This ruffian hath botch’d up, that thou thereby
Mayst smile at this: thou shalt not choose but go:
Do not deny. Beshrew his soul for me,
He started one poor heart of mine in thee.
SEBASTIAN 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!
OLIVIA Nay, come, I prithee; would thou’ldst be ruled by me!
SEBASTIAN Madam, I will.
OLIVIA O, say so, and so be!
Exeunt
Scene 2
OLIVIA’s house.
Enter MARIA and Clown
MARIA Nay, I prithee, put on this gown and this beard;
make him believe thou art Sir Topas the curate: do
it quickly; I’ll call Sir Toby the whilst.
Exit
Clown Well, I’ll put it on, and I will dissemble myself
in’t; and I would I were the first that ever
dissembled 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 fairly as to say a
careful man and a great scholar. The competitors enter.
Enter SIR TOBY BELCH and MARIA
SIR TOBY BELCH Jove bless thee, master Parson.
Clown Bonos dies, Sir Toby: for, as the old hermit of
Prague, that never saw pen and ink, very wittily
said to 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 TOBY BELCH To him, Sir Topas.
Clown What, ho, I say! peace in this prison!
SIR TOBY BELCH The knave counterfeits well; a good knave.
MALVOLIO [Within]
Who calls there?
Clown Sir Topas the curate, who comes to visit Malvolio
the lunatic.
MALVOLIO Sir Topas, Sir Topas, good Sir Topas, go to my lady.
Clown Out, hyperbolical fiend! how vexest thou this man!
talkest thou nothing but of ladies?
SIR TOBY BELCH Well said, Master Parson.
MALVOLIO Sir Topas, never was man thus wronged: good Sir
Topas, do not think I am mad: they have laid me
here in hideous darkness.
Clown 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 courtesy:
sayest thou that house is dark?
MALVOLIO As hell, Sir Topas.
Clown Why it hath bay windows transparent as barricadoes,
and the clearstores toward the south north are as
lustrous as ebony; and yet complainest thou of
obstruction?
MALVOLIO I am not mad, Sir Topas: I say to you, this house is dark.
Clown Madman, thou errest: I say, there is no darkness
but ignorance; in which thou art more puzzled than
the Egyptians in their fog.
MALVOLIO 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 question.
Clown What is the opinion of Pythagoras concerning wild fowl?
MALVOLIO That the soul of our grandam might haply inhabit a bird.
Clown What thinkest thou of his opinion?
MALVOLIO I think nobly of the soul, and no way approve his opinion.
Clown Fare thee well. Remain thou still in darkness:
thou shalt hold the opinion of Pythagoras ere I will
allow of thy wits, and fear to kill a woodcock, lest
thou dispossess the soul of thy grandam. Fare thee well.
MALVOLIO Sir Topas, Sir Topas!
SIR TOBY BELCH My most exquisite Sir Topas!
Clown Nay, I am for all waters.
MARIA Thou mightst have done this without thy beard and
gown: he sees thee not.
SIR TOBY BELCH To him in thine own voice, and bring me word how
thou findest him: I would we were well rid 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.
Exeunt SIR TOBY BELCH and MARIA
Clown [Singing]
‘Hey, Robin, jolly Robin,
Tell me how thy lady does.’
MALVOLIO Fool!
Clown ‘My lady is unkind, perdy.’
MALVOLIO Fool!
Clown ‘Alas, why is she so?’
MALVOLIO Fool, I say!
Clown ‘She loves another’–Who calls, ha?
MALVOLIO Good fool, as ever thou wilt deserve well at my
hand, help me to a candle, and pen, ink and paper:
as I am a gentleman, I will live to be thankful to
thee for’t.
Clown Master Malvolio?
MALVOLIO Ay, good fool.
Clown Alas, sir, how fell you besides your five wits?
MALVOLIO Fool, there was never a man so notoriously abused: I
am as well in my wits, fool, as thou art.
Clown But as well? then you are mad indeed, if you be no
better in your wits than a fool.
MALVOLIO They have here propertied me; keep me in darkness,
send ministers to me, asses, and do all they can to
face me out of my wits.
Clown Advise you what you say; the minister is here.
Malvolio, Malvolio, thy wits the heavens restore!
endeavour thyself to sleep, and leave thy vain
bibble babble.
MALVOLIO Sir Topas!
Clown Maintain no words with him, good fellow. Who, I,
sir? not I, sir. God be wi’ you, good Sir Topas.
Merry, amen. I will, sir, I will.
MALVOLIO Fool, fool, fool, I say!
Clown Alas, sir, be patient. What say you sir? I am
shent for speaking to you.
MALVOLIO Good fool, help me to some light and some paper: I
tell thee, I am as well in my wits as any man in Illyria.
Clown Well-a-day that you were, sir
MALVOLIO By this hand, I am. Good fool, some ink, paper and
light; and convey what I will set down to my lady:
it shall advantage thee more than ever the bearing
of letter did.
Clown I will help you to’t. But tell me true, are you
not mad indeed? or do you but counterfeit?
MALVOLIO Believe me, I am not; I tell thee true.
Clown Nay, I’ll ne’er believe a madman till I see his
brains. I will fetch you light and paper and ink.
MALVOLIO Fool, I’ll requite it in the highest degree: I
prithee, be gone.
Clown [Singing]
I am gone, sir,
And anon, sir,
I’ll be with you again,
In a trice,
Like to the old Vice,
Your need to sustain;
Who, with dagger of lath,
In his rage and his wrath,
Cries, ah, ha! to the devil:
Like a mad lad,
Pare thy nails, dad;
Adieu, good man devil.
Exit
Scene 3
OLIVIA’s garden.
Enter SEBASTIAN
SEBASTIAN 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:
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,
Yet doth this accident and flood of fortune
So far exceed all instance, all discourse,
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
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
That is deceiveable. But here the lady comes.
Enter OLIVIA and Priest
OLIVIA 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;
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
According to my birth. What do you say?
SEBASTIAN I’ll follow this good man, and go with you;
And, having sworn truth, ever will be true.
OLIVIA Then lead the way, good father; and heavens so shine,
That they may fairly note this act of mine!
Exeunt
Act 5
Scene 1
Before OLIVIA’s house.
Enter Clown and FABIAN
FABIAN Now, as thou lovest me, let me see his letter.
Clown Good Master Fabian, grant me another request.
FABIAN Any thing.
Clown Do not desire to see this letter.
FABIAN This is, to give a dog, and in recompense desire my
dog again.
Enter DUKE ORSINO, VIOLA, CURIO, and Lords