. That Shake-
speare had Bandello before him when he wrote Twelfth
Night is in my opinion much more than possible ; the
resemblances of thought and phrase, some of which are
given in the Appendix,^ are almost incontestable evidence.
Belleforest he may also have used, but I incline to believe
that he consulted Bandello.

From Bandello, or from Bandello through Belleforest,
was derived, as we may suppose, the Apolonius and Silla of
Barnabe Riche, which is the last to be mentioned among
these possible sources of Twelfth Night. The story is one
of eight, and the title of the containing volume is, " Riche,
his Fareivell to Militai-ie Profession : conteining verie
pleasaunt discourses fit for a peaceable time, etc. etc. Im-
printed at London by Robart Walley, i 5 8 i ."

Again the incidents of the oft told tale are repeated in
their main outlines, and the influence of Belleforest, though
Riche has changed the name of every character in the
story, is quite evident. It was long supposed that this
version by Riche was the " indisputable source of Twelfth
Night " ; ^ but although written in English, and therefore
more presumably within Shakespeare's reach, its claim to
such a distinction is hardly worth considering. However,

1 See p. X, footnote 4. ^ See Appendix, pp. 183 sg^.

^ Collier. For another possible suggestion in Riche, see Appendix I. pp.
189, 190.

xiv INTRODUCTION

some extracts from Riche will also be found in the Appendix.^
And I must here repeat my conviction that Shakespeare
was indebted to no one of the authorities I have mentioned,
but that he derived material or suggestion (it may have
been a mere word) from most of them, if not from all.

In their list of originals for Twelfth Night, some critics
have included the Eighth Novel of the Fifth Decade of
Cinthio's Hecatommithi, 1565 ; for here we have also many
of the well-known incidents — twins, a shipwreck, a girl dis-
guised as a boy, and so forth ; but for the story as told by
Cinthio, see Appendix I. p. 186.

Also in the second book of Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia,
the story of the " faire zelmane " is that of a woman dis-
guised as a page who loves her master to the death ; and
Peele, in his Sir Clyomon and Sir Claniydes, 1599, gives us
a similar incident. But these examples might be multiplied,
and they need not be dwelt upon except so far as they
remind us of the popularity which the story adopted by
Shakespeare enjoyed in the sixteenth century.

At this point I should repeat that we are investigating
the origins of the main plot of Twelfth Night, in which
Viola is the central figure ; but the " Interlude," as the
Clown styles it, or the " Befooling of Malvolio," as we
perhaps may style it, this, like most of Shakespeare's
underplots (apart from the originals pointed out in the
Appendix 2), would appear to be of his own invention.
For one other suggestion, however, he may be indebted to
the same Bandello [Novelle, Pt. I., Nov. 26), for the Italian
novelist tells how the widowed Duchess of Amalfi falls in
love with and marries her steward Ulrico. With this we
may compare the passage in Tivelfth Night, II. v. 41, 42,
"There is example for't; the lady of the Strachy married
the yeoman of the wardrobe " ; and it is possible, as I
may repeat later,^ that this " lady of the Strachy " is the
Lady of MalpJiey.

In this quest of origins may now be included a con-
sideration of the title of the play. Knowing Shakespeare's
addiction to an authority, I like to place first among sug-

' Pp. 188 sqq. 2 Appendix I. pp. iSo sqq, ^ See note on U. v. 41.

INTRODUCTION xv

gestions the Italian phrase, "la Notte di Beffana " {i.e. Befania
or Epifajtia — Epiphany or Twelfth Night), which he should
have found in his GV Ingannati. It occurs in the prologue
to the play, in a passage given by Hunter as follows : ^ " The
story is new, never seen or read, and only dipped for and
taken out of their own industrious noddles as your prize-
tickets are dipped for and taken out on Twelfth Night ^
(la Notte di Beffana), by which it appears to you that the
Intronati might have answered you so much upon this part
of the declaration," etc. For my part, I am quite content
with the foregoing explanation of the title Tzvelfth Night ;
certainly with less confidence I pass on to suggest that, like
The Winter's Tale or the Midsummer- Nighf s Dream, this
play was something that a poet's fancy might find ap-
propriate to a time or a season — a festival for example, —
and that Twelfth Night in our " old and antique " England
was a time of feasting and mirth. And it is with still
greater hesitation that I bring forward a third conjecture
which would derive the title in question from the fact that
the play was first performed on Twelfth Night, 1602. Nor
is the conjecture made less doubtful because the drama
was sometimes acted on Twelfth Night, as Pepys, for
instance, saw it on the 6th of January 1662-63.

We have yet to notice the alternative title, " What You
Will " ; this should first remind us of the similar title in
Shakespeare, namely, As You Like It; and we should also
remember that both titles were prefixed to plays by other
writers. They meant little more than " You may call my
play what you please." ^ When Shakespeare added to
"Twelfth Night" this alternative of "What You Will," he
merely wished to say to us, " If that first title does not
meet with your approval, then call my play what you will."
It was not his intention to avail himself of a petty artifice
adopted from time to time by slighter men ; he at least

^ For the Italian, see Appendix I. p. i8o.

^ With this compare the Enghsh custom of drawing for partners on Twelfth
Night ; the incongruous results of such a mode of pairing off men and women
may possibly be suggested in the title of Shakespeare's play — as also in the play
itself.

* See text, i. v. 112.

xvi INTRODUCTION

would not descend, by the means of a heading of mock-
modest disparagement, to apologise for the demerits of his
work, or even to leave open the question as to whether it
was " purely poetic or purely comic," or as to whether
it was " comedy or romance," and so forth. In spite of his
coming Hamlet^ these considerations had little weight with
him here ; less than they had with Marston, when he wrote
the following dialogue in the Induction to his WJiat You
Will (i 607) : " Atte. What 's the play's name ? Phi What
You Will. Do)'. Is 't comedy, tragedy, pastoral, moral,
nocturnal, or history ? Phi. Faith, perfectly neither, but
even What You Will, — a slight toy, lightly composed, too
swiftly finish'd, ill plotted, worse written, I fear me worst
acted, and indeed What You Will." In other words, we
interpret Marston, " Criticise my work at your pleasure,
but be lenient, for I hasten to allow its imperfections " ;
whereas Shakespeare says merely, and he says it bluntly,
" Call my play what you will." And sometimes he was
taken at his word ; for during the twenty years that followed
its first production, his Tzvelfth Night was often known as
Malvolio, and Charles I. in his copy of the second edition,
altered the title to that name.

Nor did Shakespeare — though this was more plausible —
affect in his second title an indifference to the superb
creation of his own genius ; nor, lastly, did he imply, as
some would discover, a careless farewell to comedy, and a
new devotion to the sterner business of tragedy ; at least I
regret that a suggestion so full of interest is unsupported
by any direct evidence.

Also bound up with this subject of backward links is
the question as to whence Shakespeare derived the names
of the principal characters in Twelfth Night. As a fact,
most of them may be traced to some earlier literary source ;
and we have already pointed to the most probable origin
of Aguecheek, Malvolio, Cesario, and Orsino. And again,
before continuing our search, we assume the poet's habit of
appropriating rather than originating even in matters of the
smallest detail. As we have seen, it was in // Sacrificio^
the fanciful Introduction to Gl'Ingatmati, that " Maleuolti "

INTRODUCTION xvii

presented itself as a significant name for after adoption by
some alert dramatist ; and from the play itself Shakespeare
must have selected Fabio, the name assumed by Lelia in
her disguise, from which to form his Fabian. To those
who ask why Shakespeare did not adopt more of the names
in the Italian play before him, I should answer readily
enough, that although he almost always preferred names,
titles, and phrases that were already made literary, he was
nevertheless careful in most cases to avoid any manifest
obligation to a pre-existing authority. To this other habit
of the poet I have called attention in my Introduction to
The Tempest in this series (the Arden Shakespeare) ; but not
in connection with the names of the Dramatis Personcs of
that play, although they serve equally well to illustrate my
point ; for not one of them was selected by Shakespeare
for his Tempest from the play he then very probably worked
upon ; I refer of course to Die ScJwne Sidea.

Returning to Twelfth Night, we next discover that
Olivia was a Queen of Thessaly in Part I. of Emanuel Forde's
Parismus, the Renowned Prince of Bohemia, and that
Violetta was the name of the lady who followed her lover
in the disguise of a page, and like Viola was shipwrecked.
The date of Parismus is 1598, a fact that will be referred
to in the next section.

It happened that two of the leading characters in The
Tempest corresponded in name to well-known personages
among the contemporaries of Shakespeare, one of whom
was connected with the court ; so in the case of Tzvelfth
Night, the Duke Orsino, who was an ambassador to Eng-
land, and was entertained by Elizabeth, may possibly be
identified with Duke (otherwise Count) Orsino in our play ; ^
nor does the date 1 600-0 1 , which is assigned to the visit of
the ambassador, make the assumption unjustifiable ; Shake-
peare's knowledge of the court of Elizabeth and its foreign
relations was as ample as that of a professed courtier.
Antonio and Sebastian — names also to be found in The

^ " ' Duke ' in this play is synon}Tnous with ' Count,' as it is \vith ' Emperor '
in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and with 'King' in Lore's Laboztr's Lost.
Shakespeare does not commit this mistake in plays written after 1595," Fleay.
But see i. ii. 24, note ; also p. xxiii of this Introduction.

xviii INTRODUCTION

Tempest — occur in Eden's Historic of Travaile, I577> ^i^
authority most undeniably respected by Shakespeare.
Valentine and Cwio are the "Gentlemen attending,"and need
not detain us here ; they loiter, mostly in conventional
pairs, through drama after drama of the period, and are
puppets rather than characters. Not such is the versatile,
the inimitable Feste, who bears a name in harmony with
the play and its title, as the poet doubtless intended. Nor
is it a matter of much consequence whether we derive
the suggestive syllables (we pronounce Fes-te) from the
festeggiante translated by Florio,^ or from the equally
accessible Latin Festus ; but the former is more likely.

We have left to mention Sir Toby Belch ; compare also
Aguecheek and Malvolio ; such names of crude significance
are common enough in all drama, but we may class them
with the coarser devices of Shakespeare's comic period. As
to the appellation Sir, it is not without some effect of
humorous incongruity.

Finally, the songs introduced into Twelfth Night are
mostly, as we may judge, Shakespeare's own ; but whatever
is known of their history will be found in the notes ; and
we now pass on to the next division of the subject.

Part II. — Evidence as to Date.

{a) External. — So far as can be ascertained. Twelfth
Night was first printed in the Folio Edition of Shakespeare's
works, which was published in 1623. The licence granted
for the publication of this volume of *' Master William
Shakspeers Comedyes, Histories, and Tragedyes " specified
*' soe manie of the said copies as are not formerly entred to
other men " ; and among these was TwelftJi Night. We
may therefore conclude that this play was not published
before 1623.

From the quotation from the Diary of John Manning-
ham given in the former part of this Introduction, we learn
that a performance of Tivelfth Night was witnessed by the

^ "Festeggiante, feasting, nierrie, banqueting, pleasant, of good entertain-
ment." ¥\ox\o, l^Vortd of Wordes.

INTRODUCTION xix

writer "at our feast" (Candlemas), on the second of February
1601—02. Manningham, who must not however be trusted,
writes as if the play were recent.

These are the two leading facts on which any attempt
to discover the date of Tzvelfth Night must be based.
But several minor items of evidence remain to be considered,
and most of them are both interesting and instructive.
We may begin with the Palladis Tamia of Francis Meres,
1598. In his reference to Shakespeare's works, he men-
tions twelve plays as extant, but Tzvelfth Night is not
among them. We are not sure, however, that the list
furnished by Meres is complete; and 1598 as a superior
limit for the date of the play, though it allows Shakespeare
time enough for the composition of Twelfth Night, affords
him a narrow interval for the production of Henry V.,
Much Ado about Nothing, As You Like It, and The Merry
Wives of Windsor, which the best authorities would assign
to this period or thereabout.

But some will ask whether the ingenuity devoted by
commentators to a discovery of the chronological order of
Shakespeare's plays has not altogether been misplaced ;
and they will be inclined to condemn the space allotted to
the subject in this Introduction. To such I make answer —
and I seize the opportunity most gladly — " every added item
of knowledge makes possible another item of enjoyment " ;
we must not neglect a single fact that may help us towards
both the understanding and the appreciation of any work
of literary art, much less of the marvellous creations of
Shakespeare. Beyond taking the liberty of repeating a re-
flection which occurs elsewhere in these pages, I need only
offer one brief illustration ; I will put it bluntly ; if you tell
me that Twelfth Night was written in 1 600 and The Tempest
in 1 6 1 1 , I shall be able to tell you that the poet's views of
love in the earlier play will contrast most strikingly with his
treatment of the same subject in the later play ; and if the
Latin were not somewhat overworn, I might perhaps be par-
doned for adding ex uno disce omnes. Besides, a discussion
of date implies much more than items of mere chronology.

Next to Meres as evidence, I am inclined to bring

XX INTRODUCTION

forward the Parismus of Part I. of this Introduction.
Again, remembering what was undoubtedly the usual prac-
tice of Shakespeare, to glean from all the fields of literature,
and from every corner in those fields, I see no reason what-
ever for doubting that he pondered over the Viola incident
as it is presented in this play, and that it suited his
purpose to adopt the name Olivia and adapt the name
Violetta. The contingency that Ford copied from Shake-
speare is scarcely worth considering.

The same year, 1598, produced the translation of
Linschoten's Voyages^ which contained the map that
Steevens identified with the one referred to in III. ii. 82 ;
but, as will be more fully explained in the notes, a better
date for the "New Map" is 1599, in which year a map,
answering more exactly to Shakespeare's description, and
designed by one Emmerie Molineux, was published in
England, and was sometimes bound up with copies of
Hakluyt. Also, in 1599, Sir Robert Shirley returned from
his embassy to the Shah — or Sophy — of Persia, and gave
point to the reference in II. v. 186 (see note ad loc).
Moreover, in the same year was printed the first edition
of Morley's Consort Lessons, which contained the song
(II. iii. 40—53), " O mistress mine, where are you roaming? "
but here we are not dealing with an item of direct evidence ;
a popular song from Twelfth Night may have gained easy
admission to Morley's collection. In fact, the stanzas are
good enough and characteristic enough to be Shakespeare's
own work, though whether composed expressly for Tzvelfth
Night it is impossible to say. Still less trustworthy as
evidence is the fact that Sir Toby, in II. iii. 105, trolls the
first line of the ballad Corydon's Farewell to Phyllis, which
was first published in the Booke of Ayres by Robert Jones,
1 60 1. Fast as Shakespeare sometimes wrote, the year is
a very late one for Twelfth Night, nor is any proof forth-
coming that Jones was the author of the ballad ; on the
contrary, he annotates thus : " If the ditties dislike thee, 'tis
my fault that was so bold to publish the private content-
ments of divers gentlemen without their consents, though, I
hope, not against their wills."

INTRODUCTION xxi

The year 1 600 is late enough for this matter of supply-
ing points of interest that might be seized upon by the
poet of Twelfth Night \ but some have thought that the
puritanical injunction issued in the course of that year by
the Privy Council may have provoked the seeming attack
upon Puritanism ^ made by Shakespeare in his sketch of
Malvolio.

In the earlier and more plausible year 1599, another
motive for attacking the Puritans was made available to the
dramatist who might care to accept it ; for at this date
Dr. Harsnet printed his Discovery of the Fraudulent Practises
of John Darrel, etc. John Darrell professed to drive out
devils, and his " practises " were carried on at the house of
a Nicholas Starkey or Starchy. When a Bible was brought
in to them, Starkey's children, who were " possessed," shouted
in a scoffing manner, " Bible-bable, Bible-bable," continuing
this cry for some time. This of course suggests comparison
with Twelfth Night, IV. ii. 99-101 : "thy wits the heavens
restore ! endeavour thyself to sleep, and leave thy vain
bibble-babble " (elsewhere in Harsnet " bibble-babble " is
thus spelt). The possible connection between " Starchy" and
" the Lady of the Strachy " will be examined in the notes.

Finally, it was thought by Steevens that Ben Jonson
had Twelfth Night in view when he wrote the following in
his Every Man out of his Humour, which was acted in 1599:
" That the argument of his comedy might have been of
some other nature, as of a duke to be in love with a
countess, and that countess to be in love with the duke's
son, and the son to love the lady's waiting-maid ; some
such cross-wooing, with a clown to their serving-man, better
to be thus near, and familiarly allied to the time." " Some
such cross-wooing " may be discovered not only in Twelfth
Night, but also in others of Shakespeare's earlier plays and
in contemporary plays that were not Shakespeare's. More-
over, such evidence as this of Steevens might be dismissed
on other grounds.

It will be noticed that all the foregoing items of evi-
dence tend to show that this one of Shakespeare's comedies

^ See note on in. ii. 31.

xxii INTRODUCTION

was composed not later than 1602. But before the dis-
covery of Manningham's Diary, commentators who were in
quest of a date for Twelfth Night were accustomed to quote
from the play certain passages that referred to years later —
sometimes considerably later — than 1602. Chalmers, for
example, was confident that the farcical combat between
Cesario and Sir Andrew was intended to throw ridicule on
the practice of duelling, and that it corresponded to the
" Edict and Censure against Private Combats " issued by
King James in 161 3; and Tyrrwhit added yet another
year ; he felt confident that Twelfth Night was written in
1 614, because of its undoubted allusion ("Nay, if you be
an undertaker," III. iv. 332) to the outcry raised against
Undertakers in the Parliament of that year.

To these guesses of Chalmers and Tyrrwhit, and yet
others who might be mentioned, I am not disposed to give
the usual contemptuous dismissal ; at the very worst, if
there are tares in the sheaf of the reaper, we should not
forget to be grateful for the sheaf. But even these conjec-
tures, wide of the mark as they seem, are worthy of some
consideration ; topical allusion,^ if not actually abundant, is
nevertheless to be met with frequently in plays that show
" the very age and body of the time, his form and pressure " ;
and it is certainly not absent from the pages of Twelfth
Night. Now we are pretty certain that the play was first
printed in 1623, and we regard the text as exceptionally
pure ; but we are not certain of the state of the author's
manuscript, nor of that of the acting copies of the drama ;
and it is quite possible — we know it was sometimes the
case — that alterations or additions were made on occasion,
whether by Shakespeare or some other hand, in these un-
printed copies. I will give one example of such a probable
interpolation in the case of Twelfth Night. The following
is the Folio reading of III. ii. 45-50: — "taunt him with the
license of Inke : if thou thou'st him some thrice, it shall not
be amisse, and as many Lyes, as will lye on thy sheete of
paper, although the sheete were bigge enough for the bedde
of Ware in England, set 'em downe, go about it."

' See note on v. 5.

INTRODUCTION xxiii

Here we notice that the comma after " amisse," seems
an error ; we should expect a colon ; but if we omit " if
thou thou'st him some thrice, it shall not be amisse," we
may retain the comma, and then by placing a colon after
" paper," we have what would appear to have been the text
before the interpolation, namely, " taunt him with the license
of Inke, and as many Lyes as will lye in thy sheete of paper :
although the sheete were bigge enough for the bedde of
Ware in England, set 'em downe, go about it." Thus we
are able to account for the fact that a very pertinent allusion
to the trial of Raleigh is possible in the text of Twelfth
Night, although the incident in question belongs to the year
1603. I refer, of course, to the insulting language addressed
to Raleigh by Coke, which must have attracted attention :
" All that he did was by thy instigation, thou viper ; for I
thou thee, thou traitor, I will prove thee the rankest traitor
in all England." In this passage we have the thrice-repeated
" thou," But fuller particulars relating to this and to all
the foregoing allusions will be found in the notes.^

Among other items later than 1602 we may notice
some performances of Twelfth Night; one is recorded in
the following entry in a MS. preserved at the Audit Office :
— " To John Hemminges, etc., upon a warrant dated 20
April, 1 61 8, for presenting two severall playes before his
Majesty, on Easter Monday, Twelfte Night, the play soe
called, and on Easter Tuesday, the Winter's Tale, xx//."
And again, in Herbert's Diary, 1622—23, we read, "At
Candlemas, Malvolio was acted at court by the King's
servants." I have mentioned on a former page that, as
in the foregoing entry, the word Malvolio was sometimes
chosen as the title of Twelfth Night.

As a matter partly of external and partly of internal
evidence, we may here examine Fleay's ^ theory that the
plot and the underplot of Twelfth Night were composed
separately, having years between them. He assigns the
"Viola story" to various dates — 1593, 1594, or 1595;
and the whole play to 1602.

^ See, for example, notes on III. ii. 46 and V, 5.
^ See also notes on i. ii. 24, I. v. 171, and II. iv, i.

xxiv INTRODUCTION

Mr. Fleay is sometimes regarded as being more in-
genious than convincing, and such he may appear in this
instance ; nevertheless, I think that he merits a hearing. I
have no objection whatever to the assumption that in this —
as in some other plays — certain portions were rough cast at a
date considerably earlier than the production of the drama
itself (see also note on II. i. i6 and on II. iv, i) ; and it is
quite possible that the author of Twelfth Night had originally
sketched or contemplated a play more exactly on the lines
of GP Ingannati. Indeed, when dealing with TJie Tempest,
I considered that Shakespeare had the Die Schdne Sidea
plot well in mind if not well in hand some little time
before "the wreck of 1609 and the narratives of 1610
gave a title and a prompt, perhaps a hurried, completion
to his farewell play, which he naturally produced while the
incidents that lent it most of its colour were yet fresh in the
memory."

But, returning to Tzvelfth Night, if we remember the
later dates of some of the chronological evidence, and con-
sider the absolutely indefinite extent to which a dramatist
would modify the earlier draft of his plot when combining
it with some new underplot, we shall be convinced that any
attempt to examine these two portions of his work as
separate compositions must be attended by insuperable
difficulties.

And now, summing up briefly, with the aid of these
items, we arrive at an approximate date for Tivelfth Night;
the play is not mentioned by Meres in 1598; the New
Map it refers to was published in 1599; and Manningham
saw the drama acted in February 1 601-02 ; finally, the other
chronological items mostly support these three. A central
year therefore would be 1 600.

(J?) Internal. — I have now reviewed those portions of
chronological evidence that may be regarded as historic or
external ; and it remains to notice as briefly the less tangible
but not less reliable indications of date that we discover in
the thought and form of the play, in the poet's ideas, his
dramatic and rhetorical expedients, and his style generally.

INTRODUCTION xxv

But a good deal under this head has been anticipated in
my Introduction to The Tempest, where I contrast that play
with A Midsummer-NigM s Dream ; and although the
contrast presented by Twelfth Night and The Tempest is
less obvious, it is striking enough to warrant me in referring
first of all to the principles that are specified and illustrated
in my earlier volume.

At the same time, a comparison between A Midsummer-
Night's Dream and Twelfth Night must convince us of the
marvellous dramatic and rhetorical advances made by the
poet in the comparatively short interval that separates the
two plays. Indeed, nothing could be better for my purpose
than to place one by the other, and to show from the com-
parison that Twelfth Night belongs to that period of Shake-
speare's authorship which has been roughly indicated by the
external suggestions of date — that is to say, a period of
which 1600 may be taken as the central year.

But before exhibiting some points of contrast between
the two plays, I must call attention to some equally striking
similarities ; and the phenomenon is in great measure true
of all the dramas of Shakespeare. I refer to something
more definite than the general impression of genius; for
there are in these dramas, almost without exception, certain
fundamental elements that proclaim their author ; and these
are an abundance — or it may be, a superabundance — of
imagery, a curious and often a thorough acquaintance
with the natural world,i a love for it, and a unique faculty
of presenting it to us through the medium of both prose
and verse ; 2 next, there is a command of language, a wide
literary ^ and general knowledge * quite out of proportion,
in the earlier plays, to the writer's standard of literary pro-
ficiency— at least of the metrical, and even the poetical ;

^ Especially the inanimate. To this we must add nature and (mostly unnatural)
" Natural History " as reflected in the mass of literature to which he had access-
Pliny's Natural History, for instance.

^ See also notes on i. i. 5,

* Especially classical, mostly of the Latin (see p. 190 ; also notes on i. v. 94 and
V. 14s).; but his acquaintance with the modern languages is at least considerable.

* His legal knowledge, for example, is abundantly illustrated in this play.
See iiote on i. iii. 7, iv. i. 35, iii. iv. 170, ni. ii. 15, iv. i. 55, etc. We might also
mention the formal legal phrasing which occurs so often in his earlier writings.
This legal knowledge, of course, he shares with other Elizabethan dramatists.

C

xxvi INTRODUCTION

thought is, perhaps, not ahvays so deep, but it is always
wide. In respect of these fundamental elements, an exuber-
ance of imagery,^ and a conquest of the writer's world of
word and thought and fact, there is little that separates A
Midsu7niner-Nighf s Dream and Twelfth Night, nor indeed
these from The Tempest. But when we come to examine
their literary form and taste, we discover in the author's
rhetoric, his poetic craft, and even his dramatic technique,
a progress as from mere infancy to manhood. Neverthe-
less, there is another feature common to nearly all of the
plays of Shakespeare that must be present to our minds if
we are to compare them to any good purpose, and that is,
an extraordinary inequality of workmanship in the same
play ; the long dull banalities, for instance, oi A Midsumnier-
Nighfs Dream, that serve but doubtfully to give increased
splendour to a brilliant passage here and there ; indeed, we
may say that in regard to its very worst and its very best
there is often little to choose between an earlier and a later
play, as may be seen from the following passages in A Mid-
summer-NigMs Dream and The Tempest ; in the first of these
plays we may contrast V. 32—35 or IV, i. 23—27 with IV. i.
1 1 6-1 2 I or V. i. 12-17 ; and in the second, II. i. 282-286
or IV. i. 84-86 with I. ii. 387-393 or iv. i. 153-158; the
first two passages in each play represent weakness, and the
second two,^ strength ; as to Twelfth Night, I may refer
to I. i. 1—7, which may be contrasted with II. ii. 32—42.
Longer and more numerous examples would have served
my purpose better, but these may be enough to illustrate
the fact that in respect of their excellence and their com-
parative weakness, these three plays are more nearly on a
level than we might expect from their style generally.

After making these necessary reservations, we will
glance at the characters as they are presented in A Mid-
smnmer- Night's Dream and Twelfth Night. While yet a
beginner, Shakespeare preferred to take his characters from

' Which often implies a love of nature ; this, however, is ahvays subservient
to the poet's dramatic purpose.

^ But these, in the case of A Midsummer-Nighf s Dream, might be later
interpolations.

INTRODUCTION xxvii

history, where he found them already outlined ; or if he
made an original sketch, it would be of the easier type —
low life, or humorous. Thus (including the histories) Bottom
came first, an earlier Falstaff; then Falstaff himself; while
later, Jaques was an earlier Hamlet, to be followed in due
course by the never to be finished and never finished Prince
of Denmark. And as a connecting link between these
pairs, but nearer to the latter, stands the serio-ridiculous
Malvolio. And now we are in a position to look back
at the interval that lies between Bottom and Malvolio.
Further, with the exception of the supernatural beings —
and perhaps of Theseus — Bottom is the only character in
A Midsummer- N igJd s Dream ; the rest of the Dramatis
Personcs lack individuality, as may be seen by contrasting
the pairs of lovers in the earlier play with the pairs of
lovers in Twelfth Night. Indeed, granting the lyrical
nature of A Midsu7nmer-Nighf s Dream, we may yet infer
justly and at once, that characterisation in the later drama
is both subtler and more abundant ; and where there is
more characterisation there is more life, i.e. more dratna.
Feste, for example, has no representative in the earlier
play ; but he appears in Twelfth Night as the crowning
individual of a species whose gradual development may be
traced back through most of the earlier comedies.

From this brief consideration of characters and charac-
terisation in the two plays we might pass on to compare
them in respect of incident, development of plot and under-
plot, the variety and the reality of life in each, the quality
and substance of their dialogue, their humour, whether coarse
and extravagant or refined and natural — and all the rest of
their dramatic equipment. But for these we have no space,
and the subject must now be dismissed with a short examina-
tion of what is best known as the style of the two dramas.

And here, in spite of the reservation already made, —
that A Midsummer-NigM s Dream is essentially poetical, — ■
the contrast is striking enough. It may sound like a
paradox, yet we shall probably discover that although
Twelfth Night is less poetical than the former play, it con-
tains more poetry ; at any rate it contains less bad poetry ;

xxviii INTRODUCTION

we notice an improvement in nearly every department of
the poetic art. To specify the cruder rhetorical devices (ot
course I refer to the verse rather than to the prose) that
are either resorted to less frequently, or are refined upon, or
altogether disused in the later play, is impossible in this
short commentary ; we can do little more than state gener-
ally that the briefest examination will disclose a marked
rhetorical progress. Just now I included dialogue among
the larger dramatic elements in which Shakespeare would
seem to have gained proficiency, but this particular may be
mentioned here with equal propriety ; we cannot detach
substance from form, and under this head of style a whole
treatise might be written on the contrast afforded by the
dialogue of Tzvelfth Night, especially the verse portions,
when compared with that of the earlier play.

Better known, perhaps, among the changes of style that
mark the poet's progress through some half dozen years,
are a gradual disuse of rhyme, and the adoption of a blank
verse, not so disorganised as that of the later plays, yet
such as has freed itself from the fetters of both the formal
couplet model and the rigid line ; in other words, the flesh
and form of rhythm now covers the bare bones of metre ; a
finer law is felt, not seen, within the law ; a new li.ie forma-
tion extends from pause to pause, and the pauses may occur
anywhere, while a fuller music is made by the extra
syllables that vibrate for a moment within the line or rever-
berate at its close.

Finally, the poet has learned to rely less frequently on
puns, verbal conceits, and the other extravagances of thought
or diction that are the mark of a beginner — or the foibles
of an age which is seeking some new form of utterance ;
while at the same time his mastery over the legitimate
modes of expression has become more assured ; in short, we
seem to recognise in the style of Twelfth Night a greater
skill and a finer taste than are displayed in The Co7nedy
of Errors^ Love's Labour's Lost, The Tzuo Gentlemen of
Verona, A Midsummer-Nighfs Dream, The Merchant of
Venice, The Taming of the Shrezv, The Merry Wives
of Windsor, or even in Much Ado about Nothing, or As You

INTRODUCTION xxix

Like It; it should therefore (though I lay no stress on the
statement) be the last of the comedies of Shakespeare ; and
thus we are again brought very near to the date 1600.

Part III. — Characteristics.

This is the Comedy of Comedies, at least so far as
Shakespeare is concerned ; and I suppose we shall hardly
fear to discover its rival out of Shakespeare. If the play
presents no salient feature of recognition, it is because it
combines so many excellences, and combines them so
happily. But not only are the elements of comic drama
and comic satire from Plautus to Rabelais herein repre-
sented as fully and as perfectly as may be, for the comedy
of Twelfth Night is both relieved and heightened by an
interwoven exquisite romance, while strains of the finest
poetry make perfect harmony with the comic undertones ;
and all this in a manner that only the genius of Shake-
speare rendered possible. Further, the play is splendidly
wrought ; plot, underplot, incident, character, movement,
dialogue, diction, each is excellent ; and our interest is
sustained throughout at the highest dramatic level. Finally,
a wise good humour is the all-perv-ading spirit of the drama ;
its gentle satire has saltness but no bitterness ; ^ Twelfth
Night is indeed the happy inspiration of a happy moment.

This brief general estimate may be followed by an
examination of the dramatic technique of Twelfth Nighty
chiefly on its literary side.

Of course we can detect flaws in any work of art,^ and
especially in the " wood notes wild " of " Fancy's child " ;
and Milton is not altogether at fault in thus describing
Shakespeare ; ^ but, as he tells us elsewhere, there is

^ " There is ... no railing in a known discreet man, though he do nothing
but reprove," Twelfth Night, i. v. 97-99.
"^ See note on 11. v. 156-158.

^ Later in life Milton became more austere, and might have expressed himself
differently ; at present he means both less and more than we usually imagine ;
the words are partly in contrast to " Jonson's learned sock," and half their pur-
port may be gathered from the Epitaph on Shakespeare —

" To the shame of slow-endeavouring Art
Thy easy numbers flow."

XXX INTRODUCTION

more real beauty in the flowers which " Nature boon
Poured forth profuse on hill and dale and plain," than in
those which are carefully arranged by " Nice Art In beds
and curious knots " ; to this we may add that the former
can fill us with undisturbed delight, while the latter must
give some offence with their stiff precision. Or, to put it
more plainly (and it might be put in a thousand other
ways), we receive from the unstudied symmetry of the
Romantic Drama an impression of perfect art, but from the
studied symmetry of the so-called Classical Drama an
impression of perfect artifice. Besides, we must remember
what has been said about the spots on Shakespeare's sun.

Of these spots in TwelftJi Nighty one or two will be
found near the close of the play.^ I will first mention " the
hurried and strange marriage contract between Olivia and
Sebastian." ^ This is indirectly noticed by Johnson : " The
marriage of Olivia, and the succeeding perplexity, though
well enough contrived to divert on the stage, wants credi-
bility, and fails to produce the proper instruction required
in the drama, as it exhibits no just picture of life." And
the following stricture of Hallam is not without some bear-
ing on the same incident : " The part of Sebastian has all
that improbability which belongs to mistaken identity,
without the comic effect for the sake of which that is for-
given in Plautus and in The Comedy of Errors T At this
point, however, I must interpolate the naive remark of
Montegut : " Mais chut . . . nous sommes ici dans le monde
de la faerie,"

Another spot to be examined is the marriage of Sir
Toby and Maria ; this difficulty will be dealt with in the
notes.2 Next we examine the apparent discrepancies in
the closing scene of the play ; these are fully described by
Oechelhauser,* who also attempts to remove them by the

* " In many of his plays the latter part is evidently neglected." This remark
of Johnson, however, may be read with some caution.

* Kenny. ^ E.g. iv. ii. 75 and v. 368.

* " Eine besondere Schwierigkeit bot aber die Oekonomie der Schluss-scene.
So oft ich das Stlick in den verschiedensten Bearbeitungen und mehroder minder
vollendeter Darstellung gesehen, driingte sich mir stets das Unbefriedigende des
Schlusses auf ; er liess regelmassig das Publikum kalt." [Again, the arrange-

INTRODUCTION xxxi

insertion of some lines and stage-directions. But I think
it well to trust to the text as we have it, although a good
deal that the poet omitted, or at least implied, may in this
case be brought out by the actor ; and even Oechelhauser
admits that in regard to the Elizabethan stage, on which
boys played the part ot women, the conclusion of the play
is skilfully wrought.

And this leads me to compare the literary with the
acting qualities of Twelfth Night ; for if there are passages
that may be rendered more explicit in the acting, so there
are others — those of the highest mood — that must seem to
lose by it ; ^ and we often hear that the romantic element
in the play makes it less suited for the stage than most of
the other comedies.^ In this we have at least a germ of
truth ; yet the larger truth lies in the fact that whether a
poetic drama is read or acted, certain ideal conditions —
blank verse, for example — are assumed by the poet ; as
Matthew Arnold has taught us, the artist must be met half-
way— or at least some part of the way ; and to my think-
ing, although the actor may sometimes aid the poet, it often
happens that the ideal conditions imposed on the audience
at a theatre are much more exacting than those which are
required of the reader. But this subject I have dealt with
more fully in another volume,^ and I will only add here that
for my part I can never quite enjoy the blank verse of the
stage ; perhaps I keep too jealously in mind that exquisite

ment of the closing scene presents an especial difficulty. Whenever I have seen
the piece in the most diverse renderings, and under more or less perfect
representation, the unsatisfactory character of the conclusion always impressed
itself upon me. It invariably left the public cold.] Einfiihrnngeri in Shake-
speare's Biihnen-Dramen. W. Oechelhauser, Minden, 1885.

1 For example, see p. xxxiv of this Introduction, " It is the note struck loudest
in the very first line of the play." In Twelfth Night, as usually acted, the second
scene of the first Act begins the play, and thus the magnificent overture which
is the poet's purpose in the first scene is robbed of fully one-half of its effect.

^ Since writing the above I have witnessed a performance of Twelfth Nighty
and on this subject of stage representation I will here comment without prejudice.
The caste was fairly good and the performance creditable, but to the best of my
judgment the play lost in the acting much more than it gained. It gained most
in the comic scenes, and in the vividness that was added to incident (that of the
ring, for example) and the development of the plot generally ; but it lost two-
thirds of its poetry, and Shakespeare's Viola was not on the stage. I might
add that the marvellous variety of incident in Shakespeare is best seen in the
theatre.

2 Handbook to Shakespeare, Chapter i.

xxxii INTRODUCTION

thought of Keats, " Heard melodies are sweet, but those
unheard Are sweeter."

These precautionary remarks may help to render us
more impartial as we proceed to examine other spots — or
seeming spots — in this dramatic sun. Some critics have
blamed the play because it presents no striking delineation
of character ; but again, I need only repeat the words of
Mont^gut : " Nous sommes ici dans le monde de la feerie."
Somewhat graver is the charge that the punishment dealt
out to Malvolio is both coarse and excessive ; to this I
reply, " Not if we view it from the standpoint of the time."

Next will be the questionable sequence of Act and
Scene as given in the text ; but here we make a less direct
reference to the author. On this subject Mr. Spedding
remarks : " The division of the Acts in Tivelfth Night is
of less importance than in King Lear and Much Ado about
Nothing; for the movement of the piece is so light and
rapid, and the several actions mix so naturally, without per-
plexing or confusing each other, that if it were played from
beginning to end without any pause at all, the spectators
w^ould feel no harshness. Nevertheless, though the inter-
acts might in that case be omitted altogether without
injuring the dramatic effect, the effect is materially injured
on two occasions by the interposition of them in the wrong
place." He then proceeds to examine these two occasions,
and further proposes a valuable rearrangement of Act and
Scene, which will be found in the Third Appendix. Of
other proposed rearrangements, I need mention only the
one adopted in the acting version of Sir Henry Irving,
which of course differs from Spedding at many points.
This also is given in the Third Appendix.

The next difficulty we have to deal with occurs in the
time of the action of Twelfth Night ; on this head I may
quote Mr. P. A. Daniel,^ whose time-analysis of the play is
also subjoined. It will be seen that whereas the incidents
are supposed to fall within three days, an interval of three
months is twice mentioned in the Fifth Act. Mr. Daniel
remarks : " The time represented by this play is three days,

' New Shakespeare Soc. Trans. 1877-79, P- I73'

INTRODUCTION xxxiii

with an interval of three days between the First and
Second.

Day I. Act I. sc. i.-iii.

Interval of three days.

Day 2. Act I. sc. iv. and v. ; Act II. sc. i.-iii.

Day 3. Act li. sc. iv. and v.; and Acts III., IV., and V."

There remains to be noticed in Act V. a statement
inconsistent with the plot of the play as revealed in the
previous scenes. Viola and Sebastian both suffered the
same shipwreck, and when they arrive in Illyria it is
evident that but a very few days can have elapsed since
their escape. Yet, when Antonio is brought before the
Duke in Act V. he asserts that Sebastian has been in his
company for three months. It might indeed be said that
this inconsistency is merely imaginary, and is founded on
too strict an interpretation of the dialogue in Act I. sc. ii.
and Act II. sc. i., but the Duke makes a similar assertion
with regard to Viola —

Three months this youth hath tended upon me.

And this is in absolute contradiction to Valentine's speech
on the second day of the action (Act I. sc. iv.), where he
says that the Duke "hath known you (Viola) but three
days."

Some other discrepancies are too trifling to find a place
in this Introduction, and they will be dealt with in the
notes ; but a word may be said here on the scene of the
action of Twelfth Night.

Both the locality and the time of Twelfth Night have
an indefiniteness which suits the romance. Illyria comes
nearest to the modern Dalmatia, and was probably regarded
by the Elizabethans as Italian, and in Twelfth Night as it
appears on the stage we have Venetian manners of the
seventeenth century .^ But there is little to identify the locality
of the drama with Italy ; in spirit it is much more English
than are the other Italian plays of Shakespeare; and we
may dismiss any further examination of place or period by
merely quoting the title of another of Shakespeare's dramas

^ See note on i. ii. 2.

xxxiv INTRODUCTION

— which resembles Twelfth Night not a little in these
particulars — namely, As You Like It.

Some other points relating to the dramatic structure of
the play and its form generally have been brought forward
in the first two parts of this Introduction ; for instance,
where I mentioned Fleay's theory (p. xxiii) of the relation
of plot to underplot, or discussed the metrical characteristics
of Twelfth Night as supplementary evidence of its date ;
and although much might yet be added under this head of
dramatic or literary form, I must reserve a short space for
consideration of the thought of the play, so far, that is, as
thought and form may be sundered provisionally for the
present purpose.

Most commentators have agreed that the leading
thought of Twelfth Night may be discovered in the mere
title ; that the words Twelfth Night are themselves the
keynote of the play;^ that Shakespeare's first object was
to provide a comedy suitable for the festival. They tell
us, moreover, that incidentally or otherwise the poet lets
fall various moral reflections that are appropriate to his
main purpose.^ All this may be fairly admitted ; and with
the reservation that the so-called " moral " of a play or
poem is not necessarily implied in its motive, I will now
add some of my own impressions of this drama.

It has been said that Twelfth Night appears to present
no striking individuality ; but my first impression of the
play is that of a really striking dissertation on the subject
of love ; love, " the name bubbled by every wave of Hippo-
crene " is as surely a diapason that closes full in Shake-
speare ; it is the fundamental chord of Twelfth Night ; it
is the note struck loudest in the very first line of the play.

Of all this I have no doubt whatever ; but in these '
brief notes I must give suggestions rather than illustrations
of the fact.

I may first point out that if Twelfth NigJit includes
the main elements of good comedy, so also as a single

* "The leading note of the play is fun," Furnivall.

* Furnivall (less aptly), "Still the lesson is, as in As Yon Like It, 'Sweet
are the uses of adversity.' "

INTRODUCTION xxxv

play it represents the main elements of love, and the lead-
ing varieties of lovers. Whether allied to the poet's main
purpose, or incidental to it, the fact remains that in Twelfth
Night we have a recapitulation of Shakespeare's — I will not
say convictions, for he has none at present, — but of Shake-
speare's theories on the subject of love, his opinions, his
experiences up to the time of writing.^

We will glance first at the characters ; no less than
eight of these are " poor fancy's '- followers " ; and they are
mostly distinct types. To name them is indeed to name
all the important personages except Feste ; they are
Orsino, Olivia, Viola, Sebastian, Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew
Aguecheek, IMalvolio, Maria ; with the possible exception
of Loves Labour's Lost and As You Like It^ there is no
such proportion in any other play.

As to the types of love represented by these characters,
the subject is inexhaustible, like the lights and shadows of
contrast — or the breezes of wit and humour — that play
upon the surface of the drama, and veil for a moment its
depths of wisdom. I can only glance at such topics ; we
have in Orsino a man who reminds us of an elaborate
study in one of Shakespeare's earlier dramas ; for if
Richard II. was in love with grief, Orsino is in love with
love ; each fondles his passion, revels in it, and displays it,
till it has become " high fantastical."

Not infrequently in his dramas Shakespeare has created
a character of the opposite sex to serve as a counterpart of
some male character ; and in this play, the love of Olivia
comes nearest to that of the Duke ; if not " high-fantastical,"
her passion is at least fantastical ; this is best seen at the
close of the play, where she appears to resign herself readily

^ See notes on i. i. 14, 15, 36-39 ; i. v. 201 ; 11. iv. 29, 94-104, etc. ; also The
Tempest, p. Hi. (Arden edition) ; also my Handbook to Shakespeare, Chapter vii.

2 A right understanding of this term "fancy" is essential not only to the
appreciation of Twelfth Night, where it occurs frequently, but also to a right
understanding of Shakespeare's most complex opinions of love. He has a
threefold use for the word "fancy" ; it may have its common meaning; it may
stand for the false and fickle love, as opposed to the true and constant ; or, and
this more often, it may denote love absolutely. See note on I. i. 14. Of course
these uses of the word are not confined to Shakespeare.

^ As You Like It was a less explicit dissertation on love, including its exposi-
tion in the Pastoral.

xxxvi INTRODUCTION

enough to the arms of Sebastian. Could we fancy Viola
acting thus ?

The power, the beauty, the truth, and the nobility of
love appear in the women of Shakespeare's worl^~TaIHer
than in its men ; so here, under this head, Viola must
represent the poet's ideal, that is, I repeat, up to the date
of Twelfth Night} To all the perfections of all the former
heroines she adds a reflective seriousness which is befitting
in the last of the comedies, and links them with the great
tragedies that follow. As to the other characters and their
role as lovers, they may be allowed to speak for themselves,
and I think they will speak forcibly enough ; but I will point
to Sebastian who serves (we all know the familiar device) as
a foil or set-off against the Duke ; for Sebastian, like Henry
v., is nothing if not practical in this business of wooing.

Of Shakespeare's own experience as presented in this
play, I have endeavoured to show in the notes on II. iv. 29
and 94—104 that there is at least some ground for the
conjecture (though it is possible to be over-confident on
this point) that a personal element almost certainly found
its way into the passage.^ But though the poet may speak
here and elsewhere in the scene with some undertone of
bitterness as well as self-reproach, the impression we receive
from the entire play is that of a dispassionate inquirer into
the principles of love and marriage.^

Other prominent subjects that arise out of the play may
only be mentioned here ; they are Shakespeare's religious
opinions, his political opinions, and his love of music ; but
in regard to the first of these I may point out that, according
to Maria (ll. iii. 144), Malvolio is never anything more than
a " kind of Puritan," and that only at times ; ^ he is by no
means the real species ; and he becomes a sacrifice not so
much to religious cant as to self-conceit. And although
Shakespeare may smile at the social extravagances of the

^ See footnote i, p. xxxv ; also Handbook to Shakespeare, Chapter vii.

- It is also interesting to note the two passages (iv. iii. 22-35, ^"d V. 154-
159) that deal with the "contract of true love" (cf. The Tempest, iv. i. 84),
althovigh the poet's own betrothal was less formal. See also iv. iii. 26, note.

' See footnote i, p. xxxv, especially the important note on "at mine eyes,"
I. V. 307 ; also on i. i. 36-39 ; also Handbook to Shakespeare, Chapter vii.

* See note on n. iii. 144.

INTRODUCTION xxxvii

Puritan, he will never scoff at the earnest seeker after truth.
Further (and the same is true of Shylock), he confers on
Malvolio many qualities which command our respect.

As to the characters generally/ beyond what has been
said of them as presenting various types of lovers, or as
related to some leading thought of the play, little need be
added here, unless I point out that Sir Toby has pretty
much of Falstaff 's appetite, but less of his wit, and still less
of his humour ; and of course Sir Andrew is first cousin to
Slender, and second cousin, it may be, to Jonson's Master
Stephen ; otherwise they are marked off in the text more
clearly than usual.^ Viola, for example, who was " of many
accounted beautiful . . . bore a mind that envy could not
but call fair " ; the " mind " of the " melancholy " Duke is " a
very opal " ; Olivia, who is also " addicted to melancholy,"
exclaims, " I am as mad as he If sad and merry madness
equal be " ; of Feste enough is quoted below ; Maria is " as
witty a piece of Eve's flesh as any in Illyria " ; " for Andrew,
if he were opened, and you find so much blood in his liver
as will clog the foot of a flea, I '11 eat the rest of the anatomy";
as with Falstaff, so with Sir Toby, it would scarcely have
been a virtue to " separate himself and his misdemeanours " ;
Malvolio, whose mere name is a full-length portrait, is " sick
of self-love," ^ and so forth. But I may point out the
marvellous adaptiveness to personality which gives additional
power and grace to the poetry of Shakespeare ; every line
of it lends colour to the dramatic character from whose
lips it falls. The Duke, for example, parades his passion
rather than feels it ; he contemplates love till he forgets to
be a lover ; and to all this " high fantasy " the poetry that
Shakespeare puts into his mouth is an admirable accom-
paniment* Moreover, in regard to Feste, I may throw out

^ See also Appendix I. pp. i8o sqq.

2 Note how many of the names are significant — Viola, Olivia, Malvolio,
Feste, Aguecheek, Sir Toby Belch. This is something in Jonson's manner ; and
his method of " humours " may possibly be reflected in one or two of the char-
acters of Twelfth Night.

* " A fantastical steward" (Rowe's list of the Dramatis Personcz),

* Take, for example, the opening lines of Twelfth Night ; to write such poetry
is to be a poet of the very first rank, and to write it dramatically is something
more. See also note on v. 125.

xxxviii INTRODUCTION

at least a suggestion ; he is probably the most complex
character of them all ; he is the directing spirit of the drama ;
he is " for all waters " ; he wears not motley in his brain, ^
but is acute and learned — " wise enough to play the fool " ;
he belongs equally to either group of the dramatis personcs,
the serious or the comic ; his is the highest wisdom of the
play, and its lowest buffoonery ; he can sing with grace and
fervour a song that dallies with the innocence of love, and
in a tavern catch his voice is the loudest ; in brief, he is
Shakespeare's ideal fool, and the elaborate exposition of a
clown's function in III. i. 61—69 was not assigned to Twelfth
Night by accident.

I have now glanced at the form of the play and at
some of its leading thoughts ; my remaining task is to
complete the short general estimate with which the section
opened ; and I may repeat that in my judgment Ttvelfth
Night is one of those perfect creations in which form and
thought are related, not as clothes to body, but as body to
soul.

Yet on this question of the creative oneness of Twelfth
Night opinion may still be allowed to differ ; and among
critics of the past Kenny tells us that " There is much of
extravagance and improbability in the development of its
more romantic incidents, and it thus frequently becomes
less purely creative and less absolutely truthful than less
striking productions of the poet's genius"; and even Hallam
finds that " Tzvelfth Night, notwithstanding some very
beautiful passages, and the humorous absurdity of Malvolio,
has not the coruscations of wit and spirit of character that
distinguish the excellent comedy it seems to have immedi-
ately followed ; nor is the plot nearly so well constructed.
Viola would be more interesting if she had not indelicately,
as well as unfairly towards Olivia,^ determined to win the
Duke's heart before she had seen him."

But the balance of authority, whether French, English,

^ Anrl it may be douljted whether he wears motley at all. His dress would
hardly be that of the ordinary clown. Further, he is "an allowed fool," a
"jester . . . that the Lady Olivia's father took much delight in." See also
notes on iii. i. 6, 6i ; v. i. i ; i. v. i ; and I. v. 84, 94.

^ But see Appendix I. p. 184 ; also note on I. ii. 27.

INTRODUCTION xxxix

or German, is in favour of the " perfect unity " of Twelfth
Night; and whatever truth may be in the contrary opinion
is admitted, as I think, fully enough in the estimate of
F. J. Furnivall : " The play at first sight is far less striking
and interesting than Much Ado and As You Like It. No
brilliant Beatrice or Benedick catches the eye, no sad Rosa-
lind leaping into life and joyousness at the touch of assured
love. The self-conceited Malvolio is brought to the front,
the drunkards and clown come next, and none of these
touches any heart ; and it 's not till we look past them, that
we feel the beauty of the characters who stand in the half-
light behind. Then we become conscious of a quiet
harmony of colour and form that makes a picture full of
charm, that grows on you as you study it, and becomes
one of the possessions of your life."

But before taking leave of this charming comedy, which,
to my thinking, has no rival except As You Like It, I must
avail myself of this brief opportunity of recording my own
impression that the perfect unity of Twelfth Night lies
surely — if I may repeat a former statement — in the wise
good humour that pervades the play ; its occasional serious-
ness is by no means sombre, its tragedy is wholesome, not
depressing ; in its gentle satire, I added — and I think the
phrase is Bacon's — there may be " saltness, but there is no
bitterness " ; to sneer at life has nine-tenths of the devil in
it, but to smile at life has yet more of the divine.

Since the foregoing went to press, Mr. Maurice Hewlett, to
whom I am indebted for the hint on page 1 80, has called my
attention to the following critical points ; and I think they
merit examination. First, he is of opinion that Shakespeare
should have followed Bandello (in part) by representing
Viola as previously possessed by an undivulged passion
for Orsino (Bandello proceeds from a mutual attachment
between these two). On this point I may remark that
Shakespeare had just used the device in As You Like It,
and naturally wished to vary it ; but another explanation
may be found in the fact that, under the Twelfth Night

xl INTRODUCTION

conditions, Viola is saved from the complications of resent-
ment against Olivia, and gives the artist a free hand.

Next, Mr. Hewlett expresses the opinion that the
Malvolio plot " usurped the interest " . . . " and has turned
. . . comedy into a tragedy." To this natural objection
we may reply that a combination of tragedy with comedy
is a leading feature (a merit also) of the Romantic Drama,
and one of its chief distinctions from the Classic Drama.
Further, as I point out in my Handbook to Shakespeare
(pp. 241, 248, 259, etc.), melancholy or tragedy jfind
their gradual way into the three great comedies. Much
Ado about Nothings As Vou Like It, and Tivelfth Night,
and thus lead up to the tragic series that begins with Julius
CcEsar. I may add that whereas in The Merchant of Venice
tragedy was outdazzled by comedy, so in TwelftJi Night
comedy is to some extent subdued, if not shadowed, by
tragedy.

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR,
WHAT YOU WILL

DRAMATIS PERSON^"-

Orsino, Duke of Illy ri a.

Sebastian, Brother to Viola.

Antonio, a Sea Captain, Friend to Sebastian.

Valentine,) „ , ,. i t^ i

r^ T Gentlemen attending on the Duke.

Curio, ) *^

Sir Toby Belch, Uncle to Olivia.

Sir Andrew Aguecheek.

Malvolio, Steward to Olivia.

Fabian, ) „ ^,. -

r^j t Servants to Olivia.

Clown, )

A Sea Captain, Friend to Viola.

Olivia, a rich Countess.
Viola, in love with the Duke.
Maria, Olivia^s Woman.

Lords, Priests, Sailors, Officers, Musicians, and other

Attendafits.

Scene : A City in Illyria ; and the Sea-coast near it.

^ The list of Dramatis PersoncB is not in F, but was drawn up by Rowe
" with all the cant of the modern stage" ; the sneer is Johnson's, and is scarcely
warranted. For some of Rowe's remarks see Introduction, p. xxxvii, footnote 3,
also note on I. iii. 7, where I refer to his description of Maria as " Confident to
Olivia." Add also that he styles Sir Andrew Aguecheek "a foolish Knight,
pretending to Olivia." As to Sir Toby Belch being uncle to Olivia, the relation-
ship is doubtful, though derived by Rowe from i. iii. i (see note I. iii. 5). For
the Scene of the Action we are also indebted to Rowe, except that in F
Orsino is "Duke of Illyria" (see also i. ii. 2, and note). Rowe's wording is,
" A City on the Coast of Illyria " ; Capell gives, "A City of Illyria, Residence of
the Duke ; and the Sea-coast near it. "

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR.
WHAT YOU WILL

ACT I

SCENE I. — A Room in the Dukes Palace.

Enter DUKE, CURIO, Lords ; Musicians attending!

Duke. If music be the food of love, play on ;
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting.
The appetite may sicken, and so die.

it had a dying fall :

That strain again

Twelfth Night i] Twelfe Night, F; Twelfe- Night F 3; Twelf-Night F 4.
A Room, etc.] omitted in F ; the Palace Rowe, etc. Enter Duke] Enter Orsino,
Duke of lUyria F. Musicians attending] Capell, etc. 2. SJir/eiting] stn--

fetting F.

1-7.] For these opening lines, see
Introduction, pp. xxxi, xxxvii.

1. the food of love'] Cf. Antony and
Cleopatra, 11. v. i, 2, "music, moody
food Of us that trade in love."

2. surfeiting] The grammatical sub-
ject of this participle is " appetite" in
line 3, but, logically, it includes the
speaker. See note 2, 3, below.

3. sicken, and so die] Cf. Henry
VIII. III. i. 12 :

" In sweet music is such art,
Killing care and grief of heart
Fall asleep, or, hearing, die."
Cf. also Keats, Endymion :

" O did he ever live, that lonely

man,

Who loved — and music slew not ? "

2, 3.] The meaning is probably as

follows: — "('Give me excess of it'

viz. 'music') that my love, which

hungers for Olivia and music, may feast

on music till it die of surfeiting, and
cease to trouble me."

4. That strain again] These words
are addressed to the musicians ; cf. also
" Enough ! no more : " in line 7. Note
(though F reading is "agen") the
musical medial rhyme ; common in
Swinburne, for example ; these are rare
in Shakespeare.

4. dying] Suggested, probably, by
"die" in line 3.

4. fall] (closing) cadence ; cf. "music
at the close. Like the last taste of sweets,
is sweetest last," Richard II. 11. i. 12 ;
also, "a full and natural close. Like
music," Henry V. i. ii. 182 ; cf. also
" the sweet falling of the clauses," Ad-
vattcement of Learning, i. iv, 2. The
apt expression "dying fall "could not
fail to find imitators ; a noteworthy ex-
ample occurs in Pope's Ode on St.
Cecilia! s Day.

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acti.

O ! it came o'er my ear like the sweet sound

That breathes upon a bank of violets,

Stealing and giving odour. Enough ! no more :

'Tis not so sweet now as it was before.

O spirit of love ! how quick and fresh art thou,

That, notwithstanding thy capacity

Receiveth as the sea, nought enters there,

lO

5. sound] F, Ff, and most edd.; sound, Camb., Globe, etc.; South Pope and
others; Wind Rowe, i.; south-wind Keightley. 10, 11.] Rowe, etc., That
notwithstanding thy capacitie, Receiueth as the sea. Nought enters there, F (see
note below). 11. there,"] F, M^e Daniel.

5. sound] It might seem that Milton
anticipated Pope's emendation of
*' south," as in the lines {Paradise Lost,
iv. 156-159), " gentle gales . . . odor-
iferous . . . whisper whence they stole
Those balmy spoils"; yet in Comus
(555-557) he may also seem to have
preferred the F reading "sound," for
he writes, " a soft and solemn-breathing
sound Rose like a steam of rich dis-
tilled perfumes, And stole upon the
air." More pertinent is the passage
from Sidney's Arcadia, quoted by
Steevens : " Her breath is more sweete
than a gentle South-west wind, which
comes creeping ouer flowrie fieldes and
shadowed waters in the extreame heate
of sommer"; for in the context of this
passage (see the note on line 35) other
resemblances occur, which make it prob-
able that Shakespeare had Sidney's
romance in his mind (see also Introduc-
tion, p. xiv). On the other hand, the
" foggy south puffing with wind and
rain " {As You Like It, ili. v. 50),
would hardly commend itself to the
author of Twelfth Night, whose notions
of the south wind were, as I venture to
suspect, slightly classical (cf. " floribus
Austrum Perditus . . . immisi," Virgil,
Eel. ii. 58, 59 ; also references in
Plutarch and in Golding's Ovid). But
apart from all this, what we have to
take into most careful account is Shake-
speare's characteristic mode of dealing
with nature, whether directly or through
books, and his methods of weaving its
materials almost everywhere into the
texture of his verse either first hand, or,
as in this instance, by means of the
verbal figures (we may compare Swin-
burne, " the sounds that shine," or
Shelley, ^^ music . . . spread like
light ). These principles may guide

us here, and without further discussion
of the passage I shall be content to
leave the Folio reading " sound" to all
lovers of the poetry of Shakespeare, and
I will merely add the somewhat similar
thought in Bacon {Essay, "Of Gar-
dens"), " The breath of flowers is far
sweeter in the air (where it comes and
goes like the warbling of music) than in
the hand." See also Introd. p. xxv.

7, 8.] We may note the rhymes in
these lines ; also in II and 12. In 7 and
8 they may serve to end the music, or
at least to close the lyrical opening of
the speech. In Shakespeare such rhymes
often announce the fall of the curtain.

7. Enough] already the Duke "sur-
feits."

9. quick, etc.] Here "quick" is
partly explained by " Even in a minute "
(line 14), and "fresh" probably repeats
"quick." Therefore we may paraphrase:
" O love, you are always wanting some
new distraction, new food ; you are as
ready to swallow as the ocean itself, and
what you have swallowed soon fails to
satisfy ; however valuable it may be,
however excellent, straightway it loses
its value, and sinks to neglect. " For the
thought we must compare Bacon, "It is
a strange thing to note the excess of this
passion, and how it braves the nature
and value (see 12, below) of things"
{Essay, "Of Love," v. i. 8). For the
simile " receiveth as the sea," cf. " But
mine is all as hungry as the sea, And
can digest as much " (11. iv. 100, loi).

II.] The F reading of this line — see
textual notes — must be an error, and
Rowe changed the full stop after " sea "
to a comma.

II. there] Used loosely without any
definite antecedent, but it refers chiefly
to "capacity." Note the partial rhyme

SC. I.]

WHAT YOU WILL

Of what validity and pitch soe'er,
But falls into abatement and low price,
Even in a minute : so full of shapes is fancy,
That it alone is high fantastical.

Cur. Will you go hunt, my lord ?

Duke. What, Curio ?

Cur.

Duke. Why, so I do, the noblest that I have.
O ! when mine eyes did see Olivia first,

15

The hart.

12. pitch'] Y,piih Gould ; soe'er] so ere F ; so e're F3, 4, Rowe ; soever C&'peW,
Rann. 14. is fancy] is fancie F ; in fancy Theobald, Warburton, Johnson ;
?V'j yawrv Upton. 15. high fantastical] high fatztasticall Y, high-fantastical
various edd.

with ' ' soe'er " in next line ; this can be
hardly intentional as in 7 and 8 ; F has
" so, ere " ; Capell suggests '* soever " ;
thus the rhyme would be avoided.

12. validity] value. Cf. "Whose
high respect and rich validity Did lack
a parallel," All's Well thai Ends Well,
V. iii. 192 ; and for both thought and
expression cf. also "unvalued jewels,
All scatter'd in the bottom of the sea,"
Richard III. I. iv. 27, 28.

12. pitch] figure from falconry. Here
it may mean, first, "however high
above the sea " ; next, it carries on and
almost repeats the notion of "valid-
ity " ; and is further explained by
"falls into abatement" (line 13).

i^. falls] Suggested by "pitch" in
line 12, but also a figure from the sea.

13. abatement] as contrasted with
"pitch"; in the same way "low
price" is contrasted with "validity."

14. 15. so full . . . fantastical]
First we note that "alone" has the
force of ' ' beyond others " ; cf. "I am
alone the villain of the earth," Antony
and Cleopatra, IV. vi. 30 ; next, some
word play and antithesis relate "fan-
tastical " to " fancy " ; also the reading
" high-fantastical" would make clearer
the force of "high," and give fuller
meaning to the whole passage. With
regard to the interpretation of this —
"complicated nonsense" Warburton
unwisely called it — we first question
the "alone," and cf. A Midsiiiiwier-
Night's Dream, V. 7, 8, "The lunatic,
the lover, and the poet Are of imagina-
tion all compact " ; next we quote lines

4-6 — a yet more important parallel
— "Lovers and madmen have such
seething brains, Such shapifig fantasies
that apprehend More than cool reason
ever comprehends." For Shakespeare's
views of love and poetry in connection
with this passage, see the author's
Handbook to Shakespeare, chapters iv.
and vii. ; and, as another example of
"so full of shapes is fancy," compare,
(Love) "Formed by the eye, and there-
fore like the eye, Full of strange shapes,
. . . and of forms," Love's Labour's
Lost, V. ii. 771-773.

14. is fancy] The true reading,
doubtless, as may appear from the
following note (lines 14, 15) ; " fancy,"
i.e. love, especially of the lighter kind,
is here the "love" of Hne i, and the
"spirit of love" of line 9. See also
Introduction, p. xxxv, footnote 2.

16. The hart] "The poet," says
Hazlitt, "runs riot in a conceit, and
idolises a quibble." But — as we shall
have to protest more than once in
these notes — the practice, if sometimes
pleasing, is sometimes pernicious. This
particular pun, which was "started " in
As You Like It, in. ii. 260, and is
closely followed up in Twelfth Night,
IV. i. 63, will be hunted to the death
— or, the metaphor apart — will reach
its perilous climax in Julius Ccesar,
III. i. 204, 207, 208.

17. the tioblesi that I have] i.e. the
noblest part of me. After the pun we
might expect that the Duke should
hunt his heart in line 17, and be hunted
by his desires in lines 20 to 22.

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acti.

Methought she purg'd the air of pestilence ;

That instant was I turn'd into a hart, 20

And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds,

E'er since pursue me.

Enter Valentine.

How now ! what news from her ?
Val. So please my lord, I might not be admitted ;
But from her handmaid do return this answer :
The element itself, till seven years' heat, 25

Shall not behold her face at ample view ;
But, like a cloistress, she will veiled walk,
And water once a day her chamber round
With eye-offending brine : all this to season

19.] In parenthesis, Capell and others, 25. years' heat\ yeares hcate F,
yeares heat F 3, _j'fa;-5 heat F 4 and some edd., years hence Rowe and others;
years' heat as in text is the reading adopted by most edd. 28. chamber^

Chamber F ; chambers Ff, Rowe, and others ; chamber's Capell conj.

19. purg'd the air of pestilence'] An was sometimes used of one element,
apposite figure in those days, and very
frequent in Shakespeare.

22. pursue me] The reference is to
the fable of Actason, which Shakespeare
may have derived from Golding's Ovid
{Met. III. 138 5(/^.) ; but we must also
compare the following four lines from
the fifth sonnet in Daniel's Delia,

1594:

" Wliich turn'd my sport into a hart's
despaire,
Which still is chac'd, while I
have any breath,
By mine own thoughts, sette on
me by my faire ;
My thoughts like hounds pursue
me to my death " ;
and for a later use of the fable we may
refer to Shelley, Adonais, "And his
own thoughts, along that rugged way,
Pursued like raging hounds their father
and their prey."

23. might] in older sense of "was
able," or "could."

25. element] Here and in ill. i. 62
it means the sky. In iii. iv. 130 it is
used metaphorically, almost as in our
" out of one's element." For the four
"elements," see Henry V. lit. vii.
22, 23, " He is pure air and fire ; and
the dull elements of earth and water
never appear in him." Later, the word

the air, or sky, as in Eupliucs (quoted
by Craig), "the beautifulnesse of the
element" ; or North's Plutarch, "the
dust in the element " ; ox Julius C(vsar,
I. iii. 128, "the complexion of the ele-
ment," i.e. the appearance of the sky.
See also note on in. i. 62.

25. till seven years' heat] Probably
we should omit the apostrophe after
"years," and interpret "heated seven
years," i.e. by seven revolutions of the
sun. For "heat" as a participle, cf.
King John, IV. i. 61, "The iron of
itself, though heat red-hot." But some
regard "heat" as a noun, and ex-
plain, "till the heat of seven years
has passed " ; and others would read
"hence" for "heat."

26. a/////<f] full ; cf. "at ample point,"
Troilus and Crcssida, III. iii. 89.

28. chamber round] Probably sug-
gested by walking the cloisters, in line
preceding.

29. eye-offending bri/u:] Cf. Othello,
III. iv. 51, "I have a salt and sorry
rheum offends me."

29. to seaso)i] "keep fresh," as in
line 31. Cf. All's Well, I. i. 55 :
^^ Laf. Your commendations, madam,
get from her tears.
Count, 'Tis the best brine a maiden
can season her praise in."

sc,

M

WHAT YOU WILL

A brother's dead love, which she would keep fresh 30
And lasting in her sad remembrance.
Duke. O ! she that hath a heart of that fine frame
To pay this debt of love but to a brother,
How will she love, when the rich golden shaft
Hath kill'd the flock of all affections else 3 5

That live in her ; when liver, brain, and heart,

31. remembrance] Almost a quadri-
syllable.

33. To pay\ as to pay.

34. golden shaft'] Possibly again a
suggestion from Gelding's Ovid:

" There from hys quiuer full of shafts
two arrowes did he take
Of sundrie workes : tone causeth

Loue, the tother doth it slake,

That causeth loue, is all of golde

with point full sharpe and bright,

That chaseth loue is blunt, whose

Steele with leaden head is dight."

Cf. also A Midsummer-Night' s Dream,

I. i. 170.

35. flock] " No more all that our eyes
can see of her ... is to be matched
with the flocke of unspeakable vertues,
laid up delightfully in that best builded
fold." From Sidney's Arcadia, in the
context of the passage quoted in the
note on line 5.

35-38. all affections . . . self king]
For readings, punctuation, etc., see
textual notes. Some would transpose
"Her sweet perfections" thus (lines
37 and 38) — ^" These sovereign thrones,
her sweet perfections Are all supplied
and fill'd with one self king." But I
think it better to retain the F reading
altogether, except for the comma after
"supplied," though (unless we explain,
" And her sweet perfections are filled ")
a comma before and after " Her sweet
perfections" seems not inadmissible.
Some even print these three words as
a parenthesis, which is not so com-
mendable. As to the thought of the
passage, which the poet may seem to
have left somewhat ambiguous (App.
n.), opinion differs considerably, and
Hunter is inclined to doubt the
authenticity of the text ; but we may
begin by noting that "all affections
else" means doth "all her affection for
others " and "all her other affections " ;
and thus it leads naturally up to the
expansion (see note on 11. iv, 112) in

lines 36-38 which we may interpret as
follows: — "The one affection, love,
which is, moreover, an affection for
one, shall dominate and satisfy all her
affections, that is, her sweet perfections,
— including liver, brain, and heart."
With this interpretation we retain the
F reading "perfections"; if "perfec-
tion " be the accepted reading, then
we may paraphrase — "When the one
affection, love, shall dominate and
satisfy all her affections, and at the
same time perfect her woman's nature."
But this interpretation is less likely,
though it is just possible (App. II.)
that the poet includes the singular
notion within the plural "perfections."
We may even identify it with the
word "perfection," as, possibly, in
Henry V. ni. \'ii. 50, or better,
' ' whose fulness of perfection lies in
him," King John, II. i. 440; or again,
in this play, "when they (women) to
perfection grow" (il. iv. 41). Cf. also
" Pour parfaire ce qui reste de la
perfection de nos ames," Belleforest ;
also a note on the subject in my
Handbook to Shakespeare, ch. vii.
As to "liver, brain, and heart" (cf.
Plato, TimcEiis, III. 6g, 70), they are
the organs of such leading passions
or faculties as (i.) love, (ii.) intellect,
(iii.) affection or emotion (or, accord-
ing to Steevens, "(i.) passions, (ii.)
judgement, (iii. ) sentiments "). See also
Fletcher, The Purple Island, note to
Canto III. (10), " Here Plato disposed
the seats of Love," etc. And as to
their being "sovereign thrones," cf.
"seats and domiciles which the several
faculties of the mind do take and occu-
pate in the organs of the body " (Bacon,
Advancement of Learning, II. ix. 3) ;
or, in this play (ll. iv. 22), " It gives a
very echo to the seat where Love is
throned." This is the "hearted throne "
of Othello, III. iii. 448. See also notes
on II. iv. 24, II. iv. 99, and III. ii. 19, 20.

8

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acti.

These sovereign thrones, are all supplied, and fiU'd
Her sweet perfections with one self king.
Away before me to sweet beds of flowers ;
Love-thoughts lie rich when canopied with bowers. 40

\_Exeunt.

SCENE II. — The Sea-coast.

Enter ViOLA, Captain, and Sailors.

Vio. What country, friends, is this ?
Cap. This is Illyria, lady.

37. These\ F, Three Warburton and others. 37, 38.] F prints without any

stop from are all to self kmg ; other readings are filCd, {0 sweet perfection !)
Warburton ; filled, (Her sweet perfection) Capell and others ; fiWd Of her sweet
perfectio7is Keightley ; filCd, Her sweet perfections Pope, etc. 38. self king]
selfe king F ; selfe same king F 2 ; self same king F 3 ; selfsame king F 4 ; self-
king Malone, Keightley.

Scene li.

The Sea-coast : added by Capell ; The Street. Rowe.
F. 2. This is'\ omitted by Pope and some others.

I . friends] { Friends)

38. self] Almost equivalent to "self
same " (as printed in F 2, 3). " Self"
meant "same" ; cf. German selbe ; self
king may mean, "one and the same
king," "one exclusive king," " a king
one with herself," or less probably,
" king of herself" ; and the expression
is probably an example of Shakespeare's
fondness for moralising two meanings
in one word. See Appendix II.

39, 40.] Already therefore love seeks
another "distraction" (see note on
line 9).

Scene II,

1,2.] Apparently an Alexandrine ; cf.
lines 17, and 35, 36, and others in this
scene, where the exigencies of dialogue,
as so often in Shakespeare, overrule the
pentameter arrangement.

2. Illyria] This is not the scene of
story in any of Shakespeare's originals,
so far as we have discovered them ;
nor does the poet make any other
reference to this country-, though we
have "lUyrian" in 2 Henry VI. iv.
i. 108. It was often Shakespeare's
practice to vary from his authorities in
respect of locality (as also of the names
of his Dramatis Persona:), or purposely
to leave it vague, as in the case of As
You Like It, The Tempest, etc. (See,
for example, Introduction to the latter

play in the "Arden" Edition, pp.
xvi-xviii.) As to Illyria, which lay
along the eastern side of the Adriatic,
it was mostly, in Shakespeare's day,
under the rule of the Venetian Re-
public, and might be regarded as
Italian (and of course the names of
several of the characters in Twelfth
Night are Italian). Further, it con-
tained the seaport Spalatro, rich in
Roman remains, and this may possibly
be identified with the city renowned for
"memorials and the things of fame"
in Act III. scene iii. lines 23, 24. See
also Introduction, p. xvii. We may
further add the following remark of
Knight : " The Comedy of Twelfth
Night is amongst the most perplexing
of Shakspere's plays to the sticklers for
accuracy of costume. The period of
action is undefined. The scene is laid
in Illyria, whilst the names of the
Dramatis Personcz are a mixture of
Spanish, Italian, and English. The
best mode of reconciling the discrep-
ancies arising from so many conflict-
ing circumstances appears to be the
assumption, first, that Duke Orsino is
a Venetian governor of that portion of
Dalmatia which was all of the ancient
Illyria remaining under the dominion
of the republic at the commencement

SC. II.]

WHAT YOU WILL

9

Vio. And what should I do in Illyria ?
My brother he is in Elysium.
Perchance he is not drown'd : what think you, sailors? 5

Cap. It is perchance that you yourself were sav'd.

Vio. O my poor brother ! and so perchance may he be.

Cap. True, madam : and, to comfort you with chance,
Assure yourself, after our ship did split,
When you and those poor number sav'd with you i o
Hung on our driving boat, I saw your brother,
Most provident in peril, bind himself,
Courage and hope both teaching him the practice,
To a strong mast that lived upon the sea ;
Where, like Arion on the dolphin's back, i 5

I saw him hold acquaintance with the waves
So long as I could see.

4. Elysiuni] Pope, Elizium F. lo. those\ F ; that Rowe, etc. ; this Capell,
etc. ; those . . . sav'd^ those — poor number! — saved Elze ; sav'(r\ saved F and
most edd. ; Pope changed to sav'd, in order to make a line of ten syllables.
15. Arion] Orion F.

of the seventeenth century, and that his
attendants, Valentine, Curio, etc., as
well as Olivia, Malvolio, and Maria,
are also Venetians ; and, secondly, that
Sir Toby and Sir Andrew are English
residents ; the former a maternal uncle
to Olivia, — her father, a Venetian
Count, having married Sir Toby's
sister. If this be allowed, and there
is nothing that we can perceive in the
play to prevent it, there is no impro-
priety in dressing the above-named
characters in the Venetian and English
costume of Shakspere's own time, and
the two sea-captains and Sebastian in
the very picturesque habits of ' Chi-
mariot, Illyrian, and dark Suliote.'
Viola might, therefore, by assuming the
national male dress, be more readily
mistaken for her brother, as it is absurd
to suppose that she could otherwise, by
accident, light upon a facsimile of the
suit he appears in ; and any manifest
difference, either in form or colour,
would tend to destroy the illusion."

