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VIOLA.

Would it be better, madam, than I am?

I wish it might, for now I am your fool.

OLIVIA.

O, what a deal of scorn looks beautiful

In the contempt and anger of his lip!

A murd'rous 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 love thee so that, maugre all thy pride,

Nor wit nor reason can my passion hide.

Do not extort thy reasons from this clause,

For that I woo, thou therefore hast no cause;

But rather reason thus with reason fetter:

Love sought is good, but given unsought is better.

VIOLA.

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.

And so adieu, good madam; never more

Will I my master's tears to you deplore.

OLIVIA.

Yet come again; for thou perhaps mayst move

That heart which now abhors to like his love. Exeunt

SCENE II. OLIVIA'S house

Enter SIR TOBY, SIR ANDREW and FABIAN

AGUECHEEK.

No, faith, I'll not stay a jot longer.

SIR TOBY.

Thy reason, dear venom, give thy reason.

FABIAN.

You must needs yield your reason, Sir Andrew.

AGUECHEEK.

Marry, I saw your niece do more favours to the

Count's

servingman than ever she bestow'd upon me; I saw't i' th' orchard.

SIR TOBY.

Did she see thee the while, old boy? Tell me that.

AGUECHEEK.

As plain as I see you now.

FABIAN.

This was a great argument of love in her toward you.

AGUECHEEK.

'Slight! will you make an ass o' me?

FABIAN.

I will prove it legitimate, sir, upon the oaths of judgment and reason.

SIR TOBY.

And they have been grand-jurymen since before Noah was a sailor.

FABIAN.

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 her; and with some excellent jests, fire-new from the

mint, you should have bang'd the youth into dumbness. This was

look'd for at your hand, and this was baulk'd. The double gilt of

this opportunity you let time wash off, and you are now sail'd

into the north of my lady's opinion; where you will hang like an

icicle on Dutchman's beard, unless you do redeem it by some

laudable attempt either of valour or policy.

AGUECHEEK.

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 TOBY.

Why, then, build me thy fortunes upon the basis of

valour. Challenge me the Count's youth to fight with him; hurt

him in eleven places. My 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.

FABIAN.

There is no way but this, Sir Andrew.

AGUECHEEK.

Will either of you bear me a challenge to him?

SIR TOBY.

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 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 in thy ink, though thou write with a goose-pen, no

matter. About it.

AGUECHEEK.

Where shall I find you?

SIR TOBY.

We'll call thee at the cubiculo. Go.

Exit SIR ANDREW

FABIAN.

This is a dear manakin to you, Sir Toby.

SIR TOBY.

I have been dear to him, lad- some two thousand strong, or so.

FABIAN.

We shall have a rare letter from him; but you'll not deliver't?

SIR TOBY.

Never trust me then; and by all means stir on the youth

to an answer. I think oxen and wainropes cannot hale them

together. For Andrew, if he were open'd and you find so much

blood in his liver as will clog the foot of a flea, I'll eat the

rest of th' anatomy.

FABIAN.

And his opposite, the youth, bears in his visage no great

presage of