VIOLA

What Country (Friends) is this? And what should I do in Illyria? My brother he is in Elizium, Perchance he is not drowned: What think you Sailors? Oh my poor brother, and so perchance may he be. Who governs here? What is his name? Orsino : I have herd my father name him. He was a Bachelor then. What's she? Oh that I served that Lady, And might not be delivered to the world Till I had made mine own occasion mellow What my estate is. There is a fair behaviour in thee Captain, And though that nature, with a beauteous wall Does oft close in pollution: yet of thee I will believe thou hast a mind that suits With this thy fair and outward character. I prithee (and I'll 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'll serve this Duke, Thou shalt present me as and Eunuch to him, 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. You either fear his humour, or my negligence, that you call in question the continuance of his love. Is he inconstant sir, in his favours. I thank you: here comes the Count. On your attendance my Lord here. Say I do speak with her (my Lord) what then? I think not so, my Lord. The honourable Lady of the house, which is she? I can say little more then I have studied, & that question's out of my partly. Good gentle one, give me modest assurance, if you be the Lady of the house, that may proceed in my speech. No my profound heart: and yet (by the very phangs of malice, I swear) I am not that I play. Are you the Lady of the house? Alas, I took great pains to study it, and it's Poetical. No good swabber, I am to hull here a little lon her. Some mollification for your Giant, sweet Lady; tell me your mind, I am a messenger. It alone concerns your ear: I bring no over ture of war, no taxation of homage; I hold the Olyffe in my hand: my words are as full of peace, as matter. 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: to your ears, Di uinity; to any others, profanation. Most sweet Lady. In Orsinoes bosom. To answer by the method in the first of his heart. Good Madam, let me see your face. 'Tis beauty truly blended, whose read and white, Nature's own sweet, and cunning hand laid on: Lady, you are the cruelest she alive, If you will lead these graces to the graven, And leave the world no copy. I see you what you are, you are too proud: But if you were the devil, you are fair: My Lord, and master loves you: Oh such love Could be but recompensed, though you were crowned The nonpareil of beauty. With adorations, fertile tears, With groans that thunder love, with sighs of fire. 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, I would not understand it. 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: Hallow your name to the reverberate hills, And make the babbling Gossip of the air, Cry out Olivia: Oh you should not rest Between the elements of air, and earth, But you should pity me. Above my Fortune's, yet my state is well: I am a Gentleman. I am no feed post, Lady; keep your purse, My Master, not my self, lacks recompense. Love make his heart of flint, that you shall love, And let your fervour Like my Master's be, Placed in contempt: Farewell fair cruelty. Even now sir, on a moderate pace, I have since a rived but hither. She took the Ring of me, I'll none of it. I left no Ring with her: what means this Lady? Fortune forbid my outside have not charmed her: She made good view of me, indeed so much, That me thought 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 Lords Ring? Why he sent her none; 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 In women's waxed hearts to set their forms: Alas, Oh frailty is the cause, not we, For such as we are made, if such we be: How will this fadge? My master loves her dearly, And I (poor monster) found as on him: And she (mistaken) seems to dote on me: What will become of this? As I am man, My state is desperate for my masters love: As I am woman (now alas the day) What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breath? Oh time, thou must untangle this, not I, It is too hard a knot for me t'vnty. It gives a very echo to the seat Where love is thron worser. A little, by your favour. About your years my Lord. And so they are: alas, that they are so: To die, even when they to perfection grow. But if she cannot love you sir. Sooth but you must. Say that some Lady, as perhaps there is, 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 answered? A blank my Lord: she never told her love, But let concealment Like a worm in that bud Feed on her damask cheek: she pined in thought, And with a green and yellow melancholy, She sat Like Patience on a Monument, Smiling at grief. Was not this love indeed? We men may say more, swear more, but indeed Our shows are more then will: for still we prove Much in our vows, but little in our love. I am all the daughters of my Father's house, And all the brother's too: and yet I know not. Sir, shall I to this Lady? Save thee Friend and thy Music: dost thou live by thy Tabor? Art thou a Churchman? So thou mayest say the Kings lies by a beggar, if a beggar dwell near him: or the Church stands by thy Ta bor, if thy Tabor stand by the Church. Nay that's certain: they that dally nicely with words, may quickly make them wanton. Why man? Thy reason man? I warrant thou art a merry fellow, and carest for nothing. I saw thee late at the Count Orsino's. Nay, and thou pass upon me, I'll no more with thee. Hold there's expenses for thee. Yes being kept together, and put to use. I understand you sir, 'tis well begged. This fellow is wise enough to play the fool, And to do that well, craves a kind of wit: He must observe their mood on whom he jests, 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 Wiseman's Art: For folly that he wisely shows, is fit; But wisemans' folly fallen, quite taint their wit. Et vouz ousie vostre serviture. I am bound to your Niece sir, I mean she is the list of my voyage. My legs do better understand me sir, then I un derstand what you mean by bidding me taste my legs. I will answer you with gate and entrance, but we are prevented. Most excellent accomplished Lady, the heavens rain Oh dours on you. My matter hath no voice Lady, but to your own most pregnant and vouchsafed ear. Cesario is your servants name, fair Princess. And he is yours, and his must needs be yours: your servants servant, is your servant Madam. Madam, I come to whet your gentle thoughts On his behalf. Dear Lady. I pity you. No not a grize: for 'tis a vulgar proof That very oft we pity enemies. Then Westward hoe: Grace and good disposition attend your Ladyship: you'll nothing Madam to my Lord, by me: That you do think you are not what you are. Would it be better Madam, then I am? I wish it might, for now I am your fool. With the same haviour that your passion bears, Goes on my Master's griefs. And you sir. You mistake sir I am sure, no man hath any quar rell to me: my remembrance is very free and clear from any image of offence done to any man. I pray you sir what is he? I will return again into the house, and desire some conduct of the Lady. I am no fighter, I have herd of some kind of men, that put quarrels purposely on oh the, to taste their valour: belike this is a man of that quirk. This is as uncivil as strange. I beseech you do 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. Pray you sir, do you know of this matter? I beseech you what manner of man is he? I shall be much bound to you for't: I am one, that had rather go with sir Priest, then sir knight: I care not who knows so much of my mettle. Pray God defend me: a little thing would make me tell them how much I lack of a man. I do assure you 'tis against my will. Pray sir, put your sword up if you please. What money sir? For the fair kindness you have showed me here, And partly being prompted by your present trouble, Out of my lean and low ability I'll lend you some hing: my having is not much, I'll make division of my present with you: Hold, there's half my Coffer. I know of none, Nor know I you by voice, or any feature: I hate ingratitude more in a man, Then lying, vainness, babbling drunkenness, Or any taint of vice, whose strong corruption Inhabits our frail blood. Me thinks his words do from such passion fly That he believes himself, so do not I: Prove true imagination, o prove true, That I deer brother, be now taken for you. He named Sebastian : I my brother know Yet living in my glass: even such, and so In favour was my Brother, and he went Still in this fashion, colour, ornament, For him I imitate: O if it prove, Tempests are kind, and salt waves fresh in love. Here comes the man sir, that did rescue me. How can this be? Madam: After him I love, More then I love these eyes, more then my life, More by all Moors, then ere I shall love wife. If I do feign, you witnesses above Punish my life, for tainting of my love. No my Lord, not I. My Lord, I do protest. Why do you speak to me, I never hurt you: you drew your sword upon me without cause, But I bespoke you fair, and hurt you not. My father had a moale upon his brow. And died that day when Viola from her birth Had numbered thirteen years. If nothing lets to make us happy both, But this my masculine usurped attire: Do not embrace me, till each circumstance, 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 Hath been between this Lady, and this Lord. And all those sayings, will I over swear, And all those swearings keep as true in soul, As does that Orbed Continent, the fire, That severs day ftom night. For saying so, there's Gold: Mine own escape unfoldeth to my hope, Whereto thy speech serves for authority The Like of him. Knowest thou this Country? I thank thee: Led me on. Sure my Noble Lord, If she be so abandoned to her sorrow As it is spoke, she never will admit me. I'll do my best To woe your Lady: yet a barrefull strife, Who ere I woe, my self would be his wife. Most radiant, exquisite, and unmatchable beau tie. I pray you tell me if this be the Lady of the house, for I never saw her. I would be loath to cast away my speech: for beside that it is excellently well pend, I have taken great pains to con it. Good Beauty's, let me sum stain no scorn