You have desire to purchase; and your store, Seb. I'll be your purse-bearer, and leave you for I do remember. [Exeunt. SCENE IV. Olivia's Garden. Enter OLIVIA and MARIA. he'll come; Oli. I have sent after him: He says For youth is bought more oft, than begg'd, or borrow'd. I speak too loud. Where is Malvolio?-he is sad, and civil1, And suits well for a servant with my fortunes; Mar. He's coming, madam; but in very strange manner. He is sure possessed, madam. Oli. Why, what's the matter? does he rave? 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 his wits. Oli. Go call him hither.-I'm as mad as he, If sad and merry madness equal be.— Enter MALVOLIO. How now, Malvolio? 1 Mal. Sweet lady, ho, ho. [Smiles fantastically. he is sad and civil.' That is serious and grave, or Come, civil night, Thou sober-suited matron all in black.' Oli. Smil'st thou ? I sent for thee upon a sad2 occasion. Mal. 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. Oli. Why, how dost thou, man? what is the matter with thee? Mal. 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 sweet Roman hand. Oli. Wilt thou go to bed, Malvolio? Mal. To bed? ay, sweet-heart; and I'll come to thee. Oli. God comfort thee! Why dost thou smile so, and kiss thy hand so oft? Mar. How do you, Malvolio? Mal. At your request? Yes; Nightingales answer daws. Mar. Why appear you with this ridiculous boldness before my lady? Mal. Be not afraid of greatness:-'Twas well writ. Oli. What meanest thou by that, Malvolio? Oli. Ha? Mal. Some achieve greatness,— Oli. What say'st thou? Mal. And some have greatness thrust Oli. Heaven restore thee! upon them. Mal. Remember, who commended thy yellow stock ings; Oli. Thy yellow stockings? Mal. And wished to see thee cross-gartered. 2 Grave. Oli. Cross-gartered? Mal. Go to: thou art made, if thou desirest to be Mal. If not, let me see thee a servant still. Ser. Madam, the young gentleman of the count Orsino's is returned; I could hardly entreat him back: he attends your ladyship's pleasure. Oli. I'll 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 miscarry for the half of my dowry. [Exeunt OLIVIA and MARIA. Mal. Oh, ho! do you come near me now? no worse 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 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 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 be looked to: Fellow 5! not Malvolio, nor after my degree, but fellow. Why, every thing ad 3 "Tis midsummer moon with you' was a proverbial phrase signifying you are mad. It was an ancient opinion that hot weather affected the brain. Caught her as a bird with birdlime. 5 Malvolio takes the word in its old favourable sense of companion. heres together; that no dram of a scruple, no scruple of a scruple, no obstacle, no incredulous or unsafe circumstance,-What can be said? Nothing that 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, with SIR TOBY BELCH and FABIAN. Sir To. Which way is he, in the name of sanctity? If all the devils in hell be drawn in little, and Legion himself possessed him, yet I'll speak to him. Fab. Here he is, here he is :-How is't with you, sir? how is't with you, man? Mal. Go off: I discard you; let me enjoy my private; go off. 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. Mal. Ah, ha! does she so? Sir To. Go to, go to; peace, peace, we must deal 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. Mal. Do you know what you say? Mar. La you, an you speak ill of the devil, how he takes it at heart! Pray God, he be not bewitched! 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 than I'll say. Mal. How now, Mar. O lord! mistress? Sir To. Pr'ythee, hold thy peace; this is not the way: Do not see, you move him; let me alone with him. you 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? Mal. Sir? Sir To. Ay, biddy, come with me. What, man! 'tis not for gravity to play at cherry-pit7 with Satan: Hang him, foul collier! Mar. Get him to say his get him to pray. Mal. My prayers, minx? prayers; good Sir Toby, Mar. No, I warrant you, he will not hear of godliness. Mal. Go, hang yourselves all! you are idle shallow things I am not of : your element; you shall know more hereafter. Sir To. Is't possible? [Exit. 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 the device, man. Mar. Nay, pursue him now; lest the device take air, and taint. Fab. Why, we shall make him mad, indeed. Sir To. Come, we'll have him in a dark room 9, and bound. My niece is already in the belief that he is mad; we may carry it thus, for our pleasure, 6 See Winter's Tale, Act i. Sc. 2, Note 15. 7 A play among boys. 8 Collier was in Shakspeare's time a term of the highest reproach. The coal venders were in bad repute, not only from the blackness of their appearance, but that many of them were also great cheats. The devil is called collier for his blackness. Hence the proverb Like will to like, as the devil with the collier.' 9 The reason for putting him in a dark room was to make him I believe he was mad, a mad house seems formerly to have been called a dark house. |