4. Elysium] Undoubtedly a pun on
" Illyria," to be followed by much
playing on "perchance" in line 5.
Even in The Tempest, Shakespeare's
habit of punning is, as we have re-
marked already (i. i. 16), sometimes

pleasantly, but sometimes also perni-
ciously, apparent.

6. perchaiice] here *' by chance,"
"only by chance," "by a mere or
lucky chance."

8. /<? . . . chance] ' ' that you may
console yourself with what fortune may
have in store for you."

9. split] An expression that occurs
frequently in contemporary narratives
of voyages.

10. those poor number] " Those " may
be due to the plurality implied in " num-
ber "(cf. "these set kind of fools," I.
V. 91) ; or, as Wright suggests, the final
s of " numbers" may have disappeared
before the initial s of the next word.
Possibly as the Captain speaks the
words " those poor numbers," he points
to the sailors who are standing by.

11. drivirtg] drifting, as in Pericles,
III. chorus 50, "So up and down the
poor ship drives."

14. lived] kept afloat ; the only in-
stance of the word used as a nautical
term by Shakespeare.

16. hold acquaintance] as though he
were "in his element," on terms of
easy familiarity with the waves. Cf.
AlVs Well that Ends Well, il. iii,
240.

10

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acti.

Vw. For saying so there 's gold.

Mine own eijicape unfoldeth to my hope,
Whereto thy speech serves for authority,
The Hke of him. Know'st thou this country ? 20

Cap. Ay, madam, well ; for I was bred and born
Not three hours' travel from this very place.

^to. Who governs here?

Cap. A noble duke, in nature as in name.

Vto. What is his name? 25

Cap. Orsino.

Vw. Orsino ! I have heard my father name him :
■fie was a bachelor then.

Cap. And so is now, or was so very late ;

For but a month ago I went from hence, 30

And then 'twas fresh in murmur, (as, you know,

23, 24. IV/io . . . ttafure] one line, various edd. 24. as in name] as in his
name some edd., who thus arrange the four lines of dialogue (23-26) as two
pentameter lines of verse. 28-34. He was . . . she ?] similarly they form
six lines of these seven, ending now . . . month . . . fresh . . . do . . . seek
. . . she?

18-20.] My own escape gives me a
hope (which moreover your words
justify) that my brother has also
escaped. "The like of him" means,
" the same fact with regard to him."

20. country] This need not be con-
verted into an actual trisyllable, any
more than "remembrance" in 1. i. 31
should be pronounced deliberately as a
quadrisyllable ; we should merely dwell
on the second syllable in remem-
brance," and, in this line, on the word
"know'st."

21. bred and born] Either a popular
(especially in the North of Ireland)
or a careless inversion of "born and
bred " ; or Shakespeare, as often else-
where, uses "bred" in the sense of
" begotten."

23-28.] As we have seen above (note
on line i), dialogue often breaks up the
normal metrical arrangement ; of. also
such lines as 34, 45, 63 in this scene.

24. as in name] The Orsini being a
noble Italian fomily. See also Intro-
duction, p. xvii. We may note that
Orsino is styled Count in the greater
part of the play, and once (i. v. 304)
"County" (F "Countes"); but he
is Duke in this scene, and in Scene

iv., and in the stage-directions ; Duke,
moreover, is prefixed to his speeches
throughout. Accordingly Fleay writes :
"I believe this part of the play was
written in 1595 . . . Duke in this play
is synonymous with Count, as it is with
Emperor in the Tivo Gentlemen of
Verona, and with King in Lovers
Labour^s Lost. Shakespeare does not
commit this mistake in plays written
after 1595. If any part of it is of the
earlier date, it was revised and re-
written at the later." But in Hamlet
we have Duke for King (in. ii. 249,
254) ; and in Tittis Andronicus King
and Emperor seem interchanged (ill. i.
150-154), and in other writers of
Shakespeare's time a similar confusion
in titles may sometimes be discovered.

27.] See the Duke's remark in v. 266.
Thus Shakespeare provides a motive
for Viola's interest in Orsino ; but her
feeling is no deeper than interest, and
her inquiries, as Spedding suggests,
have reference only to present neces-
sities and the best means of providing
for them. See also Introduction, p.
xxxviii.

31. fresh in mtirmur] had just begun
to be talked about; "murmur" may

SC. II.]

WHAT YOU WILL

11

-\

What great ones do the less will prattle of),
That he did seek the love of fair Olivia.

""Vio. What 's she ?

Cap. A virtuous maid, the daughter of a count 3 5

That died some twelvemonth since ; then leaving her
In the protection of his son, her brother.
Who shortly also died ; for whose dearjove,
They say, she hath abjur'd the company
And sight of men.

O ! that I serv'd that lady, 40
And might not be deliver'd to the world.
Till I had made mine own occasion mellow.
What my estate is.

That were hard to compass,
Because she will admit no kind of suit,
No, not the duke's. 45

Vw.

Cap.

38. love\ F ; loss Walker, Dyce, and others. 39, 40. the company And

sight] Hanmer ; the sight And company'] F, Ff, and some edd. 42. mellow,]
mellow F, Ff, Rowe, and others.

suggest "with bated breath," but this
is scarcely borne out by ' ' will prattle
of" in the next line.

32. the less] Cf. " Both more and less
have given him the revolt," Macbeth,
V. iv. 12.

34. What V she ?] "What" is an inter-
rogative of wider scope than "who,"
and inquires especially into rank, etc.
Cf. "What is he at the gate, cousin?"
in I. V. 120. For this interjectional
line, see note on 23-28.

38. for whose dear love] This reading
of F is greatly to be preferred to ' ' for
whose dear loss," suggested by Walker
and others ; and we may compare with
"my dear faith" in I. iv. 25. It is
perfect poetry, and means "out of her
exceeding love of him " ; or possibly,
"love strongly affecting her."

39, 40. the company And sight] This
transposition, by Hanmer, of the F
reading (see textual notes) avoids anti-
climax and restores metre, and it has
been accepted by most editors.

41. deliver' cT] discovered (weakened
from legal sense of the word) ; cf.
CoriolafiHS, V. iii. 391, "The sorrow
that delivers us thus charged makes

you think so." Cf. also the entry
"Delivered — unwrapped," Bacon's
Proitms, Fol. 126.

41-43. And might . . . estate is]
And that I need not be discovered to
the world in respect of my real con-
dition, until I had brought to maturity
the proper occasion for revealing my-
self. Here "What my estate is " best
follows "world," and depends on
" delivered," as in the well-known
text (Luke iv. 34), "I know thee, who
thou art — the Holy One of God " (where
the English idiom imitates the Greek).
And in this play we may note "Con-
ceal me what I am " in I. ii. 52, and
" I see you what you are " in i. v. 259.
And we should bear in mind how
frequently some special idiom occurs
more than once in the same play. As
to the figure "mellowing," compare
"delivered upon the mellowing of
occasion," Love's Labour's Lost, iv. ii.
72. " Mellow " in our text is surely a
predicated adjective, though some pre-
fer to regard it as a transitive, others as
an intransitive, verb, and thus alter the
sense entirely.

12 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acti.

Vio. There is a fair behaviour in thee, captain ;

And though that nature with a beauteous wall
Doth oft close in pollution, yet of thee
I will believe thou hast a mind that suits
V' With this thy fair and outward character. 50

Xl prithee, (and I 'II pay thee bounteously,)
Conceal me what I am, and be my aid
For such disguise as haply shall become
The form of my intent. I '11 serve this duke :
Thou shall present me as an eunuch to him: 55

It may be worth thy pains ; for I can sing
And speak to him in many sorts of music
That will allow me very worth his service.
What else may hap, to time I will commit ;
Only shape thou thy silence to my wit. 60

Cap. Be you his eunuch, and your mute I '11 be :

When my tongue blabs, then let mine eyes not see.

Vio. I thank thee : lead me on. [Exeunt.

SCENE III. — A Room in Olivia's House.

Enter SiR ToBY Belch and Maria.

Sir To. What a plague means my niece, to take the
death of her brother thus ? I am sure care 's an
enemy to life.

Mar. By my troth, Sir Toby, you must come in earlier

Olivia's House] Rowe.

46. behaviour] outward appearance, use of the word, cf. " ere I will allow of
as well as manners. thy wits," iv. ii. 60.

47. though that] Abbott, §§ 287, 60. Only shape thou . . . wit]
288. "wit" chiefly tfietri gratid; we may

50. character] Cf. Coriolanus, V. iv. turn, "only let your silence adapt

30' itself to my design."

52. Conceal me what I atn] See note 61. 7)tute] metaphor for silent on-

on 41-41. looker; cf. Henry V. I. ii. 232,

54. The form of my intent] The " Like Turkish mute, shall have a

nature of my purpose. Note the tongueless mouth."

appropriate metaphor in " form."

56, 57. sing And speak] vocal and Scene in.

instrumental, shall we say? "For I. a plague] "a" represents "in,"

"speak" cf. Hamlet, ni. ii. 374, "It " on," or '" of " ; cf. also, "But what

will discourse most excellent music." a God's name doth become of this?"

58. a//<7w;] admit, prove; for another Richard II. 11. i. 251.

sc,

III.] WHAT YOU WILL 13

o' nights : your cousin, my lady, takes great 5
exceptions to your ill hours.

Sir To. Why, let her except, before excepted.

Mar. Ay, but you must confine yourself within the
modest limits of order.

Sir To. Confine! I'll confine myself no finer than I 10
am. These clothes are good enough to drink in,
and so be these boots too : an they be not, let
them hang themselves in their own straps.

Mar. That quaffing and drinking will undo you : I

heard my lady talk of it yesterday ; and of a 15
foolish knight that you brought in one night here
to be her wooer.

Sir To. Who? Sir Andrew Aguecheek?

Mar. Ay, he.

Sir To. He's as tall a man as any's in Illyria. 20

Mar. What 's that to the purpose ?

Sir To. Why, he has three thousand ducats a year.

5. 0' nights'] a nights F, Ff. 7. except, before'] F, except before Hanmer

and others. 12. an they be not] and they be not F, Ff ; Theobald changed to
an, Pope to if. 18. Aguecheek] Ague-cheeke F. 20. any's] F, any Pope.

5. fo«««] Often in Shakespeare used {Epistle Dedicatorie, 1594) "Against

of any degree of relationship except your perfections no tongue can except."

the first ; in this play it seems to stand Cf. also Two Gentlemen of Verona, I.

for " niece " in the present line, and iii. 83.

for "uncle" in l. v. 121 and v. 307. 9. modest] moderate; possibly as in

As to the relationship between Olivia IV. ii. 34.

and Sir Toby, see note on I. ii. 2. 10. confine myself] dress myself; an

7. except, before excepted] Sir Toby intentional perversion of Maria's phrase,

whimsically quotes the legal Latin 12. an] F "and" — and elsewhere

" exceptis excipiendis." "It is the throughout the play. " If " was one of

usual language of leases, ' To have and the older meanings of "and," which

to hold the said demised premises, word was usually printed in full till

etc., with their and every of their about i6cx). The shortened form " an "

rights, members, etc. (except before is Theobald's. See also note on II. v.

excepted),'" Malone. Bulloch's sug- 139.

gested reading, "let her except — before 20. talF] "There is scarcely a writer
th' excepted," i.e. " let her say so, and of Jonson's age who does not frequently
to myself, not to you, a servant," has use tall in the sense of bold 01 courage-
little to sustain it ; legal quibbling was ous," Gifford.

dear to the dramatist (Introduction, p. 22. ducats] coins of silver or gold, of

XXV, footnote 4), and we have many varying value. Cotgrave says " they

examples in this play. Maria's " Ay" hold a rate much about v, or vjs, sterl.

must seem to interpret the legal phrase, the peece " ; and in England they were

and to give no sanction to Bulloch's con- worth about 6s. 8d. They were so

jecture. Nor is Maria an ordinary ser- called because first coined (in silver) in

vant; cf. Rowe's" Confident to Olivia" the duchy (Low Lat. ducatus, Ital.

(list of Dramatis Personce). Nash has ducato) of Apulia in 1140, by Roger II.

14 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act i.

Mar. Ay, but he '11 have but a year in all these
ducats : he 's a very fool and a prodigal.

Sir To. Fie, that you '11 say so ! he plays o' the viol- 2 5
de-gamboys, and speaks three or four languages
word for word without book, and hath all the
good gifts of nature.

Mar. He hath indeed, almost natural ; for besides that

he's a fool, he's a great quarreller ; and but that 30
he hath the gift of a coward to allay the gust
he hath in quarrelling, 'tis thought among the
prudent he would quickly have the gift of a
grave.

Sir To. By this hand, they are scoundrels and sub- 3 5
stractors that say so of him. Who are they ?

Mar. They that add, moreover, he 's drunk nightly
in your company.

Sir To. With drinking healths to my niece. I '11

drink to her as long as there is a passage in my 40
throat and drink in Illyria. He 's a coward and

25, 26. viol-de-gamboys] Viol-de-gamboys F, viol-de-gavtbo many edd. 29.
indeed, almost'X as in F, indeed, — all most some edd. 35, 36. substractors

as in F, subtractors Theobald and others.

of Sicily (" monetam suam introduxit, Odysseys without book." See also II.

unam vero, cui Ducatus nomen im- iii. 153.

posuit," Falcone de Benevento). A 29. almost natttral] Each of these

gold coin struck at Venice in 1284 bore words has a double meaning : (i.) Yes,

the legend, " Sit tibi Christe datus he has all, most naturally, for (ii.) he

quern tu regis iste ducatus." is near enough to a born idiot. To use

23, 24. ke'll . . . ducats'] Probably a word such as " almost," equivocally,

•' He will spend his whole fortune in a is quite Shakespeare (cf. "withal,"

year"; but the word-play gives us no Tempest, iii. i. 93 ; and for the play on

very clear view of the sense intended. "natural" see also my note in The

25, 26. viol-de-gamboys] bass-viol, or Tempest (ill. ii. 37). It is not neces-
violoncello. " Viola di Gamba, or sary, as some editors have done, to
VioU dc Gamba, because men hold it change the F reading " indeed, almost"
betweene or vpon their legges," Florio, to " indeed, — all most," though some-
Italian Diet. The Italian was angli- thing might be urged in favour of the
cised viol de gambo (see textual notes), reading " indeed all, most."
as in Marston's yJ/a/fw/Ze";/^ (1604), In- 31. allay the gust] modify the de-
duction, 20-24; and Sir Toby varies light; cf. "not a drop of allaying
the term to suit his humour. Tiber in't," Coriolanus, 11. i. 53.

27. without book] A common expres- 33) 34- gift of a grave] Possibly, "as

sion of the day for "by heart." Mr. allotted to paupers, at the expense of

Craig compares " the without-book the parish."

prologue," Ko»ieo and Juliet, i. iv. 7; 35, 36. substractors] It is likely that

also Burton, Anatomy of Melancholy, some point is given to Sir Toby's

" Niceratus in Xenophon was made by perversion of "detractors," by the

his parents to con Homer's Iliads and emphatic "add" in Maria's rejoinder.

SC. III.]

WHAT YOU WILL

15

a coystril that will not drink to my niece till his
brains turn o' the toe like a parish-top. What,
wench ! Castiliano vulgo ! for here comes Sir

Andrew Agueface.

45

Enter SiR Andrew Aguecheek.

Sir And. Sir Toby Belch ! how now, Sir Toby Belch !

Sir To. Sweet Sir Andrew !

Sir And. Bless you, fair shrew.

Mar. And you too, sir.

Sir To. Accost, Sir Andrew, accost. 50

Sir And. What 's that ?

42. coysiril\ Coystrill F, Kestrel Hanmer, coistrel Dyce. 44. vulgo] F, volto
Hanmer and others, volgo Johnson. 45. Aguefacel F, Ague-cheek Theobald, etc.

42, coysiril'l This word appears to
have a double origin ; the kestrel or
coistrel, an inferior kind of hawk, was
allotted to the knave or servant, and
eventually a knave was known as a
" coystrill." But the word alHed itself
also to the French coustillier and the
kindred Old English quistron (Scotch
custron). Cojcslillier stood for a soldier
armed with a cousiil/e, and qtiistron or
coistron (L. Latin cocistrdneni) meant
a scullion or vagabond. Mr. Craig
quotes examples from Dodsley : "But
hopes the coystrel to escape me so"
{Soliman and Perseda) ; " Now, sire,
the coistrel makes xa^%vi\\\e.^'' {Contention
between Liberality and Prodigality).

43. o'' the toe] Probably "on the."
Craig quotes Chapman and Shirley,
The Ball, iv. i. , "A merry touch, a
trick, a turn upon the toe."

43. parish-top] According to Steevens,
" A large top was formerly kept in every
village, to be whipped in frosty weather,
that the peasants might be kept warm
by exercise, and out of mischief while
they could not work." Craig quotes
Chapman and Shirley, The Ball, iv.
i., "Thou art the town -top, etc.";
also cf. Ben Jonson, The Neiv Inn (acted
1630), II. ii., "A merry Greek, and
cants in Latin comely. Spins like the
parish top " ; quoted by Nares, who
adds, ' ' Evelyn, speaking of the uses
of willow wood, among other things
made of it, mentions 'great town-
topps,'" Silva, Book i. xx. 28.

44. Castiliano vulgo] Probably some

drinking phrase of the day, meaning
possibly "base Spaniard." Some suggest
"volto "for "vulgo," and explain "put
on your Castilian countenance," i.e. a
solemn face, and this may be borne out
by "Agueface" in the context. Cf.
" Ha ! my Castilian dialogues," The
Alej-ry Devil of Edmotiton {c. 1608),
p. 226, ed. Hazlitt-Dodsley ; also "And
Rivowill he cry and Castile too" {\x\.Look
About You, 1600, Scene xxxiii., ed.
Hazlitt-Dodsley); also "Hey, Rivo
Castiliano ! a man 's a man," Marlowe,
Jew of Malta {c. 1589), Act iv. p. 325,
ed. Dyce. See Appendix, p. 180.

48. i-//r£w] pronounced "shrow." The
term seems to imply some shrinking
back on the part of Maria, which may
be borne out by the latter portion of
Sir Toby's speech (lines 42-45), and by
her previous sketch of Sir Andrew.

50. Accost] According to Halliwell,
as quoted by Furness, " One of the
fashionable terms of courtship in Shake-
speare's time." Thus, in Sir Gyles
Goosecappe, 1606 : " tooke time . . .
to shew my courtship In the quarter
legge, and setled looke, The quicke
kisse of the top of the forefinger, And
other such exploytes of good Accost "
(iv. ii. p. 64, ed. Bullen). The special
meaning of the word (cf. " bear up and
board 'em," The Tempest, iii. ii. 3) is
given by the poet himself in lines 57,
58, below. lie uses the term only in
this instance, and Sir Andrew's blunder
need not be condemned as gross beyond
all possibility.

16 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act i.

Sir To. My niece's chambermaid.

Sir And. Good Mistress Accost, I desire better

acquaintance.
Mar. My name is Mary, sir. 55

Sir And. Good Mistress Mary Accost, —
Sir To. You mistake, knight : " accost " is front her,

board her, woo her, assail her.
Sir And. By my troth, I would not undertake her in

this company. Is that the meaning of " accost" ? 60
Mar. Fare you well, gentlemen.
Sir To. An thou let part so. Sir Andrew, would thou

might'st never draw sword again !
Sir And. An you part so, mistress, I would I might

never draw sword again. Fair lady, do you 65

think you have fools in hand?
Mar. Sir, I have not you by the hand.
Sir And. Marry, but you shall have; and here's my

hand.
Mar. Now, sir, "thought is free": I pray you, bring 70

your hand to the buttery-bar and let it drink.

53. Mistress Mary Accost] Theobald, etc. ; viistris Mary, accost F. 70.
L..^ ' ' thought is free " ; ] thought is free : F.

52. chambermaid^ Maria is rather man's ed., 1874, p. 98; possibly also
" my gentlewoman " (l. V. 168) than an the refrain of a song, and found as
ordinary servant. See also note on I. early as Gower. Here it echoes Sir
iii. 7. Andrew's "do you think," in line 65.

53, 54. / desire better ac(]uaintauce'\ Cf. Lyly, Eiiphues (ed. Arber, p. 281),
This reminds us in more ways than quoted by Holt White, "No, quoth
one of Bottom's "Good Master Pease- she, I believe you, for none can judge
blossom, I shall desire you of more of wit, but they that have it. Why
acquaintance," Midsummer - Night's then, quoth he, doest thou thinke me a
Dream, III. i. 185. Nor need we sup- foole. Thought is free my Lord quoth
pose with Walker that the F omission she, I wil not take you at your word."
of a stop after "acquaintance" implied 70, 71. britig . . . drink] "The
that the sentence was incomplete ; the 'bringing the hand to the buttery-bar and
omission is doubtless a typographical letting it drink ' is a proverbial phrase
oversight. among forward Abigails, to ask at once

58. board] Often used by Shake- for a kiss and a present," Kenrick.

speare in the sense of paying address 71. buttery-bar] Old French boterie,

to women ; and cf. note on line 50. shortened from bouteillerie (M.E. bote-

62. let part] Although the third and lerie), L. Lat. botaria, formed on bota,

fourth Folios read " let her part," this a variant o{ butta, cask, bottle. Its

omission of the pronoun is more ap- general sense of storeroom for provisions

propriate to Sir Toby's familiarity of may be partly due to its association

speech. with butter. The buttery-bar is a ledge

70. "thought is free"] Cf. The on the top of the half door of the

Tempest, ni. ii. 132. One of the pro- buttery-hatch, on which to rest tankards,

verbs in Hey wood (1546), see J. Shar- etc.

SC. III.]

WHAT YOU WILL

17

Sir And. Wherefore, sweetheart ? what 's your meta-
phor ?

Mar. It 's dry, sir.

Sir And. Why, I think so: I am not such an ass but 75
I can keep my hand dry. But what 's your jest ?

Mar. A dry jest, sir.

Sir And. Are you full of them ?

Mar. Ay, sir, I have them at my fingers' ends : marry,

now I let go your hand, I am barren. \_Exit. 80

Sir To. O knight ! thou lackest a cup of canary : when
did I see thee so put down ?

Sir And. Never in your life, I think ; unless you see
canary put me down. Methinks sometimes I
have no more wit than a Christian or an ordinary 8 5
man has : but I am a great eater of beef, and I
believe that does harm to my wit.

Sir To. No question.

Sir And. An I thought that, I 'd forswear it, I '11

ride home to-morrow. Sir Toby, 90

83. see] F, saw Dyce. 84. put me] F ; p^ei Ff, Rowe.

74. // 's dry, st'r] " dry " probably in
two senses, with avarice and \vith age
or debility, a " moist hand being a sign
of liberality as well in matters of love
as money," Kenrick. See Othello,
III. iv. 39, and Much Ado About
Nothing, n. i. 123 ; also 2 Henry IV.
I. ii. 203, 204, and Venus and Adonis,
143, 144, and 25, 26.

76. / can keep my haiid dry] To be
taken very literally, and thus be made
to serve as a contrast between Maria's
smartness and Sir Andrew's obtuse-
ness.

77. A dry jest] " dry," i.e. "dull," as
in I. V. 41, "go to, you 're a dry fool."
So also in Love's Labour 'j Lost, v. ii.
373, "This jest is dry to me."

79. at my fingers' ends] in two senses,
(i) " I am always ready with a jest,"
(2) " I hold you by the hand." Possibly
Maria raises Sir Andrew's hand as she
speaks, and lets it drop from "her
fingers' ends."

82. put down] The play here and in
line 84 is obvious, being (i) humiliated,
(2) rendered incapable.

84. canary] A wine from the Canary

Islands, sometimes known as Canary
sack. The word was occasionally used
in the plural. Murray's Dictionary
gives as its earliest reference 2 Henry
IV. II. iv. 29, " I' faith, you have drunk
too much canaries." The F spelling
in our text is "canarie."

86. a great eater of beef] From early
times the English have been twitted
with both the coarseness and the
quantity of their food, which was sup-
posed, moreover, to render their wits
heavy; this we discover in ^^zry V. III.
vii. 142 sqq., and again in vii. 158,
sqq. Cf. also "Thou mongrel beef-
witted lord," Troilus ajid Cressida,
II. i. 14. Many writers besides
Shakespeare speak of the supposed
effects produced by beef diet ; e.g.
' ' As for the Quailes you promise me,
I can be content with beefe, and for
the questions they must be easie, els
shall I not aunswere them, for my ink
will shew with what grosse diet I have
been brought vp," Lyly's Eiiphues
and his England, 1580 [p. 400, ed.
Arber]. Cf. also Gnimio's remarks in
The Tamitig of the Shrew, iv. iii.

18 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acti.

Sir To. Pourquoiy my dear knight?

Sir And. What is ''pourquoi"} do or not do? I
would I had bestowed that time in the tongues
that I have in fencing, dancing, and bear-baiting.

0 ! had I but followed the arts ! 95
Sir To. Then hadst thou had an excellent head of

hair.
Sir And. Why, would that have mended my hair?
Sir To. Past question ; for thou seest it will not curl

by nature. 100

Sir And. But it becomes me well enough, does 't

not?
Sir To. Excellent ; it hangs like flax on a distaff, and

1 hope to see a housewife take thee between her
legs, and spin it off. 105

Sir And. Faith, I'll home to-morrow, Sir Toby: your
niece will not be seen ; or if she be, it 's four to
one she '11 none of me. The count himself here
hard by woes her.

Sir To. She '11 none o' the count ; she '11 not match 1 1 o
above her degree, neither in estate, years, nor
wit ; I have heard her swear it. Tut, there 's
life in 't, man.

Sir And. I'll stay a month longer. I am a fellow

o' the strangest mind i' the world ; I delight in 115
masques and revels sometimes altogether.

Sir To. Art thou good at these kickshawses, knight?

91. Pourquoi,] Pur-quoy F. 92. "pourquoi"] purquoy? F. 99, 100.

ctirl by nature'] Theobald, etc.; cook fuy nature Y. 117. kickshaw5es\

kickechawses F.

93. /ow^'^^j] " tongues " and " tongs " 95. arts] note also its antithesis

were then pronounced alike, and "nature" in line 100.

"tongues" was sometimes spelt 106. /'// //^w£] Abbott, § 405.

"tonges" and "tongs." Sir Toby 108. sheUl none of me] "none" is

puns upon "tongues" and "curling- equivalent to "nothing"; see also

tongs," as the context makes evident. Abbott, § 405.

Cf. The Two Gentlemen of Verona, IV. Ill, 112. there'' s life in' t] Cf. King

i. 33. Lear, iv. vi. 206, and Antony and Cleo-

"^i,. followed the arts] is almost a patra, in. \m. 1^2. As we say, " while
paraphrase of "bestowed that time in there is life there is hope."
the tongues," and therefore leads up to 117. kickshawses] a plural of "kick-
Sir Toby's jest, "had you passed all shaws," as " gallowses" was sometimes
that time in the (curling) tongs," etc. of "gallows." "Kickshaws" (the well-

SC. III.]

WHAT YOU WILL

19

Sir And. As any man in Illyria, whatsoever he be,
under the degree of my betters : and yet I will
not compare with an old man. 120

Sir To. What is thy excellence in a galliard, knight ?

Sir And. Faith, I can cut a caper.

Sir To. And I can cut the mutton to 't.

Sir And. And I think I have the back-trick simply

as strong as any man in Illyria. 125

Sir To. Wherefore are these things hid ? wherefore
have these gifts a curtain before 'em ? are they

125.] After this speech of Sir Andrew, some edd. insert " Dances fantastically."

known corruption of the Fr. "quelque
chose") means a trifle, delicacy, fanci-
ful dish. Cf. 2 Henry IV. V. i. 28,
"a joint of mutton, and any pretty
little tiny kickshaws."

120. an old man'] This F reading
seems incapable of any satisfactory ex-
planation ; it may be that Sir Andrew
deprecates comparison with his betters
on the one hand, and with decrepit age
on the other ; or that "old " may mean
a practised hand, an expert, and an
expert in masques and revels may in-
clude an expert in dancing ; or it may
be a left-handed compliment to Sir
Toby, who was the senior of Sir
Andrew ; or the compariston may be
intentionally pointless — as pointless as
Sir Andrew himself. Another reading
suggested by Theobald was "a noble-
man," which bears out "the degree of
my betters," and may refer to Count
Orsino ; but the emendation requires
further warrant.

121.] Mason would punctuate, ' ' What
is thy excellence? in a galliard, knight?"

121. galliard] A quick and lively
dance in triple time "with lofty turnes
and caprioles in the ayre" (Sir John
Davies, Orchestra, st. 68) ; cf. the
"nimble galliard" of Henry V. I. ii.
252. The word is represented in all
the Romance languages (Fr. gaillard),
but its origin is unknown. The galliard
was also known originally as the
' ' cinque pace " ; and Naylor, on the
authority of Praetorius, says that "a
galliard \\a.sjive steps, and is therefore
called Cinque Pas.' See also note on
V. i. 36 for another reference to the
"galliard"; also "Dance out your
galliard" {Death of Robert — Earl of

Huntingdon, 1601), and "the nimble
galliardes of the water" (Dekker's
The Bellman of London, 1608) ; also
cf. the following from Rye's England
as seen by Foreigners, etc., "After a
little while the Prince [Henrj-, a. D. 1604]
was commanded by his parents to dance
a galliard, and they pointed out to him
the lady who was to be his partner ;
and this he did with much sprightliness
and modesty, cutting several capers in
the course of the dance. . . , After
this a brando was danced, and that
being over the prince stood up to dance
a correnta, which he did very grace-
fully."

122. cut a caper] See notes on lines
121 and 124.

123. to''t] that is, to the caper sauce.
Hudson discovers a double pun here,
' ' mutton " being sometimes the slang
terra for a woman of doubtful character ;
he therefore interprets, ' ' If you can do
the man's part in a galliard, I can do
the woman's."

124. the back-trick] "a caper back-
wards in dancing," Schmidt. Prob-
ably some quick return upon the five
steps (see note on line 121) of the
galliard, which would bring the dancers
to their original position. This may
possibly be referred to in the following
passage quoted by Deighton, which
also includes the "cut a caper" of line
122: "I fetcht me two or three fine
capers aloft, and took my leave of them
as men do of their mistresses at the
ending of a galliard," Heywood, An
Humorous Day's Mirth, 1599.

127. curtain] Two quotations will
serve to show the two possible bearings
of this word. In Webster's The White

20

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acti.

like to take dust, like Mistress Mall's picture?
why dost thou not go to church in a galliard,
and come home in a coranto? My very walk 130
should be a jig : I would not so much as make

128. Mistress Malts picture ?'\ mistris Mais picture ? F.
Carranto ? F.

130. coranto?']

Devil, 1612, we ha%'e, " I yet but draw
the curtain ; now to your picture " ;
and in Troilus atid Cressida, in. ii. 49,
"Come, draw this curtain, and let's
see your picture," where the reference
is to a woman's face. The practice of
protecting pictures from dust by a cur-
tain is attested by many other passages
in contemporary literature ; in this
play, for example, see I. v. 242. We
may also cf. the entry in Bacon's
Promus, Fol. 98, " To stir his corte}Ties,
to raise his wyttes and spirits."

128. Mistress MalFs picture?] (mis-
tris Mais picture ? F). Here we have
to choose from two or three possible
interpretations — (i) the picture of a
woman of low rank, e.g. a kitchen-
wench, which would be unprotected by
a curtain, and therefore dusty, and
hung, moreover, in some dusty chamber ;
(2) that the reference is to Mary Frith,
a character otherwise known as Moll
Cutpurse, who is said to have been
born in 1584 ; although her adventures
would entitle her to such mention as
this in the text, she must be disqualified
by her tender age, i.e. if we may judge
from the supposed date of her birth,
and the supposed date of Twelfth
Night. But, respecting this difficulty,
see note on in. ii. 48, and Introduction,
pp. xxii, xxiii. (3) The reference may
be to some other notorious Moll of the
day ; (4) and just possibly to the picture
of Maria herself; cf. "Good mistress
Mary" above, I. iii. 56 ; or again
below, I. v. II, "good mistress Mary."
After such explanation, we are still left
in doubt as to why Mistress Mall's
picture, more than any other, should
have taken dust ; nor is the doubt re-
moved by Nicholson's reference to
Webster and Marston's Malcontent,
V. i., where the exposed and uncared-
for pictures of a certain courtesan were
somewhat dust-covered as compared
with the other specimens of each por-
trait painter's art.

130. coranto] F Carranto; literally,

a running (dance). This is another
quick, lively dance ; cf. Henry V. in. v.
33, " lavoltas high, and swift corantos."
Cf. also, " Now the masquers begun
their lighter dances as corantoes, leval-
tas," Thomas Campion (ed. Bullen, p.
169), quoted by W. J. Craig, who also
compares "The knights take them
ladies to dance with their galliards,
durets, corantos," Beaumont, A
Masque of the Inner Temple. Mar-
ston, The Fawn (1606), 11. i. 400,
speaks of "running a caranto, leaping a
levalto or lavolta" (Deighton). Cf. also,
"The Earl of Southampton was now
again the Queen's partner, and they
went through the correnta likewise.
Hereupon the ball ended" [a.d. 1604 ;
from Rye's England as seen by
Foreigners; see note on line 121].
"The old English name was 'current
traverse,' and Morley (1597) speaks of
the Courant step as ' travising and
running,' which would appear to con-
nect the Italian word coranta with
curro. Sir John Davies (i 570-1626),
in his poem Orchestra, identifies
Rounds, Corantos, Measures, and some
other dances with Country Dances.
That is, whatever the rhythm or speed
of the actual time used, these variously
named Country Dances could be per-
formed to it. Sir Roger de Coverly,
our typical English Countrj' Dance, is
\nform almost the same as the Brawl,
Coranto, Galliard, or Measure. A
Courant by Frescobaldi (1591-1640) is
in triple time. As for its 'step,' Davies
says it is 'on a triple dactile foot,'
' close to the ground with sliding
passages'" (Naylor, p. 122). Aided
by the context Furness judges that
the coranto, a faster dance than the
galliard, is to be performed on the
journey back from church to dinner,
while the jig (line 131), being Sir
Andrew's week-day gait, would be
faster still. Another form of the word
is ccnirante.

131. jig] from Giga ( Geigc), a sort of

sc. in.]

WHAT YOU WILL

21

water but in a sink-a-pace. What dost thou
mean ? Is it a world to hide virtues in ? I did
think, by the excellent constitution of thy leg, it
was formed under the star of a galliard. 135

Sir And. Ay, 'tis strong, and it does indifferent well
in a flame-coloured stock. Shall we set about
some revels ?

Sir To. What shall we do else ? were we not born

under Taurus ? 140

Sir And. Taurus! that's sides and heart.

Sir To. No, sir, it is legs and thighs. Let me see
thee caper. Ha ! higher : ha, ha ! excellent !

[^Exeunt.

132. sink-a-pace] Sinke-a-pace F, cinque-pace Hanmer. 134. think'] F, not
think Rowe. \y]. flame- coloured] Rowe, etc.; darned colour' d F; among

other emendations proposed are daiiiask -coloured Knight ; also damson-colour' d,
dove-coloured, paned-coloured, claret-coloured ; stock] stocke F ; slacken F 3) 4 5
stocking Pope ; set] Rowe, sit F.

fiddle in use during the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries. The oldest jigs
are Scottish, and were round dances
for a number of people. Both the jig
and the sink-a-pace (next note) occur in
the following from Much Ado about
Nothing, II. i. 77, etc.: "Wooing,
wedding, and repenting, is as a Scotch
jig, a measure, and a cinque-pace ; the
first suit is hot and hasty, like a Scotch
jig, and full as fantastical ; the wedding,
mannerly-modest, as a measure, full
of state and ancientry ; and then comes
repentance, and, with his bad legs,
falls into the cinque-pace faster and
faster, till he sink into his grave." For
" measure," see v. i. 37.

132. sink-a-pace] See textual notes.
A dance, the steps of which were
regulated by the number five (Nares).
See former note, and note on "galliard,"
line 118. In Bacon's Promus, Fol. 126,
we have "A good crosse poynt, but
woorst cinq a pase " ; and we may com-
pare Every Woman in her Humour
(Bullen, Old Plays, iv. 378), "let pipes
strike up He daunce my cinque pace " ;
2X1,0 Hamlet {Ql, 1603), " his cinkapace
of jeasts."

135. under the star of a galliard]
For the influence of the stars on mortal
destinies at birth, and on men's disposi-
tions and character, cf. Ahich Ado
about Nothing, ii. i. 349, "there was
a star danced, and under that was
I born."

137. flame-colotired] This is Rowe's
emendation of the F "dam'd coloured."
For others see textual notes. " Flame-
coloured" occurs also in 1 Henry IV.
I. ii. II ; this would be bright yellow,
such as were Malvolio's far-famed
stocks. Mr. Craig quotes Thomas
Campion (ed. Bullen, p. 199), "All
their attires being alike composed of
flames." (For "stock," cf. "a linen
stock on one leg," Tami^ig of the Shrew,
III. ii. 67.) Next among readings to
' ' flame-coloured " might stand ' 'damask-
coloured," but possibly Sir Andrew
would wish to be taken literally.

141. Taurus I that' s sides and heart]
According to the old medical astrology,
Taurus governed the neck and throat ;
but no doubt Shakespeare, of set pur-
pose, makes both Sir Toby and Sir
Andrew blunder grotesquely.

22 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act i.

SCENE IV. — A Room in the Duke's Palace.

Enter VALENTINE, and ViOLA in man's attire.

Val. If the duke continue these favours towards you,
Cesario, you are like to be much advanced : he
hath known you but three days, and already you
are no stranger.

Vio. You either fear his humour, or my negligence, 5
that you call in question the continuance of his
love. Is he inconstant, sir, in his favours ?

Val. No, believe me.

Vio. I thank you. Here comes the count.

Enter DuKE, CURIO, and Attendants.

Duke. Who saw Cesario, ho ? i O

Vio. On your attendance, my lord ; here.

Duke. Stand you awhile aloof. Cesario,

Thou know'st no less but all ; I have unclasp'd

To thee the book even of my secret soul :

Therefore, good youth, address thy gait unto her ; i 5

Be not denied access, stand at her doors.

And tell them, there thy fixed foot shall grow

II. iny lord ; here."] here, my Lord K. Elze ; my Lord hecre. F. 15. gaiti
gate F.

2. w«r/4 ac/z^awr^rt'J rapidly promoted. Othello, i. i. 125, where the F punctu-

3. three days'] For this time-reference, ates as in this instance.

see Introduction, pp. xxxii, xxxiii. 13, 14. nticlasfd To thee the book'\

5. humoia-'] Shakespeare uses the This is one of the many metaphors in

word in three senses — ( i ) disposition or Shakespeare that recur often, but mostly

character generally ; (2) some special with some subtle modification. Cf.

mood of the former ; (3) caprice, 1 Henry IV. I. iii. iSS, and Troilus

changeableness. Here it is not easy to and Cressida, iv. vi. 60.

decide between the first and the third 16. access] with accent on the second

of the above meanings ; again, possibly syllable. For some time longer, and

(as so often) the writer is intentionally especially in verse, words often retained

equivocal. See note on 11. iv. 110-115. their French (which was mostly also

II. your] upon you ; at this time the their Latin) stress of accent,

genitive case of the pronoun was not 17. yfjr^rt'/oc/] Compare "he'll stand

completely differentiated into a demon- at your door like a sheriff's post," in

strative adjective. i. v. 153, or " Make me a willow

\2. you] addressing the "Attend- cabin at your gate," in l. v. 277. And

ants." for the expression Craig compares, " fix

13. no less but] the F punctuation, thy foot," Coriolanus, I. viii. 4, and

"no less, but," reveals some of the " Here we fix our foot," T. Ileywood, i^

history of this use of "but"; cf. jw^Xv/^if «<7/wif, Works, Pearson, i. 337.

SC. IV.]

WHAT YOU WILL

23

Till thou have audience.

Vw. Sure, my noble lord,

If she be so abandon'd to her sorrow-
As it is spoke, she never will admit me. 20

Duke. Be clamorous, and leap all civil bounds,
Rather than make unprofited return.

Vio. Say I do speak with her, my lord, what then ?

Duke. . O ! then unfold the passion of my love ;

Surprise her with discourse of my dear faith : 25

It shall become thee well to act my woes ;
She will attend it better in thy youth
Than in a nuncio's of more grave aspect.

Vio. I think not so, my lord.

Duke. Dear lad, believe it ;

For they shall yet belie thy happy years 30

That say thou art a man : Diana's lip

Is not more smooth and rubious ; thy small pipe

28. nuncio' si Niintio's F, F 2, 3 ; Nuncio's F 4, etc. ; nuntio Capell ; mmcio
Theobald, etc.

20. spoke] said, reported ; as in
Macbeth, iv. iii. 159, "And, 'tis spoken,
To the succeeding royalty he leaves The
healing benediction." Here we note
that the form used by the poet is
"spoken." Such particulars as this
use of a verb without a preposition
("spoken" for "spoken of"), and the
varying form of the past participle,
belong to those items of information
mentioned in the Introduction (p. xix)
as being necessary to a full apprecia-
tion ; and the reader should consult
Abbott's Shakespearian Grammar —
sections 200 and 343 in this instance.
To this book, and to such grammatical
points, only an occasional reference can
be made in these notes.

21. civil botmds'] i.e. bounds of
civility, courtesy, good manners. Here
again a special treatise like Abbott's
may be consulted (§ 6, etc. ). For this
extended force of the adjective we may
cf. "civil blows," i.e. "blows dealt in
civil strife" {2 Henry IV. iv. v. 134).
In such cases — and they are frequent
in Shakespeare — the epithet is a con-
densed phrase or clause.

22. u7iprofited\ Another example of
the foregoing use of the epithet, com-
bined, however, with a freedom in the

use of a suffix, especially the participle,
which is characteristic of this age of
experiment in language. See notes on
I. V. 281, II. i. 10, and III. iv. 376.

25. i/^rtr yazV/i] Yet another example
akin to the two preceding ones ; cf.
"dear love" in i. ii. 38, and the note
thereon. In this instance "dear" has
the force of " which is devoted to her."

27. attend] pay attention to. " In
some cases the derivation may explain
the transitive use," Abbott, §200.

28. «?<«rw'j] that of a messenger. See
also, textual notes. Delius would read
' 'Nun tius, " and compares F ' 'Antonio's "
for "Antonius";andMr. Craig gives me
for reference "Heaven's own Nuncius,"
Drj'den, The Hind and the Panther,
Part II. Hne 662.

28. aspect] with accent on second
syllable, as always in Shakespeare.
See also note on line 16, above.

30. yet] for a long time to come.

31. a man] i.e. arrived at manhood ;
but the ordinary sense of the word gives
it a fine dramatic irony.

32. rubious] ruddy, red as a ruby ;
the only instance in Shakespeare, who
has perhaps coined the word. Cf. also
"rubied," Pericles, v. Prologue 8.

32. small pipe] ' ' pipe " is yet another

24 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act i.

Is as the maiden's organ, shrill and sound,
And all is semblative a woman's part.
I know thy constellation is right apt 35

For this affair. Some four or five attend him ;
All, if you will ; for I myself am best
When least in company. Prosper well in this.
And thou shalt live as freely as thy lord,
To call his fortunes thine.
Vio. I '11 do my best 40

To woo your lady. [Aside.] Yet, a barful strife !
Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife. [Exeunt.

SCENE V. — A Room in Olivia's House.

Enter Maria and Clown.

Mai'. Nay, either tell me where thou hast been, or
I will not open my lips so wide as a bristle may

33. and sound] F, in sound Dyce and others, of sotitid Hudson conj. 34.

semblative a] F, semblative — a Johnson, semblative to a Keighlley.

word with a double meaning — (i) adjective and adverb in Shakespeare

throat, (2) voice; each of these is re- is well worthy of remark; here "as

presented in the following passage : — freely" qualifies "to call." Some-

" My throat of war be turn'd, times these parts of speech are inter-

Which quired with my drum, into changed as well as transferred, as in

a pipe, "Where we, in all her trim, freshly

Small as an eunuch, or the virgin beheld Our royal, good, and gallant

voice ship," The Tempest, v. 236.
That babies lulls asleep ! " 41. a barful strife] a strife full of

Coriolanus, in. ii. 114. bars or impediments.

33. and sound] as in F ; some would 42. Whoe'er] The poet, as often,
read " in sound "; your voice is a young dashes down his sentence before he
boy's treble, still pure in tone, yet you has got any clear grammatical view of
are certainly past the age at which it it (but see Abbott, § 274).

naturally breaks— or cracks. 42. Exeunt] " I have little doubt

34. And all . . . part] "you are that the first Act was meant to end
altogether like a woman " ; but probably with the fourth scene," Spedding. See
with a further reference to the fact that Appendix III.

in those days boys played the parts of

women on the stage ; cf. "Our youth Scene V.

got me to play the woman's part," Two

(Sentlemen of Verona, ly. \\. 16$. i. Clown] For "Jester," "Fool,"

34. semblative] like " rubious" (line "Clown," see notes on i. v. 87, 97,
32), a word apparently from Shake- and iii. i. 6, 64. Douce says that
speare'smint. It means " resembling," Feste is "a domestic or hired fool, in
*' like." the service of Olivia." See also Intro-

35. thy constellation] See note on duction, p. xxxviii.

I. iii. 141. I. where thou hast been] Possibly at

39. as freely] The transference of Orsino's house ; cf. il. iv. 11-13.

sc. v.]

WHAT YOU WILL

25

enter in way of thy excuse. My lady will hang

thee for thy absence.
Clo. Let her hang me : he that is well hanged in this

world needs to fear no colours.
Mar. Make that good.
Clo. He shall see none to fear.
Mar. A good lenten answer : I can tell thee where

that saying was born, of " I fear no colours."
Clo. Where, good Mistress Mary ?
Mar. In the wars ; and that may you be bold to say

in your foolery.
Clo. Well, God give them wisdom that have it ; and

those that are fools, let them use their talents.
Mar. Yet you will be hanged for being so long

10

15

6. colours'] F, collars some edd.
14. it'] F, it not Gould.

9. lenten] Rowe's emendation, lenton F.

3. in way of] Cf. Hamlet, I. iii. 95,
"And that in way of caution" {i.e.
"byway of").

3. exctise] to Olivia.

3, 4. hang thee] Hardly to be taken
literally, though time and place are
uncertain. Maria is at least as much
in jest as in earnest.

6. colours] Maria tells us that the
phrase ' ' I fear no colours " was born
in the wars ; it seems to include a pun
upon "collars," as in 2 Hetiry IV. v.
iv. 91. Mr. Craig quotes Yarrington,
Two Tragedies in One (Bullen, Old
Plays, iv. p. 28), " Feare dastards,
cowards, faint hart runawayes ! I '11
feare no colours to obteyne my will " ;
also Nash, Foure Letters Confuted (ed.
Grosart, ii. 210), " Helter skelter, fear
no colours, course him, trounce him."
Mr. Craig tells me the phrase is still
common in the glens of Antrim, and
means " to be bold," ' ' to fear nothing."
Murray quotes it from Have with you
to Saffron IValden, by Nash, 1596,
"And then pell mell, all alone have
amongst them, if there were ten
thousand of them. Carneades. Faith
well said, I perceiue thou fearst no
colours." Probably, therefore, the
phrase was at first a military expression,
and meant, to fear no enemy, but why
Maria should take the trouble to track
the phrase to its origin is not clear ;
for there is no point in the words that

follow "In the wars," viz. "and that
may you be bold to say in your foolery " ;
they almost seem to confess that the
explanation which precedes them is
dramatically gratuitous.

9. lenten] "lenton" in F; spare,
scanty, meagre ; from the meagre fare
of Catholics during Lent. Cf. Hamlet,
II. ii. 329, " if you delight not in man,
what lenten entertainment the players
shall receive from you."

10. of] Used to make clearer the
connection between words and phrases
in apposition. "Cf. Coriolanus, II. i.
32, ' a very little thief of occasion,'
where occasion is the thief," Wright.

14, 15.] Though some of Shake-
speare's deepest thoughts are concealed
in the fantastic language of his fools,
there are yet instances wherein we
should be content with an impression
rather than seek for any definite mean-
ing ; and it may be thus, partly at least,
with these three lines. Nares explains,
"Heaven give real wisdom to those
that are called wise, and a discreet use
of their talents to fools or jesters."
Halliwell suggests a quibble on
"talents" and "talons" (cf. Love's
Labour's Lost, iv. ii. 65). Deighton
discovers the passage to be " the
Clown's inversion of 'Well, God give
them wisdom that have none ; and
those that are wise, let them use their
talents.' " He further detects an allu-

26

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acti.

absent ; or, to be turned away, is not that as

good as a hanging to you ?
Clo. Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage ;

and, for turning away, let summer bear it out. 20

Mar. You are resolute then ?
Clo. Not so, neither ; but 1 am resolved on two

points.
Mar. That if one break, the other will hold ; or, if

both break, your gaskins fall. 25

17. absent ; or, to be turned away,'] absent, or to be turn' d away: F; absent,
or be turn d atuay : F2, Rowe, and others; absent, or be turn'd away, F 3, 4.
The reading in the text is that of Malone and others. 19. iMany] F, Marry
Theobald, etc.

sion to the parable of the talents,
Matthew xxv. But I think the best
explanation may be found in the Clown's
soliloquy, I. v. 33-37.

17. to be tiirti'd away] Probably the
sense of this passage is best expressed
in modern English by omitting the
" to " of the infinitive, as the later
Folios did. Cf. the insertion of the
"to" in the following:

"She tells me here she'll wed the
stranger knight,
Or never more to view nor day nor
light," Pericles, 11. v. 17.

19. Many a . . . marriage] Has
Shakespeare coined this inimitable pro-
verb from the metal of some popular
story — and there were several — of a
man who had the choice between hang-
ing and marrying, and, being confronted
with his bride, preferred the hanging ?

20. for turning . . . bear it out] as
to the chance of my being dismissed,
why, this is summer time, and that
would make it more bearable. We
may first note that apparently it is
summer time in the play. Next,
Steevens suggests a pun on "turning
o' hay"; but, granting the extra-
ordinary subtlety of some of Shake-
speare's word-play, we may reserve the
right of doubting Steevens' conjecture.
More to the purpose is the quotation
from an old play given by Mr. Addis
(Interlude oi Jacke Juggler, 1562), in
which one of the characters confesses,
" I neuer use to rune awaye in wynter
nor in vere," etc. etc. Mr. Craig
refers me to old Scottish statutes that
prevented servants from leaving their

masters in' summer time. As to the
phrase "bear it out," we may cf.
Othello, II. i. 19; and for a modern
use, Tennyson's Princess, " The king
would bear him out."

23. points] "Points" are always
spoken of as trussed or tied. Mr. Craig
refers to T. Heywood's The Fair Maid
of the West, and quotes from Nash,
The Unfortunate Traveller, 1594, "It
was enough if a fat man did but trusse
his points." " It is not easy to see how
' metal hooks' could ever have been tied.
Over the shirt our ancestors wore a
tight vest or doublet, which might or
might not have sleeves, and is, in
fact, the progenitor of our modern
waistcoat ; from its lower edge de-
pended a number of strings or laces
(how many, I do not know), and these
strings had metal points, like our
modern shoe-laces ; these points it was
which gave the name to the strings.
There were corresponding points on
the slops or breeches, or hose, or, as
Maria here calls them, the 'gaskins.'
When the points on the doublet and
the points on the hose were trussed or
tied, the man was dressed, and needed
but his cloak, his boots, and his girdle
to jet it abroad," Furness. For the
quibble, cf. "/a/. Their points being
broken, — Poins. Down fell their
hose," 1 Henry IV. II. iv. 239.

25. gaskins] hose, breeches. A
word of uncertain origin, but probably
connected with the Italian Grechesco,
Greekish, and confused with some form
of "Gascony." Cf. Cotgrave, who
explains French gr^gues as " wide slops,

sc. v.]

WHAT YOU WILL

27

Clo. Apt, in good faith ; very apt. Well, go thy
way : if Sir Toby would leave drinking, thou
wert as wittj^apiece of Eve's flesh as any Jn_
Illyriar

Mar. Peace, you rogue, no more o' that. Here comes 30
my lady : make your excuse wisely, you were
best. {Exit.

Clo. Wit, an 't be thy will, put me into good fooling !
Those wits that think they have thee, do very oft
prove fools ; and I, that am sure I lack thee, may 35
pass for a wise man ; for what says Quinapalus ?
" Better a witty fool than a foolish wit."

Ente7' Olivia with Malvolio.

God bless thee, lady !
OH. Take the fool away.
Clo. Do you not hear, fellows ? Take away the lady.

40

33. good'\ F, a ^^^of Theobald and others.

Gregs, Gallogascoines, Venitians ; a
great Gascon, or Spanish, hose." Here
we have both of the possible originals
of the word. If Greekish, because the
garments were brought from Greece to
Venice; and otherwise, "great Gascon
or Spanish hose." "Gaskins" is by
Skeat regarded as short for " Gallo-
gaskins," and this again as a corrup-
tion ol garguesqiies "Greek" (Italian
alia grechesca) ; and Murray, Ne7v Eng.
Diet., says, "Perhaps due to a false
interpretation of Galligaskin, to which
the 'gallant gaskins' of the following
quotation comes close in point of
sound : ' His oun gai gallant gaskins,
his tent dublets, his staring hare,' G.
Harvey, 1573, Letter-bk. (Camden)
6." Craig compares Nash, The Un-
fortunate Traveller, "A wide pair of
gascojTies which ungartered would make
a couple of woman's riding-kirtles" (ed.
Grosart, v. 145).

27. if Sir Toby'] "Does not the
clown pretend to whisper this in Maria's
ear?" Fumess. It is evident from
Maria's rejoinder that the Clown has
hinted marriage ; yet his words are so
inconsequent that we may scarcely piece

out the suggestion. Probably we may
construe, "You would make an excellent
wife ; and Sir Toby, drinking apart,
might serve for a husband."

31, 32. you were best] An attempt to
convert the impersonal into a personal
construction. Thus we have in Cym-
beline, ill. vi. 19, "I were best" as a
substitute for the impersonal " me were
best."

36. Quinapalus] Probably an ex-
ample of Rabelaisian inventiveness ;
cf. II. iii. 23, 24, "Thou spokest of
Pigrogromitus, of the Vapians passing
the equinoctial of Queubus." Never-
theless, the words here and in 11. iii.
23, 24 may have a purport unknown to
us, but appreciated by the audience of
that day, and time may yet unfold some
of their histor}\

37. Enter Olivia with Malvolio]
Capell's emendation, " Enter Olivia
attended, and Malvolio," has much to
recommend it, and is often borne out
by the context, as in lines 40 (" Do . . .
lady") or 56 ("Sir . . . you"), etc.

39, 40. Take . . . lady] Cf. Horace,
Satires, iii. 326, " 0 major tandem,
parcas insane minoriJ"

28

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act i.

OH. Go to, you 're a dry fool ; I '11 no more of you :
besides, you grow dishonest.

Clo. Two faults, madonna, that drink and good
counsel will amend : for give the dry fool drink,
then is the fool not dry; bid the dishonest man 45
mend himself: if he mend, he is no longer dis-
honest ; if he cannot, let the botcher mend him.
Any thing that 's mended is but patched : virtue
that transgresses is but patched with sin ; and
sin that amends is but patched with virtue. If 50
that this simple syllogism will serve, so ; if it will

43. f/tadonna,'\ madona F,

41. ^;j] So we had a "dry" jest in I.
iii. 77 (see also notes on lines 57, 58,
and on i. iii. 74) ; and here the conno-
tations of the word are dwelt upon. We
may further notice that a term is often
employed by Shakespeare in some
special sense more than once in the
same play — "element," for example, in
Twelfth Night (i. v. 284, III. i. 62,
HI. iv. 130, I. i. 25, II. iii. 10).

41. /'// no niore of yoit\ See note on
I. iii. 107.

42. dishoHesf] Here probably in the
sense of "ill-behaved," "indecent";
of. "Who, holding in disdain the Ger-
man women For some dishonest manners
of their life," Henry V. i. ii. 49. Also
cf. Hamlet's words to Ophelia, " Are
you honest?" {i.e. virtuous). And we
may judge from the Clown's speech
which follows (lines 47 sqq.) that he
uses the words "dry " and " dishonest "
in their ordinary sense. But in this
line, 42, some would take the word in
its more usual meaning, as borne out
by the Clown's absenting himself from
Olivia's house, and so forth.

43. niadonna\ Used only in Twelfth
Night, and by Feste. F Madona.
" Madonna, mistres, mistres mine,
madam. Also taken for our ladie,"
Florio, IVoride of IVordes, 1598.

47. botchei-] A rough mender of
clothes or boots, but mostly the former.
Of German origin ; cognate, "beat."
" Botchare of olde thinges. Resartor,"
Froviftoritivt Parviilorum. Way
quotes from Palsgrave, "to botch or
bungyll a garment as he dothe that is

not a perfyte workeman, fatrouiller.''^
For the quibble "mend," etc., cf.
Julius Ccesar, I. i. 19, 20 ; and for the
thought in connection with "patched,"
lines 48, 49, 50, we may quote the
proverbial " centones sarcire," as in
Plautus, Epidicus, in. iv. 19.

49. patched] refers possibly to the
Clown's motley wear. See also former
note.

51. syllogism] This form of argument
is well represented in the Clown's
speech. The following is Hutson's
statement of the propositions :

" Majo)- Premiss — All mended things
are patched things ;
Minor Premiss — Broken virtue is

\-irtue sin-mended ;
Conclusion — Therefore broken vir-
tue is sin-patched.
This is the categorical form ; now let
us put the other proposition into the
conditional :

Major Premiss — If sin amends,then

sin is mended ;
Minor Pi-e»iiss — But mended things

are patched things ;
Conclusion — Then sin is patched."
Thus there are two conclusions : the
Lady and the Fool are both patched,
he being repentant sin, she, virtue that
transgresses ; in other words, no man
is altogether good nor altogether bad.
Further, the Clown and the Lady are
alike in representing two forms of the
same truth, viz. "there is no true
counsellor but calamity," and " beauty
is but a flower" (lines 52, 53, "As
there is no true cuckold . . . flower ").

sc,

v.]

WHAT YOU WILL

29

not, what remedy ? As there is no true cuckold
but calamity, so beauty 's a flower. The lady
bade take away the fool ; therefore, I say again,
take her away. 55

OH. Sir, I bade them take away you.

Clo. Misprision in the highest degree ! Lady, cucullus
non facit monachuvi : that 's as much to say as,
I wear not motley in my brain. Good madonna,
give me leave to prove you a fool. 60

OH. Can you do it ?

52. cuckold] F, counsellor Hanmer, dishonour Hudson. 58. that's as

imtch to say'] F ; that 'j as vnich to say, F ; that ' j as much as to say Rowe, etc.
58, 59. as I wear] F ; as I were F 4, Rowe ; as, I wear Knight and others ;
/ wear some edd.

52. cuckold] Alliteration with "cal-
amity" points to this word, or to Han-
mer's substitute "counsellor." But
very probably ' ' cuckold " should be
preferred, as being one of the Clown's
whimsical blunders which in no wise
defeats his meaning. He refers doubt-
less to his threatened expulsion, and
reminds his lady "Sweet are the uses
of adversity," adding the other moral,
"All that's bright must fade."

53. beauty 'j a flower] Mr. Craig
quotes Nash, Sum»ier''s Last Will and
Testament (1600), "Beauty is but a
flower Which wrinkles will devour,"
Hazlitt's Dodsley, viii. 79.

57. Misprision] Sometimes Shake-
speare uses the word in its more obvious
sense of " mistake, error," as in "There
is some strange misprision in the
princes," Much Ado about Nothing, iv.
i. 187. But in the passage before us
the word has another meaning, and
probably more than one other ; in the
mouth of the Clown a vocable becomes
a very kaleidoscope, and suggests on
the part of Shakespeare a surprising
acquaintance not only with the various
departments of knowledge, but with
language also. Among connotations
of "misprision" may be mentioned
"compassings or imaginations against
the king by word, without an overt
act, is a high misprision," Coke,
quoted by Rushton. Skeat says : " (i)
A mistake, neglect ; cf. ' misprision
{i.e. neglect) of clerks ..." Mis-
prision also signifies a mistaking.

' Mesprison: Misprision, error, offence,'
Cotgrave. ... (2) It is tolerably cer-
that misprision was ignorantly confused
with tnisp7-ise, and wrongly used in the
sense of contempt." But Rushton
quotes Coke: '■'■ Misprisio cometh of
the word mes, pris, which properly
signifieth neglect or contempt." I
think myself that the Clown is most
careful to play on the meaning of the
word (cf. "take away" in previous
line), and then allows it the legal
meaning of "treason" (cf. his "in
the highest degree"), and with that its
other meaning of " contempt."

57. cucullus, etc.] " The cowl makes
not the monk." Cf. Measure for
Measure, V. i. 263. Cotgrave gives
" L'habit ne fait pas le moine " ; Prov.
"The cowle makes not the monke."
This is a common proverb, whose
application to himself the Clown hastens
to make good in " I wear not motley
in my brain " ; meaning thereby,
" Though I wear the motley of a fool,
that does not make me a fool as regards
intellect." As to the Clown's Latin,
and his ridicule of pedantry, they may
have been suggested by the characters
Piero and Stragualcia in Gf Ingamtati.
See Appendix I. pp. 181 and 182.

58. that's as much to say] For a
similar omission of the correlative ' ' as, "
cf. 2 He7iry VI. I v. ii. 18.

59. motley] O. F. matteU, clotted,
knotted. Hence the fool's dress of
many colours; "Motley's the only
wear," As You Like It, il. vii. 34.

30 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acti.

Clo. Dexteriously, good madonna.

OH. Make your proof.

Clo. I must catechize you for it, madonna : good my

mouse of virtue, answer me. 65

OIL Well, sir, for want of other idleness, I '11 bide your

proof.
Clo. Good madonna, why mournest thou ?
OH. Good fool, for my brother's death.

Clo. I think his soul is in hell, madonna. 70

OH. I know his soul is in heaven, fool.
Clo. The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your

brother's soul being in heaven. Take away the

fool, gentlemen.
OH. What think you of this fool, Malvolio ? doth he 75

not mend ?
Mai. Yes ; and shall do till the pangs of death shake

him : infirmity, that decays the wise, doth ever

make the better fool.
Clo. God send you, sir, a speedy infirmity, for the 80

better increasing your folly ! Sir Toby will be

sworn that I am no fox, but he will not pass his

word for two pence that you are no fool.

62. Dexteriously'l F, Dexterously F 4 and some edd. 65. mouse] F ; Muse

Anon. ap. Camb. 66. bide] thus F, 'bide various edd. 69. foof] F ; fool

you F 3, 4, Rowe, etc. 73. soul being] soule, being F. 79. the better]
F, better the Rowe, etc.

62. /)^x/^r?V«5/j'] Possibly the Clown's his mouse." Craig compares Nicholas

perversion of "dexterously"; but the Breton, Miseries of Manillia, "My

form of the word in the text occurs in father would call me good gyrle, sweet

BdiCorCs Advancement of Learning, a^vid mouse, own wench and dad's byrd,"

in Naunton's Fragmenta Regalia. So Works, ed. Grosart, iii. 37.
we have "prolixious" \x\ Measure for 66. other idleness] something else

Measure, II. iv. 162, and "robustious" equally frivolous to occupy thy leisure,
in Hamlet, in. ii. 10, and in Stubbes 66. idleness] trifling, pastime, frivol-

(Anatomie of Abuses), "give the king ous occupation, means of whiling away

to understand the inormious abuse an idle hour,
thereof." 78. decays] For this transitive use cf.

64, 65. good tny mouse] The transposi- " Every day that comes comes to decay

tionmaybeduetolheunemphatic "my" a day's work in him," Cymbeline, i.

coalescing with "mouse," as " mon " v. 56.

in motisieur (Abbott). Furness thinks 82. fox] model of wisdom, as in

that in this instance " good " may be .lisop and Keynard the Fox.
used as an interjection, and as such 82, 83. pass his word] pledge his

be followed by a comma. word. Cf. Titus Andronicus, i. i. 468,

65. tnouse] For this term of endear- " I have passed my word and promise

ment, cf. Hamlet, in. iv. 183, "call you to the emperor."

sc. v.]

WHAT YOU WILL

31

OH. How say you to that, Malvolio?

MaL I marvel your ladyship takes delight in such 85
a barren rascal : I saw him put down the other
day with an ordinary fool that has no more
brain than a stone. Look you now, he 's out of
his guard already : unless you laugh and minister
occasion to him, he is gagged. I protest, I take
these wise men, that crow so at these set kind of
fools, no better than the fools' zanies.
O ! you are^ sick of self-love, Malvolio, and taste

90

OH.

•^rtlT a distempered appetite. To be generous,
guiltless, and of free disposition, is to take those
things for bird-bolts that you deem cannon-bullets.

95

88. (5;'i2z«] F ; (5ra!?«j F 3, 4, Rowe, and others. 91. these\Y,thoseY{.^.xs.xvi&x.
92. no better] F, to be no better Capell, etc. 95. guiltless] guileless some edd.

87. with] by ; often in this sense in
Shakespeare. Cf. The Wintet's Tale,
V. ii. 69.

87. ordinary] Probably as opposed to
the court jester and his descendant the
domestic fool or clown. "A common
fool," says Staunton, " a jester hired to
make sport for the diners at a public
ordinary" ; cf. also " these set kind of
fools" in line 91, below, i.e. the pro-
fessional or domestic class of fools to
which Teste belonged. See also Intro-
duction, p. xxxviii, and notes on I. v. i,
III. i. 6, 64, and V. i. i ; and on line
97 of this scene.

88, 89. out of his guard] Probably
not "off his guard," but, as the context
implies, "he has exhausted his means
of defence."

91. crow] laugh loudly ; cf. Two
Gentlemen of Verona, 11. i. 28 ; also
As You Like It, 11. vii. 38.

91. these set kind] The adjective is
often thus attracted to the plural sense
of the whole phrase.

92. zanies] The zany acted as the
fool's subordinate, and his main busi-
ness was grotesque mimicry of the
tricks and humours of the fool ; cf.
Ben Jonson, Cynthids Revels, II. i.,
" The other gallant is his zany, and
doth most of these tricks after him ;
sweats to imitate him in everything to
a hair." Also in Jonson's Every Man
out of his Humour (iv. i.), "He's
like the zany to a tumbler, That tries

tricks after him, to make men laugh."
It will be enough to add the following
from Florio's Worlde of IVordes, 1598 :
— " Zajie, the name of John. Also a
sillie John, a gull, a noddie. Used
also for a simple vice, clowne, foole, or
simple fellowe in a plaie or comedie."
Thus the word is the modern slang
term, "a Johnny." It. Zanni, a form
of Giovatini.

94. generous, etc.] Interesting enough
is this estimate of noble character, and
not without a classical suggestion or
sanction; "generous" may claim de-
scent from the frequent ' ' generosus " of
Latin writers, with whom the word
often means "noble"; "guiltless"
recalls the "mens sibi conscia recti"
of Virgil, and "free disposition" is
Horace's " liberrime Lolli" or Cicero's
" liberiores et solutiores." If this were
a solitary instance, I should hazard no
reference to the classics, but Shake-
speare is so full of classical (at least of
Latin) allusion, often recondite or re-
mote, that a commentator may be
pardoned if he takes occasional op-
portunity of drawing attention to the
fact (see also note on il. v. 140, and
line 98, below).

96. bird-bolts] ' ' a short, thick arrow
without a point, and spreading at the
extremity so much as to leave a flat
surface about the breadth of a shilling,"
Steevens. According to some authori-
ties the bird-bolt is so called because it

3 2 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acti.

There is no slander in an allowed fool, though he
do nothing but rail ; nor no railing in a known
discreet man, though he do nothing but reprove.
Clo. Now, Mercury endue thee with leasing, for thou lOO
speakest well of fools !

Re-enter Maria.

Mar. Madam, there is at the gate a young gentleman
much desires to speak with you.

OH. From the Count Orsino, is it ?

Mar. I know not, madam: 'tis a fair young man, and 105
well attended.

OH. Who of my people hold him in delay ?

Mar. Sir Toby, madam, your kinsman.

OH. Fetch him off, I pray you : he speaks nothing but

madman. Fie on him ! \Exit Maria. 1 10

Go you, Malvolio : if it be a suit from the count,
I am sick, or not at home ; what you will, to
dismiss it. [Exit MalvoHo.

\

100. endiie\ indue F ; /easing-] F, lear7iing Rovve, etc. , pleasing Warburton.

104. Count] F, Duke Hannier. io8. kinsmaii] F, Uncle Rowe, etc.

is frequently used for shooting small ourselves of the apology included in the

birds, as the flat head would kill, with- notes on line 94, we might here quote

out destroying the plumage. Cf. the Virgil's " Pius rEneas . . . fama super

Italian proverb, "Bella votta non rcthera nolus."

amrnazza vccello," Promiis, Fol. 94. 100. Mercury, etc.] May the god of

Craig compares Lyly, Eudyinion, I. cheats give thee the perfect'gift of lying,

ii. I, " Here is a bird-bolt for the ugly for thou hast spoken well of fools at the

beast, the black-bird." Also, "Strake expense of truth.

one with a bird-bolt to the hart-rote," 100. leasing] A.S. ledsnng, false-

Skelton, 7'ke Garland of Laurel. hood.

97. allo7vedfool]^Q(tnoic on ''ordm- 103. fnuch desires]Some\.\me?,!i\mmg
ary fool," line 87. Here " allowed " is at brevity, and sometimes perhaps
equivalent to "licensed"; and Furness colloquially, Elizabethan writers (especi-
compares " an allowed cart or chariot " ally the dramatic) often omitted the
(Hollyband's Dictionarie, 1593). The relative pronoun if the sense remained
word is also applied, as it appears, to a clear. This grammatical point requires
{oo\ ox ]csXer in Love's Labour's Lost, \. mention, because now and then we
ii. 478 ; and in King Lear, i. iv. 220, we must refer to it as a clue to the F
have "This your all-licensed fool,"— a reading, as, for example, in line 118,
less technical and more general sense below — "one of thy kin has." See
that may be shared by "allowed." also 1 1, iv. 97, note, and Abbott, § 244.
Possibly also we may refer back to the 106. well attended] Cf. i. iv. 36.
Latin of Erasmus, " Aut regem aut 109, no. speaks . . . tnadman] Cf.
fatuum nasci oportet." "I speak to thee plain soldier," /f<;«ryF.

98, 99. known discreet man] Availing v. ii. 156,

SC. V

]

WHAT YOU WILL

33

Now you see, sir, how your fooling grows old, and
people dislike it.
CIo. Thou hast spoke for us, madonna, as if thy eldest
son should be a fool ; whose skull Jove cram with
brains ! for here he comes, one of thy kin has a
most weak//^ mater.

115

Enter SiR ToBY Belch.

OH. By mine honour, half drunk. What is he at the 120

gate, cousin ?
Sir To. A gentleman.
OH. A gentleman ! What gentleman ?
Sir. To. 'Tis a gentleman here, — a plague o' these

pickle-herring ! How now, sot ! 125

114. Now you see,] F, Now, Rowe and others. 118. /or here he comes, ofie]
Malone, etc. ; for, — here he comes, — one Camb. Edd. and most others. Some
Tead /or here comes one. For the F reading see note below. 119. pia mater]
Pia-mater F. I20. By . . . drttnk\ F, An Aside, some edd. 121. cousin?]
Cosin F, Uncle Rowe, etc. 124. gentleman here, — ] gentleman here [hiccups]

some edd. 125. pickle-herring !] Theobald, pickle herring: Y, pickle-herrings !
various edd.

118. here . . . has] F and Ff have
" for heere he comes. One of thy kin
has," etc. See also textual notes. It is
best to regard "here he comes" as a
parenthesis, and to connect "for"
with " one of thy kin," as Wright
suggests. Others (see note on line 103
above, and 152 below) regard "has" as
equivalent to "who has."

119. pia mater] "The braine • . .
is closed and conteined within two
thinne skinnes, which be named the
milde and harde mother ; . . . The
second web and skinne is called Fia
mater, the meeke mother, that is set
vnder the hard mother, and is nesher
[i.e. more delicate) and softer than the
hard mother, and compasseth the sub-
stance of the braine, and departeth
asunder the foresayd cells. And the
milde mother is not superfluous neither
to much : for it harboureth and holdeth
togethers the veines of the braine
within. And keepeth and knitteth
the braine togethers, that it flow not
neither faile by }^ fleeting and soft-
nesse thereof. Also this milde mother
helpeth and beclippeth the braine, and
defendeth it from the harde mother.
Also by veines that it hath, it nourisheth

the braine, and by the organe and small
veines that it conteineth, it sendeth
spirit thereto," Batman, Vpfoti Bar-
tholome, 1582 ; quoted by Furness.
"Pia mater" occurs also in Love's
Labour's Lost (iv. ii. 71) and Troilus
and Cressida (ll. i. 77) ; also in Bacon,
Burton, AtUobiography 0/ Lo7-d Herbe?-t
0/ Cherbury, etc. As to the origin of
the phrase we may quote Alicrocosmo-
graphia, by Helkiah Crooke, 1615 :
"The Arabians called them (mem-
branes of the brain) Matres, the
Mothers, and so now they are commonly
tearmed."

124. a gentleman here] Possibly
"here" is a corruption of some stage-
direction — "hiccoughs," for example.
In any case the word implies that a fit
of indigestion stopped Sir Toby at that
point, and that the Clown incontinently
laughed. The humour is kept up by
the double meaning of "sot," 2'.^. fool
and drunkard, and the Clown gently
resents the charge of drunkenness laid
against him by " a drunken man " (hne

134).

125. herring] See textual notes, where
some read "herrings ! " but the F " her-
ring " may be preferred as being a plural,

34 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act i.

do. Good Sir Toby !

Oli. Cousin, cousin, how have you come so early by

this lethargy ?
Sir To. Lechery ! I defy lechery. There 's one at

the gate. i 30

Oli. Ay, marry ; what is he ?
Sir To. Let him be the devil, an he will, I care not :

give me faith, say I. Well, it 's all one. \Exit.

Oli. What 's a drunken man like, fool ?
Clo. Like a drowned man, a fool, and a madman : one 135

draught above heat makes him a fool, the second

mads him, and a third drowns him.
Oli. Go thou and seek the crowner, and let him sit

o' my coz ; for he 's in the third degree of drink,

he 's drowned : go, look after him. 1 40

Clo. He is but mad yet, madonna ; and the fool shall

look to the madman. \Exit.

Re-enter Malvolio.
Mai. Madam, yond young fellow swears he will speak

127. Cousi)i\ Uncle Rowe, etc. 132. an he\ and he Y. 138. crowner\

Crowner F, coroner Rowe, etc. 139. coz\ Coz F, Uncle Rowe. 143. yond]

F, yon' Capell, yond' Collier.

like trout, salmon, and the rest; and Perhaps we may also of. "a cup of hot

cf. King Lear, in. vi. 33, "two white wine, with not a drop of allaying Tiber

herring." in't," Coriolanus, 11. i. 53. For

125. sot\ See note on line 124. "above heat" some emendations have

129-133.] "In spite of Sir Toby's been proposed, but I prefer this reading
drunken state, there is a thread of of the Folio, which appears to mean,
logical sequence in his befogged brain; not "above the normal heat of the
'defie' suggests the 'devil,' and the body," but "above the invigorating
'devil' suggests 'faith.' Toby's warmth produced by moderate drink-
drunkenness is here a dramatic neces- ing." As to "drowns him," cf. "Who
sity. Maria has been sent to ' fetch is but drunken when she seemeth
him off,' and Malvolio to dismiss the drown'd," Venus and Adonis, 984.
Duke's messenger. Some time must 138. crowner] For this form of
be given to Malvolio's altercation with "coroner," see Hamlet, v. i. 4, "The
Viola at the gate ; Sir Toby must obey crowner hath sat on her." So Shake-
the summons, but must not anticipate speare sometimes uses "crownet" for
any portion of Malvolio's report. This "coronet." Cf. also, "There are
is attained by representing him as so crowners, whose dutie is to inquire of
intoxicated that he can tell nothing," such as come to their death by violence,"
Furness. Harrison, England, li. iv. {New Eng.

