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!

Seb. Antonio, O my dear Antonio!

How have the hours rack'd and tortured 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

230

Than these two creatures. Which is Sebastian? Oli. 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,
Whom the blind waves and surges have devour'd.
Of charity, what kin are you to me?

240

What countryman? what name? what parentage?
Vio. Of Messaline: Sebastian was my father;
Such a Sebastian was my brother too,
So went he suited to his watery tomb:
If spirits can assume both form and suit
You come to fright us.

Seb.
A spirit I am indeed;
But am in that dimension grossly clad
Which from the womb I did participate.
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.

Vio.

250

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.
Vio. If nothing lets* to make us happy both
But this my masculine usurp'd attire,
Do not embrace me till each circumstance

*Hinders.

260

Of place, time, fortune, do cohere and jump
That I am Viola: which to confirm,
I'll bring you to a captain in this town,
Where lie my maiden weeds;* by whose gentle
help

I was preserved to serve this noble count.
All the occurrence of my fortune since

*Garments.

Hath been between this lady and this lord.

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, deceived,
You are betroth'd both to a maid and man.

270

Duke. Be not amazed; right noble is his blood.

If this be so, as yet the glass seems true,

I shall have share in this most happy wreck.

[To Viola] Boy, thou hast said to me a thousand times

Thou never shouldst love woman like to me.

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.

280

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,

A gentleman, and follower of my lady's.

Oli. He shall enlarge him: fetch Malvolio hither:

And yet, alas, now I remember me,

They say, poor gentleman, he's much distract.

Re-enter CLOWN with a letter, and FABIAN.

A most extracting* frenzy of mine own From my remembrance clearly banish'd his. How does he, sirrah? *Distracting. 290 Clo. Truly, madam, he holds Belzebub at the staves's end as well as a man in his case may do

has here writ a letter to you; I should have given 't you to-day morning, but as a madman's epistles are no gospels, so it skills not much when they are delivered.

Oli. Open 't, and read it.

Clo. Look then to be well edified when the fool delivers the madman. [Reads] 'By the Lord, madam,'

Oli. How now! art thou mad?

300

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.

*Voice.

Clo. So I do, madonna; but to read his right wits is to read thus: therefore perpend,* my princess, and give ear.

*Attend.

[To Fabian.

Oli. Read it you, sirrah. Fab. [Reads]By the Lord, madam, you wrong me, and the world shall know it: though you have put me into darkness and given your drunken cousin rule over me, yet have I the benefit of my senses as well as your ladyship. I have your own letter that induced me to the semblance I put on; with 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.'

Oli. Did he write this?
Clo. Ay, madam.

320

Duke. This savours not much of distraction. Oli. See him deliver'd, Fabian; bring him [Exit Fabian.

hither.

My lord, so please you, these things further thought on,

To think me as well a sister as a wife,

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,

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
Your master's mistress.

Oli.

A sister! you are she.

Re-enter FABIAN, with MALVOLIO.

Duke. Is this the madman?

Oli.

How now, Malvolio!

Mal.

330

Ay, my lord, this same.

Madam, you have done me wrong,

Notorious wrong.

Oli.

Have I, Malvolio? no.

Mal. Lady, you have. Pray you, peruse that letter.

You must not now deny it is your hand:

Write from it, if you can, in hand or phrase; 340
Or say 'tis not your seal, not 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,
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,
Kept in a dark house, visited by the priest,
And made the most notorious geck* and gull
That e'er invention play'd on? tell me why. *Fool.
Oli. Alas, Malvolio, this is not my writing,
Though, I confess, much like the character:
But out of question 'tis Maria's hand.
And now I do bethink me, it was she

350

First told me thou wast mad; then camest in smiling,

And in such forms which here were presupposed
Upon thee in the letter. Prithee, be content:
This practice hath most shrewdly pass'd upon
thee;
*Wicked stratagem. 360
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
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
Set this device against Malvolio here,
Upon some stubborn and uncourteous parts
We had conceived 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;
If that the injuries be justly weigh'd *Importunity.
That have on both sides pass'd.

370

Oli. Alas, poor fool, how have they baffled* thee!

*Misused.

Clo. Why, 'some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrown upon 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 gagged:' and thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges.

Mal. I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you. [Exit. Oli. He hath been most notoriously abused. Duke. Pursue him, and entreat him to a peace: He hath not told us of the captain yet: When that is known and golden time convents,*

A solemn combination shall be made
Of our dear souls.

390

*Convenient.

Meantime, sweet sister,

We will not part from hence. Cesario, come;
For so you shall be, while you are a man;
But when in other habits you are seen,
Orsino's mistress and his fancy's queen.

Clo. [Sings]

[Exeunt all, except Clown.

When that I was and a little tiny boy,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
A foolish thing was but a toy,

For the rain it raineth every day.

400