133. it's all one] Cf. Bacon, Promus, Diet.).

Fol. 87, "All is one. Contrariortim 140. ^fo, /iJ(7/^] Theobald puts a comma

eadein est ratio." between these words, but cf. "go hunt"

136. above heat] Cf. "red-hot with in I. i. 16.
drinking," The Tempest, iv. i. 171.

sc.v.] WHAT YOU WILL 35

with you, I told him you were sick : he takes
on him to understand so much, and therefore 145
comes to speak with you. I told him you were
asleep : he seems to have a foreknowledge of
that too, and therefore comes to speak with you.
What is to be said to him, lady? he's fortified
against any denial. 150

OH. Tell him he shall not speak with me.

Mai. Has been told so ; and he says, he '11 stand at
your door like a sheriff's post, and be the sup-
porter to a bench, but he'll speak with you.

OH. What kind o' man is he ? 155

Mai. Why, of mankind.

OH. What manner of man ?

Mai. Of very ill manner : he '11 speak with you, will
you or no.

OH. Of what personage and years is he ? 1 60

Mai. Not yet old enough for a man, nor young enough
for a boy ; as a squash is before 'tis a peascod, or
a codling when 'tis almost an apple : 'tis with him

i/^"]. foreknowledge] fore knowledge; Y fore-knowledge Y 3, 4. 152. Has'\
Dyce and others; Ha^s F, Ff; He has Pope, etc. 153. and be] F, or be
Hanmer, etc. 154. to] F, ^Knight and others. 157. manner] F ; manners
F 3, 4. 162. peascod] Rowe, pescod F. 163, 164. him in] F, Ff, etc. ;

him e'en Capell, etc. ; him some edd.

152. Has] For the omission of "He," 162. squash] But in A Midstimmer-
see textual notes. It is doubtful Nighfs Dream, in. i. 190, we have
whether F omits or retains the pro- " to Mistress Squash, your mother, and
noun in this case. See also note on to Master Peascod, your father " ; yet
V. 282, etc. again, according to The Winter's Tale

153. sheriff'' s post] Cf. "Their (i. ii. 160), the "squash" is the younger
cheeks . . . blusht so sweetly after growth, the pea pod in its earlier
the colour of a newe Lord Mayor's state.

postes, as if the pageant of their wed- 162. peascod] that is, pea husk or
locke holiday were hard at the doore," pod. We have the same "cod" in
Nash's Pierce Penilesse, quoted by " codling " (in the next line) — literally a
Halliwell. These posts " were only young husk or pod ; cf. provincial
tokens of authority, to denote the resi- Enghsh "codlings," green peas. Here
dence of a magistrate" (Knight) or " codling " stands for a young or unripe
"whereon to put proclamations," etc. apple, and not as now for a particular
(Craig). kind of the fruit. According to
153, 154. supporter] support, prop. Murray, this differentiation of meaning
156. IVhy, of mankind] Some doubt occurred about the beginning of the
the propriety of Malvolio's quibbling ; seventeenth century, the word being
but as in his former speeches, so here, then applied to a variety of apple suit-
he speaks throughout like one "sick of able to be cooked while still unripe.
self love." 163. foi///w^] See former note.

36 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acti.

in standing water, between boy and man. He is
very well-favoured, and he speaks very shrewishly : 165
one would think his mother's milk were scarce
out of him,

OH. Let him approach. Call in my gentlewoman.

Mai. Gentlewoman, my lady calls. \^Exit.

Re-enter Maria.

OH. Give me my veil: come, throw it o'er my face. 170
We '11 once more hear Orsino's embassy.

Enter Viola and Attendants.

Vio. The honourable lady of the house, which is she ?

Oil. Speak to me ; I shall answer for her. Your will ?

Vio. Most radiant, exquisite, and unmatchable beauty,

— I pray you, tell me if this be the lady of the 175
house, for I never saw her : I would be loath to
cast away my speech ; for besides that it is ex-
cellently well penned, I have taken great pains to
con it. Good beauties, let me sustain no scorn ;
I am very comptible, even to the least sinister 1 80
usage.

171. Enter Viola] Enter Uiolenta F (see note below). 174, 175. beauty,
— /J Rowe, beaut ie. I F. i8o. comptible'] F, prompt Hanmer.

164. in standing water] in an inter- favour either of one play or the other.
mediate state ; in the condition of the We have no assurance that ' Violenta '
tideat flood " that neither way inclines." occurred in Shakespeare's MS. It
Cf. The Tempest, II. i. 221-224, and sounds suspiciously like 'Viola enter,'
2 Henry IV. II. iii. 64. which the compositor misheard and

165. shrewishly] sharply ; but per- transformed into its present shape, after
haps with the further meaning " like a having already carelessly set up ' Enter '
girl," which would suit the context. Cf. before it." Furness.

Sir Andrew's "fair shrew " in I. iii. 48. 175. I pray you, etc.] Note Viola's

171. Uiolenta] See textual notes, an.xiety to make Olivia unveil ; she has

"This is the name of a character in all the woman's curiosity to see the

All 's M'^cll that Ends Well, who does face of a possible rival ; and cf. line

not, however, speak throughout the 239 of this scene, "Good madam, let

play. From the occurrence of the me see your face."
name here, together with ' Capilet,' 179. con it] learn by heart; formed

both as the family name of Diana, in from A.S. cunnan, to know.
All's Well, and as the name of Sir 180. comptible] Interpreted by the

Andrew Aguecheek's horse, Fleay context, this word must mean " sus-

i^Life, etc., p. 217) infers that Twelfth ceptible," "sensitive," "easy to call to

Night is later in date than AlPs Well, account." Wright quotes a similar

The fact may well be true ; but it is form but with different force, from

not quite clear that a mere repetition of Latimer, " We are comptable to God."
names can prove a sequence in time in 180. sinister] harsh, discourteous.

sc.v.] WHAT YOU WILL 37

OH. Whence came you, sir ?

Vio. I can say little more than I have studied, and
that question 's out of my part. Good gentle
one, give me modest assurance if you be the lady i 8 5
of the house, that I may proceed in my speech.

OH, Are you a comedian ?

Vio. No, my profound heart ; and yet, by the very
fangs of malice I swear I am not that I play.
Are you the lady of the house? 190

OH. If I do not usurp myself, I am.

Vio. Most certain, if you are she, you do usurp your-
self; for what is yours to bestow is not yours to
reserve. But this is from my commission : I will
on with my speech in your praise, and then show 195
you the heart of my message.

OH. Come to what is important in 't : I forgive you
the praise.

Vio. Alas ! I took great pains to study it, and 'tis

poetical. 200

OH. It is the more like to be feigned : I pray you

189. fangs] Rowe ii., pangs Rowe i., phangs F.

185. modest assurance] some slight you are the lady of th 3 house, you usurp

evidence. For "modest" in this sense the place of Orsino, who is the rightful

of "moderate," cf. "with all modest lord of it; for what is yours, etc."

\i2iSis," King Lear, II. iv. 25; though For the sentiment, see I. v. 249-251 (and

\a. Hamlet -vit have "moderate haste" note), "Nature's . . . copy"; and

(i. ii. 238). There seems to be no- cf. Sonnet, iv. 2-6, "Nature's bequest

thing "transferred" in this epithet . . . The bounteous largess given thee

"modest." to give." To this we may add the

187. a comedian] Explained parfly by remark of Furness : "In thus earnestly
Viola's "I am not that I play" (line pleading Orsino's cause, Viola was
189) ; but the word was not seldom an here, I think, for a moment betrayed
expression of contempt in those days, into seriousness. She instantly sees,
Cf., however, "A good comediante (of however, that this tone is premature,
one that hath good grace in his and apologises, ' But this is fj-om my
speech)," Promus, Fol. 85 ; also commission.' Her bearing is forced
"'tis poetical," lines 199, 200. and unnatural, even flippant, until

188. my profound heart] Viola re- Maria has retired, then it becomes
covers her "poetical" (line 200) style serious, and every word comes from her
of speech, and, as it would seem, pays heart."

a bantering compliment to Olivia's 194. from] apart or away from ; cf.

penetration. " Write from it," v. 328.

188, 189. by the very fangs of malice] 197, \<fi. I forgive you the praise]Q.{.

in defiance of the most malicious inter- Tennyson's, "I forgive you all the

pretation. Cf. "on the vouch of very praise. Musty Christopher."

malice itself," Othello, II. i. 170. 201. It is . . . feig7ied] So in As

192. you do usurp yourself, etc.] "If You Like It, in. iii. 20, "The truest

38

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acti.

keep it in. I heard you were saucy at my gates,
and allowed your approach, rather to wonder at
you than to hear you. If you be not mad,
be gone; if you have reason, be brief: 'tis not 205
that time of moon with me to make one in so
skipping a dialogue.

Mar. Will you hoist sail, sir ? here lies your way.

Vio. No, good swabber ; I am to hull here a little

longer. Some mollification for your giant, sweet 210
lady.

OH. Tell me your mind.

204. not ntad'\ F, mad Mason and others, hut mad some edd. 206. of

mooti\ of Aloone F, of the moon Pope and others. 210. tiiollifuation for . . .
giant F, modification of . . . tawit Gould. 212, 213. Tell me your viind,
I am a messenger F ; see note below.

poetry is the most feigning " ; so also
in Bacon, "poesy feigneth acts and
events greater and more heroical,"
" poesy feigns them more just." See
also the author's Handbook to Shake-
speare, chapter iv., and his Introduction
to The Tempest in this series, pp. lix,
Ix, and Ixviii-lxx ; also note on 1. i. 14.
204. If you be not mad] On the score
of rhythm, and the second "not" in
" 'tis not that time of moon," we should
be disposed to omit this first "not,"
and read, " If you be mad." But the
sense appears to be, "If you are not
quite mad, begone ; this playing of your
part as you call it, is next door to
nonsense ; if you can drop such folly
and speak reasonably, I may be dis-
posed to listen to you."

206. that time of tnoon'] Cf. "these
dangerous unsafe lunes in the king,"
The Winter's Tale, n. ii, 30. The
full moon was supposed to affect luna-
tics. "The moone when he is in the
second signe after the ascendent, be-
tokeneth discomfort, wo, sorrow . . .
Also in the fourth signe, and in the
sixt, and in the eight, he betokeneth
wrath, anguish ..." From Batman,
Vppon Bartholome, quoted by Fur-
ness.

207. skipping] flighty, flippant, in-
coherent. Cf. "Allay witii some cold
drops of modesty Thy skipping spirit,"
Merchant of Venice, II. ii. 196.

209. swabber] a nautical retort
following on Maria's " hoist sail " (line
208), and to be further followed by the

nautical "hull" in this line. It was
the swabber's business to see that the
decks were kept clean, a swab or long
mop being used for the purpose.
( ' ' The swabber is to wash and keep
cleane the ships and the maps," An
Accidence for Vong Seamen, by Captaine
J. Smith, 1626; quoted by Craig.)
The word occurs also in 7^he Tempest
(II. ii. 48).

209. to hull] "To float or be driven
by the force of the wind or current on
the hull alone ; to drift to the wind
with sails furled," Murray, New
Eng. Diet. Cf. also Sidney's Arcadia
(ed. 1598), p. 4, "A ship, or rather
the carkas of the ship, or rather some
few bones of the carkas, hulling there,
part broken, part burned, part
drowned " (quoted by Wight). Also
Henry VI] 1. 11. iv. 199, "Thus hull-
ing in The wild sea of my conscience."
Craig also compares, "We were con-
strained to lie at hull all night, five
leagues from shore," John Davis,
Voyages (Markham's Hakluyt, p. 20).

210. Some mollification, etc.] " I was
obliged to quiet this little waiting
woman; she was saucy." But others
would interpret, "Pray pacify your
giant, etc."

210. your giant] in two senses;
ironically, for Maria was "the little
villain " (11. v. 14) ; and with a further
reference to the fact that ladies, in old
romances, were often attended by
giants.

212. Oli. Tell me your mind] See

sc.v.] WHAT YOU WILL 39

Vio. I am a messenger.

OH. Sure, you have some hideous matter to deliver,

when the courtesy of it is so fearful. Speak your 2 i 5

office.
Vio. It alone concerns your ear. I bring no overture

of war, no taxation of homage : I hold the olive

in my hand ; my words are as full of peace as

matter. 220

OH. Yet you began rudely. What are you ? what

would you ?
Vio. The rudeness that hath appeared in me have I

learned from my entertainment. What I am,

and what I would, are as secret as maidenhead ; 225

to your ears, divinity ; to any other's, profanation.
OH. Give us the place alone : we will hear this

divinity. \Exeunt Maria and Attetidants.

Now, sir ; what is your text ?
Vio. Most sweet lady, — 230

OH. A comfortable doctrine, and much may be said

of it. Where lies your text ?
Vio. In Orsino's bosom.

OH. In his bosom ! In what chapter of his bosom ?
Vio. To answer by the method, in the first of his 235

heart.

226. other's'] Pope, etc., others F. 232. your"] F ; the Rowe, Pope, Hanmer.

textual notes. By many edd. these case had not then been differentiated

words are given to Olivia ; and they into a demonstrative adjective. See

certainly prepare the way for her next i. iv. 11, note.

speech, "Sure, you," etc., while 217. ower/z/;-^] proclamation, declara-

Viola's reply, "I am a messenger," is tion, prelude.

an element in the "fearful courtesy " of 218. taxattott] order for payment of.

line 215. Altogether I am inclined to 226. to your ears . . . profana-

doubt the F arrangement, and would tioii] an example of Shakespeare's

prefer the above emendation. perfectness of rhythm, and thought, and

215. courtesy] ceremony, preliminary antithetical phrasing.

flourishes. 231. c^;/z/br/a^/e] in the earlier sense,

215. /^a;y«/] in two senses, (i) full of especially the reHgious ; cf. Juliet's

hesitation, (2) so ver)- imposing. "comfortable friar"; also, "Speak

216. office] what you were commis- comfortable words," Richard II. II. ii.
sioned to say. 76, and "Speak ye comfortably to

217. alone] is adjective rather than Jerusalem," Isaiah xl. 2.

adverb, and qualifies the emphatic word 235. by the method] in language that
in the sentence, viz. the "you" carries on your metaphor,
inside the "your." The possessive

40

TWELFTH NIGHT: OR,

[act I.

240

OH. O ! I have read it : it is heresy. Have you no
more to say ?

Vio, Good madam, let me see your face.

Oli. Have you any commission from your lord to
negotiate with my face ? You are now out of
your text : but we will draw the curtain and show
you the picture. Look you, sir ; such a one I
was this present: is 't not well done? \Unveilin^

Vio. Excellently done, if God did all. 245

Oli. 'Tis in grain, sir ; 'twill endure wind and weather.

Vio. 'Tis beauty truly blent, whose red and white

243, 244. such a one I was this present :] F, suck aone I wear this present : War-
burton, etc., such as once I was, this presents ; Mason, etc. Among other
emendations are stich a one as I was this present : such a one as I was, this
presents ; such a one I was as this presents ; such a one, I, as this presents ; such
a one I 'm, as this presents.

„cr

237. it is heresy] with some reference
to the "doctrine" of line 231. The
metaphors " text," " doctrine," " chap-
ter," and the rest follow on Viola's
mention of " divinity.

239. Good

face] An excellent

touch, this ; see note on line 175

243, 244. such . . . present] This F
reading must still leave room for con-
jecture. From explanations of editors
I should select the following by Fur-
ness : "I think her words are an
attempt to be jocular to hide the em-
barrassment caused by removing her
veil to allow an exceeding handsome
young man to gaze on her face, and
she says in effect, ' Such a one I was
an instant ago,' before she removed her
veil, and, of course, such she still
remains." Or the passage may mean,
"This is how I looked, this was the
picture — a short time ago, before I put
on my veil to receive you " ; but " this
present" as used by Shakespeare,
implies something more momentary.
Deighton says, " It is probably nothing
more than an affectation by Olivia of
legal preciseness : this is what I was
just now, though hidden by my veil ;
different from what you saw me, but
not changed." It is evident that Olivia
employs some verbal quibble or phrase
that may cover her embarrassment, but
the point of quibble or phrase is not so
evident. For other suggestions, see
textual notes.

245. if God did alF] Apart from the
testimony of other Elizabethan author-
ities, Shakespeare has a good deal to
say on the painting of the face, as
practised by the ladies of his time — " let
her paint an inch thick, to this favour
she must come" {Hamlet, v. i. 213),
etc. etc. ; and we have in Viola's
words of " graceful impudence," a sug-
gestion of some such artificial aid to
beauty ; but the suggestion is made not
in earnest, but rather conventionally in
part and in part by way of banter.
Indeed her words amount to this,
" Your face is so perfect that one must
be pardoned for a hasty suspicion of
some external embellishments."

246. 'Tis in grain] Olivia herself has
no doubt that painting of the face was
the main point of Viola's inuendo. " Its
colour," she replies, "is 'fast'; it has
been dyed by nature in the raw material ;
there has been no after smearing with a
brush." "In grain" is an expression
of involved origin, and means, mostly,
"dyed with a fast colour." Cf. Comedy
of Errors, ill. ii. 107-109. Craig com-
pares Chapman, The Widow's Tears,
I. i., " Cynthia ... the weather has
nothing changed the grain of your
complexion. Tha. A firm proof 'tis
in grain, and so not for all com-
plexions."

247. red and white] Cf. "damask"
in n. iv. 113, and note.

sc.v.] WHAT YOU WILL 41

Nature's own sweet and cunning hand laid on :
Lady, you are the cruell'st she alive,
If you will lead these graces to the grave 250

And leave the world no copy.

Oli. O ! sir, I will not be so hard-hearted ; I will give
out divers schedules of my beauty: it shall be
inventoried, and every particle and utensil labelled
to my will; as, Item, Two lips indifferent red; 255
Item, Two grey eyes with lids to them ; Item,
One neck, one chin, and so forth. Were you
sent hither to praise me ?

Vio. I see you what you are : you are too proud ;

But, if you were the devil, you are fair. 260

My lord and master loves you : O ! such love
Could be but recompens'd, though you were crown'd
The nonpareil of beauty.

Oli. How does he love me ?

Vio. With adorations, fertile tears,

253. divers] Y, 'diverse Theobald and others ; it shall be] F, I shall be Hanmer.
258. praise] F, 'praise Malone and others. 264. adorations, fertile] F, Ff,

Rowe, etc. ; adoration's fertile Hanmer and others ; adorations, with fertile
Pope, tic; faithful adoration's fertile tears Joicey.

249. she] Pronouns are often thus 255. indifferent] fairly, tolerably. So

used by Shakespeare as common nouns ; we had "indifferent well" in i. iii.

cf. "The fair, the chaste, the inexpres- 136.

sive she," As You Like It, iii. ii. 11, 256. grey eyes] Probably light blue.

2^0, 2i)\. If you . , . c^/j] See note See Dowden's note on " Thisbe, a grey

on line 192, and cf. the sentiments in eye or so," Romeo and Juliet, II. iv. 45

Sonnets, i. to xvii. These sentiments, (The Arden Shakespeare),

which occur often in Shakespeare, and 258. praise] probably in two senses,

are found in other writers, may perhaps " praise" and "appraise."

be traced to the Greek Epigrams — KaL 259. / see you what you are] See

Tiva K6(Tfj.q} 56s PpoTov avri aidev (Pau- note on I. ii. 52.

lus Silentiarius). See also Romeo and 262. Could be but recompens'd] Again,

Juliet, I. i. 2^'^sqq. For "to the in two senses probably — (l) would not

grave," cf. "by the grave and thee," be more than duly requited ; (2) could

Sontiet, i, 14, and "be tomb'd with not fail to be requited,

thee," Son7iet, iv. 13. 264.] In this line we are tempted to

252. O! sir, etc.] With bantering supply "with" after " adorations," and
prose Olivia thus parries Viola's verse thus make the process of enumeration
of embarrassing compliment. (in the two lines 264, 265) uniform

253. schedules] lists, inventories, throughout. But the metrical structure
Probably suggested by " copy " in line need not be regarded as defective
251. though "with" be omitted; the actor

254. utensil] Cf. "He has brave merely dwells longer on "adorations,"
utensils," The Tempest, ill. ii. 104. and then pauses slightly before he com-

254. labelled] appended, added as a pletes the line,
codicil ; with a further suggestion of a 264. fei-tile] Cf. Hamlet, I. ii. 80,
leaf added by an appending seal. " No, nor the fruitful river in the eye."

42 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acti.

With groans that thunder love, with sighs of fire. 265

Oli. Your lord does know my mind ; I cannot love him :
Yet I suppose him virtuous, know him noble,
Of great estate, of fresh and stainless youth ;
In voices well divulg'd, free, learn'd, and valiant ;
And in dimension and the shape of nature 270

A gracious person ; but yet I cannot love him :
He might have took his answer long ago.

Vio. If I did love you in my master's flame,
With such a suffering, such a deadly life,
In your denial I would find no sense; 275

I would not understand it.

Oli. Why, what would you ?

Vio. Make me a willow cabin at your gate,
And call upon my soul within the house ;
Write loyal cantons of contemned love.
And sing them loud even in the dead of night ; 280
Holla your name to the reverberate hills,

270. the shape\ F ; shape F 3, 4. 271. hut yef] F, yet Pope, etc. 276.
IVhy'X omitted Hanmer ; you ?] ¥ ; you doe? F 3, 4, Rowe, etc. 281. Holla]
Malone, etc. ; Halloo Camb. Edd., etc. ; Hallow F ; Hollaw F 2 ; Hollow F 3,
4, Rowe ; reverberate'] F ; reverberant Theobald, Hanmer, Johnson.

265. thunder . . . fire] The hyper- to die of its love. Some would read

bole, apparently, is derived from a " love " for "life," but to no advantage,

thunderstorm. 277. willow cabin] an arbour, surely,

267-269. Yet I suppose, etc.] Olivia's formed by the boughs of the " weeping

estimate is under three heads — (i) her willow." See Hart's note on "all a

own opinion, (2) the opinion of the green willow," Othello, iv. iii, 42

world at large, (3) his personal appear- (Arden edition).

ance. Therefore we paraphrase (2), "in 278. fny soul] i.e. OXWia.

voices . . . valiant," as follows : "The 279. cantons] The only instance in

world speaks well of him, extols his Shakespeare. Due perhaps to a con-

' free disposition' (' liberiores,' line 94, fusion between the Italian canto, song,

note), his learning, his valour." For canzojie, Isong, and cantonc, corner,

"voices," cf "And buy men's voices The same form of word occurs in the

to commend our deeds, " y></mj Ccesar, anonymous Zepheria of 1594, in The

\\. i. 146. London Prodigal, 1605, in Heywood's

270. dimension] stature, bodily pro- Preface to Britayne's Troy, 1609. For

portions, person. Cf " But am in that the form canzon, see Lodge, Euphues

dimension grossly clad " in V. 239. Golden Legacie, 1590, "My canzon

2"] \. gracious] Cf. King John, HI. was written in no such humour."

iv. 81, " There was not such a gracious 281. 7re'<'/-<5t';-a/<f] " re-echoing " prob-

creature born." ably. Suffixes, especially the par-

272. took] See notes on I. iv. 20 and ticipial, had often a doubtful force in
V, 261. these days ; -ate is sometimes a Latin

273. in my master's fiame] with my representative of our -ated {i.e. -at-ed),
master's passion. Here "in" lias one where we repeat the Latin suffix ; again,
of the forces of the French "en." it may stand, as it seems, for the active

274. deadly life] existence doomed -ant or -ating. In this instance "re-

scv.] WHAT YOU WILL 43

And make the babbling gossip of the air

Cry out " Olivia ! " O ! you should not rest

Between the elements of air and earth,

But you should pity me. 285

OH. You might do much. What is your parentage ?

Vio. Above my fortunes, yet my state is well :
I am a gentleman.

OH. Get you to your lord :

I cannot loi^e hirn. Let him send no more,
Unless, perchance, you come to me again, 290

To tell me how he takes it. Fare you well :
I thank you for your pains : spend this for me.

Vio. I am no fee'd post, lady ; keep your purse :
My master, not myself, lacks recompense.
Love make his heart of flint that you shall love, 295
And let your fervour, like my master's, be
Plac'd in contempt ! Farewell, fair cruelty. \Exit.

OH. " What is your parentage ? "

" Above my fortunes, yet my state is well :

I am a gentleman." I '11 be sworn thou art: 300

Thy tongue, thy face, thy limbs, actions, and spirit,

Do give thee five-fold blazon. Not too fast: soft! soft! —

293. no fee'd post] Theobald, etc. , no feede poast F. 302. soft ! soft /] F ;
soft ; Capell ; separate line Dyce and others.

verberate " is active or passive ; if pas- substantival force of the possessive, see

sive it means, "made to reverberate." note on i. iv. 11.

We may first cf. Bacon, "Both aud- 300. thou art] In this change from

ibles and visibles will be reverberate," "you" to "thou," Furness discovers

Naticrall Historie, § 261; here the the dawn of love.

word is passive. But it is used actively 301. Thy tongue . . . spirit] Note

in the following, "Which skill, Pytha- the climax.

gores First taught to men by a rever- 302. fivefold] the five items in the

berate glass," Jonson, Alasqite of Black- climax of the preceding line.

7iess, 1605 ; see also notes on i. iv. 22, 302. blazoji] (i) a buckler or shield,

II. i, 27, III. iv. 84, 376. (2) a shield with armorial bearings,

282. the babbling gossip of the air] (3) armorial bearings, (4) heraldic pro-

This may be the echo (of the line pre- clamation or description of armorial

ceding), or "the airy tongues that bearings, (5) record or description of

syllable men's names," or "the listen- any kind. Here the five items of the

ing air" of Pericles, i. ii. 87; Mr. climax in line 301 maybe regarded as

Churton Collins quotes Sophocles constituting (3), (4), and (5) of the

[Philoctetes, 187, 188), ddvp6ffToixos {iox above; i.e. "serve as your coat of

ddvpoyKojcTcxos) dx^. arms, and testify to your nobility."

2^'^. fee'd post] hired or paid mes- 302. soft I soft!] These two mono-

senger. syllables, or " How now ! " in 303, may

295. his] that man's. For the old form a separate line.

44

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR,

[act I.

Unless the master were the man. How now !
Even so quickly may one catch the plague ?
Methinks I feel this youth's perfections
With an invisible and subtle stealth
To creep in at mine eyes. Well, let it be.
What, ho ! Malvolio !

305

Re-enter MALVOLIO.

Mai. Here, madam, at your service.

OH. Run after that same peevish messenger,

The county's man : he left this ring behind him, 3 10
Would I or not : tell him I '11 none of it.
Desire him not to flatter with his lord.

303. master were the man] F, man the master were (ending lines 303-305, fast
. . . were . . . catch . . . perfections)Yi2smiex. 307. it be.^Y , it be — Rowe,
etc. 308. ho] Theobald, hoa F; Malvolio!] Theobald, etc., Maluolio. F.
310. county's] Capell, etc., countes F, Counts Ff, Dukes Rowe, etc., Count his
Keighlley ; left] F, left here lianmer.

303. Unless the master were the man]
admits of more than one interpretation ;
as so often in Shakespeare, alliteration
is a kind of provisional language which
does no more than delightfully suggest
— and, it may be, perplex ; such, more-
over, is the great mass of poetry itself.
The sentence may mean, "Unless
Orsino were equally attractive," or,
"Unless the man were the master";
i.e. "could change places, and Viola
possessed Orsino's wealth and dignity " ;
or, " Unless the man loved me as the
master does." But again it is an im-
pression that the words give off rather
than articulate thought ; and some-
times the impression is destroyed if we
attempt to reduce it to anything more
definite.

304. the plague ?] of love, forsooth ?

305. perfections] See note on i. i. 36.

306. 307. With an . . . at mine eyes]
In Shakespeare's earlier philosophy of
love this is an important element ; cf.
"It is engendered in the eyes. With
gazing fed" (Merchant of Venice, III.
ii. 67, 68 ; cf. also Love^ s Labour'' s Lost,
IV. iii. 327-333, V. ii. 772, 773 ; The
Tempest, i. ii. 440, etc. etc.). The
germ of this doctrine may be found in
Heraclitus ; but from many similar ex-
pressions in the Greek we will select

Plato's Se^d/uefoj 7ap tov kclWovs ttjv
diropporji' Sia tQiv 6/jipLa.T0}v (Phadrus,
251). The following occur in other
writers : — " Humant de plus en plus
le venin d'amour par les yeux ... la
maladie ccntagieuse qui prent par les
yeux, et va poser son siege au cceur,"
Belleforest (Appendix I. p. 1S7). " Her
seeming there issued an unwonted
sweetness from his fair eyes," Bandello
(Appendix I. pp. 184 and 187) ; cf. also
Bacon, Essay,^' On Love," lines 21-24,
and "Envy," 5, 6; see also the
author's ILandbook to Shakespeare,
chapter vii.

307. To creep] Abbott, § 349.

IfiC). peevish] Probably "churlish,"
" saucy " (see II. ii. 13). But whatever
its meaning, this word is evidently used
by Olivia to disguise any suspicion that
she takes an undue interest in the
"messenger." For Malvolio, who is
a "churlish messenger" (11. ii. 24), it
is evidently a sufficient blind, as we
may judge by his manner of repeating
tlie word in 11. ii. 14.

310. countys] count's; the j stands
for the e of the O. Frenclj conte. See
also textual notes.

312. flatter with] This is para-
phrased by "nor hold him up with
hopes " in the following line.

sc.v.] WHAT YOU WILL 45

Nor hold him up with hopes : I am not for him.

If that the youth will come this way to-morrow,

I '11 give him reasons for 't. Hie thee, Malvolio, 315
Mai. Madam, I will. {Exit.

OH. I do I know not what, and fear to find

Mine eye too great a flatterer for my mind.

Fate, show thy force : ourselves we do not owe ;

What is decreed must be, and be this so. \Exit. 320

ACT II

SCENE I. — The Sea-coast.

Enter ANTONIO and Sebastian.

Ant. Will you stay no longer ? nor will you not that
I go with you ?

Seb. By your patience, no. My stars shine darkly
over me ; the malignancy of my fate might,
perhaps, distemper yours ; therefore I shall crave
of you your leave that I may bear my evils alone.
It were a bad recompense for your love, to lay
any of them on you.

Ant. Let me yet know of you whither you are bound.

The Sea-coast Capell ; The street Rowe. 5. / shall] F, / Rowe, etc.

314. ^^.^a^] See note on I. ii. 47. asking too great a favour. "Y

our

318. Mine . . . mind] " My mind vfiW leave," three lines below, is the ordin-
be unable to resist the too favourable ary and lighter phrase of apology,
impression which my eyes have re- " If you will allow me."

ceived," Wright. In other words, "I 4. malignancy] malevolence; an as-

fear my inclinations will get the better trological term.

of my judgment." 5- ^'•S'/^'''/^''] disorder, disturb ; often

319. Fate . . . o-ive] I must submit used by Shakespeare with some of its
to Destiny; we are not masters of original force. Cf. " distemperature "
ourselves. in Midsummer- Night's Dream, ir. i.

319. owe] possess — the earlier sense 107; and see note on "anger so dis-

of the word; "own" is a derivative. temper'd," The Tempest (iv. i. 145), in

., „ this series of Shakespeare's plays.

Act n. bcene I. ^^ Possibly, also, the word has some

Scefie I.] Arranged as Scene ii. of astrological force.

Act III. in Irving's acting version. 9. bound] Appropriate enough as

3. By your patience] If I am not spoken by a sea captain.

46

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acth.

Seb. No, sooth, sir: my determinate voyage is mere lo
extravagancy. But I perceive in you so excellent
a touch of modesty, that you will not extort from
me what I am willing to keep in ; therefore it
charges me in manners the rather to express
myself You must know of me then, Antonio, i 5
my name is Sebastian, which I called Roderigo.
My father was that Sebastian of Messaline, whom
I know you have heard of. He left behind him
myself and a sister, both born in an hour : if
the heavens had been pleased, would we had so 20
ended ! but you, sir, altered that ; for some hour
before you took me from the breach of the sea
was my sister drowned,

10. sooth'\ F, in sooth Johnson, etc., 'sooih Capell, etc. i6. Roderigo']

Rodorigo Y. 17. Messaline'] F, Mettaline Knight. 19. an hour\ F; one
hour F 3, 4, Rowe, etc. 21. hour] houre F ; houres F 3 ; hours F 4, Rowe,

etc. 22. breach] F, beech Grey.

10. No, sooth, etc.] A "chorus"
speech, for instruction of audience.

10. sooth] short for "in sooth" — in
truth. A.S. sod, true.

10, II. wj' dctenninate voyage is mere
extravagancy] my destination, if I have
any, is to wander about. The speaker
employs another sea phrase (cf.
"bound" in hne 9).

10, determinate] In Latin sense as in
Sontiet, Ixxxvii. 4, " My bonds in thee
are all determinate."

11, extravagancy] This word does
not occur elsewhere in Shakespeare ;
but the adjective in the corresponding
Latin sense is found in Hamlet, i, i.
154, "The extravagant and erring
spirit" ; and in Othello, i. i. 137, " An
extravagant and wheeling stranger Of
here and everywhere." For words,
especially Latin, in the earlier sense,
see note on 11. v. 140.

12, touch] delicate sense. Cf. " No
touch of bashfulness," Midsummer-
Night's Dream, III. ii. 286.

13, 14. it charges me] I am hound.

14, express] reveal. Cf. " My mais-
ters, let us cutte his throte, P'or feare
we be expreste," Kendall's Flowers of
Epigratnmes, 1577 ; quoted by Ilalli-
well.

16. which I called Roderigo] although
up to the present I have called myself

Roderigo. For some apparent dis-
crepancies in the play, see Introduction,
p. XXX. To this we may add the remark
of R. G. White: " Why, does not
appear. It would seem that there must
be an allusion to some story or play of
which we know nothing. Indeed the
whole of this scene has the air of one
worked up out of another, particularly
in the Captain's speeches, which con-
tain matter superfluous and foreign to
the interest of the play as we have it,"

17. Messaline] A. name probably in-
vented by Shakespeare, though Hanmer
would read " Metelin," the modern form
of Mitylene.

19. an hour] one hour; "a" or "an"
(a form of "one") keep this sense
mostly when after a preposition ; cf. " at
a birth."

21. some hour] about an hour. For
this use of the word see Abbott, § 21.

22. breach] i.e. breaking ; where the
waves break ; the surf; cf. " And spite
of all the rupture of the sea," Pericles,
II. i. 161. Mr. Craig quotes Smith,
Seaman s Grammar, " Shoule, a ledge
of rockes, a breach "; also Hakluyt
(ed. Markham, p. 118, Davis Voyage),
" there arose such a sudden storm that
our ship did drive over a breach, and
our boate sank " ; and, from the same,
p. 114, "the seas such and so lofty

SCI] WHAT YOU WILL 47

Ant. Alas the day !

Seb. A lady, sir, though it was said she much resembled 2 5
me, was yet of many accounted beautiful : but,
though 1 could not with such estimable wonder
overfar believe that, yet thus far I will boldly
publish her : she bore a mind that envy could
not but call fair. She is drowned already, sir, 30
with salt water, though I seem to drown her
remembrance again with more.

Atit. Pardon me, sir, your bad entertainment.

Seb. O good Antonio ! forgive me your trouble.

Ant. If you will not murder me for my love, let me 35
be your servant.

Seb. If you will not undo what you have done, that
is, kill him whom you have recovered, desire it
not. Fare ye well at once : my bosom is full of
kindness ; and I am yet so near the manners of 40
my mother, that upon the least occasion more
mine eyes will tell tales of me. I am bound to
the Count Orsino's court : farewell. \^Exit.

Ant. The gentleness of all the gods go with thee.

I have many enemies in Orsino's court, 45

25. though'] F, who, tho^ Hanmer. 27. such] F, much Cartwright. 28.
overfar] Johnson, over-farre F. 35. murder] tnurther F. 42. Count] F,

Duke Rowe, etc. 45. many] F ; made F 3, 4, Rowe, etc.

with continual breach." The word therefore I forbid my tears" ; and we

occurs frequently in Hakluyt. Pos- may add that the conceit in one form

sibly we may compare Henry V. I. ii. or another occurs elsewhere in Shake-

149. speare, and in Elizabethan literature

27, 28. though I could not . . . generally.
believe that] though for modesty's sake 34. your trouble] the trouble I have

I could not express such excessive caused you (caused to you by me). See

admiration, nor go very far towards note on i. iv. 11.

believing their description. " Estim- 35. murder me for my love] I love

able wonder " probably means " wonder you so much that if you do not allow

of appreciation," or, "wondering or me to serve you, I must die. We have

admiring appreciation," " admiration a parallel thought in the next speech.
that estimates so highly," "fall in 40. kindness] tenderness,
with the popular estimate of wonder. " 40. yet] still ; the loss of his sister is

The suffix in "estimable" has almost so recent.

a causal force, or is passive for active 41. 7nother]Q{. Henry V.lv.Vx. 31,32,

("estimating"). See notes on i. iv. 22, "And all my mother came into mine

I. V. 281, and III. iv. 376. eyes And gave me up to tears."

30. drowned already] With this we 42. bound] See lines 9, 10, notes,
may compare the well-known conceit in 44. gentleness] kindness, good will.
Hamlet, iv. vii. 186, 187, "Too much 45. / have ma?iy enemies] See ni.

of water hast thou, poor Ophelia, And iii. 25, 35-37.

48

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act n.

Else would I very shortly see thee there ;
But, come what may, I do adore thee so,
That danger shall seem sport, and I will go.

[Exit.

SCENE II. — A Street

Enter ViOLA ; Malvolio following.

Mai. Were not you even now with the Countess
Olivia ?

Vio. Even now, sir ; on a moderate pace I have since
arrived but hither.

Mai. She returns this ring to you, sir: you might 5
have saved me my pains, to have taken it away
yourself. She adds, moreover, that you should
put your lord into a desperate assurance she will
none of him. And one thing more ; that you
be never so hardy to come again in his affairs, 10
unless it be to report your lord's taking of this.
Receive it so.

Vio. She took the ring of me ; I '11 none of it.

5. you, sir : yoti\ Rowe, you (sir) you F. 8, 9. s/ie . . . hivi\ F, she is not

for him K. Elze. 13. the ring of tne ; IUr\ Steevens, etc., the Ring of me,

lie F; other conjectures are, the ring of tne ! I ''II, the ring of me! — /'//. More

interesting are, 7iot the ring of tne ; Vll Keightley; A'i? ring of me ; — Pll Malone,

Dyce, etc.

5. to you, sir ;] For the F reading, see
textual notes. Hanmer would here
insert "for being your Lord's she'll
none of it " ; and K. Elze suggests
"she will none of your lord's ring" ;
and we note that Malvolio changes
(lines 7-9) Olivia's injunction "tell him
1 '11 none of it" to " she adds . . . she
will none of him." But see note on
line 13, "She took . . . it."

6. to have tahen'\ by having taken ; a
gerundial construction.

10. hardy"] audacious ; not again ex-
actly in this sense in Shakespeare ; but
cf. "daring-hardy" in Richard I/, i.
iii. 43 ; also, " How art thou so hardy
to do this outrage in my presence?"
and again, " Have ye ben so hardy to
make strife betwene the husbande and
the wyfe?" Hy story of Helyas Knight

of the Szvanne (Pickering, 1827, pp. 63
and 68), quoted by Mr. Craig.

11. this"] this (ring back), probably.

12. so"] And this may be explained
by the word "so" repeated in line 15 ;
therefore we may understand that as
Malvolio pronounces the words "Re-
ceive it so," he throws the ring on the
ground.

13. She took the ring of me] That
Viola already guesses the truth is evi-
dent from her soliloquy, which begins
with line 18; she has also with quick
intuition formed an estimate of the
" churlish messenger" and of the situa-
tion generally ; and with the same
prompt intuition she dissembles, and
shields whatever weakness of her sex
may have been left exposed by Olivia's
action.

sc. II.] WHAT YOU WILL 49

Mai. Come, sir, you peevishly threw it to her ; and

her will is it should be so returned : if it be worth i 5

stooping for, there it lies in your eye ; if not, be

it his that finds it. \Exit.

Vw. I left no ring with her : what means this lady ?
Fortune forbid my outside have not charm'd her !
She made good view of me ; indeed so much, 20

That sure methought her eyes had lost her tongue,
For she did speak in starts distractedly.
She loves me, sure ; the cunning of her passion
Invites me in this churlish messenger.
None of my lord's ring ! why, he sent her none. 2 5
I am the man : if it be so, as 'tis.
Poor lady, she were better love a dream.
Disguise, I see thou art a wickedness.
Wherein the pregnant enemy does much.
How easy is it for the proper-false 30

In women's waxen hearts to set their forms !

21. T/iat] F; T/iai, as Dyce, etc. ; That sure Ff, etc. 26. man . . . 'tis,]
man, if it be so, as iis, F ; 7?ian — If it be so as 'tis, Rowe, Pope ; man — If it be
so, (as 'tis,) Theobald, etc. ; man, if it be so ; as 'tis, Hanmer. 30. properfalse\
Malone and others, proper false F.

16. in your eye] in your sight. Cf. 29. p7'egnant enemy] This may be

"we shall express our duty in his eye," Satan, or any designing foe. " Preg-

Hamlet, iv. iv. 6. nant" in the sense of (i) "resourceful,

19. have not charm'd] A negative ever ready with his wiles," and (2) (but

was often used after a verb of negation, less obviously) "watching whom he

Cf. Richard HI. I. iii. 90, "you may may devour." For "pregnant" in this

deny that you are not the cause." sense, cf. Measure for Measure, "Our

21.] The metre of this line is doubt- city's institutions, and the terms For

fully restored by the "That sure" of common justice, you're as pregnant in

Ff, and more doubtfully by the "That, As art and practice hath enriched any

as" of Dyce and others (see textual That we remember " (i. i. 11-14).

notes). More likely, as so often, 30. properfalse] men who are at once

Shakespeare speaks the line to him- handsome and deceitful. Cf. iii. iv.

self as some good actor might, who 382 in this play, where the combination

fills up the rhythm with appropriate "beauteous-evil" is precisely similar

emphasis and gesture. to this one of "proper-false."

21. her eyes . . . tongue] her eyes 31. waxen . . . set their forms]

observed me with such an intent and stamp their image. Cf. "For men

passionate gaze that they caused her to have marble, women waxen minds,"

lose control of her tongue. Lticrece, 1240. The figure from im-

24. Invites . . . messenger] Has pressions in wax, which occurs in

devised a plan of inviting me, through Lyly's Etiphues, the Adagia of Eras-

this messenger, to visit her again. mus, and elsewhere, is frequent in

27. she were better] For the construe- Shakespeare,
tion, see note on i. v. 31, 32.

50

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acth.

Alas ! our frailty is the cause, not we,

For such as we are made of, such we be.

How will this fadge? My master loves her dearly ;

And I, poor monster, fond as much on him ; 35

And she, mistaken, seems to dote on me.

What will become of this ? As I am man.

My state is desperate for my master's love ;

As I am woman, — now alas the day ! —

What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe ! 40

O time ! thou must untangle this, not I ;

It is too hard a knot for me to untie. [Exit.

33. made of, sucJiX Tyrwhitt, viade, if such F, made, ev'n suck Hanmer and
others. 35. monster'] F, minister Hanmer. 37. wa«] F ; a matt F 3, 4,

Rowe. 39. woman] F, a woman Rowe. 42. to untie] t ^vnty F.

T)2. frailty] As "waxen minds" of
Lucrece is repeated in " waxen hearts"
of line 31, so we may compare this
"frailty" with Hamlet's "frailty, thy
name is woman."

33. For such . . . we be] Tyrwhitt
changed the F "if" to "of," and almost
certainly rectified the text. The line is
doggrel ; such doggrel as often occurs
in the couplets wherewith the poet
closes a speech or a scene (cf. lines 41
and 42, and see note on i. i. 7, 8), yet
such as is not unknown elsewhere in
the plays. Beyond redundancy, there
is nothing difficult in the meaning of
the line.

34. fadge] turn out (Skeat connects
with A.S. faegian, to fit). The word
seems to have come into use late in the
sixteenth century. The following is
worth repeating : ^' Andar 'a vanga, to
fadge, to prosper with, to go as one
would have it," Florio, A IVor/de of
IVordes, 1598.

35. monster] The "monster" was
mostly something abnormal from the

human — " There any monster will make
a man," said Trinculo ; "Abortive,
monstrous, or unkindly mixed," said
Milton. So Viola, as she explains in
the immediate context, is a monster,
being both man and woman.

Z'^. fond] used as a verb; "dote
on" (as in next line). Cf. "Whilst
thou . . . did fonde on Phyllis," Turber-
ville, Ovids Epistles, 1567.

37. What will become of this?] "of
this" may stand for "in consequence
of this," or we may compare the French
idiom with devenir.

38. My . . . lore] In my character as
a man I lose all chance of winning my
master's love. This interpretation seems
the only one possible, because the lines,
37 with 38 and 39 with 40, are the
counterparts of lines 35 and 36 ; thus :
(line 35) I love my master, (line 36)
Olivia loves me ; and what will be the
result of this complication? (37 and 38)
As I am a man, I cannot gain his love ;
(39, 40) As I am a woman, she must
love me in vain.

sc. III.] WHAT YOU WILL 51

SCENE III. — A Room in Olivia's House.

Enter Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek.

Sir To. Approach, Sir Andrew : not to be a-bed
after midnight is to be up betimes ; and diluculo
surgere^ thou knowest, —

Sir And. Nay, by my troth, I know not ; but I know,

to be up late is to be up late. 5

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. Does not our life consist
of the four elements ?

Sir And. Faith, so they say ; but I think it rather
consists of eating and drinking.

Sir To. Thou 'rt a scholar ; let us therefore eat and
drink. Marian, I say ! a stoup of wine !

Enter Clown.

Sir And. Here comes the fool, i' faith. I 5

Clo. How now, my hearts ! Did you never see the
picture of " we three " ?

Scene in.] F, Scene l. Spedding. (See Introduction, p. xxxii. ) 2. diluculo]
Diluculo Rowe, etc., Deliculo F, Diliculo Ff. 9. h/e] Rowe, etc., lives ¥.
14. stotip] stoope F.

1, not to be, etc.] For the conceit, belief that the four "elements" of earth,
cf. Cymbeline, 11. iii. 38, 39, and air, fire, water, entered into the com-
Romeo a^id Juliet, in. iv. 35. position of ever)- man, and that upon

2, 3. diluculo surgere] The words the proper blending of these, tenipera-
"thou knowest," which follow, seem ment and character depended. In the
to imply " Everyone knows this adage human body these elements were often
in Lilly's Grammar"; and we may known as "humours," and fire was
thus interpret, in spite of the fact that represented by choler, water by phlegm,
Sir Andrew (to the amusement of the earth by melancholy , and air by blood.
audience) "knows not"; and we may 13. Thoii'rt a scholar] See note on
add Sir Toby's irony in line 13 : line 2.

"Thou'rt a scholar." The adage in 14. Marian] Cf. " A stoup of wine,

full — Dihiciilo surgere sahtberrimtvn Maria!" in line 122; and in 123 Mal-

est (to get up at dawn is most healthy) — volio addresses her as " Mistress Mar)'."

occurs on p. 51 of Lilly's Latin Gram- Evidently " Marian" and " Mary" are

mar, 1 51 3. colloquial variants of "Maria."

10. the four elements] Cf. "He is 14. stoup] F stoope. A drinking

pure air and fire ; and the dull elements vessel of varying capacity. See note on

of earth and water never appear in him," Othello, 11. iii. 30 (Arden Shakespeare).

Henry V. in. vii. 22. It was an old 16,17. the picture of ^' we three"]\\\Q

52

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act n.

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, 20
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 very good, i' faith. I sent thee sixpence 25
for thy leman : hadst it ?

24. equinoctial of Queubus'] F, equinoctial ; of Queubus ; Tiessen. 26.
lemaii] Theobald, etc. ; Lemon F, Ff, Rowe, Pope, Johnson, and others.

signboard of an inn on ' ' which two
wooden-heads are exhibited with this
inscription, ' We three logger-heads be.'
The spectator or reader is supposed to
make the third. The Clown means to
insinuate that Sir Toby and Sir Andrew
had as good a title to the name oi fool
as himself," Malone. To this we may
add that in his retort of " Welcome,
ass," Sir Toby refers to the well-known
picture of two donkeys' heads, or
donkeys, which bore the inscription,
"We three asses be." The following
quotation by Halliwell is also worth
repeating: '" Plaine home-spun stuffe
shall now proceed from me, Much like
vnto the picture of Wee Three," Taylor,
the Water Poet's Farewell to the Tower
Bottles, 1622. On this the marginal
note is, "The picture of two fooles,
and the third looking on, I doe fitly
compare with the two blacke bottles
and my selfe."

18. IVelcoine, ass] See former note.

18. a catch] A song to be sung by
three or more persons, and so arranged
that the second singer "catches up"
or begins the first line just as the first
singer is beginning the second line ;
and so on. The effect thus produced
was often ludicrous. See note on lines
65, 66, 95. ...

19. breast] breath, voice m smgmg.
The following is an example earlier
than the present play in which the word
is thus used : " I have some syght in
syngynge. But is your brest anythynge
sweet? "J. Heywood, Four Fs, 1547;
and Mr. Craig quotes Skelton, /far-
viony of Birds (Halliwell, Percy Soc.
ed. p. 5), " I syng not musical for my
brest is decayed." In his next sentence

Sir Andrew uses the words " so sweet
a breath to sing." But the F reading
"breast" in line 19 should be preserved.
A later example of the word may be
found in Fletcher's Lovers Cure, 1647,
"sweet-breasted as the nightingale or
thrush."

20. forty] Cf. Merry Wives of

Windsor, i. i. 205. The biblical forty,

with its sanction of mystery, was often

used in later literature when a number

indefinite yet significant was needed.

20. such a leg] Probably, such a
graceful way of bowing ; the word was
often used in this sense, which the
context may possibly support — "Thou
wast in very gracious fooling last night
. . ." The other interpretation, which
is set forth in the following quotation,
is less reliable : "a man borne upon
little legs is always a gentleman born "
(Jonson, Poetaster, li. i.); this, says
Gifibrd, is " a fashionable characteristic
of a fine gentleman," to which " there
are innumerable allusions in our old
writers."

23, 24. Pigrogromitus . . . Queubus]
Sheer nonsense is seldom — if ever —
uttered by the fools of Shakespeare ;
there is method in nearly all their mad-
ness ; and perhaps we ought not to
trust Sir Andrew's capacity even for
downright rubbish ; he ought to blunder
somehow ; we are not sure of his
memory, for he is repeating whatever
wisdom in folly had been let fall by Feste
' ' last night. " Yet for other nonsense we
may compare some of the language of
Feste in iv. ii. (e.g. lines 38-41). But
see note on l. v. 36.

26. leman] F lemon. Originally
" dear one " : A.-S. leof-mann.

SC. III.]

WHAT YOU WILL

53

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, 30
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 — 3 5

Clo. Would you have a love-song, or a song of good
life?

27. impeticos thy gratillity] F, impeticoat thy graiility Var. '73, impeticoat thy
gratuity Johnson and others, impeticos thy gratulity Kinnear. 29. bottle-ale
houses'] Y ; bottle ale houses F 3 j Bottle- Ale-houses F 4, Rowe, and others. 35.
give a — ] F 2, give a F.

27. impeticos thy gratillity] probably,
" impeticoat thy gratuity," i.e. " I
put your small bounty into my pocket."
The clowns wore long coats ; but it is
a question whether Feste wore the usual
garb of the fool (see Introduction, p.
xxxviii). Nicholson would connect
impeticos with pitocare, to beg ; but
this is unlikely.

27 - 29. for Malvolio^s nose . , .
houses] Even this apparent nonsense is
by some commentators translated into
sense ; the following, for example,
quoted by Furness, is suggested by
Hutson : "I pocketed thy trifling
gratuity [for he seems to me to mean
a hidden sneer by his diminutive],
because Malvolio would soon nose me
out if I abstracted wine from the
steward's stores ; my lady [not Olivia,
but the girl Sir Andrew sent him the
sixpence for] has too white a hand to
condescend to common tipple, and the
tavern called The Myrmidons, where
I would regale her, is no place for
cheap drink."

28. no whipstock] Probably, no mere
handle of a whip, but sharp to detect
and punish ; otherwise it may mean,
"can detect, but not punish."

29. Myrmidons] warriors who
followed Achilles ; here, a tavern, or,
possibly, legal officers, or the houses of
such.

29. bottle-ale houses] also obscure ;
"bottle-ale" occurs again as an ex-
pression of contempt in 2 Henry IV.
II. iv. 140, "Away, you bottle-ale

rascal." Possibly bottled ale was some-
thing inferior in those days ; see Hut-
son's paraphrase above (line 27) ; other-
wise, but less probably, we interpret,
"are not places where one can safely
enjoy oneself."

31. when all is done] i.e. after all;
when all is said and done ; cf. Macbeth,
III. iv. 67, and A Midsumrner-Night^s
Dream, III. i. 16.

34. testril] From the French Testoone
or Testoon, coined by Louis Xli., and
so called because it had his head {teste)
stamped on it. Other forms of the word
were teston, tester, testern. The coin in
Shakespeare's day was worth about 6d.

35. give a — ] Thus the line ends
abruptly in F. Either Sir Andrew is in-
terrupted by the Clown, or some words
dropped out in the printing. From
emendations suggested we might choose,
" if one knight give, another should."

36. 37. of good life] In The Merry
Wives of Windsor, III. iii. 127, we
read, " Defend your reputation, or bid
farewell to your good life for ever " ;
here "good life" means "respectable
position," or "good repute," or "virtu-
ous living" ; and apparently Sir Andrew,
who "cares not for good Hfe " (line 39),
so interprets the Clown's proposal. But
though Feste can sing a song that is
"old and plain" (ll. iv. 43), and of
infinite pathos, it is almost inconceiv-
able that he should propose what is
absolutely impossible to the occasion ;
and we had better interpret " good
life " as "good living," or " merry life."

54

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actii.

Sir To. A love-song, a love-song.

Sir And. Ay, ay; I care not for good life.

Clo. [Sings.] O mistress mine ! where are you roaming f 40
O ! stay and hear ; your true love 's coming.

That can sing both high and low.
Trip no further^ pretty sweeting ;
Journeys end in lovers meeting.

Every wise 7nan's son doth know. 45

Sir And. Excellent good, i' faith.
Sir To. Good, good.

Clo. [Sings.] What is love? 'tis not hereafter ;

Present mirth hath present laughter ;

What 's to come is still unsure : 50

In delay there lies no plenty ;
Then come kiss me, siveet-and-tiventy ,

Yo7ith 's a stuff will not endure.

41. and hear] F, for here Coll. MS. ; true love's] true loues
some edd. 44. lovers] P', lovers' Theobald, etc. 51. delay]
burton. Cc? <;wppf-anH-twf"ntvl manv edd.. svv

41. ana nearj r, lor nere »^ou. mo. ; iruc luvc sj iiuc luucs F, true-love s
some edd. 44. lovers] P', lovers' Theobald, etc. 51. delay] F, decay War-
burton. 52. sweet-and-tvventy] many edd., sweet and twenty F, sweet, and
twenty Theobald, etc.

40. O mistress mine, etc.] This song
is found in both editions of Morley's
Consort Lessons, 1599 and 161 1. Also
in Queen Elizabeth's Virginal Book,
1603. But in matter and manner it
suggests Shakespeare as its author, and
if printed before Twelfth Night was
written, it may, nevertheless, have been
used again by the dramatist for his
present purpose.

43. sweeting] sweet one ; a diminu-
tive. Cf. Othello, II. iii. 252.

51. In delay . . . plenty] Cf. " De-
lay leads impotent and snail - paced
beggary," Richard III. IV. iii. 53.

52. sweet-and-twenty] To comment
on Shakespeare is one of the best means
I know of inducing a habit of caution ;
but I have always felt convinced that
to interpret "sweet and twenty" other-
wise than as a term of endearment is to
destroy the charm of this exquisite song.
"Sweet and twenty" — could we con-
ceive of any more delightful, more per-
fect concrete presentation of the abstract
motive of the composition ? We need
only glance at the lines before and

after — " In delay there lies no plenty " —
" Youth 's a stuff will not endure "—and
the full meaning and the only possible
meaning of the words that are the sut)-
ject of this note will surely force itself
upon us. Apart from this, Sleevens
has quoted the following from the Life
and Death of the Merry Devi II of Ed-
monton, a collection of stories by Tho.
Brewer (entered Stationers' Registers,
5ih April 1608) : " His little wanton
wagtailes, his sweet and twenties, his
pretty pinckineyd pigmies, etc., as
he himself was wont to call them."
Others, however, e.g. Wright, inter-
pret "Sweet kisses, and twenty of
them," and quote The Two Noble
Kinsmen, II. iv., " IVooer. I told
her presently, and kissed her twice.
Doctor. 'Twas well done : twenty times
had been far better." But again, I
find it impossible to accept any such
interpretation ; and I might add, half
humorously, the following in Belle
Forest, " Elle ne le baisait plus d'une
douzaine fois."

SC. III.]

WHAT YOU WILL

55

Sir And. A mellifluous voice, as I am true knight.
Sir To. A contagious breath, 5 5

Sir And. Very sweet and contagious, i' faith.
Sir To. To hear by the nose, it is dulcet in conta-
gion. 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? 6o
shall we do that?
Sir And. An you love me, let's do't: I am dog at a
catch.

54. true\ F, a true Rowe, etc.
am a dog F 3, 4, Rowe,

62. An\ Pope, etc., And F ; am dogi F ;

57, 58, To hear . . . contagioti]
Imitating Sir Andrew's style of speech
("mellifluous voice"), Sir Toby followed
him with "contagious breath," i.e. "it
was quite a ' catching ' song" ; but Sir
Andrew blunders into the literal mean-
ing of "contagious," whereupon Sir
Toby replies, " That is not a bad idea,
to hear through the nose, as we catch
a fever by inhaling contagion through
the nostrils ; but the contagion in this
instance was pleasant enough." The
word " it " stands for the song, and not
for the phrase, " To hear by the nose."

58. make the welkijt dance] " drink
till the sky seems to turn round," John-
son ; cf. " Cup us, till the world go
round," Antony and Cleopatra, il. vii.
124. Cf. also in this play, "that will
not drink to my niece till his brains turn
o' the toe like a parish top " (l. iii. 42).

60. draw . . . 7veaver'] We first
compare 1 Henry IV. Ii. iv. 147, " I
would I were a weaver ; I could sing
psalms or anything." It seems that
weavers were mostly Calvinist refugees
from the Netherlands, and were re-
garded as musical, especially in their
fondness for psalm-singing. But cf.
also, " He got this cold with sitting up
late, and singing catches with cloth-
workers," Jonson, The Silent Woman,
III. ii. Here the musical weaver is
not restricted to psalm-singing. That
tailors were looked upon in like manner
might appear from the following : —
"■^ Hotspur. Come sing. Lady Percy. I
will not sing. Hotspur. 'Tis the next
way to turn tailor," i Henry IV. in.
i. 264 (quoted by Deighton). Alto-
gether, therefore, we must conclude

that the pith of Sir Toby's remark is
not to be found in a weaver's inability
to appreciate music, nor in his fondness
for psalm-singing as opposed to the
levity of a "catch." " To draw three
souls out of one starved weaver " — this
is Wright's suggestion ; but I doubt
whether it contains the pith of the
matter. Malone says, "I believe
Shakespeare here only means to de-
scribe Sir Toby's catch as so harmonious
that it would 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 any other man." But should we
not rather expect the opposite — that
Shakespeare should heighten the effect
of music by describing its power even
over the unmusical ? Otherwise, he
merely refers to the weaver as a man
well practised in singing. Next we
compare "Now is his soul ravish'd.
Is it not strange that sheeps' guts
should hale souls out of men's bodies?"
Much Ado about Nothing, il. iii. 61.
As to ^^ three souls," this is almost
certainly an amusing antithesis to ^' one
weaver " ; and it will be unnecessary
to quote examples of "three" and
"thrice" used by Shakespeare in the
way of playful exaggeration. Yet the
poet's fondness for subtle connotation
will justify a reference to the peripatetic
philosophy, especially as it appeared in
contemporary literature {e.g. Huarte's
Triall of Wits, 1594), which main-
tained that every man had three souls,
the vegetative or plastic, the animal,
and the rational.

62. dog at] clever at. The following

56

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acth.

Clo. By 'r lady, sir, and some dogs will catch well.

Sir And. Most certain. Let our catch be, "Thou 65

knave."
Clo. " Hold thy peace, thou knave," knight ? I shall

be constrained in 't to call thee knave, knight.
Sir And. 'Tis not the first time I have constrained

one to call me knave. Begin, fool : it begins 70

" Hold thy peace."
Clo. I shall never begin if I hold my peace.
Sir And. Good, i' faith. Come, begin.

[ They sing a catch.

Enter Maria.

Mar. What a caterwauling 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 Catalan ; we are politicians ;

67. knave," knight ?"[ Var. '78, etc., knave, knight. F. See note below.
caterwauling'] Theobald, caterwalling F.

75

74-

occurs in Nash, Almond and Parratt,
1589, "He is olde dogge at ex-
pounding " ; cf. also Lodge's Wits
Miserie, 1596, "He is dog at re-
cognisances and statutes " ; also
Shakespeare, "To be, as it were, a

dog at all things," Two Gentlemen of note above.

knave." (From Sir John Hawkins,
who also gives the notes to which the
catch was sung. They may also be
seen in Knight.)

67. ' 'Hold thy peace, " etc. ] The Clown
thus begins to troll the catch. See

Verona, IV. iv. 14. In this proverbial
expression the "a" is usually omitted.

64. By 'r lad}'] By our Lady. F
"Byrlady."

65, 66. " Thoti knave"] "A 'catch' is
a species of vocal harmony to be sung by
three or more persons ; and is so con-
trived, that though each sings precisely
the same notes as his fellows, yet by
beginning at stated periods of time
from each other, there results from the
performance a harmony of as many
parts as there are singers. Composi-
tions of this kind are, in strictness,
called Canons in the unison ; and as
properly catches, when the words in the
ditferent parts are made to catch or
answer each other. . . . The ' catch '
to be sung by Sir Toby, Sir Andrew,
and the Clown, from the hints given of
it, appears to be so contrived as that
each of the singers calls the other knave
in turn ; and for this the Clown means
to apologise to the knight, when he
says he shall be constrained to call him

67. knave," knight?] i.e. "But this
will hardly do, as you are a knight."
See also the rest of the Clown's speech ;
also note on 65, 66.

77. Catalan] Sir Toby harps on
Maria's "my lady," and his "Catalan"
may be partly suggested by the first
syllable of her word " ra/erwauling,"
which he disguises by appending other
syllables ; yet the word may also retain
some of its romantic associations that
are due chiefly to Ariosto ; further, it
is a term of reproach, meaning rogue,
thief, liar, etc. In his useful note on
the word in The Merry IVives of IVind-
sor, II. i. 145 (Arden edition), Mr.
Hart quotes Wm. Watreman's Fardle
of Facions, 1555 (Part II. ch. viii.),
where we read that "the Cathaiens
. . . knowe not what we meane, whe
we speake of failhfulnesse or trusti-
nesse." How the natives of Cathay
(/.If. China) got this ill repute is not
quite clear ; Nares, who says it was
brought home by travellers, quotes the

sc,

III.]

WHAT YOU WILL

57

Malvolio 's a Peg-a-Ramsey, and " Three merry
men be we." Am not I consanguineous ? am I
not of her blood ? Tillyvally ; lady !

There divelt a man in Babylon^ lady, lady !

Clo. Beshrevv me, the knight 's in admirable fooling.

79. Am not /] F 3, 4, Rowe, etc. ; Avi I not Y.

80

word from Dekker's Honest Whore
(Part I.), which is near in date to
Twelfth Night.

77. politicians'] " I had as lief be a
Brownist as a poHtician," says Sir
Andrew (iii. ii. 31). "It might be
the pate of a politician," said Hamlet,
"one that would circumvent God";
and this derogatory sense may attach to
the word here. See note on in. ii. 32.

78. Peg-a-Ramsey'] evidently another
term of reproach ; and we might now
represent the three words Cataian,
politicians, and Peg-a- Ramsey, by
rogue, sly dogs, and loose fish respect-
ively. "Little Pegge of Ramsie,"
who serves as title to a tune of Shake-
speare's day, may have been notorious
enough for Malvolio's turn. Another
tune, equally old, is entitled Peg-a-
Ramsey. These tunes are mentioned
in Chappell's Popular Music of the
Olden Time, and the music is given by
Hawkins in the Variorum ; by Knight
in his Illusti'atiotis ; and by Naylor in
Shakespeare and Music. It may be
added that Ramsey, a town in Hunt-
ingdonshire, was of some importance
in our older England.

78, 79. "Three merry 7n en be we"]
"This," says Hawkins, "is a con-
clusion common to many old songs."
The one that seems most worthy of
mention in regard to our text occurs in
The Old Wives Tale, by Peele, 1595 ;
it runs as follows : —

" Three merrie men, and three
merrie men.
And three merrie men be we ;
I in the wood, and thou on the

ground,
And Jacke sleeps in the tree."
80. Tillyvally ; lady] No doubt
"lady" is a scornful echo of Maria's
"my lady," as is clearly explained by
Sir Toby's interrogation, "am I not
consanguineous, etc. ? " Yet some have
regarded the words " Tilly-vally, lady"
as part of the song. For the punctua-

tion of the Folio, and for other readings,
see textual notes. It is certainly best
to regard the expression as equivalent
to "Fiddle-faddle; lady, indeed!:"
As to the origin of " Tilly-vally," it is
probably one of those alliterative ex-
pressions of contempt which are found
in most languages. Steevens, whether
seriously or otherwise, would trace it to
the Latin Titivilitium. In 2 Henry
IV, II. iv. 90, it is varied by dame
Quickly to "Tilly-fally." The following
occurs in Roper's Life of Sir Thomas
More: — "To whom shee . . . not
likeing such talke, answeared, ' Tille
valle, Tille valle ' " ; and Johnson tells
us that the wife of Sir Thomas More
had the contemptuous expression "very
often in her mouth." Again, in Scott's
Antiqtiary, VI., it varies slightly in form
— " Tilley-valley, Mr. Lovel, Tilley-
valley, I say — a truce with your polite-
ness." According to Douce, it may be a
hunting-call borrowed from the French.

81. There dwelt . . . lady !] Having
contemptuously pronounced the word
"Lady," Sir Toby recalls a song in
which the burden is "Lady, lady."
This burden was a common one in old
ballads. Tracy refers to the interlude.
The Trial of Treasure, 1567 (Wright's
ed.,p. III). Asto the song itself, we find
it in the Pepys Collection; it was licensed
by T. Colwell in 1562 under the title of
The Godly and ConstanteWyfe Susanna,
The following is the first stanza : —

" There dwelt a man in Babylon
Of reputation great by fame ;
He took to wife a faire woman,
Susanna she was callde by name :
A woman fair and vertuous ;
Lady, lady ;

Why should we not of her learn thus
To live godly ? "

Other snatches from this song occur in

Shakespeare {Romeo and Juliet, 11. iv.

151, and Alerry Wives of Windsor,

Quarto of 1602).

82. Beshrew me] verily ; indeed.

58 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acth.

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. 85

Sir To. O ! the tzvelfth day of December^ —

Mar. For the love o' God, peace !

Enter Malvolio.

Mai. 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 90
make an alehouse of my lady's house, that ye
squeak out your coziers' catches without any miti-
gation 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 95
up !

86. O ! the twelfth] Theobald, etc., O the twelfe F. 90. gabble\ F, gobble

Coll. MS. 92. coziers'^ Coziers F, Costers' Hanmer, etc., Cottiers War-

burton, Clothiers' Quincey MS. 95, 96. Stieck up /] F 3, 4, etc. ; Suede vp. F ;
Strike up. Rowe ; Sneck up! [Hiccoughs] Theobald, Vs'arburton, Johnson;
sneak-cup Capell conj. ; Snick up Collier ; Snick-up ! Dyce, etc.

Originally, " May mischief befall me." gabbling of the tinker is here de-
For the word "shrewd "in one of its nounced ; but the word "ale-house"
older senses, see v. 356 in the present follows closely, and our inference above
play. Perhaps derived from the shrew- may as well stand,
mouse, which was supposed to have a 92. coziers^'\ cobblers' ; the only in-
venomous bite, stance in Shakespeare (Minsheu, "A

85. naturar\ with a possible play cosier or cobbler, remendon "). Old
upon another meaning of the word — French, cousere, one who sews, tailor,
like an idiot. seamster ; formed from coudre (cousant).

86. O ! the twelfth, etc.] Sidney Cf. Spanish, coser, to sew. Mr. Craig
Walker would read, " O' th' twelfth, quotes Armin, J'oole upon Foole, 1605
etc." No doubt we have the first line (Grosart, p. 22), "this leane Foole
of a ballad celebrating some event Leonard . . . was revenged on one
that occurred on the 12th of December, who clapt coiziars wax to his head."
but no other trace of the ballad has 95. keep time'] " To ' keep time ' is
been found. Cowden Clarke thinks almost the only virtue a catch singer
the reference is to Twelfth Night, but must have," Naylor, Shakespeare and
this is doubtful. Music, 1896.

89. honesty] decency, sense of pro- 95,96. ^w^r.^' ////] go and be hanged !

priely (Lat. honestas). The expression occurs in many old

89, 90. but to gabble] to prevent you plays {e.g. The Two Angry Women of
from gabbling (Abbott § 122). Abingdon, " His fellows be good

90. tinkers] "I can drink with any fellows; if not, let them go snick up"),
tinker in his own language," 1 Henry and its meaning is made clear by the
IV. II. iv. 20. We may infer that following: —

tinkers were notable drinkers and "To end this matter, thus much I

talkers, and, like the "weaver" of line assure you,

60, selected to serve proverbially as a A Tiburne Hempen-caudell well

type. Furness thinks that only the will cure you.

sc.

III.]

WHAT YOU WILL

59

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 dis-
orders. If you can separate yourself and your
misdemeanours, 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.

98. that, thongJi] F ; that F 3, 4, Rowe, etc. 99. kins mail] F,

100

Rowe, etc. 102. an it] Pope, a/id it F.
bald and others. See note below.

It can cure Traytors, but I hold it

fit
T apply 't ere they the treason doe

commit :
Wherefore in Sparta it ycleped was
Snickup, which is in English
Gallow-grasse."
Taylor, the water-poet,
Hempseed. Halliwell
"sneck-up" may be a
" his neck up" ~ "
with "snickle.

In Praise of

thinks that

corruption of

Deighton connects it

sb. and vb.= noose,"

and compares The Jew of Malta, iv. vi.
22, "and he and I, snickle hand too
fast, strangled a friar."

97. round] plain-spoken, straight-
forward. Cf. "Let her be round with
him," Hamlet, iii. i. 191. Often used
by Shakespeare in this and kindred
senses. In Bacon, Essay i., we have,
" clear and Round dealing is the
Honour of Mans Nature " ; on which
Dr. Abbott remarks, "Round was
naturally used of that which was sym-
metrical and complete (as a circle is) ;
then of anything thorough. Hence
(paradoxically enough), ' I went round
to work,' Hamlet, II. ii. 139, means
'I went straight to the point.'"

102, 103. it -would please . . . she is
very willing] For the grammatical
peculiarities, see Abbott, § 371 ; "the
consequent does not answer to the
antecedent in mood or tense."

104, 105, 107, 108, no.] In the
Folio of 1623 the fragments of song
are not printed in italics until we come
to line 114— "Shall I bid him go?"
Hereupon Furness remarks, "Owing
to the interspersed prose, the com-
positor did not at first recognise, from
his reader's voice, that they were lines of

105

Uncle
104, 105.] As a quotation, Theo-

a song. " By Theobald and others they
were printed within quotation marks.

104, 105. Farewell . . . gone] On
this ballad Percy remarks, " Coty don's
Farewell to Phyllis is an attempt to
paint a lover's irresolution, but so
poorely executed, that it would not
have been admitted into this collection,
if it had not been quoted in T-ivelfth
Night. It is found in a little ancient
miscellany entitled The Golden Garland
of Princely Delights, 12 mo. bl. let."
According to Halliwell - Phillips,
"This ballad first appeared in the
Booke of Ayres, composed by Robert
Jones, 1601. Jones does not profess
to be the author of the words of this
song, for he observes, ' If the ditties
dislike thee, 'tis without their consents,
though, I hope, not against their wils ' ;
but there is every reason to believe that
the ditty referred to in Twelfth Night
was first published in this work, a'
collection of new, not of old songs."
Of the five stanzas of this ballad, the
first two may be quoted in illustration
of our text :

"Farewell, dear love; since thou
wilt needs be gone,
Mine eyes do shew, my life is

almost done.
Nay I will never die, so long as I

can spie
There be many moe, though that
she doe goe.
There be many mo, I fear not ;
Why then let her goe, I care not.

Farewell, farewell ; since this I

find is true,
I will not spend more time in

wooing you ;

60

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actii.

Mar. Nay, good Sir Toby.

Clo. His eyes do shoiv his days are almost done.

Mai. Is 't even so ?

Sir To. But I will never die.

Clo. Sir Toby, there you lie. 1 1 o

Mai. This is much credit to you.

Sir To. Shall I bid Jiini go ?

Clo. What an if you do ?

Sir To. Shall I bid him go, and spare not ?

Clo. O I no, no, no, no, you dare not. i i 5

Sir To. Out o' tune, sir! ye lie. Art any more than
a steward ? Dost thou think, because thou art
virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale ?

106. Mar.] F, Mai. I'ope and others. 109. [Falls down drunkenly.] ilalli-
well. 113. an if] Theobald, etc., and if F. 1 16. tune, sir.'] tune, sir:

Rowe and others ; ttiiie sir, F ; time, sir? Theobald, etc. ; other suggestions are
time, sir, time ? sir, tune ! — Sir, tune, sir ? time ! — sir tune I Sir.

But I will seek elsewhere, if I

may find love there ;
Shall I bid her goo ? what and if
I doe?
Shall I bid her goe and spare

not?
O no, no, no, I dare not."
106.] " From Maria's remonstrance,
'Nay, good Sir ToVjy,' it is to be in-
ferred that the knight addressed his
' Farewell, dear heart,' personally to
her, accompanied with some tipsy

Clown first, and then turns to Mal-
volio : "Throughout the singing both
Sir Toby and Feste have changed the
sex in the original song from ' her ' to
' him,' in order to make it fit the hour
and Malvolio. To Sir Toby's question,
'Shall I bid him go, and spare not?'
Feste gives a more emphatic denial
than the metre allows ; the original
has only three 'noes,' Feste adds a
fourth, this extra 'no' of course de-
manded an extra note (possibly sung

demonstrations of affection. In the fortissimo), which Sir Toby detects and
Clown's 'Sir Toby, there you lye,' says ' Out o' tune, sir !' then

Capell (ii. 146) detects a ' waggish re-
mark in tune upon a great stumble of
Sir Toby's which brings him almost
upon his nose.' See Ilalliwell's stage-
direction in textual notes," Furness.
To this we may add that Maria's
"Is't even so?" is called forth by
Sir Toby's inebriate condition, and her
"This is much credit to you" by his
tottering — as it may be — to a fall.

109.] For the line thus comically
applied to Sir Toby, see the above
song (note on line 106).

1 16. Out 0' tune, sir ! ye /ie] For the
F "tune" many editors would substi-
tute "time" (cf. Sir Toby's " Wc did
keep time, sir," line 95). But the
change seems unnecessary, and the
following remark of Furness is quite to
the purpose ; and we unhesitatingly
agree that Sir Toby addresses the

this most pronounced imputation on
his courage, that he dare not bid
Malvolio go, he adds 'ye lie.' Where-
upon, to prove his courage he turns on
RIalvolio with, 'Art any more,' etc. "
After this remark of Furness, we turn
with renewed interest to the readings
in the textual notes.

1 1 8. ea/.rs and a/e] Proverbial for
revelling; e.£'. "ale and cakes,"
Henry VIII. V. iv. 11. Cakes were
eaten and ale was drunk on holidays
and saints' days, and of these Mal-
volio, that "kind of Puritan," might
be expected to disapprove. The fol-
lowing occurs in Jonson's Bartholomew
Fair: " IVimcife. What call you the
reverend elder you told me of, your
Banbury man ? Littlewit. Rabbi Busy,
sir ; he is more than an elder, he is a
prophet, sir. Quarlous. O, I know

SC, III.]

WHAT YOU WILL

61

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 crumbs. A stoup of wine, Maria !
Mai. 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

120

of it, by this hand.

125

\Exit.

119. Saint Anne;] Rann, etc., 5". Anne, F. 122. stoup] stope F, Ff;

stoop Rowe and others. 125. this] F, his Keightley. 126. of it, by] Rowe,
etc. , of it by F.

him ! a baker, is he not ? Lit. He
was a baker, sir, but he does dream
now, and see visions ; he has given
over his trade. Quar. I remember
that too ; out of a scruple he took,
that, in spiced conscience, those cakes
he made were served to bridales, may-
poles, morrices, and such profane feasts
and meetings. His Christian name is
Zeal-of-the-land. Lit. Yes, sir ; Zeal-
of-the-Iand Busy."

119. by Saint Anne] Apparently the
Clown invokes a saint of the Church
(mother of the Virgin), who approved
of good living materially as well as
spiritually ; this seems borne out by
the following references: (i) Cham-
bers' Book of Days (ii. 389), "The
Medicating Saints " are enumerated in
the following passage from "a whim-
sical satire of the sixteenth century " :
"St. Anne gives wealth and living
great to such as love her most, And is
a perfect finder out of things that have
been lost." (2) The Tivo Angry Women
of Abingdon (H. Porter, 1599), where
Moll Barnes says, "Now, by Saint
Anne, I will not die a maid" (p. 292,
ed. Hazlitt - Dodsley), Furness. Cf.
also The Tamitigofthe Shrew, I. i. 255.

119. ginger] " Gerarde {Herball, p.
62) classes ginger ' canded, greene, or
condited,' among the aphrodisiacs,"
Furness. References to the eating of
ginger will be found in Measure for
Measure, IV. iii. 6, 8, and The Mer-
chant of Venice, III. i. lO.

121, 122. rub your chain with
crumbs] This is equivalent to " Go and
attend to your own business." " Stew-
ards," says Steevens, " anciently wore
a chain as a mark of superiority over
other servants " ; and he quotes Beau-
mont and Fletcher, Loves Cure,

III. ii. : ^' Piorato. Is your chain right?
Bobadilla. It is both right and just,
sir ; For though I am a steward, I did
get it with no man's wrong." And in
allusion to the mode of cleaning chains
with crumbs, Steevens quotes Web-
ster's Duchess of Malfi: '■^Fourth
Officer. How scurvy proud he would
look, when the treasury was full ! well,
let him go. First Officer. Yes, and
the chippings of the buttery fly after
him, to scour his gold chain." (We
may note that the word "crum," as
in the Folio, is sometimes written
without the "excrescent" b.)

125. give means for this uncivil
rule] supply the drink "for these
unseemly revels." " Rule," says John-
son, "is method of life"; but, adds
Steevens, " it occasionally means the
arrangement or conduct of a festival or
merrymaking as well as behaviour in
general." As a fact, the word seems
to have got confused with "revel";
in "lord of misrule" we have Johnson's
meaning ; but in "night-rule" (^ l\Iid-
summer - Nighfs Dream, III. ii. 5)
"rule" stands for "revel," as it al-
most certainly does in the present
passage. Cf. also The Famous Vic-
tories of Henry V. (Six Old Flays, etc.,
Nichols, 1779), "A very disordered
companie, and such as make Very ill
rule in your majestie's house " (quoted
by Craig) ; also

" Cast in a gallant round about the
hearth they got,
And at each pause they kiss, was

never seen such rule
In any place but here, at bonfire,
or at Yule."
Drayton, Polyolbion, quoted by
Steevens.

126. by this hand] Cf. I. iii. 36.

62 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acth.

Mar. Go shake your ears.

Sir And. 'Twere as good a deed as to drink when a
man 's a-hungry, to challenge him the field, and
then to break promise with him and make a fool 130
of him.

Sir To. Do 't, knight : I '11 write thee a challenge ;
or I '11 deliver thy indignation to him by word of
mouth.

Mar. Sweet Sir Toby, be patient for to-night : since 135
the youth of the count's was to-day with my lady,
she is much out of quiet. For Monsieur Mal-
volio, 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 140
straight in my bed. I know I can do it.

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

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

129. a-htmg)y'\ Collier, etc., a hungrie F, hwigjy Var. '21 ; thefield\ F, Ff,
and some edd. ; to the field some edd. 139. a nayword\ Rowe, etc. ; an

ayword Y, Ff. 142. Sir To.] F, Sir And. some edd. 144. piritan]

Furitane F, F 2 ; a Puritane F 3, 4, Rowe, etc.

127. shake your ears'] "like a help- ately follows — "and make him a
less ass," Wright. Used mostly as common recreation." The F form is
an expression of contempt, and not un- "an ayword"; and "this," says
common in contemporary literature; it Steevens, "has since been called a
occurs, for example, in Lyly's Euphues byeword, a kind of reproach." In the
and his England (^. 251, ed. Arber). Aleriy Wives of M'indsor (u.W. 131) we
Cf. also Julius Casar, iv. i. 26, and have "nay- word, "meaning"watchword"
Craig quotes Brome, The Antipodes, or "password"; and Forby, in his F^ra<^-
III. vi. 26. ttlatyof East Ang!ia,g\\Qs " A ay -word

128. 129. ^ Twere . . . a-hungry] K ... A bye-word; a laughing-stock."
proverbial expression, as in i i%;/; J /F". As " newt " for "an eft," so by crasis
II. i. 33, " An 'twere not as good a deed "nay-word " most probably, for " aye-
as drink, to break the pate on thee." word," "a word," remarks Halliwell,

129. challenge him the field] Thus the "that may be always used, a proverbial
F. Others would read, "to the field," reproach." " Gull him into" may be
or "to field" (/.^. to combat). But rendered, "make him such a fool that
Murray's Dictionary supplies a parallel he will become, or pass for a mere bye-
to the F reading, though of later date word."

(1693). "The disagreement grew so 140. ?wr^fl//£7«] laughing-stock,
high, that they challenged the field one 142, 143. Possess us . . . him] spoken

of another," W. Robertson, Phraseol. possibly by Sir Andrew ; Sir Toby

Gen., 477. must have known the man well.

136. the count's] that count, Collier 142. Possess us] inform us.
MS. Mr. Craig proposes " this count." 144. sometimes he is a hind of puri-

139. nayworcT] "gull him into a nay- ta/i] For example, where Fabian says,

word" appears to be explained, at least "You know, he brought me out o'

in part, by the sentence that imniedi- favour with my lady about a bear-bait-

sc.

III.]

WHAT YOU WILL

63

Sir And. O ! if I thought that, I'd beat him Hke a 145
dog.

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

Sir And, I have no exquisite reason for't, but I have

reason good enough. 150

Mar. The devil a puritan that he is, or any thing con-
stantly, but a time-pleaser ; an affectioned ass,
that cons state without book, and utters it by
great swarths : the best persuaded of himself; so
crammed, as he thinks, with excellencies, that it 155
is his ground of faith that all that look on him

152. affectioned\affectiofCdY, affected Yi.z.Vixas.'i zxAo'C^tx?,. 154. swarths\

F, swaths someedd. 156. groutid Ff, etc., grounds F.

ing here" (11. v. 8); but by "some-
times " Shakespeare seems to wish us
to understand that Malvolio would
affect puritanical manners on occasion ;
and in her next speech Maria informs
us that he is not puritan ' ' or any thing
constantly." Therefore to speak of
Malvolio as a Puritan is misleading ;
nor do his speech or his actions con-
sistently bear out that character. The
fact is that with religion as with love,
Shakespeare often adopts Bacon's
method of Antitheta ; at least he is both
cautious and tolerant. See Intro-
duction, pp. XXXV and xxxvi.

151. 77; e a'«z'z7] The Folio prints this
as "The diu'll," and, as Furness has
noticed, may thus seem to respect
Maria's delicacy.

151. 152.] Cf. '■^Omnium horarum
hofno," Erasmus, Adagia, 126.

152. affcctioned] affected. On the
occasional use of "affection" for
"affectation," Wright notes, "In
Hainlet, 11. ii. 464, ' nor no matter in
the phrase that might indite the owner
of affectation,' is the reading of the
Folios, while the Quartos have 'affec-
tion.' Compare Lovers Labour s Lost,
V. i. 4, 'Witty without affection,'
which is the reading of the first Folio,
changed in the later editions to affecta-
tion."

153. cons state without dook] In II.
V. 154, jMalvolio is advised — "let thy
tongue tang arguments of state," which
no doubt refers to a habit already his
own. Here we may explain, "learns

courtly phrases by heart. " Both ' ' con "
and ' ' without book " are from the
language of the theatre ; for the first,
cf. L/enry V. III. vi. 79, "This they
con perfectly in the phrase of war " ;
and for the second, Romeo and Juliet,
I. iv. 6, "Nor no without-book pro-
logue, faintly spoke After the prompter";
also Ben Jonson, Every Man out of his
Humour, "He waylays the reports of
services, and cons them without book."
As Wright remarks, the suggested read-
ing "cons state wit out of books " is
altogether out of keeping with Mal-
volio's temperament.

I53> 1 54- by great s'cuarths^ The same
figure is employed in Troilus and
C7-essida, V. v. 25, where the spelling
is the more correct "swath": "And
there the strawy Greeks, ripe for his
edge Fall down before him, like the
mower's swath." What* suggests the
figure — rows of grass or com — in this
instance is at least interesting to inquire ;
and without staying to answer, we might
add that it belongs to that splendid
resource and spontaneity of pictorial
expression which is so much Shake-
speare's own, that after mentioning him
we do not care to say it exists in any
other writer. (Note on 11. v. 78.)

1 54. the best persuaded of himself] no
man has a better opinion of him-
self.

156, 157. all that look . . . him']
"Whom to look at was to love,"
Tennyson, Locksley Hall. The thought
occurs also in Burns.

64 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acth.

love him ; and on that vice in him will my
revenge find notable cause to work.

Sir To. What wilt thou do ?

Mai'. I will drop in his way some obscure epistles of 1 60
love ; wherein, by the colour of his beard, the
shape of his leg, the manner of his gait, the ex-
pressure of his eye, forehead, and complexion, he
shall find himself most feelingly personated. I
can write very like my lady your niece: on a 165
forgotten matter we can hardly make distinction
of our hands.

Sir To. Excellent ! I smell a device.

Sir Arid. I have 't in my nose too.

Sir To. He shall think, by the letters that thou wilt 170
drop, that they come from my niece, and that
she 's in love with him.

Mar. My purpose is, indeed, a horse of that colour.

Sir And. And your horse now would make him an

ass. 175

Mar. Ass, I doubt not.

Sir And. O ! 'twill be admirable.

Mar. Sport royal, I warrant you : I know my physic
will work with him. I will plant you two, and
let the fool make a third, where he shall find the i 80

162. gats'] Johnson, gaie F. 174. Sir And.] F, Sir Toby. Tyrwhitt, etc. ;
horse noiu'] F, horse, now. Collier. 176. Ass, /] Asse, I F, Ass — / Capell,

Ass 1 some edd.

157. vice] weakness, defect. drift of the dialogue, and the words are

162, 163. expressiire] So we have altogether too smart and first-hand for

"impressure" for " impression " in II. such a dull echo as Sir Andrew.

V. 95." "Expressure" occurs also in Wright suggests that the first word

Troiius and Cressida, III. iii. 204. "And" may have caught the printer's

164. feelingly personated] described eye, and been set up as "Sir Andrew."

to the life. 176. Ass, I doubt not] For the pun,

173. a horse of that colony^ Cf. As cf. Hamlet, V. ii. 43, "And many such-
You Like It,\. ii. 107, "Sport! of like As'es of great charge."

what colour?" also III. ii. 438, "As 179. work with him] Another of

boys and women are for the most part Shakespeare's leading figures — " Like

cattle of this colour." The figurative poison given to work a long time after,"

use of the word "colour" in Shake- Tempest, iii. iii. 105.

speare is material for a whole treatise ; 1^0. fool make a third] as a fact

here we have one that is indispensable Fabian makes the third. This was

among proverbs. possibly an oversight on the part of the

174. Sir And.] Most likely Sir dramatist, or due to some later dramatic
Toby should speak this ; for such is the necessity.

SC. III.]

WHAT YOU WILL

65

letter : observe his construction of it. For this

night, to bed, and dream on the event. Farewell. [Exit.
Sir To. Good night, Penthesilea.
Sir And. Before me, she 's a good wench.
Sir To. She 's a beagle, true-bred, and one that adores 185

me : what o' that ?
Sir A nd. I was adored once too.
Sir To. Let 's to bed, knight. Thou hadst need send

for more money.
Sir And. If I cannot recover your niece, I am a foul 190

way out.
Sir To. Send for money, knight : if thou hast her not

i' the end, call me cut.
Sir And. If I do not, never trust me, take it how you

will. 195

Sir To. Come, come : I '11 go burn some sack ; 'tis too

late to go to bed now. Come, knight ; come,

knight. [Exeunt.

183. Pentkestlea\]oh.-n.%on, PenihisikaY. 193. cui} Cui F.

181. kis construction] "his" may be
equivalent to " put upon it by him " ;
and cf. " Under your hard construction
must I sit" in iii. i. 120.

182. the event] "the affair in hand,
enterprise " (Schmidt) ; but the expres-
sion includes not a little of its meaning
in III. iv. 408. See note ad loc.

183. Penthesilea] One of the allusions
that point (by contraries) to Maria's

Penthesilea was queen

me] a substitute for

small stature,
of the Amazons

1 84. Before
"Before God."

185. beagle] Possibly another sug-
gestion (see note on i. v. 210, and cf.
11. V. 14) that Maria was small in stature,
and certainly a compliment to her in-
telligence ; although in Timon of Athens
(iv. iii. 174) "Get thee away, And
take thy beagles with thee," the figure
is used unfavourably of the woman who
assorted with Alcibiades.

190. recover] get again ; often used
in this sense in Shakespeare (i.e. with
no idea of getting back something lost).

190, 191. afoul way out] "out of
it," " on the wrong scent," " out of my
reckoning " ; this is the more probable

meaning ; but others interpret "out of
pocket," which is less in keeping with
Sir Toby's rejoinder.

192. Send for money] This repetition
of the phrase (line 189) reminds us of
lago's famous reiteration "put money
in thy purse."

193. cut] Apparently a term of re-
proach, almost identical with "call me
horse" in 1 Henry IV. 11. iv. 215 ; for
" cut" was a name given to a common
horse, and the word itself is said to be
abbreviated from "curtal," a curtal
horse being one of which the tail had
been cut or docked. Wright suggests
that " cur " is a similar abbreviation of
curtal or curtail as applied to a dog.
According to Murray, the word "cut"
may be due either to a cut-tail horse or
a gelding. Cf. also "cut and long
tail," Merry Wives of Windsor, ill.
iv. 47 ; also Falstaff's " call me horse."
Nash (Foure Letters Confided, 1592)
has " call mee cut."

196. sack] generally, a dry Spanish
wine (also written "seek"; Sp. seco;
Fr. sec ; cf. vin. sec), but sometimes used
for varieties that were sweetened —
mostly in England.

66 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actii.

SCENE IV. — A Room in the Duke's Palace.

Enter DUKE, ViOLA, CURIO, and Others.

Duke. Give me some music. Now, good morrow,
friends.
Now, good Cesario, but that piece of song.
That old and antique song we heard last night ;
Methought it did relieve my passion much,
More than light airs and recollected terms 5

Of these most brisk and giddy-paced times :
Come ; but one verse.

Oir. He is not here, so please your lordship, that
should sing it.

Duke. Who was it? 10

Cur. Feste, the jester, my lord ; a fool that the Lady
Olivia's father took much delight in. He is about
the house.

I. friends.lfrends. F; friends F 2 ; friends ; F 3, 4 ; friends — ]o\\r\?.on\ friends,
some edd. 3. antique] Pope, Anticke F. 6. giddy-paced] F, giddy-pated
Hanmer, giddy-pacM Dyce. 1 1 . Feste] F, Festi Keightley.

I. Now, good morrow, etc.] To avoid 3. old and antique] both old and old-

the repetition of " Now, good " in line fashioned, quaint; one that "dallies

2, the following arrangement has been with the innocence of love, Like the

proposed : — " Give me some music [ I'o old age." " Antique " with accent on

Viola] Now, — [Enter Musicians] good first syllable, as always in Shakespeare,

morrow friends, — Now, good Cesario, 4. /a^jw/j in earlier sense — suffering,

etc." It is possible, however, that the emotion.

text is confused, unless we interpret 5. recollected terms] Cf. "festival

"but" in line 2 as equivalent to terms" in Much Ado, V. ii. 41, and

"merely." Even so, Fleay discovers " tafieta phrases, silken terms precise"

in the passage a proof that Twelfth in Lovers Labour's Lost, v. ii. 406 ; also

Night was written at two different for " recollected," cf. /c'r/V/^j-, 11. i. 54,

times (Introduction, p. xxiii), though " And from their watery empire recol-

Weiss finds a "touch of nature" in lect All that may men approve or men

the fact that the Duke has forgotten detect" ("recollect," i.e. gather and

who was the singer of the song (lines store up in memory). With the aid of

8-12 and 42-48) ; the Duke, he argues, these quotations we interpret "recol-

"vaguely recollects thnt Cesario was lected terms " as " expressions carefully

presented to him as one that could sing culled, studied " ; artificial, that is, as

and 'speak to him in many sorts of opposed to the " silly sooth " or simple

music.'" He is also of opinion that truth of ditties of the old age. In the

this dreamy forgetfulness on the part of fifteenth century the reformed Francis-

the Duke is borne out by the whole cans were called i?tfri>//^f/j-, because they

scene, and may explain the remark of ^faMt-zraf/// the traditions of their order,

the Clown in line 73, " Now, the I attach no importance to the reading

melancholy god protect thee." " tunes " for " terms."

sc.

IV.]

WHAT YOU WILL

67

Duke. Seek him out, and play the tune the while.

{Exit Curio. Music.

Come hither, boy : if ever thou shalt love, i 5

In the sweet pangs of it remember me ;

For such as I am all true lovers are,
/ Unstaid and skittish in all motions else
S Save in the constant image of the creature

That is beloved. How dost thou like this tune ? 20
Vio. It gives a very echo to the seat

Where Love is throned.
Duke. Thou dost speak masterly.

My life upon 't, young though thou art, thine eye

Hath stay'd upon some favour that it loves ;

Hath it not, boy ?
Vio. A little, by your favour. 25

Duke. What kind of woman is 't ?

Vto. Of your complexion.

Duke. She is not worth thee, then. What years, i' faith ?
Vio. About your years, my lord.

14. Seek] F, Go, seek, some edd. i8. motions] (in italics) F, notions Theo-
bald conj. 21. to'\ Y,from Warburton.

18. motions'] Cf. "no motion of the
liver " in line 99, where "motion " has
the same meaning as here, viz. "emo-
tion," "passion"; its differentiation
from mere sense or feeling may possibly
be found in Hamlet, ill. iv. 72, " Sense,
sure, you have, Else could you not have
motion." But the word is variously
used by Shakespeare (see ill. iv. 301,
note). In the present sense of " emo-
tion " it has been curiously imitated by
Tennyson in Locksley Hall, couplet 75 ;
and the next couplet — " Woman is the
lesser man, and All thy passions
matched with mine Are as moonlight
unto sunlight and as water unto wine "
— condenses the thought of the Duke's
speech, lines 94-104.

21, 22. It gives . . . throned] It
embodies in music love's intensest
emotions — or, It is an exact echo to the
deepest feehngs of the heart (the seat
where Love is throned ; cf. i. i. 37 ; or
Othello, III. iii. 448, "yield up, O
Love, thy crown and hearted throne").
See also quotation from The Advance-
ment of Learning in note on i. i. 36-39.

22. masterly] may be explained by
the lines that follow, and, if so, it
means "like a master in the art of
love " ; beyond this it may also refer to
the eloquence of Viola's speech.

24. stay'd upon some favour] rested
loWngly on some face. " Favour " in
Shakespeare mostly stands for the face
or features, and sometimes for the
general appearance.

25- by your favour] A double pun,
wherein "by" may be equivalent to
"near," and "favour" is used am-
biguously for "face" and "good-
will."

26. complexion] looks ; appearance
as well as colour; "quia complexio
complectitur totum statum corporis,"
Minsheu. The word had a wide scope,
and meant — (i) the state of the body,
(2) one of the "humours," (3) the
colour and expression of the face as an
index of (i) and (2), and (4) the state
of the mind. (Its history involves the
"elements," "complexions," "hu-
mours," "quahties.")

68

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act n.

Duke.

Too
take

old, by heaven. Let still the

woman

An elder than herself, so wears she to him,
So sways she level in her husband's heart :
For, boy, however we do praise ourselves.
Our fancies are more giddy and unfirm.
More longing, wavering, sooner lost and worn.
Than women's are.

Vio. I think it well, my lord.

Duke. Then let thy love be younger than thyself,
Or thy affection cannot hold the bent ;

30

35

34. wor)'i'\ F 4, etc., worne F, won Hanmer and others.

29. Let still the ivovian take, etc.]
We first note that the Duke devotes a
second speech to this subject ; and this
second speech may be fairly regarded
as an excrescence from the true dram-
atic growth, and therefore, as some
would think, may hint to us that the
author writes of himself. Further, in
this second speech he insists upon
estrangement as a consequence of the
disparity in years, and upon the
comparative worthlessness of woman
"whose fair flower Being once dis-
played, doth fall that very hour."
Now, these two very immoral con-
siderations are at variance with Shake-
speare's later — and even with his pre-
sent— philosophy of love and the
married state, and they remind us
irresistibly of Milton's special pleading
for divorce. In the same way, though
we may partly allow with Feste that it
is due to the melancholy and the " con-
stancy," we account, in some degree,
for the sudden change of front made by
the poet when he reaches lines 94-104,
"There is . . . Olivia"; he has lost
sight of the "disparity" motive, and
speaks with less self-reproach, and
therefore with less justice, than in lines
29-35, " Too old . . . women's are."
To all this we must add the influence
due to the varying reflections in Shake-
speare's originals ; but see also Intro-
duction, p. xxxvi, and the note on line
94 below, and on lines 33-35.

30. wears she to him] adapts herself
to him (as clothes to the wearer).

31. So sways she level] The figure is

probably that of scales evenly balanced ;
but its application is not clear. With
the aid of the context we interpret,
" Under such conditions she becomes
constant in her attachment " ; but re-
garded alone, the line bears out the
meaning assigned to it by Wright — "ex-
ercises an evenly balanced influence " ;
and possibly the text has some of both
these meanings.

32. praise] Possibly "appraise" ; or
in two senses, as in I. v. 258.

33-35. Our fancies . . . women's
are] This inconsequent reflection may
also appear to suggest a personal motive
in the writer (see note on lines 29 and
94), and it is certainly at variance with
Orsino's protestations in lines 94-104 ;
but see also Appendix I. p. 187.

33. fancies] loves. For Shake-
speare's use of the word "fancy" in
this and kindred senses, see Introduc-
tion, p. XXXV.

34. lost and worn] Perhaps we may
cf. the inversion "bred and born," i.
ii. 21. We might expect "worn or
lost." As to the reading "won" for
"worn," it need not be rejected as
inadmissible; and "worn" as a misprint
for "won "occurs in the Merchant of
Venice; yet "worn {i.e. "worn out")
is better suited to the context, and
possibly also to the poet's rhetoric.
"Won," moreover, would be at vari-
ance with Viola's statement in 11. ii.

30-34-

37. hold the bent] first, degree of
tension, as of a bow or a spring ; next,
extent of endurance, limit of capacity,

SC. IV.]

WHAT YOU WILL

69

For women are as roses, whose fair flower
Being once display'd, doth fall that very hour.
Via. And so they are : alas ! that they are so ;
To die, even when they to perfection grow.

40

Re-enter CURIO and Cloivn.

Duke. O fellow ! come, the song we had last night.

Mark it, Cesario ; it is old and plain ;

The spinsters and the knitters in the sun,

And the free maids that weave their thread with
bones, 45

Do use to chant it : it is silly sooth,

And dallies with the innocence of love,

Like the old age.
Clo. Are you ready, sir ?
Duke. Ay; prithee, sing. \Music. 50

42. night. "[ Rowe, etc. ; night : F ; night, — some edd. 45. the free\ F, the

fair Grey, thrifty Addis. 46. silly sooth,'] F, silly, sooth some edd.
Ay ; prithee,] most, I prethee F.

50.

inclination. This figurative word is
variously used by Shakespeare ; and
in accordance with his frequent practice
of modifying or disguising a metaphor,
we are not always sure how to take it.
In this instance we may explain " hold
the bent " as maintain its shape or posi-
tion, that is, retain the impression, re-
main constant ; as a bow when the
string is slackened, so love not kept
tense and firm by mutual love must be
relaxed.

41. even when] just when.

41. perfection] We may perhaps
connect this with " perfections" in I. i.
35 (see note ad loc).

44. spinsters] in its older sense-
women as they spin or knit in the sun-
shine.

45. fi-ee maids] As in Chaucer, and
sometimes in Shakespeare, " free" may
have the sense of "pure"; and else-
where in this play (i. v. 95, 269) the
world is variously employed. But
poetry sometimes gives us an impres-
sion rather than a definite thought, and

on such occasions we may trust to our
emotion provided it has been well
disciplined by intellect. Possibly this
is such an occasion ; to press the word
"free "for an absolute meaning would be
" like taking the heart out of a nightin-
gale to get at the secret and the source
of song." Let us be content to gaze at
this exquisite picture of cottage dames
and happy-hearted country lasses, and
free at heart ourselves, enjoy, if but for
a moment, their golden age. See also
note on line 48.

45. bones] bone bobbins.

46. j-zV/f ^^^//^] simple truth. "Silly"
in an older sense of "artless," "inno-
cent," etc. (A.S. sot'lig, timely; G.
selig, blest, happy.)

47. And dallies with] and lingers
lovingly over.

48. the old age] Cf. Sonnet, cxxvii. i,
' ' In the old age black was not counted
fair." The "golden age" of The
Tempest, il. i. 16S), etc. See note on
line 45.

70 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actii.

Clo. Come away, come away, death,

And in sad cypress let me be laid ;
Fly away, fly away, breath ;

I am slain by a fair cruel maid.
My shroud of white, stuck all with yew, $ 5

O I prepare it :
My part of death, no one so true
Did share it.

Not a flower, not a flower sweet.

On my black coffin let there be strown ; 60

Not a friend, not a friend greet

My poor corse, where my bones shall be thrown :

53. Fly away, fly] This reading, Rowe, etc. ; Fye away, fie F, F 2 ; Fie away,
fie F 3, 4. 59. flower sweet] F, flower, sweet, Anon. ap. Camb.

51. The Song] We may ask three ques-
tions : Is the song Shakespeare's ? is it
the one referred to by the Duke ? and
who is the singer, Feste or Viola ? To
the first we answer, possibly, but not
probably ; to the second, there is no
reason why it should not be, although
women " do use to chant it," and it is
the lament of a man ; and as to the
third, Feste appears to be no ordinary
clown (Introduction, p. xxxviii), and the
song bears out this character ; besides,
we have the testimony of Curio (line
11), "Feste, the jester" ; and to Feste
it is assigned by the Folio ; also by the
dialogue that follows the song. To my
thinking, it would be a dramatic impro-
priety if Viola sang at all under such
conditions.

51. Come away] Come here — as in
The Tempest, " Come away, servant,
come," I. ii. 187 ; others would ex-
plain, "Come with me," which is cer-
tainly unreliable ; death is invoked to
come ; the breath (line 53) is bidden to go.

52. cypress] As the shroud is men-
tioned three lines further on, this is
probably not black crape but a coftin of
dark cypress wood, the "black coflin "
of line 60. Less likely it would be the
cofiin on a bier (still less the bier or the
grave) strewn with branches of cypress
— "Cypress branches, wherewith in
old times they were wont to dress
graves" {Arcadia). Malone quotes
Speeds Annals, "(King Richard II.)

caused the coffin of cipres, wherein
his body being embalmed lay, to be
opened, that he might behold his face,
and touch him with his fingers." For
another use of the word we might cf.
Bacon's Fronius, Fol. 97, " Wyld
tyme in the grownd hath a sent like a
cypresse chest." It is the " cypresse
funerall" of Spenser, the " Cypressus —
funebri signo ad domos posita " of
Pliny. Shrouds are said to have been
made of the crape material called
cypress (or Cyprus, perhaps from the
island of Cyprus), which is referred to
in III. i. 126 of this play — " A cypress,
not a bosom, Hides my heart." Further,
the cypress tree was an emblem of
mourning ; hence the possibility that
" cypress" in the text may represent a
bier or coffin strewn with cypress
boughs ; but the first explanation above
is to be preferred, especially as we have
later, "My shroud of white, stuck all
with_j'cw."

57, 58. My part . . . share it] I
may first quote Johnson's explanation
of this verj- ambiguous sentence, —
"Though death is a part in which
evcrj-one acts his share, yet of all these
actors no one is so true as I." On the
other hand, the Cowden Clarkes render
it, " No one so true as I did ever take
part in death's tragedy." As a third
paraphrase, I should venture to give
the following, ' ' No one died for love
so true to love as I."

sc.iv.] WHAT YOU WILL 71

A thousand thousand sighs to save,

Lay me, 0 ! where
Sad t7'ue lover never find my grave, 6$

To iveep there.

Duke. There 's for thy pains.

Clo. No pains, sir ; I take pleasure in singing, sir.

Duke. I '11 pay thy pleasure, then,

Clo. Truly, sir, and pleasure will be paid, one time or 70
another.

Duke. Give me now leave to leave thee.

Clo. Now, the melancholy god protect thee, and the ,
tailor make thy doublet of changeable taffeta, for
thy mind is a very opal ! I would have men of 75
such constancy put to sea, that their business
might be every thing and their intent every where ;
for that 's it that always makes a good voyage
of nothing. Farewell. \Exit.

65. true lover] F, true-love Capell ; never] F, ne'er Hanmer, etc. 72-
Give . . . thee\ F, / give thee now . . . 7?ie Harness. 72, 73. Give

. . . Now'] F ; give me now leave. Clo. To leave thee ! — Now Macdonald ap.
Camb.

65.] Capell's reading "true-love" of opal (next line). Taffeta may be

(textual notes) may seem to restore the the Persian tdftah, woven. Halliwell

scansion of the line. quotes aptly from Euphues, "As our

70. paid] paid for — in the currency of changeable silk turned to ye sunne hath

pain ; suffered for. many colours and turned backe the

72. Give .... thee] Another read- contrary, so wit shippeth it self to every
ing proposed is, "I give thee now leave conceit, being constant in nothing but
to leave me" ; but the Duke, bending inconstancie."

to the humours of the occasion, thus 75. opat] sometimes identified with

with playful politeness requests the the thunderstone ; a stone of variable

Clown to withdraw ; cf. Henry to Wor- colours and strange virtues ; see Pliny,

cester in 1 Henry IV. i. iii. 20, "You Nat. Hist, xxxvii. vi. ; or Batman,

have good leave to leave us." Vppon Bartholome, xvi. 73. The

73. the 7)telancholy god] might be following occurs in Johnson's New Inn,
identified as Saturn (whence Saturnine) ; "No fern-seed in my pocket; nor an
but (and see former note) the Clown's opal Wrapt in a bay leaf i' my left fist
speech, however disguised the Ian- To chain their eyes with."

guage, gives us in the main Orsino's 75, 76. of such co«^ifa«rj/] who are so

character. See footnote in The Tempest, changeable.

Introduction, p. xliv. 77. their intent every where] their

74. doublet] often used for a coat destination constantly changing,
generally; otherwise an inner garment, 78, T^. for that's . . . nothing]
the " double " of the outer, most like a Deighton paraphrases "for it is such
modern waistcoat. constant change that ever lends a

74. changeable taffeta] shot silk, charm to a voyage of no settled pur-
whose colours vary somewhat as those pose " ; this may be the meaning ; but

72

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acth.

Duke. Let all the rest give place.

\Exeunt Curio and Attendants.
Once more, Cesario, 80
Get thee to yond same sovereign cruelty :
Tell her, my love, more noble than the world,
Prizes not quantity of dirty lands ;
The parts that fortune hath bestow'd upon her,
Tell her, I hold as giddily as fortune; 85

But 'tis that miracle and queen of gems,
That nature pranks her in, attracts my soul.

Vio. But if she cannot love you, sir ?

Duke. I cannot be so answer'd.

81. j'ond] F, }'on' Capell, yoncf Collier. 83, 84. lands ; . . . her,"] Pope,
etc. ; lands, , . . her: F; lands, . . . her, Ff, Rowe. 89. /] Hanmer and
others ; // F, Ff, Rowe, Pope, etc.

we might cf. Hamlet, iil. i. 69, "that
makes calamity of so long life " (where
"of so long life" means "so long-
lived "), and then explain, " renders futile
a promising voyage." But I am not
satisfied with either explanation ; it is
not easy to determine on the one hand
why inconsistency should make a good
voyage out of nothing, nor, on the
other hand, why the Clown should wish
inconstant men to turn sea-farers, and
frustrate good voyages — unless by way
of penalty for their failing. I will, how-
ever, add the following from Ger-
vinus: — "The Fool no less than Olivia,
has seen through the Duke's disease,
and he tells him of an excellent remedy :
* I would have men of such constancy,'
he says, ' put to sea that their business
might be everything, and their intent
everywhere ; for that 's it, that always
makes a good voyage of nothing.'
Thus those natures which, forgetful of
all else, become absorbed in one con-
stant affection, he would drive into the
very element of adventure, that they
might forget their ponderings upon one
intent, that in a natural course of life
they might be delivered from the hard
service of one idol, that that freshness
might be restored to them which per-
mits a man even in matters of love to
reach his aim more quickly and easily,
while the weak votaries of love forfeit
their end."

82. than the world] than that of
ordinary men, of men in general.

83. dirty lands'] Cf. " spacious in the
possession of dirt," Hamlet, v. ii. 90.
See also Appendix I. p. 189.

84. parts] Variously used in our
earlier literature ; wealth, rank.

85. giddily] lightly, carelessly, negli-
gently ; epithet probably transferred ;
cf. "the giddy round of Fortune's
wheel," Lucrece, 592.

87. pranks her in] Cf. "prank them
in authority," Coriolanus, III. i. 23 ;
but I take this to be equivalent to
" prank her as" ; the confusion arising
probably from the poet's first thought
being that of " a precious stone set"
{^Richard II. 11. i. 46) ; his second,
"one entire and perfect chrysolite"
{Othello, V. ii. 145). The figure is
such a favourite with Shakespeare, that
this slight perplexity of wording be-
comes pleasant to the reader. Two
other interpretations are possible : the
pronoun " her " may stand for Olivia's
mental and moral nature, which is
adorned by her beauty of person ; or
"her in" maybe an inversion of " in
her," and then we understand that the
lady's soul is a gem set in the frame-
work of the body. For "prank" we
may cf. "She spends half a day in
pranking herself"' (Nash, Pierce Penni-
lesse), or " a young woman curiously
and wantonly pranked up " (Montaigne,
Essays, 11. viii. ), quoted by W. J. Craig.

89. / cannot be so answer'd] Cf. with
" lie might have took his answer long
ago" (i. V. 272), and with the speech

SC. IV.]

WHAT YOU WILL

73

Vio. Sooth, but you must.

Say that some lady, as perhaps there is, 90

Hath for your love as great a pang of heart
As you have for Olivia : you cannot love her ;
You tell her so ; must she not then be answer'd ?

Duke. There is no woman's sides

Can bide the beating of so strong a passion 95

As love doth give my heart ; no woman's heart

So big, to hold so much ; they lack retention.

Alas ! their love may be call'd appetite,

No motion of the liver, but the palate.

That suffer surfeit, cloyment, and revolt ; lOO

89. Sooth,'] Sooth F, 'Sooth Capell, etc.
100. suffer] F ; suffers Rowe, Dyce, etc.

95. bide] F ; abide F 3, 4.

of Viola that follows. See also textual
notes.

94. There is , , . sides] Shakespeare
is not alone among Elizabethans in
writing down a singular verb regardless
of a plural subject that may follow.
A general fact is in the mind, sometimes
represented, as here, by a preparatory
particle, ("There") and the singular
verb is left unchanged though the special
fact becomes plural. See my note on
" What cares these roarers," The Te7>i-
pest, I. i. 18, and il. v. 164 in this play.

94-104. There is, etc.] With the
questionable (at least the half-true)
doctrine of this speech, compare the
statement made by the Duke at the
beginning of the First Act (lines 9-15),
where he contends that all love— and
men's mostly — is quick to change, "so
full of shape is fancy"; compare also
lines 32-35 of this scene, "For, boy
. . , women's are." These contra-
dictory statements on the part of the
Duke must not be regarded as merely
exhibiting his character ; they occur also
in the speeches of Viola (cf., for ex-
ample, " How easy . . . we," in 11. ii.
30-32, with "As , . . we," in li. iv.
104-107), and we may gather plenty
more from the plays generally ; they
are the half truths that go to make up
the whole philosophy of the thinker.
Like Bacon, Shakespeare gives us the
pros and cons of love, distinguishes
between kinds of love, modifies his
opinions as life proceeds ; but ulti-
mately the great poet expounds to us

the whole doctrine of the most en-
trancing, the noblest, and the holiest of
human passions. See also the author's
Handbook to Shakespeare, Chapter vii.

97. So big, to hold] So big, as to
hold. An example of "Elizabethan
brevity" ; see note on i. v. 103.

97. retention] This is partly explained
by the following line in Sonnet, cxxii. 9,
"That poor retention could not so
much hold." Again, the word has
much of the meaning of "constancy"
— capability of retaining — of loving
steadily — for any length of time.

98. appetite] mere sensual and tran-
sient passion.

99. l\'o motion . . . palate] not a
deep-seated passion, but merely a pass-
ing sensation. For " liver " as the seat
of love, etc., see my note on i. i. 36-39,
and on 77ie Tempest, iv. i. 56 ; and for
"motion," see note on line 18 in the
present scene. In regard to the
"liver," Furness aptly quotes Batman,
Vppon Bartholo7ne, 15S2, lib. v. cap.
39i P- 57= "the lyuer is the chiefe
foundation of kindly vertue, and gretest
helper of the first digestion in the
stomacke . . . and sendeth feeding to
all the members, and exciteth loue or
bodelye lust, and receiueth diuers pas-
sions." See also note on III. ii. 19, 20.

100. That suffer] "That" has a double
antecedent — "their" and "appetite," —
the second of these being the more
important ; and the verb is probably
singular, its s having been absorbed
into the word "surfeit" that follows.

74

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actii.

■"7

^L^

But mine is all as hungry as the sea,
And can digest as much. Make no compare
Between that love a woman can bear me
And that I owe Olivia.
Vio. Ay, but I know —

Duke. What dost thou know? 105

Vio. Too well what love women to men may owe :
In faith, they are as true of heart as we.
My father had a daughter lov'd a man,
As it might be, perhaps, were I a woman,
I should your lordship.
Duke. And what 's her history ? i i o

Vio. A blank, my lord. She never told her love.
But let concealment, like a worm i' the bud,
Feed on her damask cheek : she pin'd in thought,

no. And 'what' s\Y ; What's Pope, Hanmer.

That " appetite" is the chief antecedent
of "suffer" may be seen from its posi-
tion— in antithesis to "But mine" in
the next Hne.

100. surfeit, cloyment, and revolf] This
is probably a climax, referring to
"appetite" ; and if so, it may suit the
sententious utterance of the Duke ; then
' ' surfeit " is the having too much ;
"cloyment," the dislike for more;
"revolt," the nausea and vomit that
follow. " Cloyment " (satiety) is prob-
ably a word of Shakespeare's own.

loi. as the sea'] Cf. with I. i. lo and
II.

lOi, 102.] "hungry" and "digest"
carry on the metaphor in Shakespeare's
manner, especially of his earlier period.

102. compare'] comparison ; often thus
used.

104. Olivia'] As Furness surmises,
the 6 may be short, and the poet guilt-
less of cacophony (with owe).

106. owe] much as in line 104; " feel
towards," bear to. We need hardly
mention that the word "owe" frequently
retains much of its earlier meaning,
viz. " to own," " to possess."

108. a daughter lovd] For this omis-
sion of the relative, see note on I. v.
103.

I II- 1 16. A blank , . . grief] For
an explanation of this important pas-
sage, see Appendix II.

111, etc., A blank, etc.] "After the
first line (of which the last five words
should be spoken with, and drop down
in, a deep sigh), the actress ought to
make a pause ; and then start afresh,
from the activity of thought, born of
suppressed feelings," Coleridge. We
may note also the lyrical character of
the blank verse in this passage.

112, 113. like . . . cheek] Cf.
" Tamoroso verme veracemente con
grandissimo cordoglio le rodena il core, "
Bandello. (See also Appendix 1. p.
I S3.) But of course this figure of the
canker worm is perhaps the very com-
monest in Shakespeare.

113, damask] " Semel rubidus, decies
pallidus " ; red, or red and white
mixed. Possibly suggested by "bud"
(line 112), but used elsewhere of the
complexion (e.g. As You Like It, in.
V. 120-123). In any sense the word
stands for the lumen juventte piirpureum
(the purple bloom of youth). For a
modern use, cf. "your damask cheek,"
Tennyson, The Day Dream.

113. pin'd in thought] In the para-
phrase of these lines (Appendix II.) I
endeavoured to take into account a
third characteristic of Shakespeare, his
habit, namely, of repeating, expanding,
and embellishing the thought first set
down. Thus we have "She never . . .
love," followed by the ornate expan-

SC. IV.]

WHAT YOU WILL

75

And with a green and yellow melancholy,
She sat like Patience on a monument, 1 1 5

Smiling at grief. Was not this love indeed ?
We men may say more, swear more ; but indeed
Our shows are more than will, for still we prove
Much in our vows, but little in our love.
Duke. But died thy sister of her love, my boy ? 120

Vio. I am all the daughters of my father's house,
And all the brothers too ; and yet I know not
Sir, shall I to this lady ?
Duke. Ay, that 's the theme.

To her in haste ; give her this jewel ; say
My love can give no place, bide no denay. \Exeunt. 125

115. sat like] Y, sat, like soxattAdi. I2I. lam^Y, /V« Pope, etc. 121,

122. I am . . . too ; and] F, Ske's all the daughters of my father s house, And I
am all the sons, but Hanmer,

sion "But let . . . cheek"; and then
again, "she pined in thought" is re-
peated and picturesquely enlarged in
"And with . . . grief," where "green
and yellow" corresponds to "pined,"
and " melancholy " to "thought." See
also Appendix II.

113. MoM^/4/] See Appendix II.

1 14. green and yellow] See Appendix
II.

115. sat] suggested doubtless by some
seated i\^x& of Patience, and not inaptly
transferred to Viola's sister. See also
next note.

115, 116. She . . . grief] See Ap-
pendix II, Theobald quotes Chaucer,
Assembly of Fowls, 242: "Dame
Pacience sittyng ther I fond With
face pale, up-on an hille of sond " ; but
the reference to Pericles, V. i. 139
(page 192), is more important.

116. grief] In Appendix II. "grief"
is explained as "the futile sorrow of a
tomb " ; but further, it represents the
suffering of a forlorn girl, and "smiling
at grief" may be rendered "smiling
with calm resignation amidst (or upon)
her sorrow." I do not think "smiling
half in scorn, half in resignation," nor
"in the luxury of woe," as some would
interpret ; and I am compelled to
dissent from Plunter, who, following
Malone, is confident that by "grief"
we must understand some sculptured

figure confronting the figure of Patience ;
"greefe" has no capital letter in F,
but Patience has. The fact is that we
must again moralise (Appendix II.) two
— or three — meanings in one word ;
"grief," I repeat, denotes first the
tomb with its trappings of woe ; next,
the sorrow of which that tomb is a
monument ; and thirdly, the grief of
Viola's " sister. "

117. We men, etc.] "We men pro-
claim our love to the world ; we make
infinite protestations, but our parade of
passion is greatly in excess of either our
intentions or our power to carry them
into effect ; we too often rhyme our-
selves into ladies' favours, and reason
ourselves out again ; we are April when
we woo, September when we wed."
See Appendix I. p. 187.

117. indeed] This word ends the
former line : is the repetition an over-
sight or intentional? See note on
I. i. II.

122. and yet I know not]VQ%%i!o\y 2.xi
aside ; she thinks that Sebastian may
yet be saved.

125. denay] denial. Craig quotes
Jeronymo (1588), " And let not wonted
fealty be denayed " ; also cf. " Of milde
denaies, of tender scornes," Fairfax,
Tasso. More usual as a verb ; cf. 2
Henry VI. I. iii. 107, "Then let him
be denay'd the regentship."

7G

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acth.

^ SCENE V. — Olivia's Gardeti.

Enter SiR ToBY BELCH, SiR Andrew Aguecheek,

and Fabian.

Sir To. Come thy ways, Signior Fabian.

Fab. Nay, I '11 come : if I lose a scruple of this sport,

let me be boiled to death with melancholy.
Sir To. Would'st thou not be glad to have the nig-
gardly rascally sheep-biter come by some notable

shame ?
Fab. I would exult, man : you know he brought me

out o' favour with my lady about a bear-baiting

here.
Sir To. To anger him we '11 have the bear again, and

we will fool him black and blue ; shall we not,

Sir Andrew ?
Sir And. An we do not, it is pity of our lives.

lo

8. o' favour'] F, of favour Ff, etc.
^tis Rowe, i. ; it^s Rowe, ii.

13. All] Pope, etc., A>id F; it is] F;

I. Cone thy ways] "ways" is prob-
ably an object of the verb "come,"
and colloquially pluralised. Some re-
gard it as an adverl>ial genitive, and
compare "othergaies" in v. 193.

3. boiled to death] This penalty for
poisoning would hardly escape mention
by Shakespeare, who refers to the crime
so frequently and with such repugnance.
See note on line 116.

5. sheep - biter] Cf. Nash, Pierce
Pennilesse, 1592, "What curre will
not bawle, and be ready to flye on a
man's face, when he is set on by his
master, who, if hee bee not by to
encourage him, he casts his taile be-
twixt his legges, and steales away like
a sheepe byler." Taylor the Water-
Poet speaks of ^'currish sheep-biters" ;
and the term seems to have been first
applied to dogs that worried sheep, and
hence to men of a snarling and surly
temper; cf. "your sheep-biting face"

in Measure for Measure, v. i. 359.
According to Dyce, it was also " a cant
term for a thief." Craig compares " his
gate like a sheep-biter," Tusser, Five
Hundred Points of Good Husbandry.

8. bear-baiting] We all remember
Hume and Macaulay in this connection ;
and at the risk of being tedious we must
quote the latter — "The Puritan hated
bear-baiting, not because it gave pain to
the bear hut because it gave pleasure to
the spectators." The practice is often
referred to by Shakespeare ; in this play
see III. i. 123, 124.

II. fool hint black and blue] Probably
an amusing blunder of Sir Andrew's ;
a variation on "beat him black and
blue."

13. it is pity of our lives] Cf. "it
were pity of our lives," Midsummer-
Nighfs Dream, III. i. 44 ; i.e. a bad
thing for our lives — a great mistake,
something to be regretted bitterly.

SC. V.

WHAT YOU WILL

77

Enter Maria.

How now, my

Sir To. Here comes the little villain

metal of India ! * 1 5

Mar. Get ye all three into the box-tree. Malvolio's
coming down this walk : he has been yonder i'
the sun, practising behaviour to his own shadow,
this half hour. Observe him, for the love of
mockery; for I know this letter will make a 20
contemplative idiot of him. Close, in the name
of jesting! Lie thou there: \TJi7'0ivs doivn a letter.
for here comes the trout that must be caught
with tickling. {Exit.

Enter Malvolio.
Mai. 'Tis but fortune; all is fortune. Maria once told 25

15. metal'\ Malone, etc. ; Mettle F ; Nettle Ff, Rowe, Capell, etc.
jesting! Lie] Theobald, etc. ; ieasting, lye F, Ff, Rowe, Pope.

22.

14. little villain'] " A woman of
Amazonian stature indulging in such
pranks would be too horrible an inflic-
tion. ... As she is, Maria is perfection
in her small-sized way," C. C. Clarke.

14, 15. my metal of India] As will be
seen in the textual notes, the F reading
is "mettle" (a variant of metal), and
that of Ffis "Nettle." Gold and riches
of all kinds were associated with India,
and we have in Euphttes, " I see that
India bringeth golde, but England
breedeth goodnesse " ; and it is best to
explain "my girl of gold," or, "as
good as gold" (cf. "golden lads and
girls," Cymdeline, IV. ii. 262). The read-
ing " Nettle of India " was preferred by
Steevens, and the plant was identified
by him as the "zoophyte called the
Urtica Marina, abounding in the
Indian seas." "The nettle of India,"
says Mason, "certainly corresponds
with Sir Toby's description of Maria.
. . . The nettle of India is the plant
that produces what is called cow-itch,
a substance only used for the purpose
of tormenting . . ." But to these
conjectures we must add that the Ff
" Nettle" is probably a misprint.

21. contemplative] Cf. "That fools
should be so deep contemplative," As
You Like It, n. vii. 31 ; and in this

scene, line 32, "Contemplation makes
a rare turkey-cock of him." The word
seems to be used in the sense of reflec-
tion, with a tendency to self-deception.

21, Close] keep close.

23, 24. caught with tickling] "grope or
tickle, a kind of fishing, by putting one's
hand into the water-holes where fish
lye, and tickling them about the gills ;
by which means they '11 become so quiet
that a man may take them in his hand,
and cast them to land, or if large fish,
he may thrust his fingers into their gills,
and bring them to land." Thus Halli-
well quotes Diet. Rust. ; and other
writers— Marston, Beaumont — mention
the practice ; and Steevens quotes from
Cogz-Xi's Haven of Health, 1595, "This
fish of nature loveth flatterie : for, being
in the water, it will suffer itselfe to be
rubbed and clawed, and so to be taken."
"And there he caught the younker
tickling trout," says Tennyson, who
refers, I imagine, to this same practice.
But for such a method of catching fish,
I cannot myself vouch, although it
appears to be resorted to occasionally
even now in some country places ; I am
more familiar with "groping for trout,
or " guddling," which Shakespeare also
mentions (cf. "grope" or "tickle," in
above quotation from Diet. Rust. ).

78 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acth.

me she did affect me ; and I have heard herself
come thus near, that, should she fancy, it should
be one of my complexion. Besides, she uses me
with a more exalted respect than any one else
that follows her. What should I think on 't ? 30

Sir To. Here 's an overweening rogue !

Fab. O, peace ! Contemplation makes a rare turkey-
cock of him : how he jets under his advanced
plumes !

Sir And. 'Slight, I could so beat the rogue! 35

Sir To. Peace ! I say.

MaL To be Count Malvolio !

Sir To. Ah, rogue !

Sir And. Pistol him, pistol him.

Sir To. Peace ! peace ! 40

Mai. There is example for 't : the lady of the Strachy
married the yeoman of the wardrobe.

31, etc.] From this point until Mai. leaves the stage, the speeches of Toby,
And., and Fab. are marked aside by Capell. 35. 'Siight'] F 3, 4, etc. ; Slight
F; 'slife Rowe, etc. 41. laJy'] Lady F; ike Stracky] most edd. ; the

Strachy, F ; the Trachy Warburton ; the strachy Var. '78, etc. ; the duchy
Bailey ; the Tragedy Bulloch ; the Coimty Kinnear ; Mal/i Elze ; the Stracct
Lloyd ; the Starosty Erfurdt.

26. she did affect vie] that Olivia in. iii. 5, " The gates of nionarchs Are
cared for me — was not indifferent to arched so high that giants may jet
me. The real love is represented by through, And keep their turbans on."
the word "fancy," line 27. See note. Halliwell quotes Palsgrave, L Eclair-

27. come thus near] to making a cissemeut de la Langue Frart^aise, 1^,7,0,
declaration ; but cf. the use of the ex- "I Je/te with facyon and countenance
pression in III. iv. 67. In varying to stiioxihe my stMt, J e braggite" {'L^iUn
senses it occurs in other writers. _ jactare, O. Yx.jetter).

27. she] i.e. Olivia. 33. advanced] raised; cf. "advance
2-j. fancy] fall in love. For the their eyelids," The Tempest, iv. 177,

meaning of this word, see note on line and " The fringed curtains of thine eye

26, also Introduction, p. xxxv, and advance," ibid. i. ii. 408.

Troilusand Cressida, V. ii. 165 ; and cf. 35. 'Slight] " By this light," or " by

"She went as simply as she might, to God's light"; cf. "'Od's lifelings" in

thentent that the King should not v. 182.

phansie her" (1568, Grafton Chron.,'\\. 36, 40.] "These speeches are more

225 ; New Eng. Diet. ). appropriate to Fabian than to Sir

28. complexion] See note on 11. iv. Toby," Wright.

26. There the external sense is almost 41, example] precedent,

entirely changed to the internal— to the 41. the lady of the Strachy]\<^^\\o\x\d,

character as indicated by the general first notice tha't "lady" has a capital

appearance. letter in F, as also "Strachy," which

Zl. jets] struts. Cf. Arden of Fever- is in italics. Antithesis is the only

sham, 1592, "Is now become the additional clue afforded by the text;

steward of his house, And brauely jets "the lady" (cf. "the lady of the

it in his silken gowne "; also Cywi^tV/;/!?, house" in i. v. 190) is opposed to

SC. V

]

WHAT YOU WILL

79

Sir And. Fie on him, Jezebel !

Fab. O, peace ! now he 's deeply in ; look how imagina-
tion blows him. 45

Mai. Having been three months married to her, sitting
in my state, —

Sir To. O ! for a stone-bow, to hit him in the eye.

Mai. Calling my officers about me, in my branched

velvet gown ; having come from a day-bed, where 50
I have left Olivia sleeping, —

50. day-bed'\ Rowe, day bedde F.

"the yeoman" (or servant), and the
"Strachy" — or Duchy or Castle or
Seignory or whatever else — to the
wardrobe. Most probably we have a
corruption of some proper name, and I
have mentioned in the Introduction
(p. xiv) how we are told by Bandello
that the widowed Duchess of Amalfi
(or Malphey) falls in love with and
marries her steward [note also "The
dutchesse of Malphey chose for her
husband her servant Vlrico," Greene,
Carde of Fancie, 1593 (Boswell)], and
it is my belief that "the Strachy" is a
corruption of ' ' Malphey." But I make
this statement with diffidence, and we
must regard with more or less interest
the other attempts that commentators
have made to identify this mysterious
"Strachy." Some of these are given
in the textual notes, others are : " the
lady of the Starchery — or Starchy," i.e.
the lady who had charge of the royal
laundry, or of the linen; "the lady
of the Stratice," i.e. the Governor's
widow ; " the lady of the stitchery,
saucery, etc." Hunter, very doubtfully
as I think, would connect with Nicholas
Stark ey or Starchy (Introduction, p. xiv)
as a "kind of intimation to Shake-
speare's audience to expect something
on a topic which was at that time of no
small public interest."

42. the wardrobe'] Formerly a separate
department of the royal household ; and
the "yeoman of the wardrobe," other-
wise known as the "Master of the
wardrobe," was one of the superior
servants. Such was the yeoman ordin-
arily ; in Marston's Fawn the butler is
"yeoman of the bottles."

43. Jezebel] Probably a blunder of
Sir Andrew, referring to Malvolio ; but

it has been proposed to read "her" for
"him" in this line.

44. deeply in] explained by the words
that follow — "deep in the muddy
imaginings of his conceited brain."

45. blotus him] puffs him up, makes
him swell with pride. Cf. "No blown
ambition doth our arms incite," King
Lear, iv. iv. 27.

47. my state] i.e. "my chair of state " ;
this was usually overhung by a canopy.
Cf. 1 Henry IV. II. iv. 415, "This
chair shall be my state." Cf. also
Cotgrave, "Dais, or Daiz. A Cloth
of Estate, Canopie or Heauen, that
stands over the heads of Princes thrones ;
also the whole State or Seat of Estate ;
also the boords of a beds teaster whereat
the valances be hanged." Mr. W. J.
Craig compares "We'll stand near the
state," Beaumont and Fletcher, Four
Plays in One.

48. stone-bow] a cross - bow, from
which stones or bullets were discharged.
See Book of Wisdom, v. 22. Cf.
' ' Children shall shortly take him for a
wall, and set their stone-bows in his
forehead," Beaumont and Fletcher,
King and no Kitzg{(\a.o\.Qdi by Mr. Craig).

49. branched] ornamented with de-
signs of leaves and flowers. Cf. Coi-
grz.\e, " Fueillage : m. Branched worke,
in Painting, or in Tapistrie." Mr.
Craig quotes Chapman, May Day,
(161 1), "That sweet wench in the
branched gown " ; also T. Heywood,
Fortune by Land and Sea (1655), ^^- i-i
' ' The bridegroom as well in brancht
satin as in brancht Rosemary most
couragious."

50. day-bed] couch or sofa. Except
in Shakespeare I cannot trace an earlier
use of the word ; but cf. Fletcher (1624),

80 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acth.

Sir To. Fire and brimstone !

Fab. O, peace ! peace !

Mai. And then to have the humour of state : and after

a demure travel of regard, telling them I know 5 5
my place, as I would they should do theirs, to
ask for my kinsman Toby, —

Sir To. Bolts and shackles !

Fab. O, peace, peace, peace ! now, now.

Mai. Seven of my people, with an obedient start, make 60
out for him. I frown the while ; and perchance
wind up my watch, or play with my — some rich
jewel. Toby approaches ; court'sies there to me, —

Sir To. Shall this fellow live ?

Fab. Though our silence be drawn from us with cars, 65
yet peace !

Mai. I extend my hand to him thus, quenching my
familiar smile with an austere regard of control, —

55. travel] trauaile F. 57. kinsman F, Uncle Rowe. 62. my—somel

Collier, etc. ; my some F, F 2, Malone, etc. ; my handsome Daniel ; some F 3,
4, etc. 63. couri'sies] Malone, courtesies Knight, etc., curtsies F. 65.

with cars,] F ; with cares Ff, Rowe, etc. ; by th'' ears Hanmer and others ; other
suggestions are w/M cats (whips); with cords; with screivs ; with crows {crow-
bars); with cues ; with racks; with curs. 68. control, — ^controll.Y.controiil ;
Capell.

Jiule a Wife and have a Wife, \\\. i., with my chain" (of office as steward ;
"Is the great couch up, the Duke of see 11. iii. 121, note), but suddenly re-
Medina sent? Alica. 'Tis up and members his new dignity,
ready. Margarita. And day-beds in 63. court' sies']hovis\ow, "courtesy"
all chambers? Altea. In all, lady." was then used of men as well as of
In AVc/^an/ ///. (Quartos) we have (ill. women.

vii. 72)," He is not lolling on a lewd day- 65. with cars] suggested doubtless

bed " (the Ff reading is " love-bed ")• by the fate of Mettus Fufi'etius (Virgil,

54. the hu»iour of state] to be able Aineid, viii. 642-645), who was torn
to humour my consciousness of dignity ; asunder by chariots driven in opposite
to assume the haughty manner of my directions. Many emendations of the
position, and enjoy it to the full. word "cars" have been proposed, but

55. a demure travel of regard] after none seem necessary. The more
gravely looking them all over one by familiar reference is found in such a
one. "Travel" is strangely used. passage as the following : " but a team

57. Toby] Note the omission of of horse shall not pluck that from

"Sir." me," Two Gentlemen of Verona, in.

60. Seven] an imposing number, i. 265. For " cars " some would read

surely. "carts" or "cords" or "cables,"

62. wind up my watch] Cf. The which is unnecessary ; indeed, the

Tempest, u. i. 12. "Pocket watches textual notes furnish a strange assort-

were brought from Germany about ment of alternatives. See also the

1580," Malone. note on in. ii. 61.

62, 63. play with my — some rich 68. austere . . . control] a severe

jewel] Malvolio is about to say ' ' play look of authority.

sc.v.] WHAT YOU WILL 81

Sir To. And does not Toby take you a blow o' the

lips then ? 70

Alal. Saying, " Cousin Toby, my fortunes having cast

me on your niece give me this prerogative of

speech," —
Sir To. What, what ?

Mai. " You must amend your drunkenness." 7 5

Sir To. Out, scab !

Fab. Nay, patience, or we break the sinews of our plot.
Mai. " Besides, you waste the treasure of your time

with a foolish knight," —
Sir And. That 's me, I warrant you. 80

Mai. " One Sir Andrew," —

Sir And. I knew 'twas I ; for many do call me fool.
Mai. \Seeing the letter^ What employment have we

here?
Fab. Now is the woodcook near the gin. 85

Sir To. O, peace ! and the spirit of humours intimate

reading aloud to him !
Mai. \Taking up the letter?^ By my life, this is my

lady's hand ! these be her very Cs., her 6^'s, and

69. 0 the^ on the Rowe, i. 71. Coiisin'\ Cosine F, Uncle Rowe. 83.
empioymenti F, implement Theobald. 86. and\ F, Now Rowe.

69. take yoiil At^iS. yoM \ as m Henry 391, for example, and the gull, as in

V. IV. i. 23, and elsewhere. Mr. this play, in. ii. 70.

Craig quotes The Interlude of Youth 85. gin'X still used of a snare or

(about 1553; see Hazlitt's Dodsley), trap; the word is abbreviated from

" Therefore crake no longer here Lest I " engine."

take you on the ear." 86. the spirit . . . intiniate'\ may

76. scab'\ scurvy fellow. Cf. Muck the genius who presides over such
Ado about Nothing, III. iii. 107. eccentric dispositions suggest, etc. I

77. (Jr^a/^ /^^ i'zwfwj'] Shakespeare is do not think that "humours" here
nothing if not figurative; note on II. means "merriment," "mischief,"
iii. 153. "humour."

78. /r^a«/r£] as above — with allitera- 89. C's, etc.] As Malvolio does not
tion thrown in. open the letter till line 95 (" By your

83. ernploymenf] how dignified is the leave, wax "), these letters, apparently

term "employment" ! for his highness capitals, should appear in the address;

must stoop to pick up a letter. Others it begins with a capital T, the U may

have thought that "employment" be the first letter of "unknown"; and

must be a misprint for "implement." Ritson has suggested that the address,

85. woodcockl This is the bird selected in accordance with the usage of the

in Hamlet, I. iii. II 5, and v. ii. 317 ; it time, ended with the words, " with Care

was regarded as a type of stupidity (cf. Present " ; and if so, these additional

Cotgrave, and Fr. bicasse) — a character- words furnish the C and the P. But

istic, however, shared by other birds in possibly the letters were selected on

Shakespeare, the snipe, Othello, i. iii. other grounds.

6

82

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acth.

her Z's ; and thus makes she her great P's. It 90
is, in contempt of question, her hand.
Sir And. Her C's, her U's, and her 7^'s ; why that?

Mai. To the unknown beloved^ this, and my good
%vishes :

Her very phrases! By your leave, wax. Soft! 95
and the impressure her Lucrece, with which she
uses to seal : 'tis my lady. To whom should
this be ?
Fab. This wins him, liver and all.

Mai. [Reads.]

Jove knows I love ; 1 00

But who ?
Lips, do not move :

No 7nan must know.

" No man must know." What follows ? the
numbers altered! "No man must know." If 105
this should be thee, Malvolio ?
Sir To. Marry, hang thee, brock !

90. her T's :] F, her Ts and Ps ! Keightley. 100-103.] Prose italics F.

lOi. But who?] Alas ! but who, Hanmer. 105. numbers altered!] Capell, etc. ;
numbers alterd : F, Ff; other suggestions are numbers alter d — Rowe, i. ;
number's alter' d Rowe, ii., etc. ; numbers alter Hanmer; number is altered
Var. '73.

91. in contempt of question] so that
to doubt it would be ridiculous ; yet
like "spite" in a similar construction,
the word "contempt" has lost some of
its meaning; cf. " in contempt of man,"
King Lear, II. iii. 8.

92. why that ?] We must suppose
that the audience would know, if Sir
Andrew did not, and that on hearing
the latter's " why that," a contemporary
of Shakespeare would remark, ' ' The
silly fellow." But we moderns share
some at least of Sir Andrew's perplexity.

95. By your leave, wax] Cf. "Good
wax, thy leave," Cymbeline, ill. ii. 35.

95. Soft!] Perhaps the nearest
equivalent in modern English would
be, "well now"; or, according to
taste, we may explain, "gently,"
" stay now," etc.

96. impressure] Cf. " expressure,"
II. iii. 162.

96. her Lucrece] her sea.], which had

the head of Lucrece engraved upon
it ; seals representing Lucretia were
favourites among ladies of that day.

99. liver afui all] Cf. ' ' No motion of
the liver, but the palate," in li. iv. 99 ;
and see note thereon.

100. Jove, etc.] as prose in F. The
metrical arrangement in Capell's. See
also textual notes.

104, 105. IVhat follows? the numbers
altered! ] i.e. "What follows? why,
another stanza (' I may command,'
etc.), but in a different metre." For
"numbers" in the sense of metre, cf.
Hamlet's " I am ill at these numbers "
(Hamlet, II. ii. 120).

107. brock] badger. Malone inter-
prets " Thou vain conceited coxcomb,
thou over -weening rogue." For
"badger" as a term of contempt
Malone quotes "This self-conceited
brock," The Merrie Concerted Jests of
George Peek, 1657.

sc. v.]

WHAT YOU WILL

83

Mai. [Reads.] / may command zvhere I adore ;

But silence^ like a Lucrece knife, '
With bloodless stroke my heart doth gore :
M, O, A, /, doth sway my life. 1 1 1

Fab. A fustian riddle !

Sir To. Excellent wench, say I.

Mai. " M,0,A, I, doth sway my life." Nay, but first,

let me see, let me see, let me see. 1 1 5

Fab. What a dish o' poison has she dressed him !
Sir To. And with what wing the staniel checks at it !
Mai. " I may command where I adore." Why, she

may command me : I serve her ; she is my lady.

Why, this is evident to any formal capacity; 120

108.] As two lines of verse in italics F. 109. Lucrece knife,] Lucrece knife
Rowe, etc. ; Lucresse knife F ; Lucress wife F 3, 4 ; Lucrece^ knife Walker.
114, 115. first, let me see,] F ; first F 3, 4, Rowe, etc. 116. PVkat a dish]

Rowe, etc, ; what dish F ; dish 0 most edd. ; dish a F ; dish a' Halliwell ; dish
^ F 3, 4, etc. 117. staniel] Hanmer (see note below), stallion F.

109. Lucrece] with accent on first
syllable. Probably a genitive, re-
inflected because ending with a sibilant.

111. M, O, A, I,] "Every one of
these letters are in my name " ; this
discovery is made by Malvolio in line
144, below. Halliwell naively suggests
" My Own Adored Idol " as a solution
of this "fustian riddle," which was
imitated, he says, from similar riddles
current at the time. But I am almost
content with Malvolio's interpretation,
especially as we may compare "Thy
huntress' natne, that my full life doth
sway," As You Like It, iii. ii. 4.

112. fustian] commonplace, absurd ;
cf. "to discourse fustian," Othello, II.
iii. 282; "a fustian rascal," 2 Henry
IV. II. iv. 203. Fustian was a coarse
and common variety of cloth ; hence
the figure.

116. What . . . him] What a dish
of poison has Maria prepared for him !
The figure from poison is a favourite
one with Shakespeare. See note on
line 3 and on 201 and 202.

117. with . . . it] with what ill-
trained (or untrained) flight this kestrel
swerves to seize it. If from no other
sources, the above rendering may be
derived first from the fact that the
quarry is " poison," and next from the

same figure in iii. i. 68, "And, like
the haggard, check at every feather
That comes before his e3'e."

117. staniel] This is Hanmer's
emendation (he spells "stannyel") of
the F " stallion," which is obviously an
error. The staniel — variously spelled
"stannel," "stanyel," "stannyel" — is
an inferior kind of hawk, known also
as the kestrel or windhover ; cf. Cot-
grave, " Cresserdle ... a Kestrell,
Staniell, Fleingall." Mr. Craig quotes
Holland's Pliny, Nat. Hist. i. p. 291,
"Therefore the Doues need to haue
with them the bird which is called
Tinnunculus, i.e. a Kestrill or Stan-
nell " ; also, "a white-livered staniel,"
Lady Alimony, Haz. Dods. xiv. 284.

117. checks at] "To checke is when
crows, rooks, pies, or other birds,
comming in the view of the hawke,
she forsaketh her naturall flight to flie
at them," Latham, Falconry, 1633.
" The haggard falcon that has never
learned constancie to her legitimate
pursuit will ' check ' or change the
quarry at which she is flown for any
magpie or crow that fortune may throw
in her way," Madden, quoted by
Furness.

1 20. a7iy fonnal capacity] any man
in his ordinary senses. " Formal," not

84

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actii.

there is no obstruction in this. And the end, —

what should that alphabetical position portend ?

If I could make that resemble something in me, —

Softly! M, O, A, /,—
Sir To. O! ay, make up that: he is now at a cold 125

scent.
Fab. Sowter will cry upon 't, for all this, though it be

as rank as a fox.
Mai. M, Malvolio ; M^ why that begins my name.
Fab. Did not I say he would work it out ? the cur is i 30

excellent at faults.
Mai. M, — but then there is no consonancy in the

125. 01 ay,] O I, F ; make up] F, make out Hanmer, take up Anon.
Camb. 127. it be] it ben 't Hanmer ; it be not Johnson, Keightley.

ap.

out of form, in the normal state, well-
regulated ; cf. "Till I have used the
approved means I have With whole-
some syrups, drugs, and holy prayers,
To make of him a formal man again,"
Comedy of Errors, V. i. 105.

121. fi5'j-/r«<://^«] nothing that hinders
the meaning from being obvious. As
so often, when Shakespeare employs
a word in some special sense, it occurs
more than once in the same play. In
Twelfth Night we have also ' ' and yet
complainest thou of obstruction ? "
(IV. ii. 41), and, "This does make
some obstruction in the blood" (ill.
iv. 22).

122. alphabetical position] Does this
imply that the letters selected from the
word "Malvolio" have their order
changed ?

125. 0! ay,] O I in Folio; Sir
Toby echoes two of the letters, and
plays with both.

125. rnake up that] put them to-
gether, and discover something signifi-
cant.

125, 126. at a cold scent] where the
scent fails ; cf. " Saw'st thou not, boy,
how Silver made it good At the hedge-
corner, in the coldest fault," 7'he
Taming of the Shrew, Ind. i. 20.
The word "fault" in this quotation
occurs in line 131, below. ("Cold" is
used metaphorically for "impercept-
ible," "defective.")

127. Sowter] a cobbler, or botcher ;
possibly given to a clumsy hound.

Furness suggests that it may stand for
" Shouter," as "suitor" was pro-
nounced "shooter" ; and he adds that
' ' Shouter " as the name of a dog would
be as appropriate as " Echo." He also
thinks there may be a play upon
"Shouter" and "cry."

127, 128. Sowter . . . fox] "The
stupid dog will be picking up the scent
again, and giving tongue most clamor-
ously (Shouter), and yet all the while
the scent was as strong as that of a fox
(for anyone could see that M. O. A. I.
stands for Malvolio)." The reference
is, first of all, to the four significant
letters ; and after this — but only
possibly — to Maria's "device" (il. iii.
168, II. V, 1S7) as a whole. See also
next note.

127. cry ttponU] Cf. The Taming of
the Shrew, Ind. I. 23, " He (the dog)
cried upon it at the merest loss, And
twice to-day picked out the dullest
scent." See also note above.

131. faults] checks caused by failure
of scent ; see note on line 125, above,
and cf. also "The hot scent-snuffing
hounds . . . have singled . . . the
cold fault cleanly out," Venus and
Adonis, 694. Mr. Craig compares
Marston, The Malcontent, 11 1. iv.,
"The dogs are at a fault."

132. consonancy] consistency (cf.
Hamlet, II. ii. 295), probably a figure
from music — one of Shakespeare's
deepest wells of metaphorical inspira-
tion.

sc. v.]

WHAT YOU WILL

85

sequel ; that suffers under probation : A should

follow, but O does.
Fab. And O shall end, I hope. 135

Sir To. Ay, or I 'II cudgel him, and make him

cry O!
Mai. And then / comes behind.
Fab. Ay, an you had any eye behind you, you might

see more detraction at your heels than fortunes 140

before you.
Mai. M, Oy A, I ; this simulation is not as the former;

and yet, to crush this a little, it would bow to

me, for every one of these letters are in my name.

Soft! here follows prose. 145

133. sequel; thai"] Rowe, etc.; sequell that F.
144. are'\ F, is Rowe and others. See note below.

139. an you] and you F.

133. ihal . . . probation'\ that (the
sequel) fails when put to the test. Not
that Malvolio's lordly language always
needs an interpreter ; but here, for ex-
ample, other renderings are possible
according to the punctuation of the
Folio, which has no stop after "sequel";
and it has been proposed to read
"suffices" for "suffers." Rowe put
the semicolon after "sequel" ; Furness
prefers a comma.

135. And . . . end] Here we may
interpret ad lib. Johnson makes the O
stand for a hempen collar ; Steevens
says, " I believe he meant only, ' It
shall end in sighing,'" and quotes
Romeo and Juliet, III. iii. 90, "Why
should you fall into so deep an O?"
Let us supplement this with, " As O
ends Malvolio's name, so we trust that
he will cry O at the end of our practical
joke .upon him." And Sir Toby seems
to answer, " If our device fails in this
respect " (for he appears to have some
doubt about it), "I will beat him till he
cries O." Furness, with some plausi-
bility, would assign the "Ay, or . . .
cry O ! " speech to Sir Andrew.

139. an yoii\ "The F 'and you'
seems equivalent to 'and an you,' i.e.
' and if you,' you being emphatic,"
Capell. We may add that the F com-
monly prints "and" for the "an" of
our text, though it often prefers the
"an" form; sometimes we have the

reduplication " an if." The word
"and" (or the Scandinavian form or
the abbreviation "an") originally in-
cluded "if" among its meanings.

140. detraction, etc.] A vivid phrase,
that might imply some knowledge of
Latin. Something like it is the poet's
use of "simulation" (line 142), " ob-
struction" (line 121, note), "probation"
(line 133), "revolve" (line 146), and a
host of other words in the immediate
context. See also notes on I. v. 95, 98,
and V. 145.

140. than fortunes] with a possible
reference to Malvolio's " all is fortune,"
in line 25.

142-144. this simulation . . . bow
to me] this disguise of meaning is not so
easily seen through as the former, yet
with a little forcing or straining it might
be made to apply to me. By " the
former" is meant the first line of the
stanza, viz. ' ' I may command where I
adore," in which Malvolio found no
" obstruction."

143. crush] Cf. "a crush'd neces-
sity" in Henry V. I. ii. 175. See also
former note.

144. every one . , . are] The verb
is plural by attraction to the noun
" letters," which immediately precedes.
These deviations from strict grammar
are common in the earlier hterary stages
of a language, and they subsist even in
its later colloquial usages. (Cf. line 164. )

86

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act n.

[Reads.] If this fall into thy hand, revolve. In my stars
I am above thee ; but be not afraid of greatness :
some are born great, some achieve greatness, and
some have greatness thrust upon them. Thy Fates
open their hands ; let thy blood and spirit embrace 150
them ; and to inure thyself to what thou art like
to be, cast thy humble slough and appear fresh.
Be opposite with a kinsman, surly with servants ;
let thy tongtie tang arguments of state ; put thy-
self into the trick of singularity. She thus advises i 55
thee that sighs for thee. Remember who com-

146. stars] stars Y; state Lettsom. 148. achieve] atcheeues F, atcheeue Ff.
149. upon them] Rowe, etc.; vppon em F.

146. revolve] A Latinism ; consider.

146. In my stars] See I. iii. 135, note;
and for another reference compare hne
175, "I thank my stars," — a conven-
tional phrase now, but pronounced
more seriously by Malvolio.

148. some are born, etc.] Here the
F reading is "some are become," but
in III. iv. 43 and v. 374, where the
famous aphorism recurs, "are born" is
substituted ; hence Rowe adopted the
latter reading in this instance also.
Further, the F " atcheeues " in the
present passage becomes "atcheeue" in
III. iv. 45, and "atchieue" in v. i. 374.

150. blood and spirit] Cf. " whose
blood and judgement are so well com-
mingled," Hamlet, in. ii. 74 ; also,
" Though sometimes it show greatness,
courage, blood," 1 Henry IV. III. i.
181. " Blood " seems almost synonym-
ous with " spirit," or " courage," with
a possible further connotation of high
breeding.

153. opposite] Used as a noun in
III. ii. 66. Cf. Cotgrave, ^^Repugiier,
to repugne, cross, thwart, impugne,
resist, withstand, contradict, gainesay,
disagree from, be opposite unto."

154. tang] sound loud with; and some-
times it means " smack" or " taste."
In III. iv. 73 we have " langer with " in
F, but " tang with " in the other Folios.
It is interesting to remember how
often some special word, phrase, or
figure recurs in the same play. See
note on line 121. For the meaning of
" tang," cf. " 'Tis a strange noise, And
has a tang o' the justice," Fletcher,
Night Walker, III. iv. In The Tempest,

II. ii. 52 — " She had a tongue with a
tang" — the word occurs in its more
ordinary sense of noise — "a loud
dominant sound " (Wright) ; and some
of this sense is attached to the word
here. For the word in a good sense Mr.
Craig quotes Beaumont and Fletcher's
Fair Maid of the Inn, III. i., "very
good words ; there 's a tang in em, and
a sweet one ; 'tis music." He also re-
fers to Akerman, Glossary to Wiltshire,
ed. 1879, " to tang the bell is to pull
it."

154, 155. put . . . singularity] Cf. "He
seems to be the more noble, in being
fantastical ; a great man, I '11 warrant,"
The Winter's Tale, iv. iv. 779.
"Put thyself into the trick of" is a
little strained, metaphorically—" as-
sume eccentric manners" or "habits."
"Trick" appears to be an expression
of heraldry ; it is used to denote some
singularity of face, nature, etc.

156-158. Remember . . . cross-
gartered] Before commenting upon the
fashion of yellow stockings and cross-
gartering, we have to notice some ap-
apparent inconsistencies in the text.
A few lines further on ( 1 70, 1 7 1 ) Malvolio
asserts, "She did commend my yellow
stockings of late, she did praise my leg
being cross-gartered " ; and with this
we must contrast the following, in lines
204-206: "he will come to her in
yellow stockings, and 'tis a colour she
abhors ; and cross-garter'd, a fashion
she detests." And we ask. Did
Olivia speak ironically to Malvolio, and
was she heard or overheard by Maria ;
or does Maria know Malvolio to be

sc. v.]

WHAT YOU WILL

87

mended thy yellow stockings^ and wished to see
thee ever cross-gartered : I say^ remember. Go to,
thou art ' made, if thou desirest to be so ; if not,
let me see thee a steward still, the fellow of ser- 1 60
vants, and not worthy to touch Fortunes fingers.
Farewell, She thai would alter services with thee.

The Fortunate-Unhappy.

162-164. She . . . Daylightl Capell, etc.
■with thee, the fortunate vnhappy daylight F.

Shee that would alter sendees

such a fool that her mere suggestion of
a remark by Olivia will become his
fixed belief? But there is another
difficulty, for we must further ask, Has
Malvolio been in the habit of wearing
yellow stockings and of cross-garter-
ing his legs? his mistress, it seems,
" wished to see thee ez'i?^ cross-gartered "
(lines 157, 158) ; perhaps, therefore, he
had dressed himself in this way at
times ; certainly he is not so dressed on
this occasion — as he tells us in lines
175-177, "I will be strange, stout, in
yellow stockings, and cross-garter'd,
even with the swiftness of putting on."
And in line 204 this is confirmed by
Maria : " he will come to her in yellow
stockings . . . and cross-garter'd."
Moreover, his traditional stage costume
up to this point is Puritan black. Alto-
gether, I should say that we have, at
least in some degree, an example of
those slight inconsistencies that must
be expected to occur in dramatic work
of great extent and variety ; the most
careful artist of limited scope is liable
to error, or takes something for
granted, as he transforms the real
into the ideal. (Introduction, p. xxx.)
I have said so much because we are
now in a better position to discriminate
between the various items of informa-
tion and conjecture that have been
brought to bear on the subject of yellow
stockings and cross-gartering ; and it
may be best to say briefly that the last
of these fashions may have been re-
tained by the Puritans after being dis-
used by others (cf. "singularity," line
155) ; that cross-garters were possibly
the mark of a fop ; that yellow stock-
ings " appear to have been specially
worn by the young," and that " Mal-
volio may have affected youthful fashions
in dress" (Wright), and that "in the
present instance the fashion (cross-

gartering) had been exaggerated by
Malvolio" (Deighton) ; cf. his "ob-
struction in the blood " (ill. iv. 22).
See also note on line 183.

157. yellow stockings] The following
quotations are to the purpose : — " The
yeomen attending the Earl of Arundel,
Lord Windsor, and Mr. Fulke Greville,
were dressed in yellow worsted stock-
ings," From Henry Gold well's
account of an entertainment performed
before Queen Elizabeth in 1581
(Steevens). " They had apparently gone
out of fashion in Sir Thomas Over-
bury's time, for in his Characters he
says of ' A Country Gentleman,' ' If he
goes to Court, it is in yellow stockings ' ;
as if this were a sign of rusticity."
"The tradition of wearing them sur-
vives in the costume of the boys at
Christ's Hospital" (Wright). See also
former note.

158. cross-gartered] Among quota-
tions that illustrate this fashion are the
following: — "Hose garters, going
acrosse, or ouerthwart, both above and
beneath the knee," Junius, Nomen-
clator, 1585. "He tell thee, sirrah,
he 's a fine neat fellow, A spruce slave ;
I warrant ye, he'll have His cruel
garters cross about the knee," Descrip-
tion of a serving-man in Porter's Two
Angry I'Vomen of Abington, 1599. Of
these two quotations, the first describes
the method of tying the garter, and the
second assigns that article of dress to a
servant. Fletcher, however, speaks of
"all cross-garter'd gentlemen" [The
Woman Hater, 1607, I. ii.); and Ford
writes {The Lovers Mela7icholy, 1629,
III. i.), "As rare an old youth as ever
walked cross-garter'd," from which
passage Wright conjectures that "cross-
garters were apparently becoming ob-
solete." See also note on line 183.

163. Fortunate- Unhappyl Shall we

88

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actii.

Daylight and champain discovers not more : this
is open. I will be proud, I will read politic 165
authors, I will baffle Sir Toby, I will wash off
gross acquaintance, I will be point-devise the
very man. I do not now fool myself, to let
imagination jade me, for every reason excites to
this, that my lady loves me. She did commend 170
my yellow stockings of late, she did praise my
leg being cross-gartered ; and in this she mani-
fests herself to my love, and with a kind of in-
junction drives me to these habits of her liking.
I thank my stars I am happy. I will be strange, i 7 5
stout, in yellow stockings, and cross-gartered, even

champain] Dyce, etc. ; champian F ; champion F 3, 4 ; champaipi some
discovers not\ F, discovers no Pope, discover no Hanmer, discover not

165. politic'] pollticke F.
^The

164.
edd. ;
some edd.

say, "the Loving-Unloved," or,
wealthy one who is love-lorn " ?

164. Daylight . . . more] "Broad
daylight and open country does not
make things plainer." Wright notes
that the F "champian" (textual notes)
is to be found in the margin of the
authorised version of Ezekiel xxxvii.
2 ; another old form of the word is
" champion," as in F 3, 4 ; and in King
Lear, l. i. 65, it takes the form "cham-
pains," which I therefore retain in this
text. But for "champian" the New
Eng. Diet, quotes (1601), R. Johnson,
Kingd. and Commw. (1603), "It hath
larger champians than Lyguria"; also
(1653), Holcroft, Procopiiis, ii. 39,
" Finding all open champian about the
Towns there." Also for "champion"
(1573)) Tusser, Husb., "In woodland,
in Champion, Citie, or towne " ; and
(1589) GrtQXit, Metiaphon, "Menaphon
looking over the champion of Arcadie."

164. discovers] See textual notes ;
also line 144, and 11. iv. 94.

165. open] perfectly plain.

165, 166. politic ai4thors] authors who
write about state affairs ; Machiavelli
among them — as we may imagine.

167. point - devise] "A shortened
form of the old phrase at point device,
equivalent to with great nicety or exacti-
tude, a translation of Old French <J
point devis, according to a point (of
exactitude), that is devised or imagined,
i.e. in the best way imaginable,"

168. not noiv] F, tioiv some edd.

Skeat. Here the sense is "to the
minutest particular." Douce tells us
that the phrase has been supplied from
the labours of the needle. Poinet in
the French language denotes a stitch ;
devisi, anything invented, disposed,
arranged. ' 'Point-devise " was therefore
a particular sort of patterned lace
worked with a needle ; and the term
" point -X&ce^' is still familar to every
woman. Mr. Craig quotes Erasmus,
Apophtheg/Hs ,\.xz.r\s\^\.td by LJdall, 1564,
"furnished even to the pointe device,"
also Holinshed, Chronicle, vol. ii.,
I577> "furnishing it at point devise."

169. Jade me] Exactly how this
metaphor applies is not clear ; " play
me a jade's trick " is safe to begin with ;
but what trick ? We may select from,
"to slip the head out of the collar,"
and {Much Ado about Nothing, i. i.
142-145) "I would my horse had
the speed of your tongue . . . You
always end with a jade's trick " ; also
from, "make me appear like a jade,"
"make me ridiculous and con-
temptible."

175. strange] a. both " be opposite
with a kinsman" in line 153, and "put
thyself into the trick of singularity " in
line 154; it is, however, the first of
these that "strange" most readily
refers to ; it includes the general notion
of pride and hauteur.

176. stout] There is something of
this also in " stout " (see former note) ;

sc.v] WHAT YOU WILL 89

with the swiftness of putting on. Jove and my
stars be praised ! Here is yet a postscript.

[Reads.] Thou canst not choose bict knotv who I am.
If thou entertainest my love, let it appear in thy i 80
smiling ; thy smiles become thee well ; therefore in
my presence still smile, dear my sweet, I prithee.

Jove, I thank thee. I will smile : I will do every

thing that thou wilt have me. \Exit.

Fab. I will not give my part of this sport for a pen- 185

sion of thousands to be paid from the Sophy.
Sir To. I could marry this wench for this device.
Sir And. So could I too.
Sir To. And ask no other dowry with her but such

another jest. 190

Sir And. Nor I neither.
Fab. Here comes my noble gull-catcher.

Re-enter MARIA.

Sir To. Wilt thou set thy foot o' my neck ?
Sir And. Or o' mine either?

Sir To. Shall I play my freedom at tray-trip, and 195
become thy bond-slave ?

192. noble] F, notable Schmidt.

and cf. "surly with servants" in Hne 185. par(of'\s\\axem.

153; also, "Oft have I seen the 186. Sophy] The Shah of Persia as

haughty cardinal ... As stout and in The Merchant of Venice, II. i. 25.

proud as he were lord of all," 2 Henry "Sophy "(Safi," elect ")was a title borne

VI. I. i. 187. by the sovereigns of Persia — the Safavi

177. Jove] Here and in line 183, and dynasty — from 1505-1725. In 1599

elsewhere in the play, "Jove" has Sir Robert Shirley returned from an

probably replaced the word "God," in embassy to the Shah or Sophy, and he

deference to the statute of James i. boasted of the rewards he had received

against profanation. "Jove" as an from the Persian monarch. Hence the

adjuration sounds very strange in the allusion in the text — "a pension, etc."

mouth of Malvolio, with his Puritan The account of the travels of Sir R.

attributes. Shirley and his two brothers was

183. I will smile] Up to the present printed in 1600. (Introduction, p.

Malvolio has been dressed in black, xx.)

and of countenance Puritanical, without 195. tray-trip] "A game with cards,

a smile ; hence both changes are played with dice as well as with cards,

amusing, the part foppish, part old- the success in which chiefly depended

fashioned clothes, and the foolish face upon the throwing of treys" [i.e.

beaming with smiles. threes), Halliwell. The following

90

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actii.

Sir And. V faith, or I either?

Sir To. Why, thou hast put him in such a dream,
that when the image of it leaves him he must
run mad. 200

Mar. Nay, but say true ; does it work upon him ?

Sir To. Like aqua-vitae with a midwife.

Mar. If you will then see the fruits of the sport, mark
his first approach before my lady ; he will come
to her in yellow stockings, and 'tis a colour she 205
abhors ; and cross-gartered, a fashion she detests ;
and he will smile upon her, which will now be so
unsuitable to her disposition, being addicted to a
melancholy as she is, that it cannot but turn him
into a notable contempt. If you will see it, 210
follow me.

Sir To. To the gates of Tartar, thou most excellent
devil of wit ?

Sir And. I '11 make one too. [Exeunt.

202. aqua-vita^ Ff, Aqua viU F. 2o8. to a] Y ; to Y 3, 4, Rowe,

Pope. 212. gates of Tartar] F, gates Tartar F 4, gates, Tartar, Rowe,

gates of Tartarus Coll. MS.

(quoted by Reed) occurs in Machiavell's
Dogge {1619) :

" But leaving cards, lett s goe to dice
awhile,
To passage, treitrippe, hazarde, or

mumchance . . .
And trippe without a treye makes

had-I-wist
To silt and mourne among the
sleepers' rancke."
The game may have varied ; some
think it resembled hop - Scotch, or
Scotch-hop, and the conjecture is not
altogether unwarranted by contemporary
references. The following is also to
the point: " Gioc.are al nove, to play
at noven, or tray-trip, also to play at
nine-holes," Torriano, It. Diet., 1656
(quoted by Wright). Craig compares
"Where he did play at tre trip for
tray," Sir J. Suckling, Campaign. The
word occurs also in the Epistle to the
Terrible Priests of Penry and John

Udall, 1 588, and in Appitis and Virginia
(1575) ; also in Jonson and Davenant.

201. does it work upon him?'] Cf.
" Like poison given to work a great
time after," The Tempest, in. iii. 105.

202. Like aqua-vitiz, etc.] (cf. eau de
vie). Why "strong waters" should
act specially upon midwives I am unable
to discover, but we may suppose that
they were addicted to the drink. Juliet's
nurse twice calls for aqua-vita.

208. addicted to] in an earlier neutral
sense, and not necessarily of some bad
habit; " habitually inclined to," "dis-
posed to."

212. Tartar] This form is used by
Shakespeare for Tartarus, the poetical
term for the Inferior "lower regions."
Mr. Craig compares Spenser's "Tar-
tary " ; also the old play Tancred and

Gismunda (1591), IV. i.

And

Parthie, moved by the grieved ghost Of
her late husband that in Tartar dwells."

SC. I.]

WHAT YOU WILL

91

ACT III

SCENE I, — Olivia's Garden.

Enter ViOLA, and Clown tvith a tabor.

Vio. Save thee, friend, and thy music. Dost thou

live by thy tabor ?
Clo. No, sir, I Hve by the church.
Vio. Art thou a churchman ?
Clo. No such matter, sir : I do live by the church ; for

I do live at my house, and my house doth stand

by the church.
Vio. So thou mayest say, the king lies by a beggar,

if a beggar dwell near him ; or, the church stands

by thy tabor, if thy tabor stand by the church.
Clo. You have said, sir. To see this age ! A sentence

is but a cheveril glove to a good wit : how

10

Olivia's garden Pope ; A garden Rowe.
8. liesl lyes F, lives Capell, etc. I2.

chevril Rowe.

2. thy\ F ; the Ff, Rowe, etc*
cheverit] Var. '73, chetirill F.

2. tabor] a small drum used by
clowns and jesters. In his reply the
Clown plays on the word "by," and it
has been supposed that he purposely
misunderstood "Tabor "for "Tavern."
See note on line 6, below. But the
equivoque does not necessarily imply so
much. Cf. "All I live by is with the
awl," in Julius Ccesar, i. i. 24. Cf.
also "if thy tabor stand by the church,"
in line 10.

4. churchman'] ecclesiastic.

6, T. my house . . . church] It has been
noticed above (Introduction, p. xxxviii,
and note on il. iv. 51) that Feste is no
ordinary clown, but privileged in many
ways ; and Hutson is of opinion that
" When Shakespeare wrote this, he was
probably conceiving Feste as a retainer
of the Lady Olivia's father, settled hard
by the church, and with some here-
ditary claim to service and preferment
in it, but as having missed his voca-
tion in some way, and fallen back upon
this, his real vocation as a jester, in lieu

of the other living, greatly helped in
the new walk by the clerical training he
had received." But others identify
Feste with Dick Tarleton, Court Jester
till 1584, when he was "turned away"
(cf. I. v. 17) ; he joined Leicester's
company of players, and died in 1588.
Tarleton also kept a tavern in Gracious
(Gracechurch) Street, near the tower
of St. Benet's. Cf. " by the church,"
above ; also note on v. 37.

8. lies by] i.e. resides, lodges, dwells.
An emendation "lives" has been pro-
posed, but the jest is maintained quite
as well by "lies."

9, 10. stands by] "is supported by"
appears to be one of the meanings.

12. cheveril] Fr. chevreaii, O. Fr.
chevrel, a kid. The soft kid leather is
easily stretched ; cf. Henry VIII. 11.
iii. 32, 33, "Your soft cheveril con-
science ... if you might please to
stretch it." For the thought we may
cf. Cothurno versatilior, Erasmus, Ad.
56; and for "cheveril glove," Mr.

92

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

quickly the wrong side may be turned out-
ward !

Vto. Nay, that 's certain : they that dally nicely with i 5
words may quickly make them wanton.

C/o. I would therefore my sister had had no name,
sir.

Vw. Why, man ?

C/o. Why, sir, her name's a word; and to dally with 20
that word might make my sister wanton. But
indeed words are very rascals since bonds dis-
graced them.

Vio. Thy reason, man ?

C/o. Troth, sir, I can yield you none without words ; 2 5
and words are grown so false, I am loath to prove
reason with them.

17. had had] F; hadY 3, 4, Rowe, Pope, Hanmer.

Craig quotes Barnfield, Sonnet, xxxi. I,
(1595), " Here, hold this glove this milk-
white cheuerill gloue."

15, 16. they that dally nicely . . .
wanton] those who play ingeniously
with words will easily give them a
double meaning.

22, 23. ivords . . . them] an obscure
passage. It may mean ( i ) since definite
meaningswere assigned to them ; though
this (see Appendix II.) seems contra-
dicted by Shakespeare's own use of
words, and by the Clown's speech, lines
11-14 ("You have . . . outward");
(2) since restrictions were placed upon
acting by the Privy Council in 1600 and
1601. By the first Order, that of 22nd
June 1600, all play-houses were to be
shut up except the Globe and the For-
tune, which were allowed two per-
formances a week, but not during Lent
or any time of sickness. The authorities,
however, were powerless to carry these
restrictions into effect. Deighton notes,
" A play upon words in the sense of
(1) since they have been disgraced by
being put into bonds (into confinement),
and (2) since they were used in money
bonds." But I hardly think we can
find the clue in any of these conjectures ;
nor is any afforded by the Clown's reply
to Viola's inquiry, " Thy reason, man?"
(lines 24-27). But perhaps we may

discover a kindred thought in Bacon's
Advancement of Learning, n. xiv. 11,
" Let us consider the false appearances
that are imposed upon us by words,
which are framed and applied according
to the conceit and capacities of the
vulgar sort ; and although we think we
govern our words, and prescribe it well
loquendum ut vulgus sentiendum ut
sapientes ; yet certain it is that words,
as a Tartar's bow, do shoot back upon
the understanding of the wisest and
mightily entangle and pervert the judge-
ment." See also note on lines 26, 27.
(Less likely, but just worth mentioning,
is the passage in De Augmentis, VI. ii.,
which condemns the practice of train-
ing modern languages into the ancient
measures, etc.)

26, 27. 'ioords are grown . . . reason
with them] and because of "the false
appearances that are imposed upon us
by words" (see former note), I am
unwilling to defend my position (or,
establish the reasonableness of what I
say) by means of them. From the con-
text of the passage in The Advancemeiit
0/ Learning c\ViOitd in the formernote,
we may here add, "It is almost neces-
sary in all controversies ... to imitate
the wisdom of the mathematicians in
setting down in the very beginning the
definitions of our words ... it must

SCI.] WHAT YOU WILL 93

Vw. I warrant thou art a merry fellow, and carest for
nothing.

C/o. Not so, sir, I do care for something; but in my 30
conscience, sir, I do not care for you : if that be
to care for nothing, sir, I would it would make
you invisible.

Vio. Art not thou the Lady Olivia's fool ?

C/o. No, indeed, sir ; the Lady Olivia has no folly : 3 5
she will keep no fool, sir, till she be married ; and
fools are as like husbands as pilchards are to
herrings, the husband 's the bigger. I am indeed
not her fool, but her corrupter of words.

Vw. I saw thee late at the Count Orsino's. 40

C/o. Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun ;
it shines every where. I would be sorry, sir, but
the fool should be as oft with your master as
with my mistress. I think I saw your wisdom
there. 4 5

37. Hie'] F Hie to Keightley ; pilchards] Capell, etc., Flickers F; are] F,
omitted Keightley conj. 40. Count] F, Duke Rowe. 41. does] F, he does
Rowe ; orb . . . sun ;] Tlieobald, etc. ; Orbe . . . Sttfi, F ; orb, . . , sun ;
Capell ; orb ;., . sun, Dyce, Hudson.

be confessed that it is not possible to See also the author's Handbook to

divorce ourselves from the fallacies and Shakespeare, page 438 ; also Appendix

false appearances." II.

28-33.] These lines may be a quibble 41. does] If we admit an implied

on the proverb, " Somewhat is better subject for this verb (see textual notes),

than nothing." we must compare note on v. 282 ; see

37. pilchards] F "pilchers." The also next note,

spelling varied even in Shakespeare's 41. about the orb] i.e. the earth. Cf.

time (Wright). " this orb of the earth," Coriolanus, v.

39. corrupter of words] " Without vi. 127. Dyce would place a semicolon

regard to the pureness, pleasantness, after " orb," but there is little to choose

and (as I may call it) lawfulness of the between his punctuation and that of

phrase or word," Advancement o/Learn- the text. The F reading is, " Foolerj'

ing, I. iv. 2. It is worth while to note sir, does walk about the orb like the

that both Bacon and Shakespeare ridi- sun, it shines everywhere."

cule and condemn all " peculiar quaint . 42, 43. / would . . . should be] I

affectation of words," all " dallying should be sorry if the fool should not

nicely with words," yet that each writer be. The ' ' would " in " I would be sorry "

in that age of general exuberance and (cf. the Irish idiom) is used deferentially

experiment in language, found it hard and colloquially, and the use is to be

to refrain from word-play of some met with in many writers besides

sort; Shakespeare at any rate from Shakespeare. For the "but," see

first to last indulged the habit, nor Abbott, § 124, and cf. ^ Zi'ljwrf'/K iv.

did he by any means restrict it to the iii. 33.

clown element among his characters. 44. jfour wisdom] Cf. Antony and

94

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

Vio. Nay, an thou pass upon me, I '11 no more with

thee. Hold, there 's expenses for thee.
Clo. Now Jove, in his next commodity of hair, send

thee a beard !
Vio. By my troth, I'll tell thee, I am almost sick for 50

one, though I would not have it grow on my chin.

Is thy lady within ?
Clo. Would not a pair of these have bred, sir ?
Vio. Yes, being kept together and put to use.
C/o. I would play Lord Pandarus of Phrygia, sir, to 55

bring a Cressida to this Troilus.
Vio. I understand you, sir ; 'tis well begged.
Clo. The matter, I hope, is not great, sir, begging but

a beggar : Cressida was a beggar. My lady is

within, sir. I will construe to them whence 60

you come ; who you are and what you would

46. a7t] Pope, and F. 47. [Gives him a piece of money] Hanmer. 58.
begging'] Pope, begging, F, 60. constt'ue] Steevens, etc., conster F.

Cleopatra, i. ii. 20, "Vex not his
prescience" (quoted by Deighton).

46. pass upon fne] make jokes at my
expense. The metaphor is probably
from fencing.

47. expenses'] Put humorously for
" something for you to spend.''

48. in his . . . hair] when next he
sends mortals a cargo of hair. For
"commodity" in the sense of "cargo"
or "consignment," cf. 1 Heniy IV.
I. ii. 93 ; cf. also the following : " What
will he be by that time he comes to the
commodotie of a beard ? " Sir Thomas
More (ed. Dyce), p. 63. See also
Appendix I. p. 181.

50, 51. sick for one] i.e. Orsino's.

53. have breif] Cf. Merchant of
Venice, I. iii. 98, "Ant. Is your gold
and silver ewes and rams? Shylock.
I cannot tell, I make it breed as fast."
Cf. also I. iii. 139, and Venus and
Adonis, 768, "gold that's put to use
more gold begets." To trace these
recurrences of metaphor in Shakespeare
— and to metaphor we may add words,
expressions, allusions, is more than
interesting ; it is profoundly instructive ;
and although much of this literary
material, e.g. Tartar, Fandants, Cres-

sida, coTHviodity, element, haggard in
the context — is the common property
of Elizabethan writers, yet the work of
Shakespeare is so vast and so varied,
and his employment of this common
property is so individual, that the com-
mentator will do well to exceed rather
than fall short of the requirements of
reader or student.

54. put to tise] i.e. interest ; see
former note, especially the quotation
from Venus and Adonis. Cf. also
Sonnet, vi. 5, "That use is not for-
bidden usury," etc.

58. 59. begging but a beggar] seeing
that I merely ask in behalf of one who
was herself a beggar. For suggestions
in regard to punctuation, see textual
notes.

59. Cressida was a beggar] Cf. also
" The lazar kite of Cressid's kind,"
Henry V. ii. i. 80. This legend was
probably derived by Shakespeare from
Henryson's Testament of Cresseid —
" This sail thow go begging fra hous
to hous, With cop and clappar lyke ane
lazarous."

60. r(?«j/;7/tf] explain ; F has "con-
ster," a frequent form of the word at
this time.

SC. I.]

WHAT YOU WILL

95

are out of my welkin ; I might say " element,"
but the word is overworn. [Exit.

Vio. This fellow 's wise enough to play the fool,

And to do that well craves a kind of wit : 65

He must observe their mood on whom he jests.

62. are'] F; is Ff, Rowe, etc. 64. felioiu's] Steevens, tic, fellow is F.

62. welkin . . . elementl In Satiro-
mastix, which is possibly of earlier
date than Twelfth Night, much ridicule
is thrown on the use of the word " ele-
ment," e.g. " (as my ningle says) 'tis out
of my element " ; and this may have
had some weight with Shakespeare in
thus making Feste humorously substi-
tute "welkin" for the word that had
become "over-worn." After this
apology, however, the poet thinks
himself at liberty to employ the semi-
vulgarised term at his will, as in III.
iv. 130, and elsewhere in his works
generally. As to "element," see the
note on il. iii. lo ; but further, the
word came to be used specially for the
air, and then for the sky, as in "the
complexion of the element" {Julius
CcEsar, I. iii. 128). Later, as in this
instance, it sometimes meant " region,"
"habitual residence," "one's proper
sphere"; cf. "The happy birds that
change their sky," Tennyson, In Ale-
vwriam (xv.) (" Coelum non animum
mutant," etc.). Lastly, it may have
borrowed some notion of the Pytha-
gorean (or Ptolemaic) "spheres," and
thus have incurred a greater risk of
becoming "overworn." And as to
" welkin," the poet meant to say,
" You see that we can hardly dispense
with 'element'; any attempt at a
s3Tionym may result in something still
more fantastic or out of taste." It
may be added that "welkin" corre-
sponds only to one of the meanings of
"element," namely, "sky," and not
to its meaning in the text. Hence the
humour of the interchange. See also
note on i. i. 25.

63. overworn'] Occurs again in Venus
and Adonis, 866, as "o'erworn." For
a modern use, cf. Tennyson's "All he
was is overworn" {In Memoriam, i. ).

64-72.] The following paraphrase of
this speech will be followed by one or
two notes on special difficulties : —
' ' This clown is clever — I might say

wise — enough to shine in his profession,
for to play the professional fool with
credit requires not a little of real
wisdom. In order to be successful, the
fool must carefully notice the humour
of those persons on whom he is about
to practise his fooling ; he must have
due regard to their rank, and must
adapt his jests to the occasion. He
should always proceed with discretion,
and choose his game, and never act
like the untrained hawk which strikes
at any and every bird that it sees. But
to practise this discretion in fooling
requires as much talent as in many an
achievement of wisdom ; for the pranks
of the fool, if played with judgment,
are a kind of wisdom in folly ; but when
wise men stoop to folly, they utterly
ruin their reputation for wisdom." See
also note on lines 68 and 72, below.

64. play the fool] " It may be men-
tioned that Trinculo is described as "a
jester." Although the jester and the
fool are usually professionals in the
retinue of some great personage, the
distinction between jester, fool, and
clown is not always preserved ; e.g.
Touchstone the clown is "the clownish
fool out of your father'scourt," and Feste
the clown is ' ' Feste, the jester, my lord ;
a fool that the lady Olivia's father took
much delight in" (see The Tempest,
Arden edition, p. 178).

65.] The metre of this line is doubt-
ful ; possibly we should scan, "And
to do I that I well | craves | a kind | of
wit."

65. to do . . . wit] Cf. " To plaie
the fool well, it behooueth a man first
to be wise." Guazzo's Ciuile Conuer-
sation, translated by " G. Pettie " (pub.
1 586), quoted by Furness. This passage
is probably referred to in Jonson's
Poetaster, IV. iii., "I have read in a
book that to play the fool wisely is
high wisdom." The "book" here
referred to may possibly be Proverbs
xii. 23.

96

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

The quality of persons, and the time,

And, like the haggard, check at every feather

That comes before his eye. This is a practice

As full of labour as a wise man's art ;

For folly that he wisely shows is fit ;

But wise men, folly-fall'n, quite taint their wit.

70

Enter SiR ToBY BELCH and SiR Andrew Aguecheek.

Sh' To. Save you, gentleman.
Vio, And you, sir.

67. of persons'] F, of the persons Rowe, etc. 68. And,"] And F, iVi)/ John-

son and others, Nor Harness, And 7iot Keightley. 70. wise man's] Hannier,

Capell, etc., Wise-ma7is F. 72. wise men, folly-fall'n, quite taint] Rann ;

wisemens folly falne, quite taint F ; Wise metis folly falne, quite taint F 2 ; wise
mens folly fain, quite taittt F 3, 4 ; wise men^s, folly falFn, quite taints Theo-
bald ; wise men^s folly shewn, quite taints Hanmer and others ; wise meti's folly-
falPn, quite taints Warburton ; wise tnen s folly, falPn, quite taints Malone,
Halliwell ; wise men^s folly falPn quite taints Collier ; wise men, fally-faln,
quite taint Capell, etc. ; wise men, folly-blown, quite taint Anon. ap. Canib.

67. The quality . . . titne] Cf. the
proverb, "II faut prendre le temps
comme il est, et les gens comme ils sont. "

68. And, like] Craig compares,
" Yea though Christ from the skyes
held out never so moving lures unto
us, all of them, haggard-like, will we
turn tayle to" (Nash, Christ's Tears
over Jerusalem). It will be seen from
the textual notes that various emenda-
tions are proposed; the "nor" of
Harness is perhaps the best, and
"nor" or "not" suits the sense wliich
I retain in the paraphrase. At first
sight the metaphor of the "haggard,"
etc., appears to be, as so often in
Shakespeare, a pictorial repetition of a
previous statement ; the jester must
have discretion in regard to the mood,
the person, the time ; he must not
" check at every feather " ; and further,
this observing of mood, person, and
time is a practice "full of labour"
(line 70). I5ut some will say, "let us
take ' every feather ' to stand not for
persons, but for matter of jesting" ;
even thus, however, we find it difhcult
to believe that the pi">et so doubtfully
and aliruptly thrust this alien applica-
tion of the figure into the middle of his
train of thought ; on the other hand,
given its more obvious application, no
figure could more exactly illustrate and
emphasise the reflection that precedes

(viz. the four lines, "This fellow's
. . . and the time "). As to the text,
I admit that the change from "And"
to "Nor" or "Not" savours of
violence ; yet we may compare,
" Heaven doth with us as we with
torches do, A^ot light them for them-
selves, etc.," Measure for Measure,

I- i- 34,. 35'

68. like the haggard] See note on
ir. V. 117. "Haggard" is from the
Fr. hagard, wild ; it means a wild, un-
trained hawk. Cotgrave gives ' ' Faulcon
hagard. A Faulcon that preyed for her
selfe long before she was taken."

68. check at] See note on li. v. 117.

69. This]\\z. "observe their mood,
etc."

Tl. fit] fitting fooling; "wisdom in
folly " (see paraphrase, lines 64-72).

72. But . . . wit] This reading is
Rann's, which is essentially that of
Capell, and identically that which was
at first proposed by Theobald. For
the F reading and other suggestions,
see textual notes, and for the inter-
pretation, see the paraphrase in note on
lines 64-72.

75 (next page).] Furness thinks that
Sir Andrew's French is limited to these
four words, and that "when Viola
replies to him he is out of his depth,
and has to respond in English, after
catching the one word 'serviteur.'"

SCI.] WHAT YOU WILL 97

Sir And. Dieu vous garde, monsieur, 75

Vio. Et vous aussi ; voire serviteur.

Sir And. I hope, sir, you are ; and I am yours.

Sir To. Will you encounter the house ? my niece is

desirous you should enter, if your trade be to her.
Vio. I am bound to your niece, sir: I mean, she is the 80

list of my voyage.
Sir To. Taste your legs, sir : put them to motion.
Vio. My legs do better understand me, sir, than I

understand what you mean by bidding me taste

my legs. 85

Sir To. I mean, to go, sir, to enter.
Vio. I will answer you with gait and entrance. But

we are prevented.

Enter OLIVIA and Maria.

Most excellent accomplished lady, the heavens
rain odours on you ! 90

Sir And. That youth 's a rare courtier. " Rain odours ! "
well.

75. vous garde] vous garde Var. '73, vou guard F. 76. vous aussi] votis

aussi Pope, vowz ousie F ; votre serviteur] vostre seruiture F. 86. go\ F, go

in Keightley. 87. gait\ gate F. 88. Maria] Rowe, Gentlewoman F.

78. Will you encounter, etc.] This is 87. gait] with a pun on "gate."
a match of high-sounding words be- "Gait "and "gate "are really derived
tween Sir Andrew and Viola, rather from "get," not "go."

than a hit at the euphuists ; but else- 88. prevented] in one of its older

w'here the euphuistic style is freely senses — anticipated (and so hindered),
ridiculed by Shakespeare — and, we 89, 90. Most excellent . . . you] As

should add, not unfrequently employed Furness notes, the dialogue between

by him. Viola and Olivia, when they are alone,

79. trade] business. is in verse ; and Walker is of opinion

81. list] originally a border of cloth ; that this and the next speech of Viola
hence any border, or boundary, or should be metrically arranged ; he
limit; as here, the limit or goal of a further writes "excellent-accomplished"
journey. with a hyphen.

82. Taste] only in part an affecta- 91. Rain odours] This fact adorned
tion. Steevens compares Chapman's by fancy may be found in almost all
Odyssey, Bk. 21st, "He now began poets, even to the latest of them, where
To taste the bow " ; cf. also 1 Henry we have it delightfully elaborated :
IV. IV. i. 119, "Let me taste my "balmy drops in summer dark slide
horse." Less strained, the metaphor from the bosom of the stars"; "all
occurs again in this play (hi. iv. 255). starry culmination drop Balm dews"

83. understand]%\ja.vAviXi^Q.x. For an- (Tennyson). As to Shakespeare, cf.
other example of the quibble, see Two "Heavens rain grace" {The Tempest,
Gentlemen of Verona, II. v. 28; and it III. i. 75), and "No sweet aspersion
may even be found in Paradise Lost shall the heavens let fall" (^ibid. I v.
(vi. 625-627). i. 18).

98 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act iii.

Vio. My matter hath no voice, lady, but to your own

most pregnant and vouchsafed ear.
Sir And. "Odours," "pregnant," and "vouchsafed": 95

I '11 get 'em all three all ready.
OH. Let the garden door be shut, and leave me to my

hearing.

[Exeunt Sir Toby, Sir A ndrew, and Maria.

Give me your hand, sir.
Vio. My duty, madam, and most humble service. 100

OH. What is your name?

Vio. Cesario is your servant's name, fair princess.
OH. My servant, sir ! 'Twas never merry world

Since lowly feigning was call'd compliment.

You're servant to the Count Orsino youth. 105

Vio. And he is yours, and his must needs be yours :

Your servant's servant is your servant, madam.
OH. For him, I think not on him : for his thoughts,

Would they were blanks rather than fill'd with me !
Vio. Madam, I come to whet your gentle thoughts " 1 10

96. allready.'\ Malone, etc. ; already. F, F 2 ; ready. F 3, 4, etc. 105.
You''re\ Capell, ^ic, y' are F ; Count] F, Duke Rowe.

94. pregnant'] See 11. ii. 29, note. high degree, and (line 99) offers her

96. all ready] This reading is hand. This Cesario (line 100) prob-
Malone's, who remarks that the re- ably withholds ; whereupon, for further
petition of "all" is proper to Sir assurance, Olivia asks his name. At
Andrew. the words "your servant," she retorts

97, 98. my hearing] It has been said with the rebuke implied in our note,
that all is fair in language within the which must therefore be rendered, "a
bounds of intelligibility ; in "my hear- base pretence of humility"; and we
ing," whatever its gerundial or other may compare "lowly courtesies" in
grammatical nature, we certainly have Julius Ccesar, iii. i. 36. See also the
a rare phrase ; not less rare if we quotation from Bandello, Appendix I.
supply "of the messenger." Most p. 184. Of course we notice the
probably it imitates in some degree forced antithesis between "your ser-
one of the meanings of the word vant" and "my servant"; and to
"audience." the above paraphrase "pretence of

103. 'Twas . . . world] As in humility," we add " for you are not wy
Measure for Measure, III. ii. 6; also servant." See also quotation from
2 Henry VI. IV. ii. 9, "it was never 2 Henry VI. in former note, and the
merry world in England since gentle- entry in Pronius, Fol. 126, "A mery
men came up." world when the simplest may cor-

104. lowly feigning] At the former rect."

interview (i. v. 300-302) Olivia had 108. For him] as regards him

soliloquised, "'I am a gentleman.' (Abbott, § 149).

I'll be sworn thou art." Therefore, 109. blanks] Onc^ more in the same

in spite of the dialogue that follows, play the poet avails himself of some

and of lines 132-136 in this scene, she special use of a word (see II. iv. iii).

is convinced that Viola is a youth of The figure is obvious.

SCI.] WHAT YOU WILL 99

On his behalf.
OH. O ! by your leave, I pray you,

I bade you never speak again of him :
But, would you undertake another suit,
I had rather hear you to solicit that
Than music from the spheres.
Vio. Dear lady, — 115

OH. Give me leave, beseech you. I did send.
After the last enchantment you did here,
A ring in chase of you : so did I abuse
Myself, my servant, and, I fear me, you :
Under your hard construction must I sit, 120

To force that on you, in a shameful cunning,
Which you knew none of yours : what might you think ?
Have you not set mine honour at the stake,
And baited it with all the unmuzzled thoughts
That tyrannous heart can think ? To one of your
receiving 125

114. / had'\ F, Vd Pope, etc. 115. Dear] Deere F, 0 dearest Yizxixa^r.

116. Give] F, Nay, give Capell. 117. enchantment you did here] Thirlby,

Warburton, etc. ; enchantment you did heare F, F 2 {hear F 3, 4) ; enchantment
(j'ou did hear) Hanmer, Johnson, Var. '73, etc., Mason.

114. to solicit] See I. v. 307, note. 120. Under . . . construction] You

115. music from the spheres] This is will think hardly of me — I shall come
the Pythagorean doctrine that the planets under your condemnation.

and stars form concentric spheres re- 121. To force] See 11. ii. 6, note,
volving in a harmony unheard by 122. notte] See i. iii. 108, note.
mortals. It finds a place in the 122. might] See note on I. i. 23.
Republic (Bk. x. ch. xiv.) of Plato, 123. stake] This and " baited " (line

and from his day almost to our own 124) and "unmuzzled" (line 124) are

many poets and prose writers have metaphors from bear-baiting ; they are

adopted it seriously, or as imaginative met with frequently in the literature of

material. In Shakespeare the best the period ; cf. Macbeth, v. vii. i, or

example is found in the Merc/iant of in this play, 11. v. 8. Here the " un-

Venice, v. i. 60-65. muzzled thoughts" represent the dogs

117. After . . . here] "After the that were set upon the chained bear,
enchantment your presence worked in 125-127.] We may avoid the Alex-
my affections." We can hardly im- andrine of line 125 by arranging thus :
prove upon this paraphrase by War- "To one of your receiving enough
burton, to whom (independently of is shown ;

Thirlby) we are indebted for the read- A Cyprus, not a bosom, hides my

ing "here." The F "heare" is cer- heart.

tainly a misprint. See also note on So, let me hear you speak."

V. 74, and Appendix I. p. 184. For This, as I think, must have been the

"do" used transitively, see Abbott, poet's metrical intention.

§303- 125. of your receiving] oi yoMX XQ&dy

118. abuse] deceived, wronged, etc., apprehension,
as in V. 19.

100

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

Enough is shown ; a cypress, not a bosom,
Hides my heart. So, let me hear you speak.

Vio. I pity you.

OH. That's a degree to love.

Vio. No, not a grize ; for 'tis a vulgar proof
That very oft we pity enemies.

OH. Why, then, methinks 'tis time to smile again.

130

126. cypress] Rowe and most edd. ; Cipresse F, F 2, 3 ; Cipress F 4 ; Cyprus
Theobald, etc. 127. Hides] F, Hideth some edd., Conceals or Covers

Keighlley conj. ; my] F ; my poore Ff, Rowe, and many edd. ; me] F, us Rowe,
ii., and others. 129. grize] F, grice Ff, Rowe, etc. ; grise Steevens.

126. cypress] In the note on II. iv. 52
we have some account of the thin,
gauze-like or crape material, mostly
black in colour, and known as Cyprus ;
there also the probable derivation of
the word was given, though some
would connect with Fr. crepes, Lat.
crispare. Palsgrave has, "Cypres for
a woman's necke-crespe," and Cot-
grave, " Crespe : m. Cipres ; also.
Cobweb Lawne." The following
occurs in Jonson's Every Man in his
Humour: "To conceal such reall
ornaments as these, and shaddow their
glorie, as a Millaner's wife do's
her wrought stomacher, with a smokie
lawne, or a blacke cypresse." We
may also quote Milton's well-known
" Sable stole of cypress lawn," //
Penseroso, 35. In this instance, how-
ever, we have not so much the material
as the kerchief or veil made of the
material ; this may be seen from the
following : " Velare-gli, shadowes,
Vailes, Lawnes, Scarfes, Sipres, or
Bonegraces that women used to weare
one their faces or foreheads to keepe
them from the Sunne," Florio, It.
Did. ; and in John Heywood's play of
The Four Fs we read, " Sipers, Swath-
bands, ribbons, and sleeve laces." Cf.
also Hall, Chron., " Long and large
garments of blewe satten panned with
sipres." Further, the word in our
text denotes not the veil only ; it has
probably a double meaning ; the first,
as in the passage from Milton, being
suggestive of sadness (cf. note on 11.
iv. 52) ; the second and fuller meaning
being that of transparency; cf. "That
through thy bosom makes me see thy
heart," Midsummer - Night's Dream,
II. ii. 105 ; and the passage means.

" You can see into my heart as easily
as if it were covered not by my flesh
and bone, but by a mere transparent
veil or 'cypress.' "

127. Hides] To avoid the difficulty
of scansion, some suggest "Hideth" ;
and F 2 reads, "Hideth my poor
heart"; but, according to the arrange-
ment I have suggested in note on
125-127, no change in "hides" is
necessary.

127. So,] Abbott, § 66.

128. degree] step ; the " -gree" cor-
responds to "grize" in next line.
Cf. " Pity's akin to love" (Southern's
Oroonoko, 1696) ; also, " For pity is
sworne servant unto love," Daniel
Queen's Arcadia, il. i. 492 (Craig).

129. grize] O. Fr. grez, gi-eyz, greis,
pi. of gri, and meaning a flight of
steps ; this plural was further pluralised
as greces, greeses, with the meaning of
"flight of steps" and "steps in a
flight " ; whence in the fifteenth century
a singular form "grece" (cf. "grize")
was deduced, — in the sense of a single
step or stair in a flight {Nciv Eng. Diet. ).
Wright notes that the plural of this word,
" grisen " or "grizen," is the proper
name of the steps at Lincoln, which are
known as the Grecian Stairs. In Shake-
speare the word occurs three times only.
Craig quotes Baret, Alvearie: "Crises
or steps were made to go into the
entry."

129. vulgar proof]'Wz.-n&^ m Julius
Cicsar {u. i. 2l) to "common proof" ;
a matter of common experience.

131. 'tis time to smile again] If that
is all I may expect from you, it is time
to give you up, and, if possible, think
of you no more.

SCI.] WHAT YOU WILL 101

0 world ! how apt the poor are to be proud.
If one should be a prey, how much the better

To fall before the lion than the wolf! \Clock strikes.
The clock upbraids me with the waste of time. 135
Be not afraid, good youth, I will not have you :
And yet, when wit and youth is come to harvest,
Your wife is like to reap a proper man.
There lies your way, due west.

Vio. Then westward-ho !

Grace and good disposition attend your ladyship! 140
You '11 nothing, madam, to my lord by me ?

OH, Stay :

1 prithee, tell me what thou think'st of me.
Vio. That you do think you are not what you are.

OH. If I think so, I think the same of you. 145

Vio. Then think you right : I am not what I am.
OH. I would you were as I would have you be !

133. the better] F ; better F 3, 4, Rowe. 137. is cornel F> ^>'^ '^°'>^^ Pope,
etc. 140. attend^ F, V£«(/ Steevens, etc., tend Dyce; four] Y,you Hanmer.
142, 143. Stay . . . me] As one line in F. 143. prithee] prethee F, pr'ythee

Pope, etc. 147. were as] Pope, etc. ; were, as F.

137. is come] "wit and youth " being " Q. Elinor. [A cry 0/ ' Westivard-
regarded as a single notion, the verb ho ! ']

is singular. Woman, what noise is this I

138. prope}-] as in II. ii. 30; of. hear?

Euphues (Arber, p. 352), "She the Potter's Wife. An like your grace,

fairest woman in the worlde, and he it is the watermen that call

the properest man." for passengers to go westward

139.] These lines are printed as in now."

the Folio, but I almost prefer the Globe 144. That . . . what you are] Viola

reading, which arranges thus : means, " You think you are in love with

" There lies your way, due west. a man, and you are mistaken"; but

Vio. Then westward-ho ! Grace and Olivia takes the remark in the sense of

good disposition " you forget your position," and replies,

Attend your ladyship ! " " Surely you do the same "; but "you

You can scarcely scan the F line, forget your position " amounts to " you

"Grace and good disposition attend your lower yourself," and Olivia's reply is

ladyship," yet "Then westward-ho ! " therefore equivalent to "you also lower

forms a most appropriate ending of a line, yourself, and you raise me."

139. ^2^e Ti'^j-/"] Wright suggests, "As 146. Then . . . am] Viola under-
the sun of his favour was setting " ; and stands Olivia (former line) thus: "If,
there may be yet more in the words as you say, I think I am not what I
both of metaphorical and literal. And, am, then also I think that you are not
later, we have, "sailed into the north what you are" ; and Viola's answer to
of my lady's opinion " (ill. ii. 26). this in the present line is obvious.

139. westward-ho f] Westward-ho! 147. I would . . . be] And to the

and Eastward-ho ! were the cries of the above Olivia returns answer, "Anyway,

watermen on the Thames ; cf. Peele's I wish you were in love with me."
Edward I. (ed. Dyce, 1861, p. 409) :

102

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acthi.

Vw. Would it be better, madam, than I am ?
I wish it might, for now I am your fool.

0/i. O ! what a deal of scorn looks beautiful 150

In the contempt and anger of his lip.
A murderous guilt shows not itself more soon
Than love that would seem hid ; love's night is

noon.
Cesario, by the roses of the spring,
By maidhood, honour, truth, and every thing, i 5 5

I love thee so, that, maugre all thy pride,
Nor wit nor reason can my passion hide.

150. [Aside] Staunton and others.
murdrous F.

152. murderous] F 4, Rowe, etc.

149. your fool] Probably, the object of
your foolish passion ; or "the object of
your mockery " ; or " a cause of folly in
yourself."

150. 01 what, etc.] Cf. As Yon Like
It, III. V. 63, "Sweet youth, I pray
you chide a year together."

152. I53-] Cf. the French proverb,
" L'amour, la tousse et la galle ne se
peuvent cacher."

153. love's . . . noon] the figure
for the preceding literal statement ;
love that attempts to conceal itself is
clear as noonday.

155. maidhooif] the form in Othello,
I. i. 173.

156-161. / love thee . . , is
better] It will be best to paraphrase
these difficult lines, and then add a few
notes which may support my interpreta-
tions of doubtful passages : — "No con-
siderations of wisdom or prudence have
power to hinder me from proclaiming
my passion. Yet you must not regard
this declaration of my love as a reason
why you should refuse me ; the fact that
I am the wooer need not give rise to
hesitation on your part ; on the con-
trary, you should rather suppress any
false notions of impropriety with such
a maxim as the following : ' Love
sought is good, but given unsought is
better.' " Note.—" Clause " stands for
both the preceding admission in lines
155 and 156, and also for the following
explanatory clause : " For that I woo" ;
further, of the four words "reason," the
first and third stand for "prudence,"

the second and fourth for "arguments."
In "thy reasons," "thy" is equivalent
to ' ' the arguments for rejecting me
which you seem to take a pleasure in
advancing." After "thou therefore
hast no cause," we must supply both
(i) "to woo," and (2) "to extort
reasons." Also, we note that "clause"
is repeated in "fetter"; iho. clause "shut
up " or contained the declaration of
love, and that reason for rejecting was
to be further enclosed in a maxim which
purported to be a yet more powerful
reason. Very striking is the subtletom-
plexity of the w ord-play in this passage,
and the knowledge of Latin is not to be
overlooked ; but on these subjects I have
touched already (see note on n. iv. iii,
and on 11. v. 140). Though I differ, I
believe, from most editors, I venture to
think that the passage admits of no
other interpretation than the above ;
but I will add one or two other opinions.
The following explanation is by Hud-
son : — " Do not, from what I have just
said, force or gather reasons for rejecting
my offer" ; and the following by Furness
is substantially the same : " From this
avowal of mine (this clause) do not
extort the excuse that, because I woo,
thou hast, therefore, no need to do so."
Moreover, some varieties of punctua-
tion will be found in the textual
notes.

156. maugre] (Fr. malgrt') in spite
of. I n Cotgrave we have ' ' Maulgr^ eux.
Mauger their teeth, in spight of their
hearts, etc."

SCI.] WHAT YOU WILL 103

Do not extort thy reasons from this clause,

For that I woo, thou therefore hast no cause ;

But rather reason thus with reason fetter, 1 60

Love sought is good, but given unsought is better.

Vio. By innocence I swear, and by my youth,
I have one heart, one bosom, and one truth,
And that no woman has ; nor never none
Shall mistress be of it, save I alone. 165

And so adieu, good madam : never more
Will I my master's tears to you deplore.

OH. Yet come again, for thou perhaps may'st move
That heart, which now abhors, to like his love.

\_Exeunt.

SCENE II. — A Room in Olivia's House.

Enter SiR Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek,

and Fabian.

Sir And. No, faith, I '11 not stay a jot longer.
Sir To. Thy reason, dear venom ; give thy reason.

158. thy'\ F, my Keightley conj. 159. For thai\ F ; For, that Capell, etc.
160. thus wit h\ Rowe, etc. ; thus, with F. 161.] The reading is that of Pope
and most edd. ; the F reading is Loue sought, is good : but giuen unsought, is
better. 165, 166. save . . . And} F; Oli. Save I alone! Vio. .^W Hanmer.

159. For thai] because. Abbott, §§ also my note at the beginning of The
151, 288. Tempest, l. i. 16.

159. therefore^ for that (fact, that I 167. IVitl . . . deplore] Such a

am the wooer). tortured line as this reminds us that

159. cause} See preceding para- Shakespeare's more or less gradual

phrase. choice of blank verse made as much

164. nor never none] As another difference to the history of our hterature
example of a triple negative, Wright as Elizabeth's more or less gradual
quotes As You Like It, i. ii. 29, "nor choice of "single blessedness" did to
no further in sport neither." the history of our nation.

165. save I] Abbott quotes "save

only he " {Julitis Ccesar, V. v. 69), and ^""■^ ■"'•

regards the construction as a " Nomina- i. jot] a moment. (Yod, the smallest

five Absolute" [i.e. an English parti- letter in the Hebrew alphabet. )

cipial phrase absolute), wherein "saved" i. longer] The colon that follows

is the participle. This is possible, and "longer" in the Folio may suggest

we may cf. Milton's " Save he" {/"ara- that Sir Toby is inclined to cut Sir

dise Lost, ii. 814), as also his "Satan Andrew short.

except " {Paradise Lost, ii. 300). But 2. Thy] Furness notes that Sir Toby

may we not also cf. Shakespeare's "Let addresses Sir Andrew with the second

Fortune go to hell for it, not I," and singular pronoun, and Fabian with the

numberless other instances wherein the second plural form.

poet is supremely indifferent to the 2. dear venom] my angry friend.

grammatical case of his pronouns ? See

104 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

Fab. You must needs yield your reason, Sir Andrew.

Sir And. Marry, I saw your niece do more favours to

the count's serving-man than ever she bestowed 5
upon me ; I saw 't i' the orchard.

Sir To. Did she see thee the while, old boy ? tell me
that.

Sir And. As plain as I see you now.

Fab. This was a great argument of love in her toward i O
you.

Sir And. 'Slight ! will you make an ass o' me?

Fab. I will prove it legitimate, sir, upon the oaths of
judgment and reason.

Sir To. And they have been grand-jurymen since 1 5
before Noah was a sailor.

Fab. She did show favour to the youth in your sight
only to exasperate you, to awake your dormouse
valour, to put fire in your heart, and brimstone
in your liver. You should then have accosted 20
her, and with some excellent jests, fire-new from
the mint, you should have banged the youth into

5. counfsl F, Duke's Rowe, etc. 6. upo)!] F, on Rowe, etc. lo. toward]
F, toway-ds some edd. 15. grand-jiirymen'\ grand Jurie men F. 21, 22.
and -with . . . min/,] F, xvitli . . . mint; some edd.

6. orchard] garden, as in Julius latter, cf. Much Ado about Nothing, iv.
CiEsar, III. ii. 253 {wort-yard, root or i. 223, " If ever love had interest in
plant garden). his liver"; cf. also "by the Heart, we

10. argument] proof ; often thus used be wise : . . . by the Lyuer we loue,"

in a sense nearer to the original Latin. Batman, Vf'pon Bartholovic (Lib.

15. grand-jurymen] who decide Quintus, cap. 41), quoted by Furness.

whether evidence justifies a case coming See also 2 Henry IV. iv. iii. 113, 114,

before judge and petty jury. It has "blood . . . which before cold and

been objected that Shakespeare's law is settled, left the liver white and pale,

at fault here ; that grand-jurymen do which is the badge of pusillanimity and

not act as witnesses (see two preceding cowardice."

lines) ; but the error may be intentional, 20,21. You should. . . ^^r] That was

for if the poet errs in this instance, your opportunity for paying court to

there are other occasions on which he her. For "accost," see note on i. iii. 50.

is absolutely accurate in dealing with 21. Jire-new] just coined ; fresh and

the same point of law ; and further, the bright as coin brand-new from the

juryman of old was at times a witness mint. ("Brand-new," /.«. new from the

also. "burning"); cf. "men's souls purged

17. did] This, says Furness, is em- fire-new," Quodlibcts, by R. H., p. 48

phatic. (Craig).

19, 20. heart, liver] See note on i. i. 22. banged] A strange metaphor, yet

36, II. iv. 99, and in. ii. 64. The expressive enough, and not unsuited to

heart and liver were both seats of the speaker ; " you might have silenced

courage as of love, or passion ; for the the petty compliments of the youth."

SC. II.]

WHAT YOU WILL

105

dumbness. This was looked for at your hand,
and this was balked : the double gilt of this
opportunity you let time wash off, and you are
now sailed into the north of my lady's opinion ;
where you will hang like an icicle on a Dutch-
man's beard, unless you do redeem it by some
laudable attempt, either of valour or policy.

Sir And. An 't be any way, it must be with valour,
for policy I hate : I had as lief be a Brownist as a
politician.

Sir To. Why then, build me thy fortunes upon the
basis of valour : challenge me the count's youth

25

30

24. balked'\ baulkt F, baulked some edd.
Pope, Hanmer.

29. laiidablel F; omitted Rowe,

24. balked'\\\'!.. "hindered"; i.e. the
opportunity was rendered futile (which
is the substance of the metaphorical
explanation that follows in the text —
"the double . . . wash off"). A
" balk " is a beam or block ; cf.
" stumbling-block."

24. double gilt] Gilt plate of better
quality was twice washed with gold.
That Shakespeare is nothing if not
metaphorical I may have remarked
already (i. i. 5, etc., and see Introduc-
tion to The Tempest, p. lii) ; and such
a speech as this of Fabian will serve
me as a most ample apology.

26. sailed . . . opinion'] moved out
of the sunshine into the cold shade of
your lady's opinion of you; or, "And
she now regards you with coolness —
perhaps with cold disdain." For the
metaphor, we may first compare,
"There lies your way, due west," in
in. i. 139; and next, Richard III.
IV. iv. 484, 485, " My friends are in
the north . . . what do they in the
north ? " For the superstition of burying
on the south side of a church, ' ' trowand
that thair is mair halyness or vertue on
the south syde than on the north," see
Abp. Hamilton's Catechisme, fol. 23a,
1 55 1 (Lean's Collectanea, II. p. 58S).

27. like an icicle] This striking bit of
realism may be due to hearsay, or to
such a book as Gerrit de Veer's account
of the Voyage of the Dutchman Barentz
to Nova Zembla in 1596. The entry
of the book on the Stationers' Register
(1598) speaks of the " merveylous cold,"

and of the ship being "besett in
lyce."

29. policy] tact ; but in his usual
manner, Sir Andrew takes the word in
another sense.

31. Brownist] About the year 158 1,
Robert Broun founded a sect of dis-
senters from the Established Church,
which developed later into the Inde-
pendents. According to Steevens, "The
Brownists seem, at the time of our
author, to have been the constant
objects of popular satire." Among
quotations to the point is the following
in the old play Sir Thomas More:
" Heers a lowsie jest ! but, if I notch
not that rogue Tom barbar, that makes
me looke thus like a Brownist, hange
me ! " Mr. Craig quotes Nash, Pas-
quifs Return to England (Works, ed.
Grosart, i. 126), "There never yet
wanted Papist, Atheist, Brownist,
Barowist, Martinist, Anabaptist, nor
Family of Love to bid them battaile."
See also Introduction, p. xxxvi.

32. politician] Already used by Sir
Toby as equivalent to a schemer or
political intriguer (see 11. iii. 77 and
note) ; Shakespeare generally employs
the word in this unfavourable sense
{1 Henry IV. I. iii. 241 ; Hamlet, V. i.
86) ; cf. also The Duchess of Malfi, iii.
ii., "A politician is the devil's quilted
anvil ; He fashions all sins on him
and the blows Are never heard."

33. build me] For this narrative use
of the pronoun, see Abbott, § 220.

34. challetige me] See former note.

106

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

to fight with him ; hurt him in eleven places : my 3 5
niece shall take note of it ; and assure thyself,
there is no love-broker in the world can more
prevail in man's commendation with woman than
report of valour.
Fab. There is no way but this, Sir Andrew. 40

Sir And. Will either of you bear me a challenge to

him ?
Sir To. Go, write it in a martial hand ; be curst and
brief; it is no matter how witty, so it be eloquent
and full of invention: taunt him with the license 45
of ink : if thou thou'st him some thrice, it shall
not be amiss ; and as many lies as will lie in
thy sheet of paper, although the sheet were big
enough for the bed of Ware in England, set 'em
down: go, about it. Let there be gall enough 50

38. man's] mans F ; mens F 3, 4, Rowe, i. ; woman]F ; womenV t„ 4, Rowe,
Pope, Hanmer. 50. go, abojit //] Capell, etc. ; go about it F, Ff, and some
edd. ; and go about it Rowe, Pope, Hanmer.

36. shaW] must ; Abbott, § 315.

37. love-broker'] See " Pandarus,"
ni. i. 55, and note on in. i. 59 ; the use
of the word "broker" by Shakespeare
is a study of itself.

40. There is no way but this] Words
used by Macaulay in his Virginia.

43. a tnartial hand] "bold, like
a soldier," is Wright's explanation ;
" with aggressive flourishes," adds
Furness ; but I am not sure that we
in our day can recover the whole mean-
ing of the epithet.

43. curst] surly, sharp, ill-tempered ;
of. A Alidsummer-Night's Dream, III.
ii. 300. In "be curst and brief"
Douce finds an allusion to the proverb,
" A curst cur must be tied short."

44. witty] This is ironical — at least in
part, and we may explain "devoid of
wit" ; but the word should also mean
"smart," and include some of the
"gall " {line 50) in the ink.

45. 46. the license of ink] freedom of
expression afforded by written lan-
guage.

46. if thou thou'st him some thrice]
For a specimen of such threefold — or
rather fourfold — "thouing" we may
quote: "Thou flea, thou nit, thou
winter-cricket, thou ! " Taming of the

Shrew, iv. iii. no. Cotgrave [Fr.
Diet. ) gives ' ' Tutoyer. To thou one. "
In the Introduction (pp. xxii, xxiii) I
have given reasons for my opinion that
the words which are the subject of this
note were an interpolation in the text,
and may therefore be aimed at the
Attorney-General Coke, although the
incident to which they refer belongs
to the year 1603. This was the trial
of Raleigh, whom Coke is said to have
addressed in the following terms : " All
that he did was at thy instigation, thou
viper ; for I thou thee, thou traitor,
etc." Such language, as I have already
observed, must have attracted attention
and not seldom have aroused indigna-
tion, and therefore the poet's inuendo
would be readily understood and ap-
preciated.

49. the bed of IVare] This famous
bedstead of richly carved oak is still to
be seen at the Rye House. It was
II feet square and 7^ feet high, and
capable of holding twelve persons. It
has been kept at various inns in the
town of Ware, and possibly in Shake-
speare's time it was to be found at the
Stag. It was sold by auction at the
Saracen's Head in 1864, and knocked
down at 100 guineas.

sc.li.] WHAT YOU WILL 107

in thy ink, though thou write with a goose-pen,
no matter : about it.

Sir And. Where shall I find you?

Sir To. We '11 call thee at the cubiculo : go.

{Exit Sir Andrew .

Fab. This is a dear manakin to you, Sir Toby. 55

Sir To. I have been dear to him, lad; some two
thousand strong, or so.

Fab. We shall have a rare letter from him ; but you '11
not deliver it?

Sir To. Never trust me, then ; and by all means stir 6o
on the youth to an answer. I think oxen
and wainropes cannot hale them together. For
Andrew, if he were opened, and you find so much
blood in his liver as will clog the foot of a flea,
I '11 eat the rest of the anatomy. 65

Fab. And his opposite, the youth, bears in his visage
no great presage of cruelty.

Enter Maria.
Sir To. Look, where the youngest wren of nine comes.

51. write] F; write it Rowe, Pope, Hanmer. 54. the] F, thy Hanmer

and others. 55. tnanakin] Manakin F, mannikin some edd. 59. deliver
it?] Malone, etc., deliuer't F. 63. Andrew] Andrew F, Sir Andrew

Collier, ii. (MS.); ajidT^ F, an some edd. 68. nine] Theobald and most

edd. ; mine F, Ff, Rowe, Pope, Halliwell.

54. cubiculo] chamber; Italian, or 64. blood in his liver]Q{.^''\)rv!:asXoxiQ
more probably a Latin form in Sir in your liver" (line 19); in the note,
Toby's facetious manner. Hanmer ad loc, it was stated that the liver was
would read, "Thy cubiculo," i.e. Sir the seat of courage ; a pale or bloodless
Andrew's apartment ; or it may refer liver appears to have been a sign of
to some common room in the house. cowardice ; cf. *' Go prick thy face,

55. a dear ??ianakin] As we may infer and over-red thy fear. Thou lily-liver'd
from Sir Toby's rejoinder, "dear" is boy," Macbeth, V. iii. 15 ; also, " How
transposed — " a manakin dear to you" ; many cowards . . . inwards search'd,
but probably the word has a double Have livers white as milk."

sense which qualifies it to occupy both 65. anatomy] often used for body ;
positions. and sometimes, as here, with a sugges-

56. dear] and in this line, of course, tion of contempt.

a third meaning is assigned to the 66. opposite] antagonist, opponent,

word. Used as adjective in li. v. 153.

61,62. oxen and wainropes] See note 68. youngest wren of nine] As will

on II. V, 65. Boswell quotes from Beau- be seen from the textual notes, the F

mont and Fletcher's Loyal Subject, reading is " youngest wren of mine " ;

(III. ii.), "A coach and four horses and it maybe a question whether the

cannot draw me from it." "Wain," F reading should not be preferred.

J. ^. " waggon." First, Warburton notes that "the

108

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

Mar. If you desire the spleen, and will laugh your-
selves into stitches, follow me. Yond gull 70
Malvolio is turned heathen, a very renegado ;
for there is no Christian, that means to be
saved by believing rightly, can ever believe such
impossible passages of grossness. He 's in
yellow stockings. 75

70. Yond] F, yoji' Capell, etc., jwi^' Knight and others. 71. heathen,']
most edd., Heathen, F, a heathen. Walker; renegado] Rowe, etc., Rene-
gatho F.

women's parts were then acted by
boys, sometimes so low in stature that
there was occasion to obviate the im-
propriety by such kind of oblique
apologies." Apparently, therefore, the
figure applies to Maria's small stature,
which has already been referred to in
the play (i. v. 210, II. iii. 183, 185, and
II. V. 14) ; and we might point to
similar iteration of references to low
stature in the case of Ilermia {A Mid-
sjivuner-Night's Dream, III. ii. 295,
etc. ). But I am not sure that we have
all the truth about Maria's diminutive
person, even if we grant that the refer-
ences above mentioned are unequivocal.
Next, as regards the figure ; shall we
say it is a climax after the poet's foncy
and manner — a climax of diminution?
The wren is the smallest of birds, her
family is usually numerous, nine may
be the poet's average, and the last to
be hatched is often smaller (and weaker)
than the others. Nor is the figure
improbable when we take into account
Shakespeare's familiarity with the
natural world, especially those details
that belong to the countryside. On
the other hand, there is something to
urge in favour of the F and Ff reading
"Wren of mine"; may it not be a
term of endearment, "my latest little
pet" — and Sir Toby's gallantries to-
wards Maria were something more than
playful, r urther, it has been suggested
that Maria had a wren-like vivacious
way of " flitting to and fro among the
hedges and alleys of the garden that
reminded Sir Toby of a wren " ; but
this is less likely, for if so, why
youngest ?

69. spleen] a fit of laughter. Like
the liver, this organ had various moral
functions ; but chiefly it was the source

of laughter. "Intemperate laughers
have alwaies great splenes," Holland's
Pliny, xi. 37 (vol. i. p. Z^d). Also
in Batman, Vppon Bartholome, "The
Milt is called Splen in Latine . . . And
some men suppose, that the niylt is the
cause of laughing." For "spleen" as
laughter, cf. " By virtue, thou enforcest
laughter ; thy silly thought my spleen,"
Loves Labour's Lost, III. i. 77. \'ery
difi'erent is the sense of the word in
"you shall digest the venom of your
spleen Though it do split yon," Julius
Ccusar, iv. iii. 47.

70. gull] See note on II. v. 85.
How the gull achieved this unenviable
notoriety I cannot say ; there is little
in its habits to qualify it for such a
position ; but the same is true to a large
extent of other birds that have become
emblems of stupidity, even the goose
not excepted. That the gull, however,
has claims to distinction under this
head is abundantly borne out by litera-
ture ; in the Dramatis Persotuv to Every
Man in his Hutnour, Master Stephen
is described as "a country gull," and
Master Matthew "the town gull " ; and
in Ovid's El. by C. M., and Epigrams
by /. D., 1598, a lengthy epigram by
I. D. (possibly SirJohnDavies) attempts
a definition of the "gull," which is
spoken of as a "new terme."

71. renegado] F " Renegatho," apos-
tate, deserter. Sp. renegado, low I,at.
renegare ; a well - known corruption
of the word is "runagate" (French
7-eni'gat).

74. impossible passages of grossness]
incredible acts of stupidity. "Impos-
sible" is variously used by Shakespeare,
and often in the above sense. For
"passages," cf. "But thou dost in thy
passages of life Make me believe that

sc.iii.] WHAT YOU WILL 109

Sir To. And cross-gartered ?

Mar. Most villainously ; like a pedant that keeps a
school i' the church. I have dogged him like his
murderer. He does obey every point of the
letter that I dropped to betray him : he does 80
smile his face into more lines than is in the
new map with the augmentation of the Indies.
You have not seen such a thing as 'tis ; I can
hardly forbear hurling things at him. I know
my lady will strike him: if she do, he'll smile 85
and take 't for a great favour.

Sir To. Come, bring us, bring us where he is.

{^Exeunt.

SCENE III.— ^ Street.

Enter SEBASTIAN and ANTONIO.

Seb. I would not by my will have troubled you ;

But since you make your pleasure of your pains,
I will no further chide you.

81. is'] Ff, Rowe, Camb., etc. ; are Steevens and others.

Scene III.
I. Antonio] Capell, etc. ; Anthonio F, Ff, Rowe, etc.

thou art only marked, For the hot 81,82. the new map. . . Indies\'Y\i\%

vengeance and the rod of Heaven," is most probably a map designed by

1 Henry IV, III. ii. lo. For "gross- Emmerie MoUineaux, and published in

ness,"' cf. "A great gross one (wit)," the year 1599. Hallam found it " in a

Much Ado about Nothing, V. i. 164. very few copies of the first edition of

77. pedant] schoolmaster, pedagogue, Hakluyt's Voyages " ; to these, how-
as always in Shakespeare. Cotgrave ever, it was an after addition. Its claim
gives ' ' Pedagogue : m. A Schoole- to be the map referred to in the text is
master. Instructor, Teacher, Tutor, almost indisputable ; it was a new map
Pedant" ; also, "Pedant: m. A Pedant, on a new projection ; it had an unusual
or ordinarie Schoolemaster." (Formed number of rhumb lines; it showed the
probably by a confusion of iratdeveLi' whole of the East Indies, also Novaya
and pes. ) Zembla, recently discovered by Barentz.

78. school i* t'.e church] Cf. Evelyn, (See note on ni. ii. 27). For these
Kalendarium (under 1624), "I was particulars we are indebted chiefly to a
not initiated into any rudiments till I paper by Mr. C. H. Cook {New Sh.
was four years of age, and then one Soc. Trans., 1877-79, P- 88, 14th June
Frier taught us at the church porch of 1878). Formerly it was thought that
Wotton " ; and from other sources we the map referred to in the text was one
learn that in Shakespeare's time it was contained in a translation of Linschoten's
often the custom for schools to be kept Voyages, etc., published 1598.

in a church, especially in the room over 85. strike him] A characteristic of the
the porch. age.

no TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

Ant. I could not stay behind you: my desire,

More sharp than filed steel, did spur me forth ; 5

And not all love to see you, though so much
As might have drawn one to a longer voyage,
But jealousy what might befall your travel,
Being skilless in these parts ; which to a stranger,
Unguided and unfriended, often prove 10

Rough and unhospitable : my willing love,
The rather by these arguments of fear.
Set forth in your pursuit.

Seb. My kind Antonio,

I can no other answer make but thanks.
And thanks, and ever thanks ; and oft good turns i 5
Are shuffled off with such uncurrent pay :
But, were my worth, as is my conscience, firm,

7. one] F, 7ne Heath and others. 15, 16. And thanks . . . uncurrent

pay] This reading of the text is that of Theobald, Hanmer, Warburton, Johnson,
Capell, Dehus, Dyce, i., Staunton, Hunter, etc. The F reading of the two lines is
Andthankes: and eiter oft good turtles, Arc shtiffePd off with such vncurrant pay:
but they are omitted altogether in Ff and by Rowe. Other readings are Atid
thanks ; and ever . . . good turns Camb. Edd., Globe, Wright, Cholmely,
Chambers, Gollancz ; And thanks; and ever thanks. How oft good turns
Abbott; Atid thanks, and ever thanks ; for oft good turns Wright conj.; And
thanks, and ever thanks ; thotigh oft good turns Lettsom ap. Dyce ; And thanks,
and ever thanks ; too oft good turns Seymour, Hudson, etc.; And thanks, and
ever. Of t good turns Var. '73 ; And thanks, and ever thanks: often good turns
Steevens, etc.; And thanks, and ever thanks: oft good turns Malone ; And
thanks, and thanks ; and very of t good turns While, i., conj.

6. not all love] Capell expands thus : Abbott's " How oft," or Lettsom's
"Nor was love to see you all the cause, " though oft," or Wright's " for oft."
though so much was that love s quan- The reading in the text is that of the
tity, as might, etc." Globe edition, and I have not thought

7. one] the emendation "me" (Heath it worth while to add to the conjectures
and others) is worth consideration. of former editors. It might, however,

8. /fa/^z/jj] anxiety, suspicion, appre- be worth while to notice the inharmoni-
hension ; cf. Much Ado about Nothing, ous recurrence of sound in " oft," line
11. ii. 49, "Jealousy shall be called 15, and "off," line 16.
assurance." 15, 16. and ever . . . uncurrent pay]

9. Being skilless in] %\ncf^o\xz.xQ\ix\- and too often a kindness done meets
acquainted with. with this poor acknowledgment. (Figure

15, 16. And thanks . . . uncurrent from worthless coin ; and cf the pro-

pay] These two lines arc omitted in Ff verb " De mauvais payeur, foin ou

and by Rowe. See also textual notes, paille.")

It will be observed that line 15 in F — 16. shuffled off] Here the metaphor is

"And thankes : and euer oft good probably applied much as in Hamlet's

turnes" — has lost a foot. The best famous " shuffled off this mortal coil " ;

emendation would appear to be Theo- it is used in the sense of " gladly got

bald's, " And thanks, and ever thanks ; rid of," " adroitly but basely avoided."

and oft good turns," which may be 17. worth] what I am worth, my

varied and possibly improved by wealth j cf. Romeo and Juliet , 11. vi.

sc.iii.] WHAT YOU WILL 111

You should find better dealing. What 's to do ?
Shall we go see the reliques of this town ?

Ant. To-morrow, sir : best first go see your lodging. 20

Seb. I am not weary, and 'tis long to night.
I pray you, let us satisfy our eyes
With the memorials and the things of fame
That do renown this city.

Ant. Would you 'd pardon me ;

I do not without danger walk these streets : 25

Once, in a sea-fight 'gainst the count his galleys,
I did some service ; of such note indeed.
That were I ta'en here it would scarce be answer'd.

Seb. Belike you slew great number of his people.

Ant. The offence is not of such a bloody nature, 30

Albeit the quality of the time and quarrel
Might well have given us bloody argument.

24. Would you^d pardon me i\ Would youV d pardon me : F, Would you^ Id
pardon me ; some edd., Would you pardon me? Coll. MS. ap. Camb. 26.
cou7tt his\ Duke his Rowe, etc. 28. la'en] Rowe ; lane F, Ff. 30. T/ie

offetue'] Capell, etc.; Th offence F, Ff, Rowe, etc. 31. of the'\ F; o/"F 3, 4,

Rowe, i.

32, " They are but beggars that can 26. count his\ This well-known idiom

count their worth." is usually explained as being due to the

17. conscie}ice'\ my consciousness of notion that the "'s" of the genitive

debt to you. was a contraction of "his." We find

17. firm'\ solid, substantial, valid. also " By Naomi her instruction,"

18. What's to do] Many other Ian- Abbott, § 217. Malone was of opinion
guages, and our own in earlier stages that Shakespeare wrote ' ' County's
(and in Lancashire still), employ this gallies."

active infinitive where we of later date 28. it . . . answer'd] I should hardly

prefer the passive ; and see my note on get off with my life. Here " answer'd "

The Tempest, iii. ii. 106. is equivalent to "defended," "atoned

19. reliques] Cf. Troilus and Cres- for"; in line 33 it means "requited,"
sida, V. ii. 159, "reliques of her o'er- "compensated."

eaten faith." Hunter says, "religious 29. Belike] i.e. "by likelihood";

reliques, remains of saints and martyrs, probably.

etc."; but the words should at least in- 29. great number] Abbott, § 84.

elude "antiquities," "monuments"; 30-32. The offence . . . argument]

as in line 23, "memorials and the Their ground of complaint is not so

things of fame"; though "memorials" serious as that ; although the bitterness

may repeat " reliques." Tennyson with which we fought, and the insults

{The Princess') uses "memorial" in from which we had suffered, would have

the singular — "I stored it full of rich been our ample justification if we had

memorial." See also Appendix I. taken their lives. " Bloody argument,"

p. 179. i.e. partly a cause, partly an excuse, for

21. to flight] from now till night. bloodshed. For this use of the word

24. renown] Seldom as a verb except cf. Hamlet, I v. iv. 54, " Rightly to be

in the past participle ; for this use cf. great Is not to stir without great argu-

Henry V. I. ii. 1 1 8. ment."

112

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

Seb.
Ant.

It might have since been answer'd in repaying
What we took from them ; which, for traffic's sake,
Most of our city did : only myself stood out ;
For which, if I be lapsed in this place,
I shall pay dear.

Do not then walk too open.
It doth not fit me. Hold, sir ; here 's my purse.
In the south suburbs, at the Elephant,
Is best to lodge : I will bespeak our diet.

35

40

Seb.

Whiles you beguile the time and feed your know-
ledge
With viewing of the town : there shall you have me.
Why I your purse?

41. (he time] F, your time Theobald and others.

33-37- ^^ might . . . pay dear] All
enmity between us might have been
removed subsequently by our restor-
ing the booty we had taken ; and as
a fact, most of the city did this in
the interests of our trade ; I was the
only one who held out against such
dealings with the enemy (or, the act
of restitution) ; and if I am caught off
my guard in this place, I shall have
to pay dear for the course I then took.
The chief difficulty I have found in
paraphrasing this passage lies in the
apparent inconsistencies of the story ;
nor is it easy to gain the point of view
of the speaker, f lence the alternative,
"or, the act of restitution," in the
above. " Lapsed " is strangely used ;
it probably means " fallen, as into a
trap." " Latched " has been suggested,
but it would be a poor substitute. As
used in Hamlet (in. iv. 107) the word
" lapsed" is certainly connected by the
poet with the Latin labor (lapsus), and
is made to combine the notion of slip-
ping, sliding, etc., with the passing
away of time, the losing of time, and
so forth ; this quite in Shakespeare's
manner. So here in Twelfth Night
we interpret: (i) " taken unawares, as
though I had slipped or fallen " ; (2)
"caught, because I stayed too long."
But, further, Shakespeare connects it
with "lap" or "laps," to pounce upon
an offender (originally, ' ' to come into the
power of" ; stuNewEng. Diet. ). I fence
the word also means "be apprehended."

Cf. "fallen into the lapsing of the law,"
Strvpe, Aii>t.

39. the Elephati{\ Cf. " the bells of
Saint Bennet " in v. 37. In Julius
Cctsar we sometimes have London
rather than Rome ; here also we have
London rather than " this town" (line
19) ; and it only remains to add that
"the Elephant," or, "The Elephant
and Castle," finds mention more than
once in contemporary literature as the
sign of a London inn.

40. Is best] Some examples of " Eliza-
bethan brevity " have been examined in
these notes ; this one I shall merely
mention ; and others that remain, un-
less they have special interest, must be
left to the reader.

40. diet] fare, dinner, food generally;
not in the sense of food limited or pre-
scribed, which is now the only meaning
of the word.

42. IVith viewing] Here, however, is
a much more important example than
the one in our former note (first on line
40) ; for Furness is of opinion that a
"the" before "viewing" is absorbed
into the final "th" of "with." I do
not think so; the omission of "the"
before the verbal noun is common in
Shakespeare, and is accounted for by
the fact that the construction, though
followed by a preposition, yet assumes
to itself some traditional functions of
the participle. This conflict of function
between the flectionless -ing forms ex-
plains many such difficulties.

sc.iv.] WHAT YOU WILL 113

Ant. Haply your eye shall light upon some toy

You have desire to purchase ; and your store, 45

I think, is not for idle markets, sir.

Seb, I '11 be your purse-bearer, and leave you for an
hour.

Ant. To the Elephant.

Seb. I do remember. \Exeunt. 50

SCENE IN.— Olivia's Garden.

Enter Olivia and Maria.

OH. I have sent after him : he says he '11 come ;
How shall I feast him ? what bestow of him ?
For youth is bought more oft than begg'd or borrow'd.
I speak too loud.

Where is Malvolio ? he is sad, and civil, 5

And suits well for a servant with my fortunes :

I. he says he'll] he sayes hee'l F, say^ he ze;/// Theobald, say he will Hanmer.
2. of him .?] F, on him Pope, etc. 4, 5. / speak . . . civil] as one line F,

Ff, Rowe, etc. 5. Where is] Pope, etc. ; Where 's F, Ff, Rowe, etc.

44. toy] trifle, as often in Shake- rowed of." He thinks that in one of the
speare. transcripts this "of" was so written as

45, 46. and your . . . sir] and I ask to appear to belong to the line preced-
you to accept my purse, because I ven- ing, and that " him" was subsequently
ture to think that your own may contain added to complete the sense.

barely enough for the purchase of neces- 3. borrow'd] See former note for a

saries, much less of " toys." " Store," possible explanation of this use.
i.e. of money; "idle," fanciful; deal- 5. sad] in earlier sense; grave, seri-

ing with articles of fancy or luxury, as ous, solemn. A.-S. saed (Cog. Lat.

opposed to necessaries, satis).

o 5. aw/] variously used ; cf. "civil

'^'^^"^'' • citizens" in Henry V. (i. ii. 199), or

1. he says . . . come] The messenger "civil night" in Romeo and Juliet
has not yet returned (line 60), and Maria (in. ii. 10). Here the word does not
is evidently pondering over the possible mean "well-mannered," but "staid,"
results of his errand; and she speaks "sedate," "sober," "demure"; in
aside (cf. " I speak too loud," line 4) ; fact, as a second epithet in Shakespeare
hence the construction "he says he'll often repeats a former one, so here
come" is obviously hypothetical, and "civil" partly recalls "sad," and sug-
means " Suppose he says, etc." Theo- gests the grave demeanour that " suits
bald was the first to give this explana- with" Olivia's "fortunes," and is such
tion, but he unnecessarily altered the a perfect contrast to Malvolio's after
text to " Say, he will come." affectation of smiling, etc.

2. of] on; Abbott, § 175. But 6. suits . . . fo7'times\ a servant of
Badham would read, " How shall I his sombre temperament exactly suits
feast him, what bestow ? for youth Is my love-lorn condition.

bought more oft than begged or bor-

8

114 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

Where is Malvolio ?
Mar. He 's coming, madam ; but in very strange

manner. He is, sure, possessed, madam.
OH. Why, what 's the matter ? does he rave ? i o

Mar. No,' madam ; he does nothing but smile : your

ladyship were best to have some guard about

you if he come, for sure the man is tainted in 's wits.
OH. Go call him hither. \Exit Maria.

I am as mad as he, 15

If sad and merry madness equal be.

Re-enter MARIA, with Malvolio.

How now, Malvolio !

Mai. Sweet lady, ho, ho.

OH. Smilest thou ?

I sent for thee upon a sad occasion. 20

Mai. Sad, lady ! I could be sad : this does make
some obstruction in the blood, this cross-
gartering ; but what of that ? if it please the
eye of one, it is with me as the very true sonnet
is, " Please one, and please all." 25

OH. Why, how dost thou, man ? what is the matter
with thee ?

8, 9.] As verse in F ; arranged as prose by Pope, etc. 8. Tery\ F, a very
Keightley. 15. I am'\ F, Ff, Rowe, etc.; I'm Pope, etc. 18. ho, ho.] F;

>4a, Aa Ff, Rowe, etc. ; omitted Capell. ig, 20. Smilest . . . occasion.'] Cdi^cW,
etc.; as one line F. 21-25.] As prose, Pope, etc. ; as verse, F. 25. ?j] F,

has it Capell, hath it Collier MS. 26. Oli.] See note below ; dosf] doest F.

8, 9 . . . 11-13.] I have not thought 24. the very true sonnet] "sonnet,"
it worth while to include in the textual i.e. poem or ballad — an earlier sense,
notes the attempts made by some The sonnet here referred to is "A
editors to arrange these two speeches of prettie newe Ballad, intytuled —
Maria as verse. Although the Folio The Crowe sits vpon the wall
prints the first of them in two lines, Please one and please all.

each ending "Madam," we may be Tothe tune of. Please one and please all."

sure that Shakespeare intended Maria Nineteen quaint stanzas follow this

to use her customary prose. title, and to these the letters R. T. are

9. possessed] in its modern sense (by appended ; they may stand for Richard
an evil spirit). Tarleton. The ballad was published

II, 12. your ladyship were best] See in 1591.
note on i. v. 31, 32. 26, 27. IVhy . . . thee] In F this

13. tainted] For the metaphor, cf. speech is assigned to Mai., a misprint

ni. i. 72. doubtless for Mar. But Ff have

20. sad] See line 5, note; but here printed 01., and to Olivia the speech

the word may retain some of its modern may best belong,
meaning.

sc.iv.] WHAT YOU WILL 115

Mai. Not black in my mind, though yellow in my

legs. It did come to his hands, and commands

shall be executed : I think we do know the 30

sweet Roman hand.
OH, Wilt thou go to bed, Malvolio ?
Mai. To bed ! ay, sweetheart, and I '11 come to thee.
OH. God comfort thee ! Why dost thou smile so, and

kiss thy hand so oft ? 35

Mar. How do you, Malvolio ?
Mai. At your request ! Yes ; nightingales answer

daws.
Mar. Why appear you with this ridiculous boldness

before my lady ? 40

MaL " Be not afraid of greatness : " 'twas well writ.
OH. What meanest thou by that, Malvolio ?
Mai. " Some are born great," —
OH. Ha!

Mai. " Some achieve greatness," — 45

"OH. What sayest thou ?

MaL " And some have greatness thrust upon them."
OH. Heaven restore thee !
Mai. " Remember who commended thy yellow

stockines." —

'fc>-

50

30,31. the sweet\Y, that sv}eet'^o^&,^Ka. 31. Roman'\ RomaneY. 42.
meanesti Ff, meanst F.

28. Not black . . . yello'u] Possibly tion. Mr, Craig would interpret

a reference to an old ballad tune called Olivia's remark in line 32 as being

" Black and Yellow " (Collier). equivalent to "I think you must be

30, 31. ^,^£ . . . hand] Cf. "can-ed drunk"; but I am not sure that the

in Roman letters," Tittts Andronicus, context will bear out this interpretation.

V. i. 139. "Delicate Italian hand- ZS- ^iss iky kamf] CL Othello, \\. \.

writing" (Deighton). 175, " It had been better you had not

33.] As Mr. Craig suggests, Mai- kissed your three fingers so oft, which

volio may here be quoting. Mr. now again you are most apt to play the

Craig's reference is to the following : sir in. "

" Go to bed, sweetheart, I'le come 37, 38. At . . . daws'] Am I bound to

to thee, Make thy bed fine and answer a servant? Well, nightingales

soft, etc." ; from a verse of a seem to sing in response to the call of

ballad quoted in Brome, Tke English- jackdaws, and therefore I shall not

Moor ; or. The Mock-Man-iage. (See lose dignity if I reply to the question

Works, 3 vols. (Pearson), 1873, ii. 15.) of this ser\'ing maid. As to the figure,

Malvolio, we may notice, has already it may be derived from the natural

made a similar quotation (Hne 25) ; world, but partly also, as I think, from

possibly also he quotes in lines 28 and fiction ; or the saying may be pro-

37 ; all this supports the above sugges- verbial.

116

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acthi.

OH. Thy yellow stockings !

Mai. " And wished to see thee cross-gartered."

OH. Cross-gartered !

Mai. " Go to, thou art made, if thou desirest to be

so;"— -55

OH. Am I made?

Mai. " If not, let me see thee a servant still."
OH, Why, this is very midsummer madness.

Enter Servant.

Serv. Madam, the young gentleman of the Count

Orsino's is returned. I could hardly entreat him 60
back : he attends your ladyship's pleasure.

OH. I '11 come to him. \^Exit Servant.

Good Maria, let this fellow be looked to. Where 's
my cousin Toby ? Let some of my people have
a special care of him : I would not have him 65
miscarry for the half of my dowry.

\Exeunt Olivia and Maria.

Mai. O, ho ! do you come near me now ? no worse

51. Thy'X F, My Lettsom. 58. is very, F, is a z/i^rj/ Theobald, etc.
Coiint\ F, Duke Rowe. 64. co7tsi>i'] Cosine F, Uncle Rowe.

59.

51, 52. Thy . . . theel It has been
proposed to change these to " My" and
" me " ; but we should better understand
that Olivia in her amazement repeats
the words of Malvolio, taking " thy " in
the sense of " my " ; and, of course, she
does not know that Malvolio is quoting
the letter.

56. Atn I made'] It has been con-
jectured that Olivia here puns upon the
word "maid," for, according to I\Ian-
ningham (see Introduction, p. xi), she
was a widow ; if Manningham was cor-
rect, he might have seen some earlier text
of the play ; but it is more probable that
he mistook the mourning garments
that Olivia was wearing in memory
of her brother, for those of a widow
for her husband.

58. midsummer mcuhiess] A pro-
verbial expression. " ' 'Tis midsummer
moon with you ' is a proverb in Ray's
Collection; signifying, you are mad,"
Steevens. It was supposed that in-
tense heat (cf. our "dog-days")

excited the imagination, and tended
to produce melancholy and madness.
Also cf. Novissimiim on's illius pura
insania (Promus, Fol. 88) ; and Craig
quotes Nash — " Ere he be come to the
full Midsommer Moone and raging
Calentura of his wretchedness" {Have
wi I h you to Saffron Walden, 1596).

66. miscarry] come to harm ; often
in this sense in Shakespeare.

67. come near me] " Ah, you are
beginning to understanding me now."
The words are addressed to Olivia, who
had found his talk unintelligible ; he
tliinks she has "come near him," for
thus he interprets her directions "let
this fellow be look'd to," etc., which
included his being entrusted to Sir
Toby. For the phrase "come near,"
see also note on 11. v. 27. Mr. Craig
quotes Lyly, Galatea (i^gz), ill. i. (Fair-
holt, i. 242), " £itrota. Indeed, Rania,
if lovers were not virtuous, then wert
thou vicious. J\ania, What, are you
come so near me ? Tel. Think we

SC. IV.]

WHAT YOU WILL

117

man than Sir Toby to look to me ! This concurs
directly with the letter : she sends him on purpose
that I may appear stubborn to him ; for she 70
incites me to that in the letter. " Cast thy
humble slough " says she ; *' be opposite with a
kinsman, surly with servants ; let thy tongue tang
with arguments of state ; put thyself into, the
trick of singularity ; " and consequently sets 7 5
down the manner how ; as, a sad face, a reverend
carriage, a slow tongue, in the habit of some sir
of note, and so forth. I have limed her ; but it
is Jove's doing, and Jove make me thankful !
And when she went away now, " Let this fellow 80
be looked to : " fellow ! not Malvolio, nor after
my degree, but fellow. Why, every thing adheres
together, that no dram of a scruple, no scruple of
a scruple, no obstacle, no incredulous or unsafe

73, 74. tatig witlil Ff, etc., langer with F, ^a«^ Capell, etc., twang Ybxi&an,
78. limed] lymde F, 79. foveas . . . Jove\ F ; God's . . . God Halliwell,

Hudson.

came near you when we said you
loved " ; also Cyril Tourneur, T/ie
Revenger'' s Tragedy, 1607, " Vindici
(to his mother). All thrive but chastity,
she lyes a cold ; Nay, shall I come
nearer to you ? "

75. consequently] Perhaps in two
senses, ' ' thereafter " and ' ' accord-
ingly " ; but the former is the sense
often borne by the word in our earlier
literature.

76. sad\ See note on line 5.

77. habit] We may suppose that the
cross-gartering and the yellow stockings
were to Malvolio suitable items " in
the habit of some sir of note," though
the word may have the further sense of
"bearing" or "deportment" (cf. "I
will speak to him like a saucy lackey,
and under that habit play the knave
with him," As You Like It, in. ii. 314).

77. sir] Cf. "This ancient Sir,"
The Winter's Tale, iv. iv. 372.

78. limed] caught as a bird with bird-
lime. The figure occurs in Apoloniiis
and Silla, " like the foule whiche is
once limed." It is used as late as
Tennyson's Princess, ' ' True, we had
limed ourselves."

79. Jove's . , . Jove] The original
reading, as is most likely, would be
God's . . . God"; see note on 11. v.
177. Some editors would read " Love's
. . . Love," but more probably it is a
reference to " This is the Lord's doing,"
Psalm cxviii. 23.

80. fellow] ' ' This word, which
originally meant companion, was not
yet totally degraded to its present
meaning, and Malvolio takes it in the
favourable sense," Johnson.

81. 82. after my degree] according to
my position as steward.

82. adheres] coheres ; cf. Merry
Wives of Windsor, II. i. 62.

83. dram, etc.] "We must take the
first and last ' scruple ' in the moral
sense, the second as the weight of the
third part of a dram " {N, and Qu.
III. xii. 61, 1867). For a like play
on the words, cf. 2 Henry IV. i. ii.

841 incredulous] incredible — causing
incredulity. We have already (note
on I. V, 281) noticed an Elizabethan
uncertainty in the force of participial
and adjectival inflexions ; traces of this
uncertainty are found even in Milton.

118 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

circumstance — What can be said ? Nothing that 85
can be can come between me and the full
prospect of my hopes. Well, Jove, not I, is the
doer of this, and he is to be thanked.

Re-enter MARIA, zvith SiR Toby Belch and

Fabian.

Sir To. Which way is he, in the name of sanctity? If

all the devils of hell be drawn in little, and Legion 90
himself possessed him, yet I '11 speak to him.

Fab. Here he is, here he is. How is 't with you, sir ?
how is 't with you, man ?

Mai. Go off; I discard you : let me enjoy my private ;

go off. 95

Mar. Lo, how hollow the fiend speaks within him !
did not I tell you ? Sir Toby, my lady prays
you to have a care of him.

Mai. Ah, ha ! does she so ?

Sir To. Go to, go to : peace ! peace ! we must deal 1 00
gently with him ; let me alone. How do you,
Malvolio ? how is 't with you ? What, man ! defy
the devil : consider, he 's an enemy to mankind.

Mai. Do you know what you say?

Mar. La you! an you speak ill of the devil, how 105
he takes it at heart. Pray God, he be not
bewitched !

90. ofheir\ F, in hell, Rowe, etc. 91. possessed] possest F, possess Collier
MS. 94. private'] F, privacy Rowe, etc. loi. let me] Let vie F, let him

Rowe, etc. 105. an you] and you F, Ff; if you, Pope.

89. jawf/Z/j/] An emendation "sainty" 16; also, "Nor must I be unmindful
has been proposed by Walker, but the of my private," Catiline, ni. ii. ; or
context supports the present reading. again, Bacon, Essay, xxxiii., " Besides

90. drawn in little] compressed into some spots of ground that any Parti-
a small space ; represented in niinia- cular Person, will Manure, for his own
ture ; cf. Hamlet, 11. ii. 384, "His Private."

picture in little." 96. how hollow , . . him] Mr.

90. Legion] Mark v. 9; cf. also CraigquotesCotgrave, "£«fax/r;'/w_j'/^,

Hamlet, I. ii. 244. That speaks out of the belly as one

93. how . . . ;//a«] This part of the possessed"; also " £ngasirimythes
speech probably belongs to Sir Toby. (The same) crooked - backt are so

94. my private] privacy ; probably tearmed because commonly their voice
not an affectation of Malvolio's ; cf. is hollow."

"Whose private with me of the 105. La you] CL The Winter's Tale,
Dauphin's love," King John, iv. iii. Ii. iii. 49.

sc.iv.] WHAT YOU WILL 119

Fab. Carry his water to the wise-woman.

Mar. Marry, and it shall be done to-morrow morning,

if I live. My lady would not lose him for more 1 1 o

than I '11 say.
Mai. How now, mistress !
Mar. O Lord 1
Sir To. Prithee, hold thy peace ; this is not the way :

do you not see you move him ? let me alone with 1 1 5

him.
Fab. No way but gentleness ; gently, gently : the

fiend is rough, and will not be roughly used.
Sir' To. Why, how now, my bawcock ! how dost thou,^

chuck? I20

Mai. Sir!
Sir To. Ay, Biddy, come with me. What, man ! 'tis

not for gravity to play at cherry-pit with Satan :

hang him, foul collier !

no. lose\ loose F. 114. this zj] F ; that w F '4, Rowe, etc. 119. thou\

y F. 122. Ay, . . . me] F ; as a quotation, Collier, iii. 124. collier]
Colliar F.

108. wise-woman] " You have heard in "Be innocent of the knowledge,

of Mother Nottingham, who for her time dearest chuck," Macbeth, iii. ii. 45.
was prettily well skill'd in casting of 122. Biddy] carries on the strain of

Waters ; and after her Mother Bombye 1 " bawcock " and "chuck." " Biddy,

The several occupations of these im- come with me " is most likely a scrap

posters are thus described in this play of an old song. It is also a familiar

of Heywood : ' Let me see how many children's call to fowls,
trades have I to live by. First I am a 123. cherry -pit] A child's game of

wise woman, and a fortune-teller, and pitching cherry stones into a small hole,

under that I deale in physicke and Cf. " I have loved a witch ever since I

forespeaking, in palmistry, and re- played at cherr>'-pit," The Witch of

covering of things lost. Next, I under- Edmonton (Rowley, 1658). By the

take to cure madd folkes,' etc." (Here figure Sir Toby means, "To have such

Douce quotes Heywood's The Wise familiar intercourse with." Steevens

Woman of Hogsdott.) also quotes Nash, Fierce Penilesse

115. move]Z{. Julius Ccesar, IV. iii. {1592), "you may play at cherry pit

58, "he durst not thus have moved in their cheekes" (said of the paint on

me." ladies' faces).

119. bawcock] my fine fellow. Fr. 123. Satan] F "sathan" as always
beau coq. A familiar, or even con- in Shakespeare ; a form derived, says
temptuous term of endearment. Cf. Wright, from the Miracle Plays.

its use in Hertry V. in. ii. 25, "good 124. collier] "The devil is called

bawcock, bate thy rage, use lenity, 'Collier ' for his blackness. ' Like will

sweet chuck." Wright compares to like,' quoth the Devil to the Collier "

"bawshere" (for "beau-sire"), r<9W«- (a proverb), Johnson. Steevens says

ley Mysteries, 69. that "collier" was a term of reproach,

120. chzick] Similar to the above ; a so great were the impositions practised
form of "chick." Less contemptuously by the vendors of coal.

120 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

Mar. Get him to say his prayers, good Sir Toby, get 125
him to pray.

Mai. My prayers, minx !

Mar. No, I warrant you, he will not hear of godliness.

Mai. Go, hang yourselves all ! you are idle shallow

things : I am not of your element. You shall 1 30
know more hereafter. \Exit.

Sir To. Is 't possible ?

Fab. If this were played upon a stage now, I could
condemn it as an improbable fiction.

Sir To. His very genius hath taken the infection of 135
the device, man.

Mar. Nay, pursue him now, lest the device take air, .
and taint.

Fah. Why, we shall make him mad indeed.

Mar. The house will be the quieter. 140

Sir To. Come, we '11 have him in a dark room, and
bound. My niece is already in the belief that
he 's mad : we may carry it thus, for our pleasure
and his penance, till our very pastime, tired out of
breath, prompt us to have mercy on him ; at which 1 4 5
time we will bring the device to the bar, and crown
thee for a finder of madmen. But see, but see.

128. Mar.] F, Fab. Anon. ap. Camb. 137. lest\ least F. 143. he's\ F,
he is Johnson and many edd.

127. minx\ Of uncertain etymology. 137. airl in this passage seems used

Cotgrave gives " Gadroviillette : f. A for foul air; cf. " infection " two lines

minx, gigle, flirt, callet, Gixie (a fained above. Otherwise it refers to some

word applyable to any such cattcU)." " tainting," unknown to us, that follows

130. element] See note on in. i. 62. exposure to air.

i.35> 136- //« • . . device] " The plot 141. dark room] This was the re-
has taken possession of his very soul," cognised treatment of lunacy until al-
Wright. In the word "genius" we most recent times. Cf. As You Like
have a reference to the old belief that //, in. ii. 421, "Love is merely a
human beings are attended through madness, and, I tell you, deserves as
life by a good and a bad angel. See well a dark house and a whip as mad-
my note on The Tempest, I v. i. 27. men do."

137. 138- take air, and taint] hQComa 143. carry it] manage it. Cf. Mid-

known and spoilt; one of those quaint summer- Nights Dream, in. ii. 240.

figures (and the notion of infection is 146. to ike bar] • ' of public opinion,

used by Shakespeare most variously for the verdict to be passed upon it,"

and most abundantly) that give evi- Deighton. Schmidt explains "bar"

dence of something more than a literary as "a place of public function (other

interest on the part of the writer. We than the law courts)."

may compare the theory in Cymbeline, 147. a finder] a quibble on the find-

I. ii. 1-5. ing or verdict of a jury, with a possible

sc.iv.J WHAT YOU WILL 121

Enter SiR Andrew Aguecheek.

Fab. More matter for a May morning.

Sir And. Here's the challenge; read it; I warrant

there 's vinegar and pepper in 't, 150

Fab. Is 't so saucy ?

Sir And. Ay, is 't, I warrant him : do but read.
Sir To. Give me. \^Reads?[

Youth, whatsoever thou art, thou art but a scurvy

fellow. 155

Fab. Good, and valiant.
Sir To. Wonder not, nor admire not in thy mind, why

I do call thee so, for I will show thee no reason

for't.
Fab. A good note, that keeps you from the blow of 1 60

the law.
Sir To. Thou coinest to the Lady Olivia, and in my

sight she uses thee kindly : but thou liest in thy

throat ; that is not the matter I challenge thee for.
Fab. Very brief, and to exceeding good sense — less. 165

152. Ay, wV] most edd., /, ist? F. 153. Give\ F, GiveU Lettsom.

157. admire not] F ; admire F 3, 4, Rowe, i. 162. comest] Maloneand others,
comst F. 165. and to\ F, Ff, etc. ; and Rowe, etc. ; and thereto Lettsom ;
and, too, Kinnear ; good] F, good, Halliwell ; sense — less. ] sence — /esse F. See
note below.

reference to the " finders of madmen " only example in Shakespeare of the

who acted under the writ ' ' De Lunatico word in this sense.
inqtiirendo.''^ 163, 164. thou . . . throat] supposed

148.] "I finde also, that in the to bear a deeper significance than other

Moneth of May, the Citizens of London modes of lying. Cf. "An honourable

(of all estates) lightly in every Parish, man, when he gives the lie is wont to

or sometimes two or three Parishes say thou dost not speak the truth ;

coming together, had their seuerall another will give the lie by saying thou

Mayings, and did fetch May-poles, dost lie in thy throat, etc. etc." This

with diuers warlike shewes, with good passage, which sets forth the various

Archers, Morice-dauncers, and other gradations of lying, is quoted by Staun-

deuices for pastime all the day long, ton (quoted by Furness) from an old

and towards the Evening, they had Italian treatise, Vallo Libro Continente

Stage playes and Bonefiers in the appertenentie ad Capitanii, etc., 1524;

streets ; " Stowe, Survey of London. it occurs in the chapter headed ^^ Delia

151. jflz^r)'] In two senses. Divisione del Menttre." Cf. "as low

152. TOa;-ra«^ /^z'w] warrant my state- as to thy heart, Through the false pas-
ment to (or, in regard to) him ; "him" sage of thy throat," Richard II. I. i.
is dative of the person challenged. 125, and 2 Henry IV. I. ii. 94, " I had

157. admire] in Latin sense of lied in my throat."
"wonder," "be astonished." For the i(i<^. sense — less] the "less" being

negatives, see Abbott, § 406. added as an aside.

160. 7iote'\ remark ; apparently the

122 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

Sir To. / will waylay thee going home ; where, if it be
thy chance to kill me, —

Fab. Good.

Sir To. Thou killest me like a rogue and a villain.

Fab. Still you keep o' the windy side of the law: 170
good.

Sir To. Fare thee well ; and God have mercy upon one of
our souls ! He may have mercy upon mine, but
my hope is better ; and so look to thyself Thy
friend, as thou usest him, and thy szvorn enemy, 1 7 5

Andrew Aguecheek.

If this letter move him not, his legs cannot. I '11

give 't him.
Mar. You may have very fit occasion for 't : he is

now in some commerce with my lady, and will 180

by and by depart.
Sir To. Go, Sir Andrew ; scout me for him at the

corner of the orchard, like a bum-baily : so soon as

ever thou seest him, draw ; and, as thou drawest,

swear horrible ; for it comes to pass oft that a 185

172. one of] F ; omitted F 3, 4, Rowe, i. 183. hum-baily\ biim-Baylie F,
bum-Baily Ff. 185. horrible\ F ; horribly Ff, Rowe, etc.

170. d the windy . . . law] so that villain," and does not assert the fact,

the law cannot find you out by getting Cf. "the blow of the law" in lines 160,

scent of you, as a hound does the game. 161. Some think that the reference is

This, the usual interpretation, must to the law of the duello. See line 321.
depend on the meaning conveyed by 173. mine] " thine " is suggested by

the word " windy," which is doubtful ; Johnson; but "mine" is the better

is the law like abound on the "wind- reading; Sir Andrew thinks he will

ward " of the scent ? It is by no means win the fight, and have no need of

easy to define the relative positions of mercy.

hound and game. Otherwise the meta- 180. commerce'\ intercourse. Cf.

phor may carry on the notion contained Tennyson, " So hold I commerce with

in "blow" in the former speech of the dead," /« ^/(?W(7r?aw, 85.
Fabian, and we may explain thus: 181. by and by'\ sometimes in the

"you keep to the windward, and so sense of "at once."
take the wind out of the sails of the 182. ^r(5«/ w^] I will ask you to keep

law." The figure occlirs again in watch for him (see note on ill. ii. 34).
Much Ado about Nothing, II. i. 327, 183. buin-baiiy] An inferior officer

" It keeps on the windy side of care," employed to execute the sherifiPs writs,

i.e. on the safe side, the advantageous and arrest debtors ; one who clutches

side; cf. "get the wind of." As to at the back of his victim. Cf. Fr.

the form of words that keep the pousse-cul.

speaker on the windy side of the law, 185. horrihW] An "ambiguous de-

we may note that he merely compares scriptive." See line 210, note; also

his antagonist to a "rogue and a Abbott, §§ i and 2.

sc IV.] WHAT YOU WILL 123

terrible oath, with a swaggering accent sharply
twanged off, gives manhood more approbation
than ever proof itself would have earned him.
Away !

Sir And. Nay, let me alone for swearing. \Exit. 190

Sir To. Now will not I deliver his letter : for the
behaviour of the young gentleman gives him out
to be of good capacity and breeding ; his employ-
ment between his lord and my niece confirms no
less: therefore this letter, being so excellently 195
ignorant, will breed no terror in the youth : he
will find it comes from a clodpole. But, sir, I
will deliver his challenge by word of mouth ; set
upon Aguecheek a notable report of valour ; and
drive the gentleman, as I know his youth will 200
aptly receive it, into a most hideous opinion of
his rage, skill, fury, and impetuosity. This will
so fright them both that they will kill one another
by the look, like cockatrices.

Fab. Here he comes with your niece: give them way 205
till he take leave, and presently after him.

Sir To. I will meditate the while upon some horrid
message for a challenge.

\Exeu7it Sir Toby, Fabian^ and Maria.

Re-enter Olivia, with ViOLA.
Oli. I have said too much unto a heart of stone,

191. hisi F ; this F 3, 4, Rowe, i.

187. twanged off'\ See note on 11. v. fied with the Basilisk, fabulously said

154. to kill by its mere glance, and to be

187. gives . . . approbatioti] ^\ts 2i hatched from a cock's egg." M.E.

man more credit for courage. cocatris, -ice, O. Fr. cocatris, Proven9al

187. approbation^ convincing testi- calcatriz. It. calcatrice, Latin calca-
mony ; see next note. tricem ; this latter being a medieval

188. proof] actual trial ; test. The rendering of the Greek ixvevfj-uv ; and
word explains "approbation" above. both Latin and Greek have much the

197. c/tK^^/g] blockhead ; with head same original meaning — "a tracker

like a clod. Here the F has "clodde- out," etc. Beyond this the word has a

pole"; in Ji'ing Lear (l. iv. 51) and curious history, for which, however, we

elsewhere, it is clotpoll. have no space.

199. reported. HI. ii. 39. 206. /r^j-««//j'] " immediately. " See

204. cockatrices'] "A serpent, identi- note on "by and by," line 181.

124 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

And laid mine honour too unchary out: 210

There 's something in me that reproves my fault,

But such a headstrong potent fault it is

That it but mocks reproof.
Vw. With the same 'haviour that your passion bears,

Goes on my master's grief. 2 i 5

Oli Here ; wear this jewel for me, 'tis my picture :

Refuse it not ; it hath no tongue to vex you ;

And I beseech you come again to-morrow.

What shall you ask of me that I '11 deny,

That honour sav'd may upon asking give? 220

Vzo. Nothing but this ; your true love for my master.
0/z. How with mine honour may I give him that

Which I have given to you ?
Vw. I will acquit you.

O/i. Well, come again to-morrow: fare thee well: 224

A fiend like thee might bear my soul to hell. [Exit.

Re-enter SiR TOBY Belch and FABIAN.
Sir To. Gentleman, God save thee.

210. ouf\ Theobald and most edd. ; on V F, Ff, Rowe, Pope, Hanmer, Knight,
Collier, etc. 214. 'haviour'] Theobald, etc., hauiour F. 215. Goes . . .
grief] Rowe, etc. ; Goes . . . greefes F, F 2 ; Goes . . . griefs F 3, 4 ; Go . . .
griefs Malone, etc. 220. That honour sav'd] most edd. ; Thai honour {sau'd)
F ; Thai (honour sav'd) F 3, 4, Rowe, i., etc.

210. ^nd laid . . . out] It is not mean "lavishly." Cf. also, " If you
easy to make choice between the F be chary of your good name," Gosson,
reading "on't" and Theobald's School of Abuse, i^T() (New Eng. Diet.).
"out"; "out" for "on't," and vice In the text it is an ambiguous descrip-
versd, occur as misprints elsewhere, live, an adjective used as adverb. Cf.
With "on't" the meaning is "staked "horrible," line 185 and note. For
my reputation too carelessly on that the whole line we may compare " that
heart — or, in making my declaration " ; have so charely preserued myne
and with "out" we should turn, "and honour," Apolonius and Silla.
have expended my honour too lavishly." 216. Jewel] Formerly used of any
For "laid on't" we have a parallel in precious ornament ; here, as it seems,
All's Well that Ends Well, in. vii. 72, for a minature richly set. In Cymhe-
" He persists, as if his life lay on't " ; line, i. iv. 165, it signifies a ring, and
or better, in Hamlet, v. ii. 174, " He in i. vi. 189 of the same play, a brace-
hath laid on twelve for nine"; and let. See also ;2 A'i:«ry VI. ill. ii. 106,
with " laid out " we may cf. Cynibeline, 107.

II. iii. 92, "You lay out too much 220. That . . . give\ that honour

pains For purchasing but trouble." may grant without compromising itself.

210. unchary] The word signifies 222. w/'M] without violating ; or, con-

" heedlessly " ; but here, as elsewhere sistently with.

in Shakespeare (cf. " the chariest maid," 226.] Note Sir Toby's "thee" and

Hamlet, i. iii. 36), it seems rather to Viola's "you."

sc.iv.] WHAT YOU WILL 125

Vio. And you, sir.

Sir To. That defence thou hast, betake thee to 't : of
what nature the wrongs are thou hast done him,
I know not; but thy intercepter, full of despite, 230
bloody as the hunter, attends thee at the orchard-
end. Dismount thy tuck, be yare in thy pre-
paration, for thy assailant is quick, skilful, and
deadly.

Vio. You mistake, sir : I am sure no man hath any 235
quarrel to me : my remembrance is very free and
clear from any image of offence done to any
man.

Sir To. You '11 find it otherwise, I assure you : there-
fore, if you hold your life at any price, betake 240
you to your guard ; for your opposite hath in
him what youth, strength, skill, and wrath, can
furnish man withal.

Vio. I pray you, sir, what is he?

Sir To. He is knight, dubbed with unhatched rapier, 245

241. guard} gard ¥ . 243. maii] F ; a man F 3, 4, Rowe, Pope, Hanmer.
245. knightl F, a knight some edd. ; unhatched^ vtihatch'd F, unhack'd Pope
and others.

230. intercepterl he who lies in me yare." See also The Tefnpest, I. i.

wait. 3, and v. 224.

230. despite] spite, and defiant con- 236. quarrel to me] against, towards
tempt. me. Cf. Much Ado about Nothing, II.

231. a/Z^wo'j-] waits for ; Yx. attendre. i. 243, "The Lady Beatrice hath a

232. Dismount thy tuck] draw your quarrel to you."

sword. Osric in Hamlet uses the word 237. image of offence] metaphor from

'• carriages " of the straps that fasten a looking-glass.

the sword to the belt ; hence, possibly, 243. withal] An emphatic form of

the affected "dismount" of the text, "with," generally connected with a

though the word seems to be used relative pronoun, and placed at the end

occasionally in this sense. "Tuck "is of the clause. See also my note on

a small rapier. Fr. estoc, Ital. stocco. The Tempest, III. i. 93.

"a truncheon, a tuck, a short sword, 245,246. dubbed . . . consideration]

an arming sword," Florio, VVorlde of "He is no soldier by profession, not a

Wordes, 1598. Mr. Craig quotes knight banneret, dubbed in the field of

Drant (Horace, Satire, i. p. 2) : battle, but on carpet consideration, at a

" The maces keen, the grounded festivity, or on some peaceable occa-

sword, sion, when knights receive their dignity

The tucke, the targe, the shield." kneeling, not on the ground, as in war,

232, 233. be , . . preparation] Ad- but on a carpet. This, I believe, was

dress yourself swiftly and surely for the the origin of the contemptuous term a

contest. carpet knight, who was naturally held in

2T,2. yare] nimble, quick, ready, contempt by the men of war," Johnson.

A.-S. gearn, ready. Cf. Measure for 245. ?«?/4a/<r>4£flr] " Hatch" appears to

Measure, IV. ii. 61, "you shall find be a form of "hack" (as batch of

126 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

and on carpet consideration ; but he is a devil in
private brawl : souls and bodies hath he divorced
three, and his incensement at this moment is so
implacable that satisfaction can be none but by
pangs of death and sepulchre. Hob, nob, is his 250
word : give 't or take 't.

Vw. I will return again into the house, and desire
some conduct of the lady : I am no fighter. I
have heard of some kind of men that put quarrels
purposely on others to taste their valour ; belike 255
this is a man of that quirk.

Sir To. Sir, no ; his indignation derives itself out of a
very competent injury ! therefore, get you on and
give him his desire. Back you shall not to the
house, unless you undertake that with me which 260
with as much safety you might answer him :
therefore, on, or strip your sword stark naked ;

255. iaste] F, (esi Collier conj. 258. coinpetent\ F 4, Rowe, etc. ; com-

putent F. 261. him:] F, (o hint ; Hannier. 262. or'] F, and Hanmer ;
your szvord} F, yott 0/ sword Anon. ap. Camb.

bake). Cotgrave gives " Ifacher, To 248. incensemeuti wrath; a rare

hacke . . . hew . . . chop, . . . also, word, but found in Heywood {Rape of

to hatch a hilt" (where "hatch" has Lucrece), and The Two Angry Women

the sense of "engrave"; cf. the en- of Abingdon.

graver's term " cross-hatching"). Some 249. can be none] Again we have

would read "unbacked," but " un- "Elizabethan brevity" (see I. v. 103,

hatched" is probably a variant with note). "None," like "three "in line

the same meaning. 248, occupies an emphatic position.

246. 07t carpet consideration] See 250. Hob, nob] hit or miss, come

Johnson, above (note on line 245); and what may, or, i.e. "give't or take 't,"

cf. "because (for the most part) they as Shakespeare explains. Probably a

receive their honour from the Iving's variant of "hoebbe, noebbe," or of

hand in the Court, and vpon Carpets, "habbe he, nabbe he" (have he, or

and such like ornaments belonging to have he not).

the King's State and Greatnesse," F. 253. conduct] escort ; as often in

Markham, Bookeof Honotv, 1625, p. 71. Shakespeare.

246. consideration] chosen partly for 255. taste] make trial of; cf. ill. i.

alliteration. Wright thinks that the 82, " taste your legs."

word implies purchase; Deighton ex- 256. quirk] capricious humour; "a

plains, " in consideration of services in trick or peculiarity in action or be-

the drawing-room," and quotes AlTs haviour"; cf. "quirks of joy and

Well that Ends Well, II. i. 30-33; grief," All's Well that Ends Well,

we might also quote "carpet-monger" 111. ii. 51.

from Much Ado about A'othing, v. ii. 257, 258. derives . . . injury] arises

32. But it is best to regard the phrase from a most sufficient insult. For

"on carpet consideration" as equiva- " competent," see textual notes,

lent to " a mere carpet knight " — who 260. that] that satisfaction at the

was knighted for any but military con- sword's point,
siderations.

sc.iv.] WHAT YOU WILL 127

for meddle you must, that 's certain, or forswear

to wear iron about you.
Vto. This is as uncivil as strange. I beseech you, do 265

me this courteous office, as to know of the knight

what my offence to him is : it is something of my

negligence, nothing of my purpose.
Sir To. I will do so. Signior Fabian, stay you by this

gentleman till my return. \Exit, 270

Vio. Pray you, sir, do you know of this matter ?
Fab. I know the knight is incensed against you, even

to a mortal arbitrement, but nothing of the

circumstance more.
Vio. I beseech you, what manner of man is he ? 275

Fab. Nothing of that wonderful promise, to read him

by his form, as you are like to find him in the

proof of his valour. He is, indeed, sir, the most

skilful, bloody, and fatal opposite that you could

possibly have found in any part of lUyria. Will 280

you walk towards him ? I will make your peace

with him if I can.
Vio. I shall be much bound to you for 't : I am one

that had rather go with sir priest than sir knight ;

I care not who knows so much of my mettle. 285

\Exeunt.

266. office, as to] F, office, to Capell.

263. meddle you must] mix yourself the following (Nares) : "Therefore as

up in this affair by fighting. most clerical persons had taken that

266. as to know] Abbott, § 280. first degree, it became usual to style

273. mortal arbitrement] decision hy t\itm Sir."
combat to the death; cf. "If it come 285. [Exeunt. Re-enter, etc.] Capell

to the arbitrement of swords," Henry omits this stage-direction on account oi

V. IV. i. 168. the apparent difficulties involved by

279. opposite] antagonist ; for the retaining it ; see, for example, line

third time in the play the word has 294, "Fabian can scarce hold him

been used in this sense ; cf. ill. ii. 66. yonder." But in any case these words

284. jzr/rw/] We had "Sir Topas" of Sir Toby are exaggeration, if not
for the curate in I v. ii. 2, and "Sir pure invention. Wright thinks "they
Hugh Evans " in The Merry Wives of (Fabian and Viola) might, however, be
Windsor. The title " Sir," as apphed within view of Sir Toby, but out of
to a priest, has a various history ; but sight of the audience." On the other
we may quote Johnson, " He that has hand, Dyce begins a new scene alto-
taken his first degree at the Univer- gether— " Scene v. The Street adjoin-
sity is in the academical style called ing Olivia's garden " ; and a change of
Dominus, and in common language was locality is often directed in acting ver-
termed ' Sir ' " ; to this we may add sions of Twelfth Night, or indicated on

128 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [acthi.

Re-eniei' Sir Toby, with Sir Andrew.

Sir To. Why, man, he 's a very devil ; I have not
seen such a firago. I had a pass with him,
rapier, scabbard and all, and he gives me the
stuck-in with such a mortal motion that it is
inevitable; and on the answer, he pays you as 290
surely as your feet hit the ground they step on.
They say he has been fencer to the Sophy.

Sir And. Pox on 't, I '11 not meddle with him.

Sir To. Ay, but he will not now be pacified : Fabian

can scarce hold him yonder. 295

Sir And. Plague on 't ; an I thought he had been
valiant and so cunning in fence I 'd have seen
him damned ere I 'd have challenged him. Let
him let the matter slip, and I '11 give him my
horse, grey Capilet. 300

Sir To. I '11 make the motion. Stand here ; make a
good show on 't : this shall end without the per-

287. firago\ F, Ff, and most edd. ; virago Rowe, etc. 288. scabbard]
scabberdY. 289. stuck-ui\ Capell and others, stucke in F, stuck — /« Johnson,
Stuckin Singer. 291. hit\ hits F. 292. beeti\ Ff, bin F. 295. yonder']
F, omitted Rowe. 299. give him] F, ^ve yoti Anon. ap. Camb. 300.
Capilet] F ; Capulet Dyce, Hudson.

the stage. This meets the difficulty in chance escape your venom'd stuck ; "

V. 62, where we read that Antonio was also Romeo and Juliet, iii. i. 80.

arrested "in the streets." Further, we 290. inevitable] older sense, "un-

have "attends thee at the orchard- shunnable."

end" in line 231 of this scene, also 290. on the answer] on the return

"stay you by this gentleman till my thrust or parry ; another fencing term,

return" in hnes 269, 270. But these Cf. Hamlet, v. ii. 290, 291.

difficulties are explained, at least in 290. pays you] hits you; cf. "Two

part, by the exigencies of the Eliza- I am sure I have paid," 1 Henry IV.

bethan theatre. Probably the two n. iv. 213.

groups, Andrew and Sir Toby, Viola 292. Sophy] See il. v. 1S6, note,

and Fabian, remain on the stage, and 300. Capilet. " ' Capul ' was a north

merely withdraw and advance ; and the country word for a horse, and possibly

change of scene would easily be taken ' capilet ' may be a diminutive of this,"

for granted by Shakespeare's audience. Wright. Murray (Arw Eng. Diet.)

2'6t. firago] Possibly an intentional quotes Land Cokaygue, 1290, " Hors,

corruption of "virago," humorous on no capil, kowe, no ox."

Shakespeare's part as well as Sir 301. 77/ ... w^//w] alliterative (cf.

Toby's. "mortal motion" in line 289) for "I

288, 289. the stuck-in] the thrust, in will propose it to him." Again we
fencing, Ital. stoccata. Other forms have "motion"; cf. "Of my own
are "stock," "stoccado," "stoccata." motion (I) craved his promised faithe,"
Cf. Hamlet, IV. vii. 162, "If he by Kichz, Apolonius and Silla.

sc. IV.] AVHAT YOU WILL 129

dition of souls. [Aside.] Marry, I '11 ride your
horse as well as I ride you.

Re-enter Fabian and ViOLA.

\To Fabian?^ I have his horse to take up the quarrel. 305
I have persuaded him the youth 's a devil.

Fab. He is as horribly conceited of him ; and pants
and looks pale, as if a bear were at his heels.

Sir To. [To Viola.'] There's no remedy, sir : he will

fight with you for 's oath sake. Marry, he hath 310
better bethought him of his quarrel, and he finds
that now scarce to be worth talking of: therefore
draw for the supportance of his vow : he protests
he will not hurt you.

Vio. [Aside.] Pray God defend me ! A little thing 315
would make me tell them how much I lack of a
man.

Fab. Give ground, if you see him furious.

Sir To. Come, Sir Andrew, there 's no remedy : the

gentleman will, for his honour's sake, have one 320
bout with you ; he cannot by the duello avoid it:
but he has promised me, as he is a gentleman and
a soldier, he will not hurt you. Come on ; to 't.

305. take up] F, make up Anon. ap. Camb. 307. as horribly'] F ; horribly

Rowe, Pope, Hanmer. 310. oath sake] F, oath's sake Capell, etc., oath-sake
Dyce ; hath] F, /^a^ Theobald and others. 312. scarce to be] F, to be scarce
Capell conj.

303, 304. /'// . . . you] I'll keep as often in Shakespeare, means "cause

your horse at the same time that I make of complaint or quarrel."

a fool of you. 313. supportance] upholding; the

305. take up] patch up, make up ; same form occurs in Richard II. iii,

cf. "I knew when seven justices could iv. 32.

not take up a quarrel," As You Like 321. ^(?«/] round of fighting ; Danish

It, V. iv. 103. b^tgt, a bend, turn ; so, " to take a turn

307. He . . . him] O yes. Sir at fighting."

Andrew is just as much afraid of the 321. by the duello] according to the

youth. For "conceited" cf. Julius laws of duelling. Ital. a'«e//o ; the word

CcEsar, I. iii. 162, " Him and his worth occurs in Jonson's Cynthia's Revels in

and our great need of him, You have the phrase, "the true laws of the

right well conceited." duello." An Italian treatise on War

311,312. better bethought . . . talki?tg and the Duello was quoted above (line

of] "he has reconsidered the circum- 170, note); and Shakespeare may have

stances wherein he thought himself used Vincentio Saviolo's Practice of the

aggrieved, and now finds that they are Duello (1595).
not worth talking about." " Quarrel,"

\

130 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actih.

Sir And. Pray God, he keep his oath ! \^Draws.

Vio. I do assure you, 'tis against my will. \Draws. 325

Enter ANTONIO.

Ant. Put up your sword. If this young gentleman
Have done offence, I take the fault on me :
If you offend him, I for him defy you. [^Drawing.

Sir To. You, sir ! why, what are you ?

Ant. One, sir, that for his love dares yet do more 330

Than you have heard him brag to you he will.

Sir To. Nay, if you be an undertaker, I am for you.

\^Draws.

Fab. O good Sir Toby, hold ! here come the officers.

Sir To. I '11 be with you anon.

Vio. Pray, sir, put your sword up, if you please. 335

Sir And. Marry, will I, sir : and, for that I promised
you, I '11 be as good as my word. He will bear
you easily, and reins well.

Enter Two Officers.

First Off. This is the man ; do thy office.

Second Off. Antonio, I arrest thee at the suit 340

Of Count Orsino.
Ant. You do mistake me, sir.

First Off. No, sir, no jot : I know your favour well,

341. Count] F, Duke Rowe.

325. / do, etc.] "That the humours man, who disliked to be drawn by a
of the duelling scene will ever be brought bully into a brawl. She acts through-
back within the text of Shakespeare, out with discretion, intelligence, and a
and the limits of becoming mirth, is collected judgement," Spedding.
more than we can hope. Managers 332. aw undertaker] Three meanings
can hardly be expected to sacrifice a appear to be enclosed in this word —
piece of farce, which always makes the (i) one who takes up the business
audience very merry, though Shake- (especially the quarrel) of another ; (2)
speare has evidently taken pains to pre- the "undertakers" (contractors for the
serve Viola from the ridiculous attitude king) who were obnoxious to the Parlia-
in which it places her, and she can ment of 1614 ; (3) one who under-
never be seen as she was meant to be takes to kill, as in Othello, iv. i. 224,
until it is reformed. ... Indeed, from the "Let me be his undertaker " ; this is
beginning to the end of the adventure akin to (i). But whatever its connota-
she neither does nor says anything (her tions, the most obvious meaning of the
complexion and the beating of her heart word is " meddler."
excepted) that would have misbecome 342. favour] Cf. II. iv. 24, note,
a well-behaved, peaceful young gentle-

sc.iv.] WHAT YOU WILL 131

Though now you have no sea-cap on your head.

Take him away : he knows I know him well.
Ant. I must obey. [7b Viola.'] This comes with seeking
you; 345

But there 's no remedy : I shall answer it.

What will you do, now my necessity

Makes me to ask you for my purse ? It grieves
me

Much more for what I cannot do for you,

Than what befalls myself. You stand amaz'd ; 350

But be of comfort.
Second Off. Come, sir, away.
Ant. I must entreat of you some of that money.
Vio. What money, sir ?

For the fair kindness you have show'd me here, 355

And part, being prompted by your present trouble,

Out of my lean and low ability

I '11 lend you something : my having is not much :

I '11 make division of my present with you.

Hold, there is half my coffer.
Ant. Will you deny me now?

Is 't possible that my deserts to you 361

Can lack persuasion ? Do not tempt my misery.

Lest that it make me so unsound a man

As to upbraid you with those kindnesses

That I have done for you.
Vio. I know of none; 365

Nor know I you by voice or any feature.

360. there is] Hanmer and others, there 's F.

343. sea-capl "The 'sea-cap' of the 358. having] property; as often in

Shakespearian era seems to have been Shakespeare.

generally composed of fur, as appears 359. my presetit] sc. money ; the

from Ammon's curious book, De money I have with me.
omnibus Illiberalibus sive Mechanicis 360. Hold] Possibly an interjectional

Artibus, 1574," Fairholt, quoted by line.
Halliwell. 360. coffer] i.e. purse ; and again,

345. with seeking] See Abbott, § i.e. ready-money. The only instance
193. of this use of the word in Shakespeare.

346. answer] See iii. iii. 28, note. 363. Lest that] See i. ii. 47, note.
356. part] partly, as in Othello, v. 363. unsound] The only instance of

ii. 296, ' ' This wretch hath part con- this epithet in Shakespeare,
fess'd his v^llany."

132

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actiii.

I hate ingratitude more in a man

Than lying vainness, babbling drunkenness,

Or any taint of vice whose strong corruption

Inhabits our frail blood.
Ant. O heavens themselves ! 370

Second Off. Come, sir : I pray you, go.
Ant. Let me speak a little. This youth that you see here

I snatch'd one half out of the jaws of death,

Reliev'd him with such sanctity of love,

And to his image, which methought did promise 375

Most venerable worth, did I devotion.
First Off. What 's that to us ? The time goes by : away !
Ant. But, O ! how vile an idol proves this god.

Thou hast, Sebastian, done good feature shame.

In nature there's no blemish but the mind; 380

368. lying vainness, babbling drunkenness'] some edd. ; lying, vainnfsse,
babling drunkennesse F, Ff, and some edd. ; lying, vainness, babbling, drunken-
ness Steevens and others. 371. pray you, gd\ pray you go F, pray you
Lloyd ap. Camb. 372, 373.] For Hanmer's arrangement, see notes. 372.
speak] F, but speak Hanmer. 375. his] F, this some edd. 378. vile] vilde F.

368. lyi^tg etc.] The line reminds
us of the "ling, heath, broom (or
brown) furze " of The Tempest (i. i. 68,
69), where the words may be taken in
pairs or separately. The F punctua-
tion may perhaps be trusted, which
places a comma after "lying," but not
after babbling " ; and it is important to
notice that if " babbling" is a noun in
this instance, it is nowhere else so used
in Shakespeare. Of course mere
enumeration, apart from climax, adds
force ; but we have really little to
choose, unless we note that the ciesura
in the next line is moved on to the
third foot, as though it had strongly
fallen after the second foot in the line
preceding, i.e. after the first pair of
vices mentioned.

368. vainness] Probably in the sense
of "boasting" — "boasting of what is
false."

372. Let . . . here] K. Elze would
begin the speech, "Tarry a little. And
let me speak. This youth, etc." The
metre is thus restored. Hanmer
arranges thus :

" Let me but speak
A little. Why, this youth that
you see here."

374. Relievd him . . . love] The
word "such" in this line suggests that
a line following has dropped out ; yet
the passage, "And to his image . . . de-
votion" (lines 375, 376) follows, after
Shakespeare's manner, as a natural
amplification of the line preceding it.
Others would read "much"; but
Wright prefers to find a parallel use of
" such" in Cymbeline, v. v. 43, " Your
daughter, whom she bore in hand to
love With such integrity, she did con-
fess Was as a scorpion in her sight."

374. sanctity] The word used by Sir
Toby, III. iv. 89.

376. venerable] worthy of veneration
— without the modern notion of age ;
but the suffix has not quite the modern
force ; it is more gerundial — that which
is to be venerated. Cf. " But, howso-
ever, strange and admirable " {A/id-
summer- JVight's Dream, V. 27). See
note on i. v. 281.

379. feature] like "complexion" has
often a wider meaning in Sh.ikespeare ;
the whole external appearance, not
merely one aspect of the face.

380, 381, 382.] Cf. Viola's words to
the Captain in I. ii. 46-50, "There is
. . . character."

sc.iv.] WHAT YOU WILL 133

None can be call'd deform'd but the unkind :

Virtue is beauty, but the beauteous evil

Are empty trunks o'erflourish'd by the devil.
First Off. The man grows mad : away with him ! Come,

come, sir.
Ant. Lead me on. \Exeunt Officers with Antonio. 385

Vio. Methinks his words do from such passion fly,

That he believes himself; so do not I.

Prove true, imagination, O ! prove true,

That I, dear brother, be now ta'en for you.
Sir To. Come hither, knight; come hither, Fabian: 390

we '11 whisper o'er a couplet or two of most sage

saws.
Vio. He nam'd Sebastian : I my brother know

Yet living in my glass ; even such and so

In favour was my brother; and he went 395

Still in this fashion, colour, ornament,

For him I imitate, O ! if it prove

382, beauteous evil] F, beauteotis-evil Malone, etc. 3S4. Thel F, Surely

the Hanmer. 397, Of] Oh F, So some edd.

381. unkind] From first to last 3S6. do . . . fly] spring from such
Shakespeare plays on this word to the genuine feeling. Cf. The Tempest, i.
top of his bent (see my note in The ii. 99-103.

Tempest, v. i. 23) ; and here he uses it 387. so do not /] (1) believe what he

in the two senses of (i) unnatural, (2) says; (2) believe myself when I dare

hard-hearted. For the former, cf. King hope, from this, that my brother is

Lear, III. iv. 73, " Nothing could have alive — when I thus "imagine" (line

subdued nature To such a lowness but 388).

his unkind daughters." For the 391, 392. a r^/c/Zf/. .. ^awj-] referring

thought, cf. Bacon, Essay, " Of ironically to Antonio's moralising in

Beauty," "Virtue is like a rich stone, 378-383.

best plain set." 392. i-awi-] maxims ; often expressed

382. beauteous evil] Cf. "proper- in rhyming couplets. Cf. " wise saws "
false," II. ii. 30 ; those who are fair in in As You Like It, II. vii. 156. It may
body, foul in mind. be just worthy of remark that the words

383. empty . . . o'erflourish'd] "sage" and "saws" have the same
Trunks or chests covered with richly philological history.

ornamented carvings ; these in Shake- 394. Yet living iti my glass] Prob-

speare's time were important articles of ably a double entend)-e, as usual — (l)

furniture. For "o'erflourish'd," cf. whenever I look in my mirror, (2)

Cotgrave, " Fringoteries : Frets, mirror'd to the life in my own person ;

wriggled flourishings in carving." this "glass" figure, which occurs

Craig compares Somiet, Ix., e.g. "the prominently in Euphues, is a favourite

flourish set on youth." Tennyson ( 77^i? with Shakespeare; cf Hamlet, ill. i.

Golden Year) may have mistaken the 161, " the glass of fashion."

meaning of this word when he wrote, 395. favour] See II. iv. 24, 26 (note),

" Like an oaken stock in winter woods and III. iv. 342.

O'erflourish'd with the hoary clematis." 397. prove] Abbott, § 64.

134 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [activ.

Tempests are kind, and salt waves fresh in love. [Exif.

Sir To. A very dishonest paltry boy, and more a

coward than a hare. His dishonesty appears in 400
leaving his friend here in necessity, and denying
him ; and for his cowardship, ask Fabian.

Fab. A coward, a most devout coward, religious in it.

Sir And. 'Slid, I '11 after him again, and beat him.

Sir To. Do; cuff him soundly, but never draw thy 405
sword.

Sir Afid. An I do not, — {Exit.

Fab. Come, let 's see the event.

Sir To. I dare lay any money 'twill be nothing yet.

{Exeufit.

ACT IV

SCENE I. — The Street before Olivias House.

Enter SEBASTIAN and Clown.

Clo. Will you make me believe that I am not sent for
you ?

Seb. Go to, go to ; thou art a foolish fellow :
Let me be clear of thee.

Clo. Well held out, i' faith ! No, I do not know you ; 5
nor I am not sent to you by my lady to bid you
come speak with her ; nor your name is not
Master Cesario ; nor this is not my nose neither.
Nothing that is so is so.

404. 'Slid,-]SlidY.

398. //-^j,^] The accustomed quibble ; flies the event." Or in the Latin we

they have changed their nature, or have may quote, " Quisquis ab eventu facta

shown themselves abundant in love. notanda putet," Ovid, Her. ii. 85.

403. reUgioiis\ devoted to it ; repeats 409. yet^ after all.
" devout " in the same line. Cf. " such a * ti/ c
sanctity of love," in. iv. 374 ; also the -^^ ^^- ^""^ '•

" adoraturi sedean.t " of Erasmus. I. Will you'\ Do you wish to ?

404. 'Sluf\ See' note on '"Slight," 3. Co /<?] Used about eighteen times
II. V. 35. in Shakespeare with varying sense ; our

405. eventl issue, result; see also "Come, come."

II. iii. 182. Often thus literally in 5. Well . . . out] admirably pre-

Shakespeare. For other writers we tended or persisted in. "An artful

may cf. Milton's (Par. Lost, ii. 82) way of implying that much of this con-

" The event is feared," and for a later test has been carried on before Sebas-

use Tennyson's (Loz'cr's Tale) "He tian and Feste enter," Fumess.

SC. I.]

WHAT YOU WILL

135

Seb. I prithee, vent thy folly somewhere else : I o

Thou know'st not me.

Clo. Vent my folly ! He has heard that word of some
great man, and now applies it to a fool. Vent
my folly 1 I am afraid this great lubber, the
world, will prove a cockney. I prithee now, 1 5
ungird thy strangeness and tell me what I shall
vent to my lady. Shall I vent to her that thou
art coming?

Seb. I prithee, foolish Greek, depart from me :

14, 15. great lubber, the world,'] Var. '03, etc. ; great lubber the World Y, Ff,
Rowe, etc. ; great lubberly world Coll, MS. ; great lubberly word Douce,
Badham, ^^ilite ; great lubber, for all the world'&nWoch. 19-21.] As prose, F.

19. Greek] F 4, greeke F, geek Hanmer, grig or gleeker Anon. ap. Camb.

12. Vent] utter ; the Clown's ridicule
is not altogether serious, but it implies
some special use of the word. Cf.
"observation, the which he vents In
mangled forms," As You Like It, II.
vii. 43.

14, 15. / am afraid , . . cockney]
We may accept Johnson's explanation,
" Affectation and foppery will over-
spread the world " ; but we may add,
especially affectation in language.
Shakespeare has not yet done with his
ridicule of euphuism and fantastic
language generally (wherever, as we
have already remarked, he took his
own wilful if not inconsistent pleasure);
and in the person of Feste he continues
to expose the practice of "dallying
nicely with words " ; and in this passage
speaks out as for himself. For other
readings, see textual notes. The
emendation " this great lubberly
word," suggested independently by two
or three commentators, is surely in-
applicable to "vent," and the state-
ment "this great lubberly world will
prove a cockney " shows rather the
whole drift of the Clown's remarks.
Scarcely worthy of notice is the ex-
planation * ' The world will prove this
great lubber (Sebastian) to be a
cockney."

14. lubber] big clumsy fellow.
Welsh Hob, a dolt; cf. "thou lob of
spirits," Midsummer - Nighf s Dream,
II. i. 16. Also Milton's " lubbar
fiend," L Allegro, no. We may note
also that Minsheu gives ' ' A Lobbe,
lubber, or clown."

15. cockney] Originally coken-ey,
cock's egg, egg ; a malformed egg ;
then applied to a child tenderly brought
up, a spoilt child ; hence the meaning
effeminate, etc. Cf. Fr. coco, child's
name for an egg, applied in derision to
men. In the text the word means an
affected foolish person. For another
use of the word in Shakespeare, see
King Lear, II. iv. 123.

16. ungird thy strangeness] have
done with your distant manner, your
pretence of not knowing me.

19. Greek] Used vaguely or colloqui-
ally for a merry companion. Minsheu
gives " a merrie Greeke . . . a jester."
Cf. "A merry Greek, and cants in
Latin comely," Ben Jonson, The New
Inn, II. ii. Mr. Craig refers to T.
Heywood, Edward IV. (1600), "My
brave Falconbridge, my mad greeke"
{Works, Pearson, ist part, i. 26) ; and
to Wm. Ray, Rede me a7id be not Wroth
(1528, Arber, p. 1 17), " In carde play-
ing he is a good greke, And can skylle
of post and glyeke." Also to R.
Greene, Jarnes the Fourth, iv. 3,
" What ho, sirrah, you gome, you with
the nose like an eagle, an you be a right
Greek, one turn more." Cf. also the
proverb, "as merry as a Greek " ; (also,
"a merry grig"). "The Latin per-
grsecor is translated by Coles, to revel,
to play the merry Greek, or boon com-
panion," Malone. Here the word may
connote " pander," caught partly from
Feste's "Shall I vent to her that thou
art coming?"

136 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [activ.

There 's money for thee : if you tarry longer 20

I shall give worse payment.
Clo. By my troth, thou hast an open hand. These
wise men that give fools money get themselves a
good report after fourteen years' purchase.

Enter SiR Andrew.

Sir And. Now, sir, have I met you again? there's for 25
you. \Striking Sebastian.

Seb. Why, there 's for thee, and there, and there.

Are all the people mad? \B eating Sir Andrew.

Enter SiR ToBY and Fabian.

Sir To. Hold, sir, or I '11 throw your dagger o'er the

house. 30

Clo. This will I tell my lady straight. I would not

be in some of your coats for twopence. \Exit.

Sir To. Come on, sir : hold.

Sir And. Nay, let him alone; I '11 go another way to

work with him: I'll have an action of battery 35
against him if there be any law in Illyria.
Though I struck him first, yet it 's no matter
for that.

Seb. Let go thy hand.

Sir To. Come, sir, I will not let you go. Come, my 40

21. 7vorse\ F, worser Anon. ap. Camb. 23. li'ise men'] Rowe, etc., IVise-
men F. 24. after] F, at a Anon. ap. Camb. 27. and there, and there] F ;
and there, and there, and there, Capell, Dyce, ii. iii., Hudson. 37. struck]
stroke ¥.

22. o/^«] liberal ; this being, as Feste 31. This . . . straight] Is this to
supposes, a second gift from Viola. prepare us for Olivia's entrance ? No

24. after . . . purchase] "Certainly, doubt she would soon hear of the fray,

anno 1621, the current price of lands but we may almost regret that Feste

in England was twelve years' purchase," should be mentioned as the tale-bearer.

Sir Josiah Child, Discourse on Trade ; 32. twopence] Another way of iniply-

quoied by Reed. Hence "fourteen ing " a good deal "; cf. " fourteen years'

years' purchase" may stand roughly for purchase," line 24, above,

"a very extravagant price." See note 33. Ct^w^ ^«] Probably in the sense of

on line 32, below. Bacon in his Essay "come away."

"On Usury" mentions sixteen years' 35. action of battery] For Shake-
purchase, speare's legal knowledge, see note on

27.] Capell's attempt to preserve the ni. ii. 15; also Introduction, p.

metre (textual notes) imperils the xxv.
rhetoric.

SCI.] WHAT YOU WILL 137

young soldier, put up your iron : you are well

fleshed ; come on.
Seb. I will be free from thee. What would'st thou
now?

If thou dar'st tempt me further, draw thy sword.
Sir To. What, what ! Nay, then I must have an ounce 45

or two of this malapert blood from you. \praws.

Enter Olivia.

on. Hold, Toby ! on thy life I charge thee, hold !

Sir To. Madam !

Oli. Will it be ever thus ? Ungracious wretch !

Fit for the mountains and the barbarous caves, 50

Where manners ne'er were preach'd. Out of my

sight !
Be not offended, dear Cesario,
Rudesby, be gone !

\Exeunt Sir Toby, Sir Andrew , and Fabian.
I prithee, gentle friend.
Let thy fair wisdom, not thy passion, sway

41, 42. put . . . fleshed\ F; see note below. 51. neer\ nere F, ne^re Ff.
53. Rudesby'] F 3, 4, and most edd. ; Rudesbey F ; Rude spy Procter.

41, 42. put up . . . fleshed] These 53. Rudesby] a rude or ruffianly-
words appear to form a parenthesis fellow ; compounded of " rude " and a
addressed to Sir Andrew ; Sebastian has suffix of uncertain origin — possibly a
not yet drawn his sword, and the form of "boy." In Shakespeare the
"iron" referred to should be Sir word occurs again in 77z^ Taw/w^- ^/ ///e
Andrew's weapon ; it could hardly stand Shrew, III. ii. 10; cf. also, "And as
for Sebastian's "dagger"; and Sebas- he which is ceremonious may be thought
tian, who is held fast by Sir Toby, draws to be a dissembler, so he which is not
his longer blade at line 43 (after so, may be taken to be a clowne, a
"What would'st thou now?"). More- rudesby, or a contemner of others,"
over, the parenthesis would serve as a Guazzo, Ciuile Conuersatiott, 1586;
soothing compliment to Sir Andrew. quoted by Halliwell. In Chapman's

41, 42. well fleshed] like hawk or Sir Gyles Goosecappe, 1 606, we have,

hound that has tasted blood, and been "blunt Sir Cutt Rudesby . . . blunt

made eager for the prey ; but the context at a sharpe wit, and sharpe at a blunt

of some of the passages in Shakespeare wit." The word occurs also in Gold-

that contain the metaphor suggests ing's Ovid, and in the Ethiopian

something more than a mere "taste." Historie (i^Sj).

In this instance we should adopt the 54-56. Let . . . peace] Let calm

above explanation. See also preceding wisdom rather than just anger deter-

note. mine your conduct in dealing with this

46. malapert] saucy, impudent. Cot- savage and most undeserved attack

grave gives " Afarmiton : m. A Seal- upon the happy courtesy of your

lion ... a saucie, malapert, or knauish life,
fellow."

138 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [activ.

In this uncivil and unjust extent 5 5

Against thy peace. Go with me to my house,
And hear thou there how many fruitless pranks
This ruffian hath botch'd up, that thou thereby
May'st smile at this. Thou shalt not choose but

go:
Do not deny. Beshrew his soul for me, 6o

He started one poor heart of mine in thee.

Seb. What relish is in this ? how runs the stream ?
Or I am mad, or else this is a dream.
Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep ;
If it be thus to dream, still let me sleep ! 65

Oli. Nay ; come, I prithee ; would thou'dst be rul'd by me !

Seb. Madam, I will.

Oli. O ! say so, and so be. \Exeu7it.

SCENE II. — A Room in Olivia's House.

Enter Maria and Cloivn.

Mar. Nay, I prithee, put on this gown and this
beard : make him believe thou art Sir Topas

66. prithee] preihee F, pray Pope, etc.

55. uncivil] Cf. II. iii. 125; also idiom represents either " thou shall not

" Fit for the mountains and the barbar- choose anything except to go," or

ous caves," line 50, above. "thou shalt not choose anything else,

55. extent] "In law, a writ of exe- but shalt go."
cution, whereby goods are seized for 60. Beshrew] Cf. II. iii. 81.
the king. It is therefore taken here 61. started] Technical hunting term

for violence in general," Johnson, for rousing game.

From the writ Extendi facias ; cf. 61. heart] Probably the accustomed

" Make an extent upon his house and quibble with "hart"; here, however,

lands," As You Like It, in. i. 17. less obtrusive than usual. See also

It is similarly used in 5"<"/;>««j-. Accord- i. i. 16.

ing to New. Ettg. Diet, it means "a 62. What relish . . . stream]

predatory attack. What am I to think of this? What

57, 58. fi-uitless . . . botch'd] A does it all mean? How is it going to

strange association of metaphor. Take turn out ?

"fruitless" in thesense of "stupid, "and 64. Let . . . ^/c-f/] Paraphrased by

"botched" as "clumsily contrived." the line that follows; cL 2 Henry IV.

With " botched " cf. " botcher " in I. V. v. ii. 72, and Antony and Cleopatra,

47. Also Craig compares Nash, Have 11. vii. 113, 114.
with you to Saffron IValden, 1596, „

" Let this Paraliticke Quacksaluer . . . ^'^"" "•

botch and cobble up as manie volumes 2. Sir Topas] A name possibly

as he can betwixt this and doomesday." suggested by Chaucer's Rime of Sir

59. Thou . . . go] This graceful Thopas. Skeat notes that the Latin

SC. II.]

WHAT YOU WILL

139

the curate : do it quickly ; I '11 call Sir Toby the
whilst. [Exit

Clo. Well, I '11 put it on, and I will dissemble myself 5
in 't : and I would I were the first that ever dis-
sembled in such a gown. I am not tall enough
to become the function well, nor lean enough to
be thought a good student ; but to be said an
honest man and a good housekeeper goes as 10
fairly as to say a careful man and a great scholar.
The competitors enter.

Enter SiR ToBY BELCH and MARIA.

Sir To. Jove bless thee, Master parson.

Clo. Bonos dies, Sir Toby : for as the old hermit of Prague,

7. /a//] F, fat Farmer, etc. 9. stiidait] Sttidient F. il. careful^

carefidl F, graceful Hanmer and others. 13. Jove\ F, C^^^f Halliwell, Hudson ;
Master parsott] M. Parson F. 14. Prague"] Rovfe, prage F,/>rauge F 4.

Topazius, is our topaz, and concludes
that the title was appropriate to "such
a gem of a knight " (see also note on
" I am for all waters," line 66, below).
Clarke discovers the same in Shake-
speare's use of the word, but adds a
fact that lends it an additional signifi-
cance ; for the topaz, he says, was
believed to possess the virtue of curing
insanity ; and Furness quotes Reginald
Scot, Discovert e of Witchcraft, 1584,
"A topase healeth the lunatike person
of his passion of lunacie." That the
latter fact determined Shakespeare's
choice of the word is exceedingly prob-
able. For the title " Sir," see note on
III. iv. 284.

3, 4. the •whilst'] in the meantime.

5. dissemble tnyself] disguise myself
— in a Latin sense. In line 7 the word
has the more usual meaning. That
Shakespeare knew enough Latin to
adopt such a phrase as "dissemble
myself" may be safely assumed. See
notes on I. v. 94, 99 ; 11. v. 140 ; iv.
iii. 6, etc. ; also the author's Handbook
to Shakespeare, p. 38.

7. tall] Farmer's emendation "fat"
(alliterative with "function") is almost
certainly right ; it supplies the antithesis
to "lean," just as a little below "an
honest man and a good housekeeper "
is the same antithetical notion to "a
careful man and a great scholar." We

are reminded, moreover, of certain fat
and lean characters in Chaucer's Pro-
logue, who illustrate fairly enough the
Clown's distinction. Or, cf. Tennyson,
"Old Summers, when the monk was
fat And, issuing shorn and sleek." See
also note on " careful," line 11, below.
9. student] The F "Studient," a form
which occurs also in 7 he Merry Wives
of Windsor, ill. i. 38, may represent
a pronunciation of the time, or be in-
tended as a variant, on the model of
itudiatit, studiente, etc.

9. said] called ; Abbott, § 200.

10. housekeeper] implies good-living,
with a further notion of hospitality.

11. carefed] corresponds to "lean"
in line 8 ; thin and worn with study.
Feste seems to argue that to be fat and
well-liking is no disgrace to a " curate,"
though to be lean and studious is no less
a recommendation.

12. competitors] associate, partner,
confederate. Cf. Richard III. IV. iv.
506, "every hour more competitors
flock to their aid." And for an earlier
use, cf. Fenton, Guicciard, 1579, "being
competitors and parties " [New. Eng.
Diet. ).

14. Bonos dies] May be good Latin
or good Spanish.

14. the old hermit of Prague] It
is a question whether the attempt to
identify this "old hermit of Prague"

140 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [activ.

that never saw pen and ink, very wittily said to i 5
a niece of King Gorboduc, " That that is is ; " so
I, being Master parson, am Master parson, for
what is " that " but " that," and " is " but " is " ?

Sir To. To him, Sir Topas.

Cio. What ho ! I say. Peace in this prison. 20

Sir To. The knave counterfeits well ; a good knave.

MaL [ Within.] Who calls there ?

Clo. Sir Topas the curate, who comes to visit Malvolio
the lunatic.

Mai. Sir Topas, Sir Topas, good Sir Topas, go to my 25
lady.

Clo. Out, hyperbolical fiend ! how vexest thou this
man ! Talkest thou nothing but of ladies?

Sir To. Well said. Master parson.

Mai. Sir Topas, never was man thus wronged. Good 30
Sir Topas, do not think I am mad : they have
laid me here in hideous darkness.

Clo. Fie, thou dishonest Satan! I call thee by the
most modest terms ; for I am one of those
gentle ones that will use the devil himself with 35
courtesy. Sayest thou that house is dark ?

16. Gorboduc] Capell, etc. ; Gorbodacke F ; Gorbodack F 3, Rowe ; Gorbodiick
Pope, etc. 28. tiothing but of] F, of nothing but some edd. 33. Satan]

most edd. ; sathan F, Pope, etc. ; Sathan Ff, Rowe, etc. 36. that] F, this
Mason and others, that this Halliwell ; other conjectures : the, that the, that .

would prove more satisfactory than a 16. That . . . is] This is not the
similar attempt upon the identity of the only occasion on which Shakespeare
"niece of King Gorboduc" (line 16). laughs at the logic of the schools.
But see the note on I. v. 36. Douce 17. Afaster parson] CL with a differ-
remarks that the reference is not to "the ence, " Sir priest," in in. iv. 284.
celebrated heresiarch Jerome of Prague, 27. hyperbolical] A strange epithet,
but another of that name born likewise with some of its literal force ; cf.
at Prague, and called the hermit of "ecstasy"; or it may include the
CawaA^/; in Prague." notion of extravagance in language;
16. A7«^(7<?;--^(7^/«(] Halliwell quotes cf. "acclamations hyperbolical" in
Suckling, Z£//(?;-J, l65q, "The opinion Coriolanus, \.\\. l\.
of things is the measure of their value, 34. wc7(/i;j/] moderate, as in I. iii. 9.
as was wisely said of a neece of King 35. iviir] wish to.
Gorbudukes." A footnote states that 36. that . . . dark] "A darkened
" the old copy has, and perhaps Suck- room was sometimes called a dark-
ling wrote, queetie." The ancient house" (Halliwell, who quotes "After-
British King Gorboduc is the subject ward you must place the sicke in a
of our earliest blank verse tragedy, dark house, which is moderately warme,"
Gorboduc, or Ferrex and Porrex, by Barrough's Method of Physick, 1624) ;
Sackville and Norton, 1561. see also quotation from Riche, Appendix

sc,

II.]

WHAT YOU WILL

141

Mai. As hell, Sir Topas.

Clo. Why, it hath bay-windows transparent as bar-
ricadoes, and the clearstories toward the south-
north are as lustrous as ebony ; and yet com- 40
plainest thou of obstruction ?

Mai, I am not mad. Sir Topas. I say to you, this
house is dark.

Clo. Madman, thou errest : I say there is no darkness

but ignorance, in which thou art more puzzled 45
than the Egyptians in their fog.

Mai. I say this house is as dark as ignorance, though
ignorance were as dark as hell ; and I say there
was never man thus abused. I am no more mad
than you are: make the trial of it in any constant 50
question.

39. clearstories] most edd. ; cleere st07-es F ; chare stones F 2 ; clear stones F 3,
4, Rowe, etc.; other suggestions : clerestories, clear-stories, clear stories, clear-
stores, clere-storeys ; toruard] F, Ff, Dyce, etc. ; towards Rowe, etc. 50.
constant] F ; consistent Collier MS. ap. Camb.

I. p. 190. Feste, however, with his
usual quibbling, goes on to describe
the cell as if it were a large building.

38, 39. barricadoes] "As in the case
of 'duello' and 'duel,' the French
form of the word ' barricade ' had not
in Shakespeare's time become fully
naturalised," Wright. "An adaptation
of the Fr. barricade or Sp. barricada,
formed from the Fr. barrique or Sp.
barrica, a cask, the first street barri-
cades in Paris being composed of casks
filled with earth, paving-stones, etc.,"
New Eng. Diet.

39. clearstories] (or clere - stories ;
F cleere stores) "The upper part of
the nave, choir, and transepts of a
cathedral or other large church, lying
above the triforium (or if there is no
triforium, immediately over the arches
of the nave, etc.), and containing a
series of windows, clear of the roofs of
the aisles, admitting light to the central
parts of the building " {New Eng. Diet.,
s.v. "Clerestory"). The term clerestory
was not confined to ecclesiastical build-
ings ; it was applied to similar windows
in large halls, such as the college-halls
of Oxford and Cambridge. Opposed
to it is " blind-story " ; and the word is
conjectured to be formed of "clear " (in

the sense of "light " or " lighted ") and
"story," stage of a building, floor of a
house, etc. As to the reading "cleare
stones," which is found in F 2, there
is something to recommend it in the
balanced nonsense of the context, and it
makes the Clown's description applicable
to a cell or "house"; and this point
has some little importance (see note on
"house," line 36). On the other hand,
"clerestories suggest a church — a be-
fitting place wherein to exorcise an evil
spirit, and designed still further to
worry Malvolio." But to this opinion
of Furness the context gives no greater
support, and in subsequent speeches
Malvolio twice calls his place of con-
finement a "house."

41. obstruction] Another fanciful
term ; obstruction to the view ; also
with a legal meaning. Three times in
this play the word is used in some
special sense (here, and in II. v. 121,
and III. iv. 22).

46. Egyptians, etc.] Exodus x. 21
and 22.

49. abused] illused, as in line 91.

50, 51. consta7tt question] Most prob-
ably, "by allowing me to take part in
some properly conducted conversation,
or some debate on a point of philo-

142

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [activ.

Clo. What is the opinion of Pythagoras concerning

wild fowl ?
Mai. That the soul of our grandam might haply inhabit

a bird. 55

Clo. What thinkest thou of his opinion ?
Mai. I think nobly of the soul, and no way approve

his opinion.
Clo. Fare thee well : remain thou still in darkness.

Thou shalt hold the opinion of Pythagoras ere I 60

will allow of thy wits, and fear to kill a woodcock,

lest thou dispossess the soul of thy grandam.

Fare thee well.
Mai. Sir Topas ! Sir Topas !

Sir To. My most exquisite Sir Topas ! 65

Clo. Nay, I am for all waters.

53. wild foivr\ Wilde-fowle F. 54. haply'\ Capell, etc. ; happily F, Ff,

Rowe, etc. 56. thinkest\\zx. '03, etc., thinkst F. 62. soul'X F; house Ff,
Rowe, Pope, Hanmer.

sophy " ; and the Clown proceeds forth-
with to open a debate in which MalvoHo
might not appear to advantage. I much
prefer this interpretation to "a question
which requires a consistent answer " ;
■'debate the question of this straw,"
Hamlet, I v. iv. 26. Bucknill notes
that the test of sanity proposed by
Malvolio finds its counterpart in modern
times.

52. Pythagoras'] Suggested, perhaps,
by Giordano Bruno ; but Shakespeare
was intimately acquainted with Ovid's
Metaiiiorphoses, and he may have de-
rived some of his allusions to the doc-
trines of Pythagoras from that authority ;
e.g. " Verum ctiam volucres animae
sumus, inque ferinas Possumus ire
domos, pccudum<iue in pectora condi, "
XV. 457, 458. Compare also The Mer-
chant of Venice, iv. i. 131, and As You
Like It, III. ii. 187.

57. / think, etc.] A justly famous
rejoinder, and something more than
dramatic in its noble intention. Cf.
Hamlet, I. iv. 66, 67, etc.

61. allow . . . wUs] admit you are
sane; cf. "allow" in I. ii. 58.

61. woodcock] See notes on 11. v. 85,
and III. ii. 70.

63. Fare thee well] This interview
represents a caricature of the idea that

madness is occasioned by demoniacal
possession and is curable by priestly
exorcism. The idea was not merely a
vulgar one in Shakespeare's time, but
was maintained even long afterwards
by the learned and the pious. More
than a trace of it, indeed, remains to
the present day in Canon LXXII. of
the Church, which provides "that no
Minister without the license of the
Bishop of the Diocese shall attempt,
upon any pretence whatever, either of
possession or obsession, by fasting and
prayer, to cast out any devil or devils,
under pain of the imputation of impos-
ture or cosenage, and deposition from
the ministry," Bucknill {Mad Folk,
323), quoted by Furness.

66. / am for all waters] " I can turn
my hand to anything ; I can assume
any character I please ; like a fish, I
can swim equally well in all waters."
This comment by Malone gives the
meaning of the expression aptly enough,
but we may question whether his last
sentence explains the metaphor. lie
quotes Florio's Montaigne, " He had
an oar in every water"; and Wright
quotes Th. Heywood, The English
Traveller, " Like a good travelling
hackney, learne to drinke of all waters."
Among other suggestions, I should

SC. II.]

WHAT YOU WILL

143

Mar. Thou might'st have done this without thy beard
and gown : he sees thee not.

Sir To. To him in thine own voice, and bring me word

how thou findest him : I would we were well rid 70
of this knavery. If he may be conveniently
delivered, I would he were ; for I am now so far
in offence with my niece that I cannot pursue
with any safety this sport to the upshot. Come
by and by to my chamber, 75

{Exeunt Sir Toby and Maria.

Clo. l^Singing."] Hey Robin, jolly Robin,

Tell me hozv thy lady does.

70. weir\ F ; all Ff, Rowe, etc.
sport ^the Furness conj.

74. sport to the\ Rowe, etc., sport the F,

place first the Italian proverb, "Tu
hai mantello d'ogni acqua" ("Thou
hast a cloak for all waters"); this, as
Mr. Wright remarks, is illustrated by
another, "Non si fa mantello per un'
acqua sola " ("A cloak is not made for
one shower only "). After this, I may
add as less important the following
explanations: An "expression borrowed
from sportsmen, and relating to the
qualifications of a complete spaniel,"
Johnson. " I think that Shakespeare
in this place alludes to this sense of the
word ' water' {i.e. the colour and lustre
of precious stones)." "The clown. . .
can put on all colours, alluding to the
word Topas," Mason. "One that can
relish all waters, that is, drink anything,"
Halliwell. This opinion of Halliwell
is corroborated by Staunton. Halliwell
also writes: "Another conjecture is
that the proverbial phrase originated
from a passage in Isaiah, ' Blessed are
ye that sow beside all waters.' " There
is yet to be noticed an entry in Bacon's
Promiis (Fol. gob), "We have not
drunke all of one water." But I think
that the Italian proverb is almost cer-
tainly the source of the expression, and
that all other explanations are interest-
ing rather than convincing.

71. knavery'\ foolish practical joke.

71-74. If he . . . zc/j/ii?/] If he can
be set free without any fuss, I shall be
glad, for my niece is now so angry with
me that I cannot safely play this game
out.

71, 72. may

wouldl For the

irregularity in sequence, see Abbott,
§370.

74. upshof] "The decisive shot, a
term in archery, as the up-cast or final
throw was used in the game of bowls,"
Wright. The word is here employed
metaphorically to denote the conclusion
of any business. Cf. Hamlet, v. ii.

395-

75. by a7td by} " pretty soon " ; pos-
sibly not in the former sense (see note
on III. iv. 181) of immediately.

75. Exeunt Sir Toby and Maria]
Events succeed one another rapidly
enough in most drama, but here they
are not by any means easy to follow.
By the time Sir Toby is referred to
in the speech of Fabian (v. 359), he
has got married, got drunk, received
"a bloody coxcomb," and been sent to
bed. To pry into the exact sequence
of these events is scarcely profitable.
Again, let us accept the ideal conditions,
respect the poet's limitations, and admit
that these apparent inconsistencies do
not seriously mar the general impres-
sion which it was his main purpose to
give. See also the note on v. 368.

76. Hey Robin, jolly Robin] These
words form the first two lines of a
song of six stanzas found in a MS.
volume dating from the early part of
the sixteenth century. It is printed in
Percy's Reliques of Ancient English
Poetry. Naylor gives the old music
for the song, which he thinks to be of
the same period as "Farewell, dear
heart" (11. iii. 104).

144

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [activ.

Mai. Fool !

Clo. My lady is unkind, perdy.

MaL Fool ! 80

Clo. Alas I why is she so ?

Mai. Fool, I say!

Clo. She loves another.

Who calls, ha ?
Mai, Good fool, as ever thou wilt deserve well at my

hand, help me to a candle, and pen, ink, and 85

paper. As I am a gentleman, I will live to be

thankful to thee for 't.
Clo. Master Malvolio !
Mai. Ay, good fool.

Clo. Alas, sir, how fell you besides your five wits ? 90

Mai. Fool, there was never man so notoriously abused :

I am as well in my wits, fool, as thou art.
Clo. But as well ? then you are mad indeed, if you be

no better in your wits than a fool.
Mai. They have here propertied me ; keep me in 95

88. Master Malvolio] Var. '73> etc., M. Malvolio F, Mr. Malvolio Rowe, etc.
90. besidesl F, beside some edd. 95. here] F ; omitted Pope, lianmer ;

keep] F, they keep Hanmer.

79. perdy] (F perdie) ; French par-
die it.

84, 85. as ever . . . help me] Abbott,

§275-

90. ho7U . . . besides] This is best
explained by the following in Mtich Ado
about Nothing, V. i. 126: "Dost thou
wear thy wit by thy side? Claiidio.
Never did any so, though very many
have been beside their wit." Here
" besides" (or beside) means "out of,"
as often in Shakespeare; and of. "in
my wits " in line 92. " Fell " is alliter-
ative with "five," and the metaphor is
fairly consistent with the meaning of
"besides." Again, we may compare
the Greek "ecstasy."

90. Jive wits] By analogy to the five
senses, with which they were sometimes
identified. The five internal wits, or
powers of the mind, are enumerated as
follows in the Pastime of Pleasure of
Stephen Hawes : "Common wit, im-
agination, fantasy, estimation, and
memory." Cf. also Sonnet, cxli. : "But
my five wits, nor my five senses can

Dissuade one foolish heart from serving
thee." "The 'five wits' are referred
to in Piers Ploughman,^' Skeat, ap.
Furness. See also Mr. Craig's note in
King Lear, ni. iii. 59.

91. «o/o/-/^7<.f/j'] shamefully. A little
below, Malvolio twice uses the word
"notorious," and the Countess acknow-
ledges that he has been "notoriously
abused" (see note on "obstruction,"
IV. ii. 41).

91. abused] See line 49, note.

92. in'] Note, line 90, above.

93. But] Only.

95. propertied] Used probably in two
senses : the first, that of stage properties
or apparatus, which, says Collier,
"when out of use, were thrust into
some dark loft or lumber-room " ; this
interpretation is borne out by Malvolio's
emphatic "here," and by the explan-
atory repetition of "they have here
propertied me," which is supplied by
the words, "keep me here in darkness."
Further, we may admit the almost in-
evitable double entendre, and allow

SC. II.]

WHAT YOU WILL

145

darkness, send ministers to me, asses ! and do all

they can to face me out of my wits.
Clo. Advise you what you say : the minister is here.

Malvolio, Malvolio, thy wits the heavens restore !

endeavour thyself to sleep, and leave thy vain lOO

bibble babble.
Mai. Sir Topas !
Clo. Maintain no words with him, good fellow. Who,

I, sir? not I, sir. God be wi' you, good Sir

Topas. Marry, amen. I will, sir, I will. 105

Mai. Fool, fool, fool, I say !
Clo. Alas ! sir, be patient. What say you, sir ? I am

shent for speaking to you.
Mai. Good fool, help me to some light and some

paper : I tell thee I am as well in my wits as any 1 1 o

man in Illyria.
Clo. Well-a-day, that you were, sir !

104. be wi' yoti\ most edd., buy you F.
Rowe, etc.

105. Iwill.'\ F; / will sir. Ff,

"propertied" the secondary meaning
of "used me as a mere tool or instru-
ment, as if I had no will of my own " ;
cf. " I am too high-born to be pro-
pertied," King John, V. ii. 79.

97. face me out of\ The force of the
metaphor, which occurs again in V. 86,
is partly expressed by the word " out-
face " ; it means an impudent assertion
to one's face ; they outface me by their
impudent assertions that I am mad ;
"cheat me out of my wits by sheer
impudence." Craig quotes, "Face us
down that it is Erostrato," from Gas-
coigne, The Supposes, iv. vii. 36.

98. Advise you] take care ; cf. Fr.
s'aviser. In the earlier stages of a
language, the reflexive use of verbs is
more common.

99. Malvolio, etcJ] The Clown here
imitates the voice of Sir Topas.

ICX). endeavour thy self] Another early
reflexive use of a verb now intransitive.
Abbott, § 296. It is thus used in
North's Plutarch.

loi. bibble babble] See note on "Tilly
vally," II. iii. 80. In these compounds
the second half is reduplicated for em-
phasis by the first half, the vowel a

10

being weakened to i. Cf. Fluellen's
" tiddle-taddle " and "pibble-pabble,"
Henry V. IV. i. 71. " Bibble-babble "
means "foolish or idle talk " ; Cotgrave
gives, " Bavasse : f. An idle tale, vaine
tatle, bible-bable." For an early use
of the compound, cf. Bale's Kynge
Johan, "Whan the peres are gone;
they are but dyble dable." Cf. also
Holland's Plinie, xxvi. 2, "I marvell
ye can abyd suche byble bable." See
also Introduction, p. xxi.

103. Maintain, etc.] "Here the
Clown in the dark acts two persons,
and counterfeits, by variation of voice,
a dialogue between himself and Sir
Topas. ' I will, sir, I will,' is spoken
after a pause, as if, in the meantime,
Sir Topas had whispered." Johnson.

104. God be wi' you] F "God buy
you"; other abbreviations are: "be
wy," "bwy,"etc.

108. she}it] rebuked, reproved (by
the imaginary Sir Topas). " Shent" is
the past participle of " shend." A.-S.
scenden, to disgrace, put to shame.

112. Well-a-day] A.-S. Wa-la-wa,
i.e. woe-lo-woe.

146 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [activ.

Mai. By this hand, I am. Good fool, some ink,
paper, and Hght ; and convey what I will set
down to my lady : it shall advantage thee more i i 5
than ever the bearing of letter did.

Clo. I will help you to 't But tell me true, are
you not mad indeed? or do you but counter-
feit?

MaL Believe me, I am not: I tell thee true. 120

Clo. Nay, I '11 ne'er believe a madman till I see his
brains. I will fetch you light and paper and
ink.

Mai. Fool, I '11 requite it in the highest degree : I

prithee, be gone. 125

Clo. {^Singitig?^ I am gone, sir,

And anon, sir,
I 'II be tvith you again.
In a tt'ice.

Like to the old Vice, i 30

Your need to sustain ;

Who with dagger of latJi^
In his rage and his wrath,
Cries, Ah, ha ! to the devil :

130. Like to] like to F, Like Collier MS.

117, 118. ar£ j^/< «(7/] Johnson would of the Vice, and a more modern de-
omit the "not" ; but the interrogation scendant is the harlequin,
in its present form has a subtler poig- 131. Your need to sustain] This
nancy. may mean, "To drive the devil away

126. I am gone, sir] An old song, from you"; or, "I will treat you as

probably altered by Shakespeare. An the Vice treats the devil." Possibly

air is assigned to it by Naylor, p. 190 the latter is better supported by the

{Shakespeare and Music). context.

129. trice] Spanish tris, the noise 132. with dagger of lath] Cf. 2
made by breaking glass. Cf. the Henry IV. in. ii. 362, and see note
Scotch "In a crack." on line 130; also cf., " Bardolph and

130. the old Vice] "old" probably Nym had ten times more valour than
in two senses — (i) "of old," (2) this roaring devil i' the old play, that
"our old friend." The Vice (perhaps every one may pare his nails with a
so called from the part played by this wooden dagger," Henry V. I v. iv.
character) appeared in the old " .Morali- 74-77.

ties "in company with the Devil, and 134. Ah, ha !] This exclamation, often
was often furnished with a dagger of uttered twice, and sometimes in the
lath, with which he belaboured the form " O, ho!" was the usual ad-
Devil, and tried to cut his talons (cf. dress of the Vice to the Devil in the
" pare thy nails," line 136). The fool old Morality Plays. Cf. Caliban's
of Shakespeare's plays was a descendant ' ' Oho, Oho ! " The Tempest, i. ii. 349.

sc.iii.] WHAT YOU WILL 147

Like a mad lad, 135
Pare thy nails, dad ;

Adieu, goodman devil. {Exit.

SCENE \\\.— Olivia's Garden.

Enter SEBASTIAN.

Seh. This is the air ; that is the glorious sun ;

This pearl she gave me, I do feel 't and see 't ;

And though 'tis wonder that enwraps me thus,

Yet 'tis not madness. Where 's Antonio then ?

I could not find him at the Elephant ; 5

Yet there he was, and there I found this credit,

That he did range the town to seek me out.

His counsel now might do me golden service ;

For though my soul disputes well with my sense

That this may be some error, but no madness, 10

Yet doth this accident and flood of fortune

So far exceed all instance, all discourse,

137. goodman devil] most edd. ; good man diuell F ; good man Divell F 2 ;
good man Devil F 3, 4 ; good Man De\-il Rowe, i. ; good man Drivel Rowe, ii.,
and many edd. ; goodman Civil, or good man, be civil Anon. ap. Camb.

Scene III,

6. credit\ F 3, 4, and most edd. ; credile F, F 2 ; current Hanmer ; credited
Mason, Keightley ; writ Cartwright.

136. Pare thy nails] See note on line sidering ; point enough and rhjTne
132. According to Malone, "The enough is gained by what appears to
De\-il was supposed from choice to be the contemptuously familiar epithet
keep his nails always unpared, and "good- man" in the second instance,
therefore to pare them was an affront."

Farmer suggests that this line should Scene iii.

be thrown into the form of a question. 3. enwraps'\ For the figure, which

137. Adieu, goodman devil] See occurs often in Shakespeare, cf. "I
textual notes. This is the Clown's am so attired in wonder," Muck Ado
merry and complimentary farewell to about Nothing, iv. i. 146.

Malvolio ; and I think it quite unneces- 6. ivas'] had been lately.

sary to doubt the F reading. "Mean- 6. I found this credit] I found this

evil " was suggested as an alternative to be the general belief. Wright com-

for "Devil," as being a translation of pares "trust" in line 15. "Credit"

"Malvolio"; and this is possible in Lzlin sense (creditum), "thing be-

(Appendix, p. 180). A most unlikely lie%'ed." See also textual notes.

emendation is "drivel," which is sup- 11. accident and Jlood] Probably a

posed to mend the rhyme. But in this hendiadys ; ' ' good fortune which has

fragment of a song the recurrence of befallen me so abundantly."

" devil " as a rhyme is not worth con- 12. instance] example, precedent.

148

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [activ.

That I am ready to distrust mine eyes,

And wrangle with my reason that persuades me

To any other trust but that I am mad 15

Or else the lady 's mad : yet, if 'twere so,

She could not sway her house, command her followers.

Take and give back affairs and their dispatch

With such a smooth, discreet, and stable bearing

As I perceive she does. There's something in 't 20

That is deceivable. But here the lady comes.

Enter Olivia and a Priest.

OH, Blame not this haste of mine. If you mean well,
Now go with me and with this holy man
Into the chantry by ; there, before him,
And underneath that consecrated roof.
Plight me the full assurance of your faith ;

25

15. I ani] F, /'/« Pope, etc. l8. affairs and their dispatch^ F and most

edd., and her affairs dispatch Cartwright. 21. the lady'] F, she Pope, etc.

Cf. "modern instances," ^j You Like
It, II. vii. 156.

12. discourse'] An old term for
'* reasoning." " The act of the under-
standing, by which it passes from
premises to conclusions," Johnson.
"Discourse" is sometimes combined
with "reason," as in Hamlet, i. ii.
150 (and in other writers). This
word, and "disputes" in line 9, and
"wrangle" in line 14, belong to the
language of the schools.

14. zvr angle] See former note. The
term "wrangler," originally a dis-
putant in the schools, has a modern
use at Cambridge.

15. trust] belief, conviction. This
word has some of the force of " credit "
in line 6.

18. Take . . . dispatch] "Attend to
business, and arrange about its dis-
charge." This "respective construc-
tion," or alternative arrangement of
some important members of a com-
pound sentence is a commoner char-
acteristic of Shakespeare's later manner.
Here "take" (undertake) has " afl'airs,"
and "give back" ("attend to," "ex-
pedite") has "dispatch" for its gram-
matical object.

19. stable] self-composed ; the only
instance of the word in Shakespeare.

21. deceivable] deceptive. Again we
have the doubtful suffix — the passive
for the active "deceptive" (see note
on "reverberate," I. v. 281); for this
example, cf. Bacon, Essay "On De-
formity," "It is good to consider of
deformity, not as a sign which is more
deceivable . . . " ; or, in Shake-
speare's Richard II. II. iii. 84.

24. chantry] According to Murray,
this is a chapel, altar, or part of a
church, endowed for the maintenance
of one or more priests to sing daily
mass for the souls of the founders or
others specified by them.

24. by] that is close by.

26. full assurance] The formal be-
trothal of earlier times, which was
much more solemn and binding than
a modern " engagement," and its varied
ceremonial was often performed in the
presence of witnesses, especially a
priest. See Introduction, p. xxxvi, and
cf. The Winter's Tale, IV. iv. 394 sqq. ;
and note that in v. 141 in this play
Olivia calls Sebastian "husband."
See also the note on v, 154.

sc.iii.] WHAT YOU WILL 149

That my most jealous and too doubtful soul

May live at peace. He shall conceal it

Whiles you are willing it shall come to note,

What time we will our celebration keep 30

According to my birth. What do you say ?

Seb. I '11 follow this good man, and go with you ;
And, having sworn truth, ever will be true.

OH. Then lead the way, good father ; and heavens so
shine
That they may fairly note this act of mine ! 3 5

\Exeutit.

ACT V

SCENE I. — The Street before Olivia's House.

Enter Clown and FABIAN.

Fab. Now, as thou lovest me, let me see his letter.
Clo. Good Master Fabian, grant me another request.
Fab. Any thing.

Clo. Do not desire to see this letter.

Fab. This is, to give a dog, and in recompense desire 5
my dog again.

27. jealous\ Ff, iealious F. 28. May live] F, »iay henceforth live Hanmer.
34. heavens\ F ; heaven F 3, 4.

Act V. Scene i.

I. his\ F ; this Ff, Rowe, and others. 2. Master] Var. '73, etc., M. F,

Mr. Rowe, etc. 5. This] F, That many edd.

2^. Jealous'] 'We may mention the F the play, "to show, as it were, the

reading "iealious," and refer to the growing spirit of mirth and mistake,

note on " dexteriously," i. v. 62. misconception and mischief, blundering

28. May . . . it] The long pause and confusion, as in a masquerade,
after "peace" may fill up any de- which appertains to the season of
ficiencies in the metre of this line, revels from which the play takes its
Hanmer would supply "henceforth" name."

after "may." 5, 6. to give a dog . . . again] Shake-

29. Whiles] up till the time when. speare's use of contemporary incident

30. What time] Abbott, § 202. and allusion generally (see Introduction,
30. celebration] marriage ceremony. p. xxii) is more extensive than a mere
35. yazV/f «(7/^] look favourably upon, glance at his work could discover, and

Cf. " note " in line 29. no doubt there is much under this head

. „ „ that escapes our closest scrutiny ; and

Act V. ^cene i. ^j^^ ^^^^^ recorded by Nicholson is apt

I. Enter Clown] Hutson notes that enough to be given here in extenso :

the jester opens the last three acts of "In Manningham's Diary, on March

150 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act v.

Enter DUKE, ViOLA, CURIO, and Attendants. ■

Duke. Belong you to the Lady Olivia, friends ?

Clo. Ay, sir ; we are some of her trappings.

Duke. I know thee well : how dost thou, my good

fellow ? I o

Clo. Truly, sir, the better for my foes and the worse
for my friends.

Duke. Just the contrary ; the better for thy friends.

Clo. No, sir, the worse.

Duke. How can that be ? 15

Clo. Marry, sir, they praise me and make an ass of
me ; now, my foes tell me plainly I am an ass :
so that, by my foes, sir, I profit in the knowledge
of myself, and by my friends I am abused : so
that, conclusions to be as kisses, if your four nega- 20
tives make your two affirmatives, why then, the
worse for my friends and the better for my foes.

Duke. Why, this is excellent.

20. that, conclusions to be as kisses'\ F ; that, conclusion to be asked, is Theo-
bald, Warburton ; the conclusion to be asked is Hanmer.

26, 1602-1603, two days after the construction is that of the absolute
queen's death, occurs the following: infinitive — "let us compare logical
Mr. Francis Curie told me howe one deductions to kisses." As to the
Dr. BuUein, the Queenes kinsman, comparison, we should certainly begin
had a dog which he doted one, soe with Farmer's quotation from Lust's
much that the Queene understanding Dominion (1593) : " Queen. Come,
of it requested he would graunt hir one let 's kiss. Moor. Away, away !
desyre, and he should have what so- Queen. No, no says aye ; and twice
ever he would aske. Shee demaunded away, says stay^'' ; and to this I
his dogge ; he gave it, and ' Nowe, doubt whether it is necessary to add
Madame,' quoth he, 'you promised to more than the amusing demonstration
give me my desyre.' 'I will,' quoth of the theorem as suggested by Fur-
she. * Then I pray you give me my dog ness : " Feste has only two negatives,
againe.'" Notes and Queries, vii. iv. viz. — {a) My friends by indirection,
185. do not make me wise ; (1^) my foes

8. trappings'] Part of her train. In plainly do not make me out to be wise ;

this sense of mere ornamental append- but these two negatives will furnish

ages the word occurs again in Hamlet, only one affirmative, and he needs two

I. ii. 86. affirmatives, viz. — (c) the worse for my

16. and make"] and thus make. friends, and ((/) the better for my foes.

18. profit , etc ,'\ fi\\\\t\ "gain by" or These affirmatives are g.ained if con-
" become proficient in." elusions are like kisses, because if two

19. abused] used several times al- lips say ' no' twice it is plainly equiva-
ready in the sense of "wronged" (ill. i. lent to four negatives, because twice
118, IV. ii. 49, 91) ; here with the addi- two are four, and these four neg.itives
tional notion of " deceived." will supply the two needed affirmatives.

20. conclusions . . . kisses] The — Q.E.D."

SCI.] WHAT YOU WILL 151

Clo, By my troth, sir, no ; though it please you to be

one of my friends. 2 5

Duke. Thou shalt not be the worse for me: there's
gold.

Clo. But that it would be double-dealing, sir, I would
you could make it another.

Duke. O ! you give me ill counsel. 30

Clo. Put your grace in your pocket, sir, for this once,
and let your flesh and blood obey it.

Duke. Well, I will be so much a sinner to be a double-
dealer : there 's another.

Clo. Primo, secundo, tertio, is a good play ; and the old 3 5
saying is, the third pays for all : the triplex, sir, is
a good tripping measure ; or the bells of Saint
Bennet, sir, may put you in mind ; one, two, three.

Duke. You can fool no more money out of me at this

throw : if you will let your lady know I am here 40
to speak with her, and bring her along with you,
it may awake my bounty further.

36. triplex] F, triplet Johnson. 37. Sa{nt\ Capell, S. F, St. Rowe.

25. my friends] i.e. flatterers. of times, have an agreement with the

26. Thou . . . for me] I will not changes of motions ; as when galliard
only flatter, but also give you some- tune, and measure time, are in the
thing. medley of one dance."

30. i/i counsel] because of the other 37. measure] For "measure" in the
senses of " double-dealing " — because sense of " dance," see former note ; also

'&

you would have me become a "false- the note on i. iii. 131.

dealer." 37,38- Saint Be?i7zet] i.e. SaintBene-

31. your grace] Again the equivoque ; diet. A church of this name, St. Bennet
and White prints " your Grace "—with Hithe, Paul's Wharf, stood opposite
quotation marks and a capital. the Globe Theatre. It was destroyed

32. Jiesh and blood] the carnal, as in the great fire of London, 1666.
opposed to the spiritual; the theo- Possibly the phrase, "The bells of
logical contrast carries on the quibble Saint Bennet," is a snatch of some
in"CTrace." rhyme. Johnson notes that when

32. obey it] i\\e i\\ co\ms&\. Shakespeare mentioned the "bed of

33. to be] as to be. Cf. II. iv, 97. Ware" (iii. ii. 49) he added the words

35. Primo, etc.] Probably a common "in England"; but that he has not
expression in some game of dice; and avoided the charge of impropriety in
cf. " at this throw " in line 40. this instance. But though England

36. third pays for all] Proverbial, was doubtless in the poet's mind as he
Craig compares Palsgrave, Lesclar- wrote, a " church of St. Bennet " might
cissemcnt — "A la terza Dio la be supposed to exist in other countries,
benedica." See a., o note on in. i. 6, and Introduc-

36. triplex] triple time in music, tion, p. xxxiii.

where each bar is divided into three 40. throiv] of the dice. But see note

equal parts ; cf. Bacon, Nat. Hist, on line 35 ; the word may include the

ii, 113, "The triplas, and changing notion of time,

152 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act v.

Clo. Marry, sir, lullaby to your bounty till I come
again. I go, sir ; but I would not have you to
think that my desire of having is the sin of 45
covetousness ; but as you say, sir, let your bounty
take a nap, I will awake it anon, {Exit.

Vio. Here comes the man, sir, that did rescue me.

Enter ANTONIO and Officers.

Duke. That face of his I do remember well ;

Yet when I saw it last, it was besmear'd 50

As black as Vulcan in the smoke of war.

A bawbling vessel was he captain of.

For shallow draught and bulk unprizable ;

With which such scathful grapple did he make

With the most noble bottom of our fleet, 5 5

That very envy and the tongue of loss

Cried fame and honour on him. What 's the
matter ?
First Off. Orsino, this is that Antonio

That took the Phoenix and her fraught from Candy ;

And this is he that did the Tiger board, 60

52. bawbling vessel] F and most edd., bauble-vessel Keightley conj.

43. lullaby] suggested by "awake" 54. scathful] F "scathful"; de-

in the preceding line. Some edd. have structive, the only use of the adjective in

regarded "lullaby" as a verb, and have Shakespeare, though the word "scath"

quoted similar uses ; but in the text it (injury, hurt, damage) occurs frequently

is assuredly a noun. as a noun, and once as a verb.

52. ba-ohling] trifling, insignificant, ^<^. bottom] hs,\Vi Merchant of Venice,
contemptible. Formed from " bauble " ; I. i. 47.

cf. "shallow bauljle boats" in Troiliis 56. very envy . . . loss] even those

and Cressida, I. iii. 35 ; or " His who were jealous of his bravery, and

shipping — Poor ignorant bauV^les ! " in those who were suffering loss through

Cymbeline, III. i. 27; or "a bable it.

boat of so much as ten tun," Strachy 59. fraught] cognate of freight,

(in Purchas) quoted by Wright. "Fraught," "fraughting,"and "fraught-

53. 5/irt//£i7c^] see former note. age" all occur in Shakespeare.

53. unprizable] incapable of having 59. from] coming from. So in The

its value estimated ; the word therefore Tempest, ii. i. 249, " She that, from

may mean "utterly worthless," or, "of whom We all were sea-swallow'd."

incalculable value " ; here the context 59. Candy] Candia or Crete, whence

points to the former meaning (cf. the Elizabethans imported the "cypress"

"noble bottom," line 55); and the ofiii. i. 126. Cf. Tlu Laws of Candy

poet intends to glorify the achievement (Beaumont and Fletcher, 1647).

by insisting on the smallness of the 60. the Tiger] Again selected as the

vessel. Note the same effect in the name of a vessel in Macbeth, I.

narratives of the "little Revenge." iii. 7.

SC I.]

WHAT YOU WILL

153

When your young nephew Titus lost his leg.

Here in the streets, desperate of shame and
state,

In private brabble did we apprehend him.
Vio. He did me kindness, sir, drew on my side ;

But in conclusion put strange speech upon me: 65

I know not what 'twas but distraction.
Duke. Notable pirate ! thou salt-water thief !

What foolish boldness brought thee to their mercies.

Whom thou, in terms so bloody and so dear,

Hast made thine enemies ?
Ant. Orsino, noble sir, 70

Be pleas'd that I shake off these names you give
me :

Antonio never yet was thief or pirate,

Though I confess, on base and ground enough,

Orsino's enemy, A witchcraft drew me hither :

62. desperate . . . state"] " Unatten-
tive to his character or his condition ;
like a desperate man." If for " unatten-
tive to" we substitute "recl<less of,"
this paraphrase by Johnson will besatis-
factor)' enough. "Shame and state"
might be regarded as a hendiadys.

63. brabble'] A word of Dutch origin,
akin to "blab" and "babble." Cot-
grave has "Noise : f. A brabble, brawle,
debate, wrangle, squabble, etc." In
Shakespeare the word occurs again in
Titus Andronicus (ii. i. 62), and more
than once in the Welsh dialect,
"prabbles," and usually as "pribbles
and prabbles." Mr. Craig quotes Rare
Triumphs of Love and Fortune (1580),
III. i., "To set noblemen at brabble and
quarrel."

64. drew] drew sword ; often thus
used.

65. put . . . me] spoke strangely to
me ; cf. " WTiy do you put these sayings
upon me?" Measure for Measure, 11.

ii- 133-

66. / hiow . . . distraction] Most
edd. print this line without any stop,
and leave its meaning doubtful ; the F
places a comma after " 'twas," and thus
punctuated, the line must be rendered,
" I know not what it was, unless it were
madness" ; but if a semicolon follows

"what," then "but" has the force of
"merely."

67. salt-water thief] "Water-thieves"
occurs in the Merchant of Venice, I. iii.
20; and Deighton quotes "a gallant
salt -thief" from Middleton's The
Phcenix, I. ii. 57.

69. dear] Few words in Shake-
speare's vocabulary have a force so
varied ; here we may interpret "griev-
ous " ; and cf. Richard II. I. iii. 1 5 1 ,
" The dateless limit of thy dear exile."
Yet, and almost as usual, we leave the
word with a margin (see pages 191 and
192) on which other meanings may be
noted almost at will ; in this instance I
should suggest "costing them dear."

71. shake off] A figure more forcible
than obvious : that is, — and the fact is
ever present to the student of Shake-
speare,— we accept the metaphor as
appropriate, although we cannot immedi-
ately follow the train of thought that led
the artist to his selection of the metaphor.

73. base atid gi'ound] Again the artist
is present with us even in a mere phrase
or form of utterance ; here is the legal
mode, the explanatory gloss, and so
forth.

74. witchcraft] Cf. ' ' After the last
enchantment you did here" (ill. i.
117).

154

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act v.

That most ingrateful boy there by your side,
From the rude sea's enrag'd and foamy mouth
Did I redeem ; a wreck past hope he was :
His life I gave him, and did thereto add
My love, without retention or restraint,
All his in dedication ; for his sake
Did I expose myself, pure for his love,
Into the danger of this adverse town ;
Drew to defend him when he was beset :
Where being apprehended, his false cunning.
Not meaning to partake with me in danger.
Taught him to face me out of his acquaintance,
And grew a twenty years removed thing
While one would wink, denied me mine
purse,

75

80

85

ov/n

75. inp-atefuf] most edd., ingratefull F, ungrateful Rowe and others.
77. wreck] Pope, etc., wracke F. 80. All his\ F ; All this Ff, Rowe, Pope.
87. twenty years removed'] F and most edd., twe^ity -years-removed Qs^^tW, etc.

75. ingratefuF] So " incharitable "
{The Tempest, i. i. 43), where I note,
' ' though the English negative prefix
' un ' is aUied to the Latin ' in,' it may
be regarded as more correct to prefix
the ' in ' to a word of Latin origin, such
as 'charitable.'" To this it may be
added that though in such cases "in"
is more frequent in Shakespeare, "un "
is nevertheless found occasionally ;
further, that though " ungrateful " is the
modern form, we like to retain Shake-
speare's spelling where possible. Line
III, below, though not quite to the
point, is worth noting ; there we have
the F reading, "To whose ingrate and
unauspicious altars." Further, we may
fairly admit that the choice of prefix
was more than once determined by the
compositor. See also note on line iii,
below ; also Abbott, § 442.

77. redeem] save, as in 1 Henry IV.
I. iii. 206.

77. wreck] F "wracke," as always.

79. retention or restraint] Not strictly
synonymous ; but cf. with "base and
ground " in line 73.

80. All his . . . dedication] Cf.
" And to his image . . . did I devo-
tion " (in. iv. 375," 376).

81. pure] entirely ; the only instance
in Shakespeare of this form of the word

in this sense. The form is either a
flexionless adverb, or an adjective used
adverbially.

82. Into] unto, as often in Shake-
speare.

82. danger] Partly, it may be, in the
sense of the word as we read it in the
following: "You stand within his
danger, do you not?" Merchant of
Venice, IV. i. 180; in which case the
F "into" need not be explained
" unto." This older meaning of
"danger," power to harm, etc. etc.
{dominiarium), is fully borne out by
" adverse town " in the context.

82. adverse] hostile. Cf. Comedy of
Errors, I. i. 15.

84. being apprehended] For the
participle thus loosely used, see note
on I. i. 2.

85. Not meaning] See former note.

86. face me out of his acquaintance]
impudently pretend not to know me ;
look upon my face, and yet pretend,
etc. ; see also note on iv. ii. 97.

87. And grew . . . thing] And he
became as one who had not seen me
for twenty years. In F no hyphen
joins the words "twenty years re-
moved." These longer compounds are
more common in Shakespeare's earlier
work.

SCI.] WHAT YOU WILL 155

Which I had recommended to his use

Not half an hour before.
Vio. How can this be ? 90

Duke, When came he to this town ?
A7it. To-day, my lord ; and for three months before,

No interim, not a minute's vacancy,

Both day and night did we keep company.

Enter OLIVIA and Attendants.

Duke. Here comes the countess : now heaven walks on
earth! 95

But for thee, fellow ; fellow, thy words are madness :

Three months this youth hath tended upon me ;

But more of that anon. Take him aside.
OH. What would my lord, but that he may not have,

Wherein Olivia may seem serviceable? 100

Cesario, you do not keep promise with me.
Vio. Madam !
Duke. Gracious Olivia, —

OH. What do you say, Cesario ? Good my lord, —
Vio. My lord would speak ; my duty hushes me. 105

OH. If it be aught to the old tune, my lord,

It is as fat and fulsome to mine ear,

As howling after music.
Duke. Still so cruel ?

OH. Still so constant, lord.
Duke. What, to perverseness ? you uncivil lady, no

91. he\ F, you Hanmer, ye Dyce, ii. iii. 96. fellow ; felloiv] most edd. ;
fellow, fellow F, Ff ; fellow, ^fellow Dyce and others ; fellow, fellow, Theobald ;
fellow, Gould. loi. do7iot\Y; don'l Fope, Hanmer 106. aiighi'] ought Y .

107. fail Y,flat Warburton, etc. 109. so constant, lord] so constant Lord Y ;

Lord, so constant Hanmer ; so constant K. Elze ; lord] LordY ; my LordY 3,
4, Rowe, i. no. to] Y ; omitted Gould.

89. recommended]\i-v}&om\t\h&p\e.- to keep silent, and let Cesario speak,"

fix from this word, we get nearer to its Fumess.

meaning : committed, entrusted, urged 107. fat and fulsome] A strange pair

him to use. of epithets, yet forcible as usual, and

92. three months] Yet the action of alliteralively effective ; and the second
the play is comprised within three days, emphasises the first. Wright notes
But see Introduction, p. xxxiii. that they apply to the sense of taste,

99. but that] save that which. and are here transferred to the sense of

104. Good my lord] "Probably hearing; but such transferences occur
accompanied by a gesture to the Duke in the history of most metaphors.

156

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act v.

To whose ingrate and unauspicious altars

My soul the faithfull'st offerings hath breath'd out

That e'er devotion tender'd ! What shall I do ?

OH, Even what it please my lord, that shall become him.

Duke. Why should I not, had I the heart to do it, 115

Like to the Egyptian thief at point of death,
Kill what I love ? a savage jealousy
That sometime savours nobly. But hear me this :
Since you to non-regardance cast my faith,
And that I partly know the instrument i 20

That screws me from my true place in your favour,
Live you the marble-breasted tyrant still ;

112. hath'] Capell, etc. ; haue F, Ff; has Pope and others. 115. do if] F,
do't Pope, etc. 118. hear ine\ F ; hear Pope, Hanmer.

111. ingi-ate and ttnauspicious] See
line 75, note.

112. hath] F "haue." Craig notes
that Shakespeare often makes the verb
plural if a plural object immediately
precedes.

116. the Eg)'ptian thief] Here Shake-
speare, as Theobald notes, refers with-
out doubt to the story of Theagenes
and Chariclea in the Ethiopica of
Heliodorus. The "Egyptian thief"
was Thyamis, a native of Memphis,
and the leader of a band of robbers.
He captured Chariclea, determined to
marry her, and for safety shut her up
in a cave. Being overcome by another
party of robbers, he rushed to the cave,
and killed, as he supposed, Chariclea,
in order that she might not fall into the
hands of his enemies. In the darkness,
however, another woman had perished
by his sword. "If the barbarous
people," says the writer, "be once in
despair of their own safety, they have
a custom to kill all those by whom they
set much, and whose company they
desire after death." (The Ethiopica
was translated by Underdowne, 1569.)

118. savours nobly] is not without
true nobleness ; cf. line 318.

119. non-regardance] disregard, con-
tempt. This is the only instance of
"regardance" in Shakespeare; and
the whole compound by itself might be
condemned for its want of elegance and
euphony ; yet the context, as so often
in the case of this greatest of all writers,

is a " law within the law," and justifies
the audacity of diction. See also note
on line 125, below.

119.] If "non-regardance" was a
daring feat of diction, so is "cast" a
daring metaphor.

120. And that] Abbott regards " And
that " as equivalent to " And if that " ;
Furness prefers to give "And" the
force of " if," and would print it " An."
But I see no reason why "And"
should mean "if" in this instance; I
prefer to restrict it to its modern mean-
ing, and keep " that " as a subordinate
conjunction, following "since" implied
from the former line.

120, 121. itistrument That screws me
from] Again the characteristic, almost
the wilful, modification of a figure ; a
screw is seldom employed to wrench
apart ; this was clear to Shakespeare,
as in the two following passages : —
"But screw your courage to the
sticking-place," Macbeth, I. vii. 60 ;
" He swears As he had seen't, or been
an instrument To vice you to it," The
Winter's Tale, I. ii. 416. Here also
we have the word " instrument " of the
text. The word, however, may be used
as equivalent to " wrench " {A'ing Lear,
I. iv. 290).

122.] Mr. Craig quotes Heywood,
Pelopca and A lope, ' ' Here 's none so
marble-breasted but doth melt to hear
of our misfortune " ; also " her marble-
minded breast" (Drayton, Polj'olbion,
ii. 94).

SC. I.]

WHAT YOU WILL

157

But this your minion, whom I know you love,

And whom, by heaven I swear, I tender dearly.

Him will I tear out of that cruel eye, 125

Where he sits crowned in his master's spite.

Come, boy, with me ; my thoughts are ripe in mischief;

I '11 sacrifice the lamb that I do love,

To spite a raven's heart within a dove.

Vw. And I, most jocund, apt, and willingly, 130

To do you rest, a thousand deaths would die.

0/i. Where goes Cesario ?

Vio. After him I love

More than I love these eyes, more than my life.
More, by all mores, than e'er I shall love wife.
If I do feign, you witnesses above, 135

Punish my life for tainting of my love !

0/z. Ay me, detested ! how am I beguil'd !

Vw. Who does beguile you ? who does do you wrong ?

137. Ay me, detested r\ Rowe, etc., Aye me detested, F.

124. tender dearlyl hold in tenderest
regard. For the expression, cf. Romeo
and Juliet, in. i. 74. Cf. also "he
most entirlie tendering her," Roper,
Life of Sir Thoinas More.

125. tear'\ For the vigorous metaphor,
cf. " cast" in line 119 ; like the poetry
in general, so the diction in particular,
is by Shakespeare suited to the speaker
as it has been by no other dramatist.
See Introduction, p. xxxvii.

126. sits crowned] CL the "oneself
king " of Orsino's speech in i. i. 32-40.
(The figure may be suggested by reflec-
tion in the eye.)

126. in his niaster's spite] to the
vexation of, or, to spite, his master.

129. To spite] Follows rather closely
on "spite" in line 126.

129. raven's . . . dove] A favourite
contrast with Shakespeare, as in A Mid-
summer-Night's Dream, n. ii. 114,
and Ro7neo and Juliet, ni. ii. 76.
For association of these birds we may
cf. Juvenal, 6'aA ii. 63, "Dat veniam
corvis, vexat censura columbas."

130. jocund, apt, and willingly]
Often in Shakespeare one adverbial
termination serves for two or three
words used adverbially, as in "How
honourable and how kindly we Deter-

mine," Antony and Cleopatra, V. i. 58.
At the same time, as we have seen in
the note on " pure," in line 81, the
poet may prefer to regard some of the
series (jocund, for example) as an
ambiguous descriptive ; that is, a de-
scriptive qualifying the subject as an
adjective and the verb as an adverb (as
is better seen in Latin). Thus Gray
uses this word in his Elegy — "How
jocund did they drive their team
afield."

130. apt] ready.

131. To do you rest] To give you
ease.

135. you ivitnesses above] Cf. "Testa-
tur . . . Deos, et conscia fati sidera "
{^neid, iv. 519, 520); also cf. "de-
tested" in line 137, below.

136. tainting of ] Cf. Othello, IV. ii.
161. For the construction, see note on
"With viewing of the town" (ill. iii.
42).

137. detested] Possibly in the sense of
detestari, to call to witness against,
execrate, etc. ; cf. " The gods Detest
my baseness," Antony and Cleopatra,
IV. xiv. 56; and cf. "you witnesses
above," in hne 135, and note.

138. does do] This, which would be
intolerable in modern verse, was a less

158 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act v.

OH, Hast thou forgot thyself? Is it so long?

Call forth the holy father.
Duke. Come away ! 1 40

OH. Whither, my lord ? Cesario, husband, stay.
Duke. Husband !

OH Ay, husband : can he that deny ?

Duke. Her husband, sirrah !

Vio. No, my lord, not I.

OH. Alas ! it is the baseness of thy fear

That makes thee strangle thy propriety. 145

Fear not, Cesario ; take thy fortunes up ;

Be that thou know'st thou art, and then thou art

As great as that thou fear'st.

Enter Priest.

O welcome, father !
Father, I charge thee, by thy reverence,
Here to unfold, though lately we intended i 50

To keep in darkness what occasion now
Reveals before 'tis ripe, what thou dost know
Hath newly pass'd between this youth and me.
Priest. A contract of eternal bond of love.

Confirmed by mutual joinder of your hands, i 5 5

150-152. though . . . ripe,} Camb. and some others, though . . . ripe:Y,
(though . . . rtpe)l'ope, tic.,— though . . . ri/>e— some edd. i $4. of eternal]
F, and eternal some edii.

awkward construction in the days thy propriety" may be turned " dis-

whcn "do" had not completely own your personality, individuality,

differentiated its auxiliary functions. identity." See also note on II. v. 140.

141. husband] See note on iv. iii. 26. \4,?>. fear'st] Possibly in two senses—

145. strangle] Cf. " cast " in line 119, (i) the Duke, (2) fear'st to become.

"screws" in line 121, "tear" in line 151. occasion] Again the earlier, the

125 etc. " proper " sense (see note on line 145,

145. strangle thy propriety] Cf. "I above), ?.tf. what has fallen or befallen ;

will acquaintance strangle," Sonnet, "circumstances."

Ixxxix. 9; also, "It frights the isle 154. cw//;w/] The betrothal of iv. 111.

From her propriety," Othello, 11. iii. 22-31. (See note on i v. iii. 26.) For

176. Again we have, as I may well call the distinction between contract and

it, the/r£i/«/-senseof the term ; a sense, marriage, see The Tempest, iv. 15-19;

that is, belonging to the word almost and for the expression, cf. "A contract

from its birth, and not subsequently of true love " in the same play (iv. i.^

acquired. In this knowledge of Latin, 85). The reading " A contract and "

and not only of Latin, Shakespeare which some edd. suggest, is unlikely,

certainly at times reminds us of Milton, \z,t,. joinder] F "ioynder." Prob-

although in point of scholarship the ably coined by Shakespeare in imita-

two poets differ so widely. "Strangle tion of the French yw/t/r<; ; it does

SC. I.]

WHAT YOU WILL

159

Attested by the holy close of lips,
Strengthen'd by interchangement of your rings ;
And all the ceremony of this compact
Seal'd in my function, by my testimony :
Since when, my watch hath told me, toward my
grave 1 60

I have travelled but two hours.
Duke. O thou dissembling cub ! what wilt thou be
When time hath sow'd a grizzle on thy case ?
Or will not else thy craft so quickly grow
That thine own trip shall be thine overthrow? 165

157. intercha7igement\ Malone, etc., enterchangement F. i6i. travelled'\

F 3, 4 ; trauaiPd F. 163. on thy case] F, upon thee Keightley conj.

not occur again in his work, but " re-
joindure" is found in Troilns and
Cressida, iv. iv. 38. Cf. the legal
phrase "joinder of issue."

157. interchangement'] F "enter-
changement." This should be another
imitation of the French (O. Fr. eti-
trecha?igement) to suit the diction to the
speaker ; elsewhere Shakespeare uses
" interchange," but not " interchange-
ment." See also note on " non-
regardance," line 119.

157. interchangement . . . rings]
One of the many ceremonies that are
said to have been customary at the
betrothal. See note on iv. iii. 26.
Douce quotes Chaucer, Troylus and
Cryseyde, Bk. III. st. 189:

" Sone after this they spake of

sondry thinges
As fil to purpos of this aventure ;
And pleyinge entrechaungeden hir

ringes,
Of which I can nought tellen no

scripture."

158. ceremony] The "cere" in this
word has probably its full sound, and
illustrates my remark in the Introduc-
tion, p. xxviii, "extra syllables that
vibrate for a moment within the line."
Some, however, would pronounce as
"cere "in "cere-cloth."

158. compact] With accent on second
syllable, as always in Shakespeare,
except in 1 Henry VI. V. iv. 163 (but
the author in this latter instance may
not be Shakespeare).

159. SeaFd . . . testimony] Duly
ratified by my sacred office, and by my-

self as witness. Possibly after the word
"office" we might add, "as private
Chaplain to the Lady Olivia."

163. IVhen time . . . case] When
age has tinged your hair with grey. It
is important to remember that the de-
scription applied not to a human being,
but to some animal indicated by the
metaphor "cub" in the preceding
line ; and in my paraphrase I might
have substituted "coat" for "hair."
The thought, and some of the form, is
in Bacon — " Old Squirrels, that turne
Grisly," JVat. Hist., 851. "Grizzle,"
a tinge of grey, does not occur else-
where in Shakespeare; but "case," in
the sense of " skin," and the verb "to
case," meaning "to skin," are both to
be found, and the former more than
once. Cf. The Winter s Tale, iv. iv.
844, also All's Well that Ends Well,
III. vi. no. But the word "case," as
used in the text, i.e. in the sense of
"coat" or "hide," is met with in
other writers ; e.g. Turberville, The
Noble Art of Venery, 1576 (Ixxii.
198), " His (Raynard's) case will serue
to fur the cape of master huntsmans
gowne."

164, 165. Or . . . overthrow] Or it
may happen that you will be cut short
in your career of trickery ; yet, it is
much more likely that dissembling will
rapidly become such a habit with you,
that before very long you will fall to
the ground in an attempt to trip up
some one else. The figure appears to
be taken from wrestling. Cf. for ex-
ample, "And watches with a trip his

160 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act v.

Farewell, and take her ; but direct thy feet
Where thou and I henceforth may never meet.

Vto. My lord, I do protest, —

0/i. O ! do not swear :

Hold little faith, though thou hast too much fear.

EnUr Sir Andrew Aguecheek.

Szr And. For the love of God, a surgeon ! Send one 170
presently to Sir Toby.

OH. What 's the matter ?

Sir And. He has broke my head across, and has
given Sir Toby a bloody coxcomb too. For the
love of God, your help ! I had rather than forty i 7 5
pound I were at home.

OH. Who has done this. Sir Andrew ?

Sir And. The count's gentleman, one Cesario : we
took him for a coward, but he 's the very devil
incardinate. 180

Duke. My gentleman, Cesario?

Sir And. 'Od's lifelings ! here he is. You broke my

169. Hold'\Y ; How Ff, Rowe. 170. surgeon!'] Dyce, etc.; Surgeon, F,
Ff, Rowe, etc. ; Surgeon; Capell and others ; Send] most edd. send F , and send
some edd. 173. /le /las] Malone, etc., B'as F, Has Dyce, i., 'Has Dyce, ii.

iii. 178. count's] Counts F, Duie's HanmcT. 1 80. incardmate]F ; incar-

na/eRowe, Pope, Ilanmer. 182. 'Od's] Dyce, etc., Odd's F, Od's Rowe, etc.

foe to fall," Dryden ; or, "It is the whether we should not lose in this

sudden trip in wrestling that fetches a instance by assigning the blunder to the

man to the ground," South. compositor. Rowe, however, regarded

169. Hold little faith] Retain a little "incardinate" as a misprint for " in-

honour. "A" is omitted before carnate." But cf. the similar blunder

"little" where we commonly place it in the following: " A woman cardinally

in the sense of "some" (Abbott). given," Measure for Measure, 11. i. 81 ;

171. presently] immediately; as in and in Henry V. \\. iii. 35 we have a

III. iv. 206. variation as follows: '■'Boy. Yes, that

174. coxcomb] (i) a fool's cap, with a a' did ; and said they were devils in-
cock's crest, or like a cock's comb in carnate. Hostess. A' could never abide
shape and colour ; (2) a contemptuous carnation ; 'twas a colour he never
or jocular term for the head. liked."

175, ly 6. forty pound] So we had 182. 'Od's lifelings] Cf "'Od's my
forty shillings in n. iii. 20 (see note), little life," As You Like It, iii. v. 43,
"Sir Andrew was willing to spend ox '' Od's hG2iX\.\mgs," Merry IVives of
twenty times as much upon his safety Windsor, ni. iv. 59 ; and see note on
as upon his accomplishments," Wright, n. v. 35 in the present play, where

180. incardinate] Some of the word "god's" is abbreviated to " 's " in
foolery in early Shakespeare is tiresome " 'Slight."
enough to a modern taste, but I question

SCI.] WHAT YOU WILL 161

head for nothing ! and that that I did, I was set

on to do 't by Sir Toby.
Vzo. Why do you speak to me ? I never hurt you : 185

You drew your sword upon me without cause ;

But I bespake you fair, and hurt you not.
Sir And. If a bloody coxcomb be a hurt, you have

hurt me : I think you set nothing by a bloody

coxcomb. 190

Enter SiR TOBY BELCH and Clown.

Here comes Sir Toby halting ; you shall

hear more : but if he had not been in drink

he would have tickled you othergates than

he did.
Duke. How now, gentleman! how is 't with you? 195

Sir To. That 's all one : has hurt me, and there 's

the end on 't. Sot, didst see Dick surgeon,

sot?
Clo. O! he's drunk. Sir Toby, an hour agone : his

eyes were set at eight i' the morning. 200

193. othergates'] Capell and others, other gates F, other-gates Rowe, etc.
196. has] F, Ff, Dyce, i., Camb., etc. ; h'as Rowe, etc. ; 'has Dyce, ii. iii. ; he
has Pope, etc, 197. the end] th' end F ; an end F 3, 4, Rowe, etc. 199.

Sir Toby,] most edd. ; sir Toby F; sir above F 2, 3 ; sir, above F 4, Rowe,
Pope, Hanmer ; sir Toby, above Theobald, Warburton, Johnson, Rann.

187. bespake you fair'] Cf. Marlowe, the Towtiley Mysteries; it occurs in

Edward II. I. iv., "My gentle lord, Middleton's Blurt, Master Constable

bespeak these nobles fair." "Be "as (1602), 11. i. 34, "You should find

a prefix has a varying force ; here it othergates privy signs of love hanging

partly makes the verb transitive, and out there." Another form is seen in

partly gives the notion of address ; cf. the Cheshire proverb, " I have olher-

" seek" and "beseech." But the verb guess fish to fry than snigs without

"speak "in this idiom, especially at a butter."

later date, is mostly used without any 197-199. Dick surgeon . . . he's

prefix. drunk] But that Sir Toby was "in

189. set nothingby] think nothing of. drink " (line 192), it might be a matter

Cf. "set light by narrower perfectness," of interest and instruction to examine

Tennyson, In Memoriam, cxii. these speeches more strictly.

191. haltitig] walking lame. 199- agone] One of the perf. pass.

193. othergates] otherwise. An old participle forms of the M.E. verb

meaning of "gate" is "way" or "agon," to pass by, pass away; the

"manner" (cf. "to gang one's gate") ; others are "ago" and "agoon."

and of this noun, " gates " is a genitive. 200. set] closed or half-closed; cf.

Other early combinations are " another- The Tempest, iii. ii. 10, "Drink, ser-

gates," "thusgates," etc. "Other- vant-monster, when I bid thee: thy

gates" is used by Shakespeare once eyes are almost set in thy head."
only. Atkinson quotes the word from

II

162

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actv

Sir To. Then he's a rogue, and a passy-measures

pavin. I hate a drunken rogue.
OH. Away with him ! Who hath made this havoc

with them ?
Sir And. I'll help you, Sir Toby, because we'll be 205

dressed together.
Sir To. Will you help? an ass-head, and a cox-

201,202. rogue,and a passy-meastires paviti'\ Malone, Knight, Dyce, and others ;
Rogue, and a passy measures panyn F, Camb. , i. , Globe ; rogue, and a passy
measures pavin Var. '21, Camb., etc. ; Rogue after a passy measures Pavin: Ff,
Rowe ; rogue, and a past-measure Painim. Pope, etc. ; rogue, and a past-measure
paynim: Capell ; rogue, and a passy-measure pavin : Var. '73, '78 ; rogue:— and
after a passy-measure or a pavin, Rann ; rogue. After a passy-measure or a
pavin Var. '85, Steevens, Var. '03, '13; rogue, and a passy-measures pavin :
Malone, Knight, Dyce, and others; rogue. After a passy-measures pavm.
Harness; rogue, and a passing-measures pavin. Coll. ii. (MS.). ; rogue and a
passy-measures paynim ; White, i. (panym, ed. ii.), Hudson ; rogue, after a passy-
measure' s pavin Staunton ; rogue, and 'a passes measure, paynim ! Daniel ;
rogtte and a passy-measures pavon. Kinnear.

201, 202. a passy-measures pavifi] For
other readings see textual notes ; for
"pavin" we are indebted to Steevens,
who explains the whole phrase "a
pavin danced out of tune." But the
following from Naylor may be accepted
as by far the best interpretation of the
expression : " Morley {Practical Music,
1597) instances two particular dances
which were commonly associated to-
gether. Pavans and Galliards, the
first of these, he says, is for 'grave'
dancing, having three * strains,' each
containing 8, 12, or 16 semibreves (two
beats in a bar), which are each repeated
... (p. 134). The only Pavan men-
tioned by Shakespeare is the Passy
measures pavin or Passamfiso, or Pass
e mezzo, which is the earliest form of
the word ... (p. 135). The Passa-
mezzo tune has a similar construction
[see Naylor's Appendix] to the ordinary
pavan, i.e. it consists of regular 'strains,'
which in their turn contain a certain
even number of semibreves or 'bars.'
In the case given, the strains consist of
eight bars each. This must be borne
in mind in Sir Toby's speech. Toby,
being only moderately sober, naturally
feels indignant at the doctor's indiscre-
tions in the same kind ; and the
Clown's remark about the latter's eyes
brings this fantastic comparison into
his head. The doctor's eyes were ' set
at eight,' and so is a Pavan 'set at

eight.' It is easy to see Sir Toby's
musical gifts asserting themselves, con-
used recollections reeling across his
brain of that old rule of Morley about
the right number of semibreves in a
strain, ' fewer than eight I have not
seen in any Pavan. ' " To this we may
add that " passo e mezzo" (a step and
a half) "pavin" was variously corrupted
into " Passa Measures Pavin" and
" Passmezures Pavan," the confusion
between "messo" and "measure" (a
stately dance) being obvious. As to
"pavin" or "pavan" (F "pavane"), it
comes probably from the Low Lai.
pavanus, like a peacock, the dancers
moving in a slow, stately manner. The
F reading ' ' panyn " is doubtless a mis-
print for "pauyn," and the other Ff
have "Pavin"; nor do I think it
necessary to mention any proposed ex-
planations of " a passy measures
paynim," and the like readings.

207. an ass-head, etc.] Malone's
punctuation, as in the text, conveys
the probable sense of this p.assage, and
applies the string of epithets to Sir
Andrew ; no doubt Sir Toby em-
phasised the "you" in "Will you
help?" and his "thin-faced knave,"
no less than his "gull" could be none
other than Sir Andrew. Nor does the
fact that Maria had called Malvolio a
"gull" in III. ii. 70 concern us
here.

sc.

M

WHAT YOU WILL

163

comb, and a knave, a thin-faced knave, a
gull ! _
OH. Get him to bed, and let his hurt be look'd to. 210

\Exeunt Clown^ Fabian^ Sir Toby, and Sir Andrezu.

Seb.

Enter Sebastian.

I am sorry, madam, I have hurt your kinsman ;
But had it been the brother of my blood,
I must have done no less with wit and safety.
You throw a strange regard upon me, and by that
I do perceive it hath offended you : 215

Pardon me, sweet one, even for the vows
We made each other but so late ago.
Duke. One face, one voice, one habit, and two persons ;
A natural perspective, that is, and is not !

211. ktiisviait] F; Uncle Rowe, ii. , Pope, Hanmer. 214. You throw]
separate line, Walker ; upon me, and by that] F ; on vie, by which Pope, etc. ;
on me; by that Voss, Lettsom, Hudson. 214, 215. by that . . . you:] one
line, Capell and others.

208. thin-faced] Cf. King John, i.
I41-143, also 92, and Alerry Wives of
Windsor, I. iv. 22, 23. See also
Appendix, p. 180.

209. gull] See III. ii. 70, note.

213. with wit and safety] If I had
any regard for my own safety. The
phrase is a hendiadys — or nearly such.

214. You throw] Walker would
amend the metre by arranging these
two words as a separate line. Others
would read "You throw a strange
regard on me ; by that " and they con-
sider that the ' ' and " crept in from the
line above.

214. a strange regard] a look of
angry "estrangement." For "strange,"
see II. V. 175, and for "regard," see
II. V. 55.

215. it] my conduct.

217. so late ago] Cf. with "an hour
agone" in line 199. Abbott says we
have a combination of " so lately " and
"so short a time ago."

218.] A possible reference to the pro-
verb, ' ' To bear two faces under a
hood."

219. A natural perspective] A "per-
spective " is made of glass cut so as to
produce an optical delusion when looked

through. Another name for these optical
toys was " prospectives." They were
of various kinds, one of which is de-
scribed in Richard II. ii. ii. 18, " Like
perspectives, which rightly gazed upon
Show nothing but confusion, eyed awry
Distinguish form." It would not be
easy to determine the special variety of
glass referred to in the text, nor indeed
to identify the optical delusion ; our
most reliable clue is the preceding line
— " One face, one voice, one habit, and
two persons." But what the poet in-
tends by "a natural perspective" is
obvious enough ; the optical deception
is produced, not by artificial means,
but by nature. Reginald Scot, in his
Discovery of Witchcraft, gives a de-
scription of perspectives ; the following
is an extract : — "You may have glasses
so made, as what image or favour soever
you print in your imagination, you shall
thinke you see the same therein. . . .
others where one image shall seeme to
be one hundred. ..."

219. natural] See note on "cere-
mony," in line 158.

219. perspective] The accent here, as
also in the quotation from Richard II. ,
above, falls on the first syllable.

164 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act. v.

Seb. Antonio! O my dear Antonio! 220

How have the hours rack'd and tortur'd me

Since I have lost thee !
Ant. Sebastian are you ?

Seb. Fear'st thou that, Antonio ?

Ant. How have you made division of yourself?

An apple cleft in two is not more twin 225

Than these two creatures. Which is Sebastian ?
OH. Most wonderful !
Seb. Do I stand there ? I never had a brother ;

Nor can there be that deity in my nature,

Of here and every where. I had a sister, 230

Whom the blind waves and surges have devour'd.

Of charity, what kin are you to me ?

What countryman ? what name ? what parentage ?
Vio. Of Messaline : Sebastian was my father ;

Such a Sebastian was my brother too, 235

So went he suited to his watery tomb.

If spirits can assume both form and suit

You come to fright us.

223. Fear'st thoit] F, Fear\l thoti Rowe, Feared you Pope. 229. that Y ;
a Ff, Rowe, etc. 232. [To Viola.] Rowe. 234. Messaline\ (in italics) F,
Metelin Hanmer. 236. watery'] F, wat'ry Pope, etc., watry Capell.

220. Anto7iio\ See note on line 158. thou, " and Furness remarks, "Sebastian
As an example of metrical pronunci- misinterprets the expression of astonish-
ation, few words in Shakespeare are more ment in Antonio's face."
interesting than this one, which occurs 229, 230. that deity . . . everywhere]
three times within the compass of four the divine attribute of omnipresence,
lines, and each time is pronounced 231. blind waves] The "waves" of
differently ; at the beginning of the line literary art are often deaf, are some-
it has three syllables only, the penulti- limes even dumb ; but I know no other
mate being slurred; at the end of the instance of this daring epithet "blind."
line it keeps the normal pronunciation Blind to the drowned girl's beauty,
of four syllables ; but in line 223 only whether in their wrath or in their help-
the first two .syllables have a place in less inhumanity. Of course " blind
the metrical bar, the remaining two wave" is found elsewhere — in Tenny-
producing not more than the effect of a son, for example ; but the sense is
delicate reverberation. different ; and in Shakespeare we meet

221. hours] Here we have the oppo- with " blind night," the " blind cave of
site metrical effect, for the voice dwells night," etc.

on the monosyllable until it is resolved 232. Of charity] In appeals, "of "has

into two notes, the first of which is often the sense of " out of."

accented. 236. suited] dressed. Cf. " I 'II dis-

223. Fear'st thou] Probably in the robe me Of these Italian weeds, and suit

sense of "do you doubt?" cf. "fear myself As does a Briton peasant,"

notyowlhai" {jl/erry I Fives 0/ 1 Viftdsor, Cyvtbeline, V. i. 23.

IV. iv. 78). Rowe suggested " Fear'd 237. suit] See former note.

SCI.] WHAT YOU AVILL 165

Seb. A spirit I am indeed ;

But am in that dimension grossly clad
Which from the womb I did participate. 240

Were you a woman, as the rest goes even,
I should my tears let fall upon your cheek,
And say " Thrice welcome, drowned Viola ! "

Vio. My father had a mole upon his brow.

Seb. And so had mine. 245

Vio. And died that day when Viola from her birth
Had number'd thirteen years.

Seb. O ! that record is lively in my soul.
He finished indeed his mortal act
That day that made my sister thirteen years. 250

Vio. If nothing lets to make us happy both,
But this my masculine usurp'd attire,
Do not embrace me till each circumstance
Of place, time, fortune, do cohere and jump
That I am Viola : which to confirm, 255

I '11 bring you to a captain in this town,

241. goes] F; goe F 2 ; ^<7 F 3, 4, Rowe, Pope. 244. mole] Rowe, ii.,
tnoale F. 256. captain] most edd., Captaine F, captain s some edd.

239. diinension] In the sense of 249. act] This may be a metaphor

"body" this word occurs twice only in from the stage; but I should give it a

Shakespeare, and the two examples are more recondite origin,
to be found in this play. (See I. v. 270. ) 251. lets] hinders — its usual earlier

I have already remarked (l. v. 41) upon meaning. A.-S. lettan (to make late),

the interesting fact that a rare word or to hinder.

phrase is not seldom repeated by Shake- 254. cohere] Cf. Mah'olio's " Why,

speare in the same drama. everything adheres together " (lii. iv.

239. grossly clad] Cf. "But whilst 82, 83).

this muddy vesture of decay Doth 254. /?/;«/] "cohere" in the sense

grossly close it in, we cannot hear it," of " cling together" and "jump" in that

Merchant of Venice, v. i. 64, 65. of " fit exactly" ; this seems to be the

240. participate] The notion involved course of thought and metaphor. Shake-
in the word is that of the double being, speare is not alone in employing the
soul and body ; therefore we render forcible but not over-elegant mono-
" share," inherit." syllable "jump," but his use of it is

241. as the rest goes even] and if you quite characteristic ; and the same may
corresponded to the circumstances as be said of a host of similar words,
everything else does. For the phrase "crack," for instance. For "jump"
"goes even," cf. "I . . . rather in the above sense, cf. "they jump not
shunned to go even with what I heard," on a just account," Othello, i. iii.
Cymbelijie, I. iv. 47. 5; and Craig compares "This story

248. record] recollection. In Shake- jumped Just with my dream," An-

speare the accent in the noun " record " droviana, Hazlitt's Dodsley, xiv.

falls most commonly on the first 248.
syllable, as in this instance.

166

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actv.

Where lie my maiden weeds : by whose gentle help

I was preserv'd to serve this noble count.

All the occurrence of my fortune since

Hath been between this lady and this lord. 260

Seb. [To Olivia.'] So comes it, lady, you have been mistook

But nature to her bias drew in that.

You would have been contracted to a maid ;

Nor are you therein, by my life, deceiv'd.

You are betroth'd both to a maid and man. 265

Duke. Be not amaz'd ; right noble is his blood.

If this be so, as yet the glass seems true,

257, tnaiden 'weeds'] F, maids weeds Theobald and others, maid-weeds Walker.
258. preserved] vaosi tAd., preferiidY, preferred Theobald and others; coimf^
F, Duke Rowe, etc. 259, 260. occurrence . . . Hath] F ; occurrents . . .

Have Hanmer, Malone conj.

257. Where . . . help] See textual
notes for proposals to amend the metre ;
otherwise we might scan, Where lie | my
maid | en weeds : | by whose gen | tie
help.

257. Where] This word has some of
its old pronominal power, and may be
rendered " with whom," or "at whose
house." See lines 276, 277, below,
" The captain . . . garments." Cf.
"Out of her favour, where I am in
love," Romeo and Juliet, i. i. 174.
Some would regard the word "town"
as the antecedent of " where," but this
is surely impossible ; nor is it advisable
to adopt Grant White's reading, "cap-
tain's " (line 256).

257. weeds] garments; cf. "maid's
garments," line 277. Used in the
singular in Midsummer-Night' s Dream,
II. i. 256. (A.-S. waed, garment.)

258. freservd to serve] This repeti-
tion of sound is a blemish so rare in
Shakespeare — I mean, considering the
extent of his work, and the circum-
stances under which he wrote — that I
think very favourably of Theobald's
emendation, "preferr'd," especially as
Walker notes the opposite mistake of
"prefer" for "preserve" in 1 Henry
VI. III. i. no.

259. 260. All . . . lord] Everything
that has happened to me since has been
connected with . . .

259. occurrence] Ilanmer's "occur-
rents" is a rather doubtful emenda-
tion.

261. mistook] When the participle

without its inflection (mistake-n) might
be confused with the infinitive, Shake-
speare often used the past tense for the
past participle. See Abbott, § 343.
(The Elizabethan tendency to drop in-
flexions has been mentioned already in
these notes.)

262. nature . . . drew in that] in
thus allowing you to be mistaken, nature
followed her own wise course. " Drew
to her bias" means "followed the line
determined by their natural tendency " ;
the figure is from the popular game of
bowls ; the balls used in this game were
loaded on one side, so that they might
roll in a curved rather than in a straight
line; and the "bias" (Fr. biais, a
slope, slant) was (l) the inserted lead,
(2) the consequent tendency of the ball
to describe a curve ; sometimes also it
was the curve so described. Hence
" bias" means generally "inclination,"
" tendency." I may add that this figure
from the game of bowls occurs about
a dozen times in Shakespeare.

266. right noble is his blood] Cf.
Viola's remark, "I have heard my
father name him" (l. ii. 27).

267. the glass] This is either the
" si nunquam fallit imago " (Vergil,
Eel. II. 2), or the "perspective" of line
219, which showed one person as two ;
and thus truly reflected the fact that
the one dramatic personality, as it had
seemed, was now resolving itself into
the two characters, Viola and Sebastian.
See note on line 219, also the note
following below.

SC. 1.]

WHAT YOU WILL

167

I shall have share in this most happy wreck.

[To Viola.'] Boy, thou hast said to me a thousand times

Thou never should'st love woman like to me. 270

Vio. And all those sayings will I over-swear,

And all those swearings keep as true in soul

As doth that orbed continent the fire

That severs day from night.
Duke. Give me thy hand ;

And let me see thee in thy woman's weeds. 275

Vio. The captain that did bring me first on shore

Hath my maid's garments : he upon some action

Is now in durance at Malvolio's suit,

268. wreckl'R.owQ, wrackeY. 2^1. over-swear] Ff, ouer sweare F. 273.
conthie7it the fire] Rowe, ii. , etc. ; Continent, the fire F, Ff, Rowe, i. ; continent
the fire, Theobald, etc. ; continent, the fire Collier, Staunton. 273, 274. fire

. . . severs] F ; fires . . . sever Singer, Halliwell, Keightley.

268. wreck] The wreck described in
I. ii. 8-17, which had turned out so
fortunately. Some commentators think
that the idea of " wreck " arose out of
the pilot's glass, suggested by "glass"
in the preceding line, but there is little
room for such a conjecture.

271. over-swear] swear over again.

273. that orbed continent the fire,
etc.] To consider first the poet's drift,
we find a comparison between the
thoughts kept true within the soul, and
the stellar or planetary bodies kept
duly in their courses by the containing
heaven, "que les cieux entourent en
leur concauite," Belle Forest. Next,
the reference is undoubtedly to Genesis
i. 14, "And God said, Let there be
lights in the firmament of the heaven to
divide the day from the night ; and let
them be for signs, and for seasons, and
for days, and for years." Regarding
the text, to accord with the plural
"swearings" in line 272, we should
expect "fires" rather than "fire";
and with "fires" for our reading,
"severs" in line 274 is no difficulty,
being either a northern plural or one of
those singulars for a plural that are so
common in Shakespeare. As to "orbed
continent," that should be an expansion
of the term " sphere," for which Shake-
speare often substitutes the word "orb" ;
of. "this strange starting from your
orbs," Cy?nbeline, v, v. 371, with

"certain stars shot madly from their
spheres," Alidsinnmer-Night'' s Dream,
II. i. 153 ; and for fire (or fires) we may
compare, " Doubt that the stars are
fire," Hamlet, II. ii. 116. The figure
of the "orbed continent" controlling
the stars is common in Shakespeare, as
in Bacon ; for the latter cf. " the in-
ferior orbs, which may have their proper
motions, but yet still are carried by
the higher motion o{ primtcm mobile."
These are the considerations that chiefly
guided me in the interpretation I sug-
gested at the beginning of this note ;
but some editors prefer to regard "that
orbed continent, the fire" as being
merely equivalent to "the sun" {sub-
and. "keeps on its orbit"). As to
Milton's "her moist continent" (re-
ferring to the moon), or Shelley's
"that orbed maiden" (referring to
the same), these are probably due to a
doubtful interpretation of the present
passage,
275. weeds] See note on line 257.

277. upon some actioit] " in con-
sequence of some lawsuit." For "law-
suit " some would prefer ' ' deed of his " ;
but I incline to agree with Schmidt,
and therefore give "lawsuit" as the
most probable meaning. For "upon"
in the sense of "in consequence of,"
cf. "Upon what sickness?" Julius
Ccesar, IV. iii, 152.

278. durance] captivity, prison ; the

168

TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actv.

A gentleman, and follower of my lady's.
OH. He shall enlarge him. Fetch Malvolio hither.
And yet, alas ! now I remember me,
They say, poor gentleman, he 's much distract.
A most extracting frenzy of mine own
From my remembrance clearly banish'd his.

280

Re-enter Cloivn^ with a letter^ and FABIAN.

How does he, sirrah? 285

Clo. Truly, madam, he holds Belzebub at the stave's
end as well as a man in his case may do. Has
here writ a letter to you : I should have given 't

279. ladys\ Rowe, Ladies F. 280. enlarge'] Ff and most edd. ; inlarge F,
Capell. 283. extracting] F ; exacting Ff, Rowe, Singer, Keightley ; distract-
ing Hanmer and others ; exciting Cartwright ; engrossing Kinnear. 287.
Has] F, Ff, and most edd. ; H''as Rowe, etc. ; ^has Dyce and others ; he has
Malone, etc.

original sense was ' ' long endurance of
hardship" (Skeat).

278. S7iit] prosecution; as in "law-

enlarge] set free; cf. "set at

suit."
280.
large.'

281. remer?iber me] For the older
reflexive use of verbs, see notes on iv.
ii. 98 and iv. ii. 100.

282. distract] Another tendency of
Elizabethan English to leave the parti-
ciple in its Latin form ; cf. Milton's
"uncreate," etc. See note on i. v.
281.

283. extracting] ' ' that drew every
object but one out of my memory,"
Ritson. Malone quotes "To try if
men of great account bee extract out
of their wits," The Hystorie of Hamblet,
1608. Of other readings (textual notes)
" distracting " should be preferred — an
emphatic repetition of "distract" in
the preceding line, although "extract-
ing" may be — and likely enough — a
play upon the former word. Worth
quoting in this connection is the follow-
ing by Cowden Clarke: — "Extracting
is here used in its strictly derived sense
from the Latin extrahere, ' to draw out
of.' Shakespeare's forcible and most
pertinent word here has been altered by
some editors, who allege that there is
no other instance of the word being
thus used (as if Shakespeare did not
exercise his own authority, by divine

right of genius, to use words and create
words that no one before had used or
created), and who say he would not
have introduced ' extracting ' so im-
mediately near to 'distract.' But, to
our minds, there is a playful and be-
witching effect in Olivia's change of
the first syllable of the slightly varj-ing
word, with, mayhap, a half smiling, half
tender emphasis in her tone, and a
momentary glance towards her new-
trolhed husband, as she utters the
significant confession." It will be
noticed that "exacting" is the reading
of Ff.

284. clearly] This almost reminds us
of the absurd metaphor "bringing
into stronger relief the flatness of the
matter " ; of course the word ' ' clearly "
is used in the sense of "completely,"
yet I am not sure that we should exempt
it from some charge of incongruity.

284. his] his remembrance, surely ;
but some would refer back to " frenz)fc"
in former line.

286, 287. at the slaveys end] Mr.
Craig compares the Proverbes of John
Heywood (Sharman, p. 74), "And
now without them I live at staves end,
Where need I not borrow nor will I
lend."

287. Has] See textual note on lines
173 and 196; and cf notes on I. V.
152 and III. i. 41 ; also "beseech," III.
i. 116.

SCI.] WHAT YOU WILL 169

you to-day morning ; but as a madman's epistles

are no gospels, so it skills not much when they 290

are delivered.
OH. Open 't, and read it.
Clo. Look then to be well edified when the fool

delivers the madman.

\Reads?\ By the Lord, madam, — 295

Oli. How now 1 art thou 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. Prithee, read i' thy right wits. 300

Clo. So I do, madonna ; but to read his right wits is

to read thus : therefore perpend, my princess, and

give ear.
Oli. [To Fadian.] Read it you, sirrah.

Fab. By the Lord, madam, you wrong me, and the 305
world shall know it : though you have put me
into darkness, and given your dt-unken cousin 7'ule
over me, yet have / the benefit of my senses as

289. madmatH s\ most edd. ; 77iadmatjs F ; Madmans F 3, 4, Rowe ; mad-
inan's Pope. 292. Open V] F ; Open it Malone, Steevens, and others.

296. art thoii\Y , art Pope, etc. 297. a«] Pope, etc., a;?^ F. 299. vox]

F, oaths Mason. 300. read\Y ; read it Y t^, a,, Rowe, etc. 301. jnadonna]
Var. '78, etc., Madona F. 307. cousin] Uncle Rowe, ii., etc. 308. the
benefit] benefit F 3, 4, Rowe, Pope, Hanmer.

289. to-day morning\ to-day (i.e. for the madman, but also utters them after
the day) is equivalent to "this day." the manner of a madman. See note

289, 290. epistles are no gospels'] on "vox," line 299, below.

refers to these well-known portions of 299. vox] The appropriate tone of

the Church Ser\4ce, with a play on the voice — a loud and frantic voice, like

word "epistle." that of a madman. "If you would

290. it skills not much] it makes have it read in character, as such a
little difference. Cf. "It skills not mad epistle ought to be read, you must
greatly who impugns our doom," 2 permit me to assume a frantick tone,"
Henry VI. III. i. 281. "Skills" is Malone.

akin to the Icelandic j'/^?'/, a distinction ; 301. to read his right wits] This is

hence its meaning, to make a dis- the Clown's variation on Olivia's, "'i

tinction or difference. Craig compares thy right wits," line 300.

Greene's Groatsworth of Wit, line 5, 302. perpend] consider, attend ;

"what it was, it greatly skilles not." chiefly a verbal affectation, and used

294. delivers the madtnan] utters the mostly by Shakespeare's clowns and
words of the madman. Cf. "as he such characters as Pistol. Mr. Craig
most learnedly delivered," 7>^£ 7>w/^j'^, compares King Canibyses, c. 1570
II. i. 44. (Hazlitt's Dodsley, iv. 236), " My

295. By . , . madam] Apparently queen, perpend what I pronounce."
the Clown not only reads the words of 307. cousin] See note on i. iii. 5.

170 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act v.

well as your ladyship. I have your own letter
that induced f}te to the semblance I put on ; with 3 i o
the which I doubt not but to do myself much right,
or you much shame. Think of me as you please.
I leave my duty a little unthought of, and speak
out of my injury.

The madly-used Malvolio. 315

Oli. Did he write this ?

Clo. Ay, madam.

Duke. This savours not much of distraction.

Oli. See him deliver'd, Fabian ; bring him hither.

\Exit Fabian.
My lord, so please you, these things further thought on.
To think me as well a sister as a wife, 321

One day shall crown the alliance on 't, so please you.
Here at my house and at my proper cost.

Duke. Madam, I am most apt to embrace your offer.

\To Viola.] Your master quits you; and for your service
done him, 325

So much against the mettle of your sex.
So far beneath your soft and tender breeding.
And since you call'd me master for so long.
Here is my hand : you shall from this time be

319-323-] Transposed to follow 330 Gould. 322. on'i, so] F and most

edd. ; an'i so Heath, Rann, Halliwell ; and, so Collier, ii. (MS.), on's, so Dyce,
ii. iii., Hudson. 326. mettle] F; metal ¥ i\, Rowe, etc.

310. induced . . . put on] led me to 321. a sister] With this cf. the same

adopt a new style of dress and deport- words in lines 330 and 38S, and the

ment. relationship — sometimes a twofold one

313, 314. I leave . , . injury] In — will be apparent,

thus addressing you, I venture to lay 322. the alliance on V] the double

aside some of the respect due to you, marriage by which this relationship

and allow my wrongs to govern my of wife and sister shall be brought about,

speech. We may note that in the lines Other readings for "on't" will be

319-325 there are five "Feminine found in the textual notes, but they are

endings." not well founded.

320. these thineis . . . on] when 323. proper] own ; Latin sense,

you have fully considered all these 324. apt] ready; as in line 130,

events. We have here a good example above.

of the participial phrase absolute, a 325. (juits you] releases you from

rare construction of our language service ; sets you free,

even in Shakespeare. The repetition 326. mettle] natural disposition,

"thought," "think" (next line) is character,

perhaps intentional. 327. beneath] unworthy of.

SCI] WHAT YOU WILL 171

Your master's mistress.
OH. A sister! you are she. 330

Re-enter Fabian, with Malvolio.

Duke, Is this the madman ?

OH. Ay, my lord, this same.

How now, Malvolio !

Mai. Madam, you have done me wrong.

Notorious wrong.

OH. Have I, Malvolio ? no.

Mai. Lady, you have. Pray you peruse that letter.

You must not now deny it is your hand : 335

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

Or say 'tis not your seal nor your invention :

You can say none of this. Well, grant it then.

And tell me, in the modesty of honour,

Why you have given me such clear lights of favour, 340

Bade me come smiling and cross-garter'd to you.

To put on yellow stockings, and to frown

Upon Sir Toby and the lighter people ;

And, acting this in an obedient hope.

Why have you suffer'd me to be imprison'd, 345

Kept in a dark house, visited by the priest,

330. viistress. OH. A sister! you are ske.l F, mistress, and his sister she.
Hanmer ; A . . . she] Omitted, Var. '85 ; sister.'] sister, F, Ff, Pope; sister, —
Theobald, etc. ; sister: — Collier ; sister? — Capell, etc. ; she] F, to me Gould.
337. seal nor] F 4, Rowe, etc. ; seal, not F, F 2, 3, and most edd. 341.
Bade] Johnson, Bad F.

330. A sister!] See note online 321 ; 335. must] in an older sense — "you

"as sister-in-law"; also perhaps through have not the power to."

Orsino, who calls Olivia his "sweet t,t,6. frovi it] differently; cf. "this

sister" (line 388). With reference to is from my commission," I. v.

other readings, Capell remarks, "The 194.

manner in which Olivia is made to take 337. invention] Usually explained as

cognisance of her mistaken Cesario is "trick, stratagem"; but although

both proper and delicate; intimating " invention " in line 348, below, has the

that she would have more than a sister's meaning of "malicious ingenuity," it

love for her from remembrance of what would be better in this instance to

had passed." render the word by "composition," or

330. with Malvolio] "with straw "originated by yourself."

about him, as from prison," Collier. 340. clear lights] a rather striking

331. Is this the ynadman ?] In a tone metaphor ; " plain indications."
implying astonishment at Mai volio'sap- 343. lighter] misriox. Comes rather
pearance of sanit}'. Cf. "This savours close upon "lights" in line 340.

not much of distraction " (line 318). 344. acting] i.e. I acting.

172 TWELFTH NIGHT; OR, [act v.

And made the most notorious geek and gull
That e'er invention play'd on ? tell me why.

on. Alas ! Malvolio, this is not my writing,

Though, I confess, much like the character; 350

But, out of question, 'tis Maria's hand :

And now I do bethink me, it was she

First told me thou wast mad ; then cam'st in

smiling,
And in such forms which here were pre-suppos'd
Upon thee in the letter. Prithee, be content : 355
This practice hath most shrewdly pass'd upon thee ;
But when we know the grounds and authors of it,
Thou shalt be both the plaintiff and the judge
Of thine own cause.

Fab. Good madam, hear me speak,

And let no quarrel nor no brawl to come 360

Taint the condition of this present hour,
Which I have wonder'd at. In hope it shall not,
Most freely I confess, myself and Toby

347. geek] gecke F ; and gull] F ; or gtill Ff, Rowe, Pope, Hanmer. 348.
eVr] Rowe, ere F, 353. then earnest in] F, then earnest in some edd., then
cam'st thou Theobald, etc., thou catn'si in Rann., etc., then cam'st thou in
Keightley. 354. forms which] formes, which F ; forms, as Keightley conj.

363. confess, myself] confesse my selfe F ; Toby] (italics) F ; Sir Toby Theobald,
Warburton, Johnson.

347. geek] dupe. Low German ing as you had been advised to in

geek, Dutch gek, a fool, simpleton. Maria's letter.

The word occurs again in Cymbcline, v. 353. then cam'st] " The inflection of

iv. 67. It is still in use in Scotland, the second person singular allows the

Ireland, and the North of England, nominative to be readily understood,

Mr. Craig quotes Robinson, A Handful and therefore justifies its omission.
of Pleasant Delights (1584), "And at 354. presupposed] suggested before-

the first give them the check, Least hand.

they at last give you the geek"; also 356. This practice . . . thee] This

Dekker, Arorth7vard //oe! (1607, Pear- trick has been played upon you very

son, iii. 80), "and you make me de cruelly. We have "an thou pass upon

gheck de great fool." me" in HI. i. 46, and "passages of

347. gull] See notes on li. iii. 139, grossness" in iii. ii. 74: to this add
III. ii. 70, V. 207; and on "wood- the impulse of alliteration ("practice .. .
cock," II. V. 85, and iv. ii. 61. passed"), and we have the whole making

348. invention] See note on line of the phrase. For "shrewdly," cf.
337. "beshrew" (iv. i. 60).

350. character] handwriting ; as often 357. grounds and authors] Cf. " base

in Shakespeare ; e.g. King Lear, I. ii. and ground " in v. i. 73.

69. 361. Taint] See above, III. iv. 369.

353-355. then cam'st . . . letter] 361, 362. hour. Which I] Craig

and as it happened you came in at that thinks some words have dropped out

moment smiling, and otherwise behav- here.

SC. I.]

WHAT YOU WILL

173

Set this device against Malvolio here,

Upon some stubborn and uncourteous parts 365

We had conceiv'd against him. Maria writ

The letter at Sir Toby's great importance ;

In recompense whereof he hath married her.

How with a sportful malice it was follow'd,

May rather pluck on laughter than revenge, 370

If that the injuries be justly weigh'd

That have on both sides pass'd.

OH. Alas ! poor fool, how have they baffled thee !

Clo. Why, " some are born great, some achieve great-

366. againstl F, in Tyrrwhit and others,
readings are Soul and Tool.

373- foor\ Foole F ; conjectural

364. Set this device against] The
poet begins with the metaphor of setting
a snare, then sHghtly modifies its appU-
cation (i.e. using "against" in one of
its early senses).

365. 366. Upon . . . against hi ml
In consequence of the haughtiness and
incivihty we had noticed in him, which
moreover prompted us to exact a harm-
less penalty. ' ' Against " follows hard
on the same word in line 364 ; and if
the correct reading, bears the double
sense indicated in the above paraphrase.
But some would read " in," and rightly,
as I think ; the word suits the metre,
and "against" in this line is probably
a compositor's error, due to the near
presence of the other "against." Nor
do I for a moment agree with Schmidt,
who regards " (which device) Upon
. . . against him " as an adjective
clause qualifying "device"; Abbott
(§ 244) supposes a "confusion between
' conceiving enmity ' and ' disliking
parts.' " As to " Upon " (i.e. "follow-
ing upon") with the force "In con-
sequence of," see note on line 277.

366. Maria writ, etc^ThQ "device"
originated with the serving - woman
Maria, but the enthusiastic co-operation
of Sir Toby, who was a member of the
family, partly justifies Fabian in making
this statement.

367. importance'] importunity, as in
King John, II. i. 7 ; also, "important"
for "importunate" occurs in Much
Ado about Nothing, II. i. 74.

368. he hath married her] Here

Wright observes, "Though a short
time before he was hopelessly drunk,
and sent off to bed to get his wounds
healed." But the marriage might have
taken place before Sir Andrew came
on the stage (line 174) with the news of
Sir Toby's bloody coxcomb. See note
on IV. ii. 75, and Introduction, p. xxx.

369. it was follow'd'] the trick was
played out.

370. pluck on] Cf. "And with her
golden hand hath pluck'd on France
To tread down fair respect of
sovereignty," King John, in. i. 57.

371. If that] See note on i. ii. 47,
373. poor fooF] used, sometimes at

least, by Shakespeare as an expression
of endearment rather than contempt.
A well-known example is Lear's lament
over Cordelia, "And my poor fool is
hang'd, etc.," King Lear, v. iii. 305.

373. baffled] See also 11. v. 166. A
word that once had a curious history,
much of which is now discredited, and
the derivation of the term remains un-
certain. But whatever its origin, it
meant " to inflict public disgrace on a
perjured or cowardly knight," and some
of that meaning may cling to it here.
Cotgrave gives ' ' Baffoiie : m. ee ; f.
Hoodwinked, also deceived, also be-
smeared, also batfled, disgraced, vn-
worthily handled, injuriously used,
reuiled, reproched."

374. Why, ' ' so??ie, etc. ] With the aid
of three quotations the Clown sums up
Malvolio's career of folly and befoolery,
and refers respectively to the three

174

TAVELFTH NIGHT; OR, [actv.

ness, and some have greatness thrown upon 375
them." I was one, sir, in this interlude ; one Sir
Topas, sir ; but that 's all one. " By the Lord,
fool, I am not mad." But do you remember?
" Madam, why laugh you at such a barren rascal ?
an you smile not, he 's gagg'd " : and thus the 380
whirligig of time brings in his revenges.

Mai. I '11 be reveng'd on the whole pack of you. \^Exit,

OH. He hath been most notoriously abus'd.

Duke. Pursue him, and entreat him to a peace.

He hath not told us of the captain yet: 385

When that is known, and golden time convents,
A solemn combination shall be made
Of our dear souls. Meantime, sweet sister,

375. ihroiufi] F, thrust Theobald, etc. 376. interlude'] Interlude Rowe,
Enterlude F. 378, 379. remember? "Madam,'] Malone, etc., renumber.

Madam F. 386. convents] F, convenes Quincy MS. 388. Meantime]

Meane time F, In the tnean time Hannier.

scenes in which the steward played his
most ridiculous part, viz. Ii. v., ill.
iv., and iv. ii.

375. thrown] In the letter of li. v.
146 sqq. the reading is " thrust," which
on all rhetorical counts should be pre-
ferred to "thrown." Now it often
happens that the change of a word
imperils the literary finish or effect of a
whole passage ; and although in this
instance the peril may not have been
great, we yet ask ourselves whether
Shakespeare was so divinely careless of
his art that he recked little of such
errors. The answer is, "he was and
he was not " ; there are times when his
workmanship reminds us of Virgil or
Milton, and there are other times — and
many of them — when it makes us think
rather of Lucretius or Byron. It is idle
to suppose that the Clown is responsible
for the pointless alteration ; and we
may remember that other discrepancy
— or such it appeared — of the "very
C's" and the "great P's" that were
not included in the superscription of
Maria's letter. (See note on li. v. 89.)
We may also compare Alt^s Well that
Ends Well, v. iii. 313, where, as
Malone points out, different words are
recited by Helen from the very same
letter that she had read aloud in ni. ii.
60.

380, 38 1 . the whirligig . . , rez'enges]
For the thought, cf. "The wheel is
come full circle," A'ing Lear, v. iii.
174.

381. whirhgtg] Metaphor from a
spinning top ; cf. "Thou disputes! like
an infant; go, whip thy gig," Love's
Labour's Lost, v. i. 70 ; and in the
present play (i. iii. 42, 43) we have
"till his brains turn o' the toe like a
parish-top." Halliwell quotes Prompt.
Farv., " Whyrleg}-ge, chyldys game."

383. notoriously abus'd] See note on
IV. ii. 91.

385.] See lines 276-278.

386. golden time convents] when the
happy moment serves. "Convents"
in two senses: "summons" and
"suits"; but the former is the usual
one in Shakespeare. For the epithet
"golden," which Shakespeare uses fre-
quently and effectively, cf. "golden
service" in I v. iii. 8.

3S7. combination] Strangely used.
Cf. " this cunning cardinal The articles
o' the combination drew," Henry VIII.
I. i. 169.

388.] As to metre, this line may be
scanned most variously, according to
the syllable we choose to emphasise.
It may further be noted that the word
"sister" has sometimes in Shakespeare
the metrical value of three syllables.

sc,

!•]

WHAT YOU WILL

175

We will not part from hence. Cesario, come ;

For so you shall be, while you are a man ; 390

But when in other habits you are seen,

Orsino's mistress, and his fancy's queen.

\Exeunt all, except Clown.

Clo. \_Sings?[ When that I was and a little tiny boy.
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain ;
A foolish thing was but a toy, 395

For the rain it raineth every day.

393. and a] F ; an a Theobald, i. ; a Theobald, ii., Warburton, Johnson,
Var. '73 ; tiny] Rowe, etc., tine F.

388. dear\ Also strangely used ; but
cf. already in this play, "dear faith," I.
iv. 25.

388. sister\ See note, line 330.

389. from hence] The scene is "Be-
fore Olivia's house," but the house itself
may here be intended.

390. yotc shall be] subaud, "called."

391. habits] dress.

392. fancy's] See note on i. i. 14.

392. Exeunt, etc.] At the close of a
play the clown often remained upon the
stage to "put the audience into good
humour before they separated with . . .
a farcical song accompanied by dancing
and the music of his pipe or tabor ; "
Dowden.

393. When that, etc.] Before we
criticise too closely the language of
Shakespeare's clowns, whether that be
prose or whether it be verse, we shall
do well to remember a remark of
Coleridge: "Shakespeare has evinced
the power which above all other men
he possessed, that of introducing the
profoundest sentiments of wisdom where
they would be least expected, yet where
they are most truly natural " (see In-
troduction to The Tempest, p. xliv).
It is too easy to describe these stanzas
as "wretched stuff" (Warburton), as a
"nonsensical ditty" (Steevens), as
" scarcely worth correction" (Farmer) ;
below the surface nonsense of the
inimitable Feste we have often looked
down into profoundest depths of know-
ledge and wisdom ; and it is just
possible that we may expect to do the
same here. At least it will be better
to read something into these lines than
to condemn them, as I might say.

unread ; may we not have before us, in
whatever humble guise, the philosophy
of human life — the life at least of the
average Elizabethan dramatist, the
average sinner — nay, what is the dif-
ference, the average man. One stanza,
and we have left behind us forever the
innocence of childhood ; the rest of the
ditty will conduct us through the less
happy stages of adult human life, where
guilt reaps its own reward, "for the
law of the Lord is an undefiled law,
and endureth for ever," and the opera-
tion of this law is made manifest in the
comedies of our existence as clearly as
in its tragedies ; it is manifest therefore
in the comedy of Tzvelfth Night.
Indeed, I venture to think that while
there is little in this song " to gratify
the groundlings," 1 there is much that
might claim the authorship of Shake-
speare ; it is just his manner — to remind
us that we must return to realities, that
life is a serious business, and that "it
is not good to stay too long in the
theatre" (Bacon, Advaticement of Learn-
ing, 11. iv. 5). Finally, it may be some
earlier effort of the writer ; and yet
more to the purpose, the text of the
song is certainly corrupt, and does not
fairly represent its author, whether
Shakespeare or another.

393. When that] See note on i. ii.

47.

393. and] often redundantly used in
old ballads.

393. a little tiny] " Tiny " ( F " tine ")

1 "It was evidently one of those jigs with
which it was the rude custom of the clown to
gratify the groundlings upon the conclusion of
a play," Staunton.

176 TWELFTH NIGHT [actv.sc. i.

But when I came to man's estate,

With hey, ho, the wind and the rain ;

^Gainst knaves and thieves men shut their gate,

For the rain it raineth every day. 400

But when I came, alas ! to wive.

With hey, ho, the wind and the rain ;

By swaggering- could I never thrive,
For the rain it raineth every day.

But when I came unto my beds, 405

With hey, ho, the wind and the rain ;
With toss-pots still had drunken heads,
For the rain it raineth every day.

A great while ago the world begun.

With hey, ho, the wind and the rain ; 410

But that's all one, our play is done,

And we 'II strive to please you every day. [Exit.

398. hey, ho,] Ff, hey ho, F. 399. 'Gainst] F 3, 4 ; Gainst F ; knaves and
thieves] Knaues and Theeues F ; knave and thief Farmer, Rann, Steevens,
Hudson. 401. alas!] alas F; at last Rowe, Pope. 405-407. beds . . .
heads] beds . . . heades F ; bed . . . head Hanmer, Rann, Steevens, Var. '21,
Knight, Collier, White, Halliwell, Dyce, Keightley, Hudson. 407. toss-pots]
toss-pots Rowe, ii., tofpottes F, tofpots Ff ; still had] F, I had Hanmer, still I
had Collier, ii. iii. (MS.) ; drunken] F, broken Anon. ap. Camb. 409. begun]
begun Rowe ; begon F, I'" 2 ; be-gon F 3 ; begone F 4.

was originally a noun, meaning a large 401. wive] Often used as a verb in

vat; hence the phrase, "a little tine," Shakespeare.

to denote a smaller vessel. The word 405-408.] There is something wrong

occurs four times in Shakespeare with this stanza ; certainly we should

("tine" in the Folio of 1623), and is read "bed" and "head" with Hanmer

always preceded by " little." and the others (and cf. "knaves and

394-396.] The refrain of this song thieves" in the second stanza); also

occurs again in the stanza sung by the the third line "With toss-pots, etc.,"

fool in King Lear (ill. ii. 74-77). seems disorganised.

395. A . . . toy] For the meaning, 405. beds] Halliwell quotes Over-
see the above general note on the song ; bury's New and Chaise Characters,
here we may add, " my misdoings were 1615, "It is said among the folkes
rightly regarded as the mere play of heere, that if a man die in his infansy,
a child." "Toy" is "trifle," as in hee hath oncly broke his fast in this
2 Henry IV. II. iv. 183. world. If in his youth, hee hath left

399.] For "knaves and thieves" us at dinner. That it is bedde time

Farmer proposed to read "knave and with a man at three score and tenne."

thief" ; and there is no doubt that both Possibly we may compare " I '11 go to

sense and rhythm, especially the latter, bed at noon," King Lear, HI. vi. 92 ;

would be gainers by such an emendation, and in The Tempest (ll. i. 2S4) we

401. alas !] Is this possibly personal, have " lay to bed."

like some of the allusions to marriage 407. toss- pots] drunkards ; the only

in the play itself? {e.g. 11. iv. 29-35). instance in Shakespeare.

APPENDIX I

Sources of Twelfth Night — Additional

For this First Appendix I have reserved those details
relating to the literary history of Twelfth Night that would
have been out of place in the Introduction to the play. In
that Introduction some mention was made of the following
works, which are here arranged in chronological order : —

1. GVIngannati (in the volume entitled // Sacrificio,
Comedia de GV Intronatt). Author unknown. First acted,
1531 ; published at Venice, 1537. Frequently reprinted.

2. Les Abuses^ by Charles Estienne. Lyon, 1543. A
French version of the above.

3. Gl'Ingatini, by Nicolo Secchi, or Seccho. Florence,
1562. First acted, 1547.

4. Novelle, by Matteo Bandello. La Seconda Parte,
Lucca, 1554.

5. Los Enganos, or Los Engaflados, by Lope de Rueda,
1556. First printed, Valencia, 1567.

6. La Espafiola de Florencia, or Las Burlas veras. Author
and date uncertain.

7. Hecatonmiithi, or Cento Novelle, by G. B. Giraldi
Cinthio. Monte Regale, 1565.

8. Histoires Tragiques, by Francois de Belleforest.
Volume iv. Paris, 1570.

9. Riche his Farewell to Militarie Profession, by Barnabe
Riche. London, 1581.

10. Laelia, MS. Acted 1590 and 1598.

11. Gl'Lnganni, by Curzio Gonzaga. Venice, 1592.

12. Gl'Ingamii, by Domenico Cornaccini. Venice, 1604.

The following are fuller particulars of the above works —
such particulars, especially, as relate to the origin of Twelfth
Night : —

I. GV Ingannati'^ (the Deceived, Cheated, Duped, or Mis-

^ For the circumstances attending the discovery of this play, see Introduction,
pp. xi, xii.

12

178 APPENDIX 1

taken), "based," says Mr. Sidney Lee, "on Bandello's Novel
of Nicuola." But this is doubtful ; it seems rather to
have been suggested by Plautus and Terence, especially the
former, but should contain much that is original, — " never
seen or read," — as the Prologue asserts. The volume con-
taining the play is entitled // Sacrificio, Covicdia de gli
Intro7iati (" The Sacrifice, Comedy of the Thunderstruck ") ;^
and the Sacrifice, or Induction or Introduction, consists of
sonnets and poems supposed to be sung to the lyre by each
member of the society, as he casts into an altar flame some
token of a mistress who has deserted him. As to the
Intronati, or Academicilntronati,oi Siena, they were a society
— and there were many of the kind in the Italy of that
day — who were founded (1525) " orare, studere,gaudere, etc."
and who composed and acted the comedy which followed
the Induction, viz. The Ingannati of the Intronati. Of this
I give a short analysis, which will be sufficient to show
the resemblance in plot that relates Twelfth Night to
Gl'Ingannati.

The scene is in Modena. An old merchant, Virginio, has
a son and a daughter, Fabrizio and Lelia. Fabrizio was lost
sight of in the sack of Rome, 1527, but Lelia, aged thirteen,
is taken by her father to Modena. (As the play was per-
formed at the Carnival of 1 531, she is now seventeen.) A
rich old man, Gherardo, wishes to marry her ; but she loves
Flaminio, though during her temporary absence from
Modena he had transferred his affections to Isabella,
daughter of Gherardo. Lelia leaves the convent where she
had been placed for a time, assumes male attire and the
name Fabio, and enters the service of Flaminio as a page.
In this capacity she is employed by her master in carrying

^ The following appears to be the title of the edition of 1543, the earliest to
which I have access : —

COMEDIA I DEL SaCRIFICIO DE / GLI INTRONATI I DA SlENA / MDXLUI.

The edition of 1562 has for its full title —

Comedia del Sacrificio de gli Intronati celebrato ne i giiiochi (Tttn Carnouale
in Siena. Di nuoiio corretta, et ristampata. In \^eneetia, Appresso P'rancesco
Rampazetto, mdlxu.

The copy of 1543 is thus arranged : —
P. 2, verso, " Curtio alii letori."
P. 2, recto, " El Sacrificio de gli Intronati celebrato ne i giochi del Carnuoale in

Siena I'Anno mdxxxi., etc."
P. 12, verso, " Messer Agnol Maleuolti un Cupido scolpito dono della sua

Donna " ; and this is followed by his verses.
P. 14, recto, " Prologo delli Ingannati delli Intomati" (sic).
P. 17, recto, " Recitatori della comedia."
P. 18, verso. On this page begins the play of five acts, i.e. Gf Ingannati."

It may be added that other editions of GP Ingannati appezred in the following
years:— 1538, 1550, 1554, 1563, 1569, 1582, 1585, 1587, 1595, 1602, etc.

APPENDIX I 179

letters and messages of affection to Isabella, who falls in love
with her. Fabio — that is, Lelia — says, " Perhaps I may love
you, if you dismiss Flaminio." This ruse, omitted, as we
may suppose, by the better taste of Shakespeare, she repeats
in the next Act.

In this Second Act Fabio — but from this point we will
use the name Lelia — tells Flaminio that Isabella will have
none of his love ; but she hints, " Have you never found some
one in this country who loved you ? oh ! why did you desert
her ? " (Here the dialogue has some resemblance to Twelfth
Night, II. iv. 105-121.) Flaminio fears that Isabella refuses
him because of his old love for Lelia ; — " Tell Isabella that
I hate Lelia. Lelia : Ah me. Flaminio : What troubles
you . . . Lean on me . . . Have you any pain ? Lelia : . . .
In the heart."

In the Third Act Lelia's brother Fabrizio comes to
Modena in company with his tutor, who is a pedant and
avaricious ; the tutor shows him the " remarkable places " in
the town.^ Meanwhile Virginio has discovered that Lelia
is living with Flaminio in the guise of a page ; and as he
is talking the matter over with Gherardo, who is greatly
annoyed thereat, the two old men encounter Fabrizio. Him
they take for Lelia ; and thinking from his remarks that he
must have lost his wits, they lock him — her, as they imagine
— up in the very chamber of Isabella in Gherardo's house.

In the Fourth Act Piero tells Virginio that his son has
arrived in Modena, and is lodging at the sign of " The Fool."
Here Gherardo finds a bill to pay, but not his son. Mean-
while Gherardo meets Lelia, and supposes that she has
escaped from his house ; hither he returns, and discovers
that Fabrizio and Isabella are betrothed.

In the Fifth Act all parties meet at the house of
Gherardo, and there follow recognitions, reconciliations,
conjunctions. Isabella, like Olivia, is content with her
substitute, Fabrizio ; and Flaminio, already influenced by
explanations from Lelia's nurse, gladly returns to his old
love. Only "that withered old stick, Gherardo,"^ fails to
take full share in the general joy.

Such is the plot in outline ; and its resemblance to
Twelfth Night must be already apparent.

But more is to be gathered from details ; we have already
noticed " Maleuolti " in the Induction (see Introduction,

1 Cf. Twelfth Night, in. iii. 19, 23, 24.

^ From the abridged version by T. L. Peacock, The Deceived. London,
1862.

180 APPENDIX I

p. x) ; and he happens to be the only one of the company
whose sacrificial offering bears his own name, — " Messer
Agnol Maleuolti un Cupido scolpito, dono della sua Donna"
(Mr. Agnol Malevolti a sculptured Cupid, the gift of his lady).
It is my opinion (I received a hint from Mr. Maurice
Hewlett) that Shakespeare turned Malevolti (evil-faced) into
the name of " that thin-faced knave " Aguecheek, and then
re-made Malevolti as Malvolio, from a frequent phrase in
the story he was reading in Bandello, namely, 7)!ala voglia
{i.e. evil desire). This phrase occurs no fewer than seven
times in Novella, xxxvi., and once also as malissima voglia.
To some extent, therefore, we should support the reading
Castiliano Volto (Spanish face ; see I. iii. 44), which is closely
followed by Agueface. We have also met with Fabio,
Lelia's assumed name, which may have suggested Shake-
speare's Fabian ; and, more important, the phrase la Notte di
Beffana {i.e. the night of Befania, or Epifattia, or Epiphany),
which appears in the following context of the " Prologo delli
Ingannati delli Intronati" (as quoted by Hunter):

" La favola e nuova non piu per altri tempi vista ne letta
ne meno altronde cavata che della loro industriosa zucca,
onde si cavorno ancho la Notte di Beffana le sorti nostre, per
le quali vi parve, che gl' Intronati vi mordesser tanto in su
quel falto del dichiarare, e diceste che gli ha vevan cosi
mala lingua."^

Next as to characters, I consider that Piero Gherardo
and Giglio rolled into one would serve to suggest — if not to
create — a Malvolio. Piero, the pedant, who exclaims, " To
what have poor letters come! Into the mouth of an ass?"
is one of those who go about " puffed up like bladders" ; he
will not " place himself on a footing " with Fabrizio's servant
Stragualcia, whose derisive scrap of mad Latin called forth
the above rejoinder, and who plies him with taunts that are
very like Sir Toby's to Malvolio. As to Gherardo, he falls
an easy victim to Lelia's nurse dementia, who flatters him
on his youthful attractions, while Spela, his servant, " in a
series of asides exhausts on his folly the whole vocabulary
of anger and contempt," and these remind us of the asides
of Sir Toby in Ttvelfth Night, II. v. 31 sqq. And lastly,
Giglio, a Spaniard, is befooled by Pasquella, maid-servant of
Gherardo and Isabella. Giglio had the audacity to protest
his love for Isabella, and thereupon Pasquella " gulls him
into a nayword " with a trick that brings her both amuse-
ment and profit. In fact, if we make a similar combination

^ See also Introduction, p. xv.

APPENDIX I 181

of Clementia and Pasquella, we have a personality that
strikingly resembles Maria.

Also in the above-mentioned Stragualcia, servant of
Fabrizio, we have ^ a forecast of Feste ; this chiefly in regard
to his humorous Latin, and his ridicule of pedantry ; and
further, he has resemblances to Sir Toby ; he is fond of a
jest, fonder of good living, and with a spit from the kitchen
is ready on occasion to " spit Piero first, and count one." So
Sir Toby, " O for a stone bow, to hit him in the eye, etc.
etc." {Twelfth Night, II. v. 48 sqq^. And once more, if we
add Spela to Stragualcia, we create a very fair original of
Sir Toby,2 Thus also we have much more than a sugges-
tion of the underplot in Twelfth Night.

Next as to resemblances of thought or phrase, " When I
brave him, he 's soon silenced," said Stragualcia ; " You
should have banged the youth into dumbness," said Sir
Toby. Again, Gherardo's " You want to make me see
double," recalls " One face, one voice, one habit, and two
persons, A natural perspective" (v. 218, 219); and "when
your beard grows" will compare with "Jove, in his next
commodity of hair, send you a beard " (ill. i. 48, 49). There
are also the lie in the throat, the humouring talk to the
supposed mad Fabrizio, the shutting him up in a chamber,
the name of a particular inn, and the like. We might also
note the mention of the Duke of Malfi (see Introduction, p. xiv).
We could hardly expect to find the structural elements
of Twelfth Night more fully represented in any original than
they are in Gl' Ingannati \ but more striking minor resem-
blances are perhaps to be found in the fourth book on our list
— the Novelle of Bandello. I have already remarked in the
Introduction (pp. x, xii, xiii) that Shakespeare on occasion
must seem to have had recourse to an Italian original ; ^ I
will now add, that if he consulted Bandello or Cinthio or Ser
Giovanni in one instance, then why not in another?* and
although these remarks apply more closely to the seventh
author on our list, i.e. to Cinthio, they are not altogether
irrelevant in the case of Bandello, whom Shakespeare almost
certainly used when writing Tivelfth Night, and may also
have glanced at when engaged on Romeo a?td fuliet and

^ See note on I. v. 57.

^ Some find the original of Sir Toby Belch in a cousin of Queen Elizabeth,
Sir Francis Knollys, whose habits in the royal household resembled Sir Toby's in
the play.

^ Suitable Italian originals were at that time numerous, accessible, and
popular.

* And if he consulted those Italian works, then why not also GVIngannati?

182 APPENDIX I

Much Ado about Nothing. But first we have to take some
passing notice of

2. Les Abuses. — Of this French version of GV Ingannati,
which Shakespeare may possibly have consulted, it will be
enough to quote the following remark of Ginguene (vol.
vi. p. 303) :—

"II en parut en 1543 une traduction fran^aise par
Charles Estienne, mddecin." To this he adds in a footnote,
"Sous ce titre : les Abuses^ comedie des professeurs de
I'academie siennoise, nommes Intronati, cel^br^e es-jeux
d'un careme — prenant a Sienne, traduit du tuscan, etc., i
Lyon, par Francois Juste, in — 16."

3. The Gr Inganni'^ (The Deceits, Mistakes, Cheats, etc.)
of Secchi. — Here the plot presents but few parallels to
Ttvelfth Nighty though it may have been adapted from
Gl' Ingannati. It is scarcely enriched by borrowings from
the Asinaria of Plautus and the Etimichus of Terence, and
itis al together coarse in mould, as the following outline will
show (the play is preceded by a Prologo and an Argotnento).

A girl, Ginevra, and her brother, Fortunato, the twin
children of a Genoese merchant, had been separated from
their father by Corsairs, and sold as slaves in Naples.
Ginevra had dressed as a boy, and changed her name to
Ruberto. Known to each other, the brother and sister lived
in the same street — Ginevra in the service of Massimo
Caraccioli, Fortunato in that of the courtesan Dorotea.
Massimo has a son, Gostanzo, in love with Dorotea, and a
daughter, Portia, who falls in love with Ginevra. Unwilling
to betray herself to Portia, Ginevra provides her brother
as a substitute, and he is betrothed to Portia. Meanwhile
Ginevra has conceived an affection for Gostanzo, who has
been sending her on love embassies to Dorotea ; but — and
this variation in the story deserves notice — Dorotea does not
fall in love with the messenger. Ultimately Ginevra wins
the love of Gostanzo, and at the end of the play the father
of the twins returns a wealthy man, and marries his children
to Portia and Gostanzo respectively.

If the plot of Gl'Inganni has not much that relates it to
Twelfth Night, so the material of the play lends but little to

^ I have before me the first edition (1562), the title of which is as follows : —
Gringanni | Comedia \ del Signer N.S. \ Recitata in Milano Vanno 1 547. |
dinanzi alia A/aestH \ del Re Filippo \ Nitoiiamcnte posta in luce \ Con Licenza, e
Privilegio \ In Fiorenza appresso i Giunti | mdlxii. It may here be added
that a French version of G^//;;fa«;«' appeared at Troyes in 161 1, under the title
of Les Tromperies. This is by Pierre de Larivey, who calls his work •'ceste
docte imitation des anciens ct meilleurs Poetes Comiques."

APPENDIX 1 183

Shakespeare. The following dialogue, however, is compared
by Collier with Ttvelfth Night, II. iv. 23-31 : — " Gostanzo (in
reply to Ruberto, i.e. Ginevra, who pretends that some
young girl is in love with her). Where is she? Ruberto.
Near you. Gost. How shall I get to her? Rub. As you
could come to me. Gost. How do you know that she loves
me ? Rtib. Because she often talks to me of her love. Gost.
Do I know her? Rub. As well as you know me. Gost. Is
she young? Rub. Of my age. Gost. And loves me? Rub.
Adores you. Gost. Have I ever seen her? Rub. As often
as you have seen me." Beyond this we have but to notice
that there is in the play a servant with the name of Straccia,
which, in the remotest manner possible, so Collier thought,
may have some connection with the " Lady of the Strachy "
{Twelfth Night, II. v. 41, 42).

4. The Novelle of Bandello.^ — Mrs. Charlotte Lennox
{Shakspeay Illustrated, London, 1753) first drew attention
to a similarity between Ttvelfth Night and the 36th ^ of the
Second Part of Bandello's collection of 214 tales. Bandello
may have adapted his story from GTIngannati; the argu-
ment is as follows : " Nicuola, innamorata di Lattanzio, ua a
seruirlo vestita da Paggio, e dopo molti casi seco si marita, e
cio che ad un suo Fratello auuenne"; that is, "Nicuola,
being in love with Lattanzio, goes to serve him dressed as a
page, and after many chances marries him ; and what
happens to a brother of hers." Here we have Paolo and
Nicuola, children of a merchant of Rome, twin brother and
sister who are much alike ; and their fortunes so closely
follow those of Fabrizio and Lelia in GV Ingannati, which
starts with the same sacking of Rome in 1527, that the
story may almost be told over again by the mere
substitution of Lattanzio for Flaminio, and of Catella for
Isabella. Moreover, the old Gherardo Foiani of GVIngannati
reappears as Gerardo Lauzetti. But although Shakespeare,
as we have seen, would have found much ampler dramatic
material in the work of the Intronati, there are thoughts and
phrases which he must surely have taken from Bandello.
Of these I will select the following from the version by John
Payne (London, 1890); and will place first, as one of the
most interesting, " The worm of amorous wistfulness still
gnawed at her heart and fretted it." ^ This, of course, will

^ La Seconda Parte \ de le Novelle del Bandello \ In Lucca, mdliiii.
^ Novella, xxxvi. p. 212.

^ In the original, " I'amoroso verme veracemente con grandissimo cordoglio
le rodena il core."

184 APPENDIX I

take us to the famous passage in Twelfth Night (ll. iv. 1 1 1-
113); and we may add from Bandello, " My heart forebodeth
me this hapless lass must needs languish for you, and live a
life of anguish and misery." " Parendole che fuori da i suoi
begli occhi vscisse una inusitata dolcezza " may be com-
pared with " Methinks I feel this youth's perfections With
an invisible and subtle stealth To creep in at mine eyes"
(l. V. 305-307) ; and this again with Belleforest's " catelle
humant de plus en plus le venin d'amour par les yeux, luy
sembloit que Romule deuint de fois a autre plus beau."

I may mention in passing that Shakespeare, still more
than Bandello, had the good taste to ignore Lelia's design of
diverting Isabella from the love of her master. Next, the
obscure line in Twelfth Night (ill. i. 117), "After the last
enchantment you did here," has light cast upon it by Catella's
remark to the page, " I know not what thou hast done to
me ; methinketh thou must have bewitched me." " Madam,"
replied he, " you mock me ; I have done nothing to you, and
am neither a wizard nor sorcerer . . . " ^ While the still
more obscure expression {Twelfth Night, III. i. 103, 104; and
see note), " My servant, sir ! 'Twas never merry world Since
lowly feigning was call'd compliment:" is probably ex-
plained by Catella's declaration, " I desire thee not to servant,
but will e'en have thee (an it mislike thee not) be lord over
me what while I live, and dispose of me at thy pleasure."
A still closer parallel with Shakespeare may be found in
Nicuola's reflection, " Who knoweth but this fair damsel yet
loveth and liveth in sore affliction for your sake ? More by
token that I have many a time heard say that girls, in their
first loves, love far more tenderly and with much greater
fervour than do men." In this connection the Duke first
protests (II. iv. 32-35) " For, boy, however we do praise our-
selves, Our fancies are more giddy and unfirm. More longing,
wavering, sooner lost and worn. Than women's are." And
Viola confirms the statement with her (ll. iv. 117-119) "We
men say more, swear more : but indeed Our shows are more
than will ; for still we prove Much in our vows, but little in
our love."

In regard to the ceremony of betrothal twice mentioned
in Twelfth Night (iv. iii. 23-32; v. 154-159), we may cf.
" With this Lattanzio drew a ring from his finger, and

^ Rendered thus in Belleforest : — "Je ne s^ay, nion amy, qu'est-ce que tu as
fait en nion endroit, mais i'estime que tu m'as enchantee. Je ne suis sacrilege
ny charmcur dit Romule . . . ne pouvant plus couurir le feu cache en son
ame."

APPENDIX 1 185

espoused her to his lawful wife in the presence of Pippa,"
And finally, as a reflection repeated not in Twilfth Night
but in A Midsummer-Night' s Dream, III. ii. 234 (and else-
where), " But miserable most to love unloved," we have in
Bandello, " there is no misery in the world sharper or more
grievous than to love and be unloved."

5. Los Ejiganos, or Los Enganados. — Mariano Ferrer €
Izquierdo, in his Estudio historico-critico, Madrid, 1899, pre-
fers the title Los Enganados. This play of Lope de Rueda
he assigns to the year 1556; it was printed in 1567 in a
volume with the general title, Las quatro Comedias, etc., and
further. Las segundas dos Comedias del excellete porta, Im-
pressas e7i Valencia, . . . A no 1567; and again, a few pages
further on, Comedia llamada de los Enganados, etc. etc.

The following account of this Spanish comedy will be
found in a pamphlet by D. Emilio Cotarelo y Mori, Madrid,
1901 : — ^^ Los Enganados . . . terma que dio origen a Los
Menechmos de Planto, a una novela del Bandello, a la
comedia de Shakespeare La tioche de Reyes, a la titulada La
espanola de Florencia . . ." He says further, " y claremente
se ve que Rueda tuvo a la vista dicha comedia {Gl'In-
gannati) y se propuso imitarla." In fact, Los Enganados
appears to be little more than a translation of GV Lngannati
and the Dramatis Personce are much the same in both plays

6. La Espanola de Florencia. — Of this play, which was
mentioned in the former paragraph in connection with Los
Enganados, I have not succeeded in discovering the date or
the author. It appears to have other titles, such as Las
Burlas veras, under which it is ascribed by Riva de neyra
to Lope de Vega ; but this is doubted by Chorley, who has
discussed the subject in a MS. note in his Catalogue, 1861.
The copies I have seen assign the work to Calderon, which
would be too late for Twelfth Night ; but this authorship is
less probable than the former.

The play is also known as El A mor invencionero, and the
plot closely resembles that of GV Lngannati, while among
the dramatis personce are Cesar, Gerardo, and Ursino {yiejo,
i.e. an old man).

7. We have here to deal with Novella viii., Deca Quinta,
De Gli Hecatommithi \ Di M. Giovan Battista Gyraldi
Cinthio \ Parte Prima \ Nel Monte Regale | 1565.

A prefatory remark which we shall have to make in the
case of Belleforest, who comes next in our list, will also be
useful in this instance ; for the Hecatommithi furnished Shake-
speare with the outline of Othello^ and with hints for Measure

186 APPENDIX I

for Measure^ — possibly also for The Tzvo Gentlemen of
Verona. How much resemblance the story told in Twelfth
Night bears to the Eighth Novel of the Fifth Decade of
the Hecatommithi may be gathered from the following
synopsis : ^ —

" A gentleman of Naples, who has offended his king,
flies the country with his two children ; they are twins, a
boy and a girl, who closely resemble one another. The ship
is wrecked, and the father is supposed to be lost ; but the
two children reach land in safety. Unknown to each other
they are brought up by people of the coast ; eventually the
girl falls in love, and gains access to the object of her passion
by entering his service disguised as a page. But her master
mistakes her for her brother, who had formerly been in his
service, and had left him to dress up as a girl for the purpose
of pursuing an illicit love. The father of the girl thus be-
trayed seeks to avenge his daughter's disgrace, meets the
disguised page, mistakes her for her brother, and casts her
into prison."

As Cinthio asserts that he wrote all his stories in his
youth, we must conclude that he was not indebted to
Bandello or Belleforest, but, possibly, to the earlier Gl'
Ingannati.

8. Of Belleforest, the eighth on my list, I have first to
remark that Shakespeare read this French author when
writing his Hamlet^ and may have consulted him (or his
occasional collaborator, Boistuau) in the preparation of
Romeo and fuliet and Much Ado about Nothing; and that
therefore he may have referred to the Histoires Tragiques
on this occasion also. Next, as in two of the former cases,
the stories told by Belleforest were little more than a
version of Bandello, so in this instance the French novelist
makes full use of the Italian when he relates, " Comme une
fille Romaine se vestant en page seruist long temps vn sien
amy, sans estre cogneue, et depuis I'eust a mary, . . ."
From the end of the above summary I omit the words,
" auec autres discours," which prepare us for many additions
made by Belleforest, such as verses and love letters ; at the
same time the French author has shortened the story here
and there, omitting speeches and the like, but he retains the
names of the characters.

The volume of Belleforest in which I have read the

^ It is interesting to note the beginning of the Argument in the original : —
" Messer Cesare Gravina Temendo, etc.," for here again we have a form of
"Cesario." See also Introduction, p. xii.

APPENDIX I 187

story reproduced in Twelfth Nighty is entitled Le Quatriesme
Tome des Histoires Tragigues, Turin, 1571, and the story in
question is the fifty-ninth, p. 201. The Dedication is dated
Paris, May 3rd, 1570, and includes the following remark: —
"Je les ay choisies, non seulement du Badel, mais de
plusieurs autres, ne trouvant rien plus dans cest autheur, qui
fut digne d'une dame si sage, etc. etc,"

This notice of Belleforest may conclude with a selection
from the passages that seem to be repeated in Twelfth Night,
but many of these are merely translations of Bandello's
Italian ; and one or two others I have quoted already side
by side with the passages from Bandello. " Pour parfaire ce
qui reste de la perfection de nos ames " (" These sovereign
thrones, are all supplied, and fiU'd, Her sweet perfections,
with one self king," I. i. 37, 38). " Lactance experimenta en
soy la maladie contagieuse qui prent par les yeux, et va poser
son siege au cceur" (in Bandello, "suffereth the amorous
poison penetrate to his heart and there take root ") ; this we
may cf. with " Methinks I feel this youth's perfections With
an invisible and subtle stealth To creep in at mine eyes,"
I. v. 305-307. Cf. also, " These sovereign thrones," I. i. 37,
and "the seat Where love is throned," II. iv. 21, 22. "Les
apprehensions, tant plus elles sont violentes et soudaines,
tant plustost aussi elles s'en volent, et est effacee leur trace
en la memoire, des que Ton en perd le premier object " (" O
spirit of love, how quick and fresh thou art . . . high fan-
tastical," I. i. 9-15 ; also, "Our fancies . . . women's are," II.
iv. 33-35 ; or again, " Our shows are more than will ; for still
we prove Much in our vows, but little in our love," II. iv.
118, 119). This last passage, which I have cited from
Twelfth Night, and the reflections in some of the others,
are enlarged in the following : — " Et procede cecy d'vne
grande imperfection de jugement au choix de ce qui nous
est profittable, et d'une inconstance que le plus souuent ac-
compagne les amoureux, quelque grande parade qu' ils
facent de leur loyaute," etc. etc. The following passage,
which illustrates II. iv. 32-35 and some other lines in Shake-
speare's play, will be quoted chiefly to show how Belle-
forest deals with Bandello (p. 15): — " Et que sgavez vous
si ceste fille languist encor pour I'amour de vous, et vist en
destresse ? Car i'ay ouy dire que les filles en leurs premieres
apprehensions aiment d'vne vehemence tout autre, et plus
grande que ne font les hommes, et que malaisement on
estaint ceste flamme ainsi viuement esprise, ayant trouv6
suiet non occupe en autre chose."

188 APPENDIX I

These are the most important of the passages in Belle-
forest that illustrate Twelfth Night, whether of themselves
or through Bandello ; but I may add the following as a
companion thought to Sebastian's " or else this is a dream,"
etc. (IV. i. 62-65), " Lactance ne sgauoit si ce qu'il voyoit
estoit songe ou chose veritable . . . comme s'il fust sorty
dVn profond sommeil ..." 1 may add, moreover, that the
importance of the betrothal in those days is explained by
Belleforest ; also, that at the end of his story he mentions
the parallel case, " de celle grand Royne femme de Mithridate
Roy d'Asie, qui n'en fasoit pas moins, suyuant son mary
sous I'habillement d'vn homme, tant elle I'aimoit,"

9. The Apoloniiis and Silla of Barnabe Riche has
generally held the first place among these possible originals
of Shakespeare's play. Collier speaks of it as the " indisput-
able source of Twelfth Night" and Mr. Sidney Lee writes,
" In all probability he drew the story solely from the Historic
of Apoloniiis and Silla." But, as told by Riche, the tale is
coarse, and its literary standard is low ; and, although
written in English, its contribution to TivelftJi Night is
much smaller than that of the Comedy of the Intronati, or even
Bandello's novel " ; indeed, in my opinion, Shakespeare owes
it remarkably little. Apolonius and Silla is the second of
eight stories in a volume of which the full title may now be
given : —

" Riche his Farewell \ to Militarie Profession: con \ teining
verie pleasatmt discourses \ fit for a peaceable tyvie. \ Gathered
together for the onely delight of \ the courteous Gentlezuomen
bothe I of England and Irclande, \ For whose onely pleasure
thei were collected together \ A nd unto wJioin thei are directed
and dedicated \ by Barnabe Riche, Gentlcmafi. \ Imprinted at
London by Robert Walley, 1581."

From this title we seem to learn that Riche did not
write the stories, or at least did not wish them to be re-
garded as original ; in any case Apolo7iius is drawn from
Belleforest. Riche, however, did some other literary work.
His Apolonius and Silla was reprinted in BoszucU's LI alone,
1 82 1, in Shakespeare's Library, 1843, and by Collier for the
Shakespeare Society in 1846. For my present purpose I do
not think it worth while to print even an abridged version,
but I will give a brief outline: "Duke Pontus, Lord and
Governor of Cyprus, has a son and a daughter, Silvio and
Silla, who closely resemble one another. Silla falls in love
with a Duke Apolonius of Constantinople, who is staying at
her father's house, and when Apolonius returns to Constantin-

APPENDIX I 189

ople, she determines to follow him. Accompanied by her
servant, Pedro, she takes ship, is in danger of being insulted
by the captain, but is saved by the wreck of the vessel.
Thereafter, dressed as a man, and taking her brother's name,
she travels on to Constantinople. Here she enters the ser-
vice of Apolonius, and is employed by him to carry tokens
and love letters to the Lady Julina ; and as in all the other
versions of the story, the lady falls in love with the mes-
senger. Meanwhile the brother has followed the sister,
thinking that she may have eloped with Pedro. In Con-
stantinople he meets Julina, is bewildered by her attentions,
but remains for the night at her house, and in the morning
departs for Greece. Rumour of this intrigue reaches Apol-
onius, who suspects his page, and casts her into prison.
Eventually she is confronted with Julina, is proved to be
a girl, and is accepted by Apolonius, The character of
Julina is threatened, but the brother, hearing of his sister's
betrothal, hastens to Constantinople, where he marries
Julina."

Here we have a shipwreck, as in Cinthio, and this may
have been useful to Shakespeare ; as also may the sea cap-
tain, though he plays a very different part from the Antonio
of Twelfth Night. Beyond these the incidents are some-
what as the other writers relate them — Belleforest especi-
ally, whom we may regard as Riche's original. This may be
inferred where Riche says, " I will heare for breuities sake,
omit to make repetition of the long and dolorous discourse
recorded by Silla, for this sodaine departure of her
Apolonius " ; such a dolorous discourse is found only in
the version of Belleforest.

Descending now to particulars, we note, " that haue so
charely preserued myne honour," which bears a close like-
ness to "And laid mine honour too unchary out" {Twelfth
Night, III. iv. 210); also, "whom of my self I have chosen
rather for the satisfaction of mine honest likyng, then for the
vaine preheminences or honourable dignities looked after by
ambicious myndes," which is the substance of " Tell her, my
love, more noble than the world. Prizes not quantity of dirty
lands" {Twelfth Night, II. iv. 82, 83); beyond these there
are but one or two minor resemblances, which have been
included in the preceding notes.

It may be added that in the Atlantic Monthly for May
1st, 1902, Mr. W. A. Neilson finds a hint for Shakespeare's
treatment of Malvolio in another story by Riche. This is
the " Fift Historic" Of Two Brethren and their Wives, where

190 APPENDIX I

a husband gives out that his ill-tempered wife is mad, and
shows her to his neighbours — " a great chaine about her
legge, wherewith he tied her in a darke house, etc." Beyond
this, and the " call upon God " of her neighbours, I find
little in this fifth story that would have been useful to
Shakespeare.

10. Laelia. — This Latin version of GT higannati is de-
scribed by G. B. Churchill {Sh. Jahrbuch, 1898, vol. xxxiv.^).
The MS. is preserved in Lambeth Palace (838, 4°, p. 292).
Laelia was performed at Cambridge in 1590 and 1598, and it
may easily have been known in London, and possibly to
Shakespeare. Except for a few trifling omissions, it is a
faithful reproduction of the Italian, and what has been said
of Gl'Ingannati will mostly apply here. As to the question
whether Shakespeare used the Latin or the Italian, if he had
not access to both, I much prefer to believe that he had
before him one of the many editions of Gl'Ingannati.

11. Gonzaga's Gringanni'^ bears a close resemblance to
Secchi's play, on which it seems to have been founded. It
is of interest to us here chiefly through the fact that the
name assumed by the lady in disguise is " Cesare," which
may well have suggested Shakespeare's " Cesario." ^ And I
may now repeat the opinion given in the Introduction, that
if we may judge from Shakespeare's vast knowledge, and his
general method of setting about a play, we may be confident
that he consulted several, if not all, of the foregoing authori-
ties, and very possibly some others that are unknown to
us. I may add that a very imperfect idea of Shakespeare's
literary outfit is obtained from the usual summary of his
studies — Lilly's Grammar, Mantuanus, and the rest.

12. Cornaccini's G/' Ingannz did not appear till 1604, and
was therefore, we may presume, too late for Tivelfth Night.

^ Die lateinischen Universitiits — Dramen Englands in der Zeit der Konigin
Elisabeth.

2 Gringanni Comedia delP illustriss. Signer Curtio Gonzaga. AIl^ Illtis-
iriss""' iSr' excellentiss. Signora Donna Marjisa da Este. Con Privilegio. In
Venetia, 1592.

' See also Introduction, p. xii.

APPENDIX II

(a) Act II. Scene iv. Lines 111-116— "A Blank," etc.

We may remember the note on line 45 (" the free
maids"), but although we have before us a passage to be
spoken of with bated breath, and — sometimes — to grasp the
flower may be to destroy the flower ; yet, as I have pointed
out elsewhere, knowledge must come before appreciation,
and the student even of Tennyson should submit to a
pretty thorough schooling in Greek particles. Therefore,
after a more or less emphatic note of admiration, the com-
mentator will proceed with his task, and it may haply turn
out that his labours are not altogether unlike those of the
skilled musician who interprets the masterpiece of some
great composer. For example, when the uninformed reader
meets with (I quote at random), " In maiden meditation,
fancy free," and a thousand and one other such passages, he
almost certainly fails to understand them, and therefore as
certainly fails to appreciate their beauty. And here in this
passage we have, " She pined in thought," " a green and
yellow melancholy," " like Patience on a monument," " smil-
ing at grief" ; these expressions, apparently so simple, bristle
with difficulties ; ^ one must know Shakespeare, and some-
thing more, to realise what is meant by " thought," " green
and yellow," " grief" ; and it is necessary to take into careful
account the poet's ambiguous habits, whether of grammar or
vocabulary. The question. Does Shakespeare ever strike a
random string? is answered elsewhere in the notes {e.g. see
below, "green and yellow," also the note on V. 375). What
I have to dwell upon here is the fact that he is fond, perhaps
overfond, of the mof h double entente — the double entendre
generally ; " I moralise two meanings in one word," he says
in Richard III. (ill. i. 83). But not only will he use a word

^ To deal with them fully in these brief notes is impossible, but I have
endeavoured to explain such as are of primary importance. For some points the
reader may refer to the Var. Ed. of 182 1, where the mass of comment is so great
that it has to be appended to the play.

191

192 APPENDIX II

in such a way that we are left to choose its meaning, or, after
long labour, to discover that it has two and possibly three
meanings ; he will even allow a construction to remain doubt-
ful. See, for example, the word "smiling," below; and for
equivoque generally the note below, and that on line Ii6;
also the notes on III. i. 15, 22, 1 56-161 ; IV. i. 14, 15, etc. Of
this play upon words, for which we must always be prepared,
the most extraordinary instance is the passage explained in
the note on III. i. 1 56-161, and I doubt whether a more strik-
ing example of "idolising a quibble" can be found in all
Shakespeare. Finally, I may call attention to a very im-
portant characteristic of this poet (especially in regard to
figurative language), his habit, namely, of repeating an
expression in a slightly different form ; cf. the note on II. iv.
113; and for a further explanation, see the author's Handbook
to Shakespeare, pp. 436 and 437.

After these preliminary remarks (see also note on line 1 13,
" pined," etc.) we may endeavour to get at the poet's whole
meaning, and therefore enjoy to the full this exquisite effort
of fancy, imagination, and truth. But I give the following
paraphrase with diffidence, for in some points I shall have to
differ from most editors : — " The history of my sister's attach-
ment has not been written, for she never told anyone that
she was in love — ' But now will canker sorrow eat my bud.
And chase the native beauty from his cheek ' {King John,
III. iv. 82 ; see also an important reference to Bandello, note
on lines 112, 113). She pined away with inward pain that
caused her body to sicken and her mind to grow jaundiced.
Yet with a silent endurance that made her like the image of
Patience on a tombstone, she would sit and smile mournfully
on her suffering." Hunter gives quite a different meaning to
"grief" (see note on line 116); his explanation of "green
and yellow" (see below) is utterly at variance with mine ;
and some would allow the word " thought " its usual mean-
ing. But if I have judged rightly — aided by the drift of the
whole passage and our note on " pined in thought " (line 1 1 3),
we see that the word "thought" is used in the sense of
mental suffering; and we may compare "think and die,"
Antony and Cleopatra, III. xiii, i ; " take thought, and die for
Qt&'-.zx" Julius Ccesar, II. i. 187; or, as best adapted to our
passage, " There is pansies, that 's for thoughts," Hamlet, IV.
v. 177 ; we see also that the participle "smiling" has for its
subject more especially the pronoun " she," and in a much
less degree the noun " Patience," yet something of both.
Next we compare Pericles, V. i. 139 (where, however, the

APPENDIX II 193

picture has a different application), " thou dost look Like
Patience gazing on kings' graves, and smiling Extremity out
of act." The figure of Patience often wears a smile of
resignation as it bends over the futile sorrow of a tomb ; but
we must understand that the sister of Viola more than shared
the resignation of the placid marble.

{b) Act II. Scene iv. Line 114 — "Green and Yellow."

We may first refer to the note on line 113. No doubt
the poet was deliberate in his choice of these epithets ; but I
must repeat a caution given above ; though seldom hap-
hazard in his use of language, Shakespeare will often make
a mere word " track suggestion to her inmost cell " ; and in
writing the above paraphrase I found nothing so difficult as
the differentiating of " green and yellow " ; I made green the
symbol of bodily suffering and decay, and yellow of the
mental. Both green and yellow are often associated — and
not by Shakespeare alone — with jealousy ; but the picture
before the poet is one of physical and mental suffering and
decline, and the epithets are transferred from the cause to the
effect (cf. also " boiled to death with melancholy," II. v. 3).
Of course " black " {inelan) is the permanent epithet of
melancholy, as in Love's Labour's Lost, I. i. 234 {ci.cJioley and
black choler in the " humours " ; also Chaucer's rede colera,
i.e. yellow bile, as contrasted with melancholia) ; but to return
to these transferred epithets, " green " will partly suggest
the " green sickness " that Shakespeare and Fletcher attri-
bute to women, and partly the use of the word in "to look
so green and pale" {^Macbeth, I, vii, 37), or, "her vestal liveiy
is but sick and green " {Romeo and Juliet, II. ii. 8). As to
" yellow," it may first represent the outward appearance —
the " pale " of the former of these quotations, and the " sick "
of the latter ; and then further suggest the " pangs of de-
spised love" — we may not use the vulgar "jealousy " — that
slowly sicklied over the native hue of damask. Again I
write with diffidence, and in justice to my readers I will now
add Hunter's explanation of "green and yellow": — "We
must go," he says, "to the fancies of the Middle Age period,
when particular states of mind were indicated by particular
colours. Blue denoted truth ; crimson, cruelty ; white, inno-
cence ; ash colour, repentance ; and then also green denoted
hopefulness, and yellow, jealousy ; so that a green and
yellow melancholy was a melancholy in which there was
jealousy, yet hope, which accords exactly with the state of
mind of Viola."

13

APPENDIX III

Spedding's Arrangement of Acts and Scenes

Mr. Spedding further remarks (see Introduction in this
volume, p. xxxii) : — " At the end of the first Act, Malvoho is
ordered to run after Cesario with OHvia's ring ; in the second
Scene of the second Act, he has but just overtaken him.
' Were you not even now ' (he says) ' with the Countess
Olivia ? ' ' Even now, sir ' (she answers), ' on a moderate
pace I have since arrived but hither.' Here, therefore, the
pause is worse than useless. It impedes the action, and
turns a light and swift movement into a slow and heavy
one.

" Again, at the end of the third Act, Sir Andrew Aguecheek
runs after Cesario (who had just left the stage) to beat him,
Sir Toby and Fabian following to see the event. At the
beginning of the fourth, they are all where they were. Sir
Andrew's valour is still warm ; he meets Sebastian, mistakes
him for Cesario, and strikes him. Here again the pause is
not merely unnecessary ; it interrupts what was evidently
meant for a continuous and rapid action, and so spoils the
fun. I have little doubt that the first Act was meant to end
with the fourth Scene — the Scene between the Duke and
Viola :—

* Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife ' ;

the second with Viola's soliloquy upon receiving Olivia's
ring :—

' Oh, time, thou must untangle this, not I ;
It is too hard a knot for me to untie.' —

Act II. Scene ii.

The third might end where, according to the received
arrangement, the second does ; only that the underplot
would in that case become rather too prominent, and the
main action stand still too long. To avoid this, I would not

APPENDIX III

195

have the curtain fall till after the second interview between
Olivia and Viola, in which Olivia declares her passion : —

' Yet come again ; for thou perhaps may'st move
That heart which now abhors, to like his love.' —

Act III. Scene i.

The fourth Act may end where it now does, with the con-
tract between Olivia and Sebastian ; and the fifth will remain
as it is."

The following is Spedding's arrangement in a tabular
form

" I. i.-iv.

I. v., II. i. ii.

II. ii.-v.. III. i.

III. ii.-iv., IV. i.-iii.
v., ad fin.

And the following is that of Sir Henry Irving's Acting
Edition : —

I. i.-iv.

I. v., II. ii., II. iii.

II. iv., II. i., II, v., III. i.

III. iii., III. ii., III. iv., IV. i. ii.

IV. iii., ad fin.

First Act,
Second Act,
Third Act,
Fourth Act,
Fifth Act,

First Act,
Second Act,
Third Act,
Fourth Act,
Fifth Act,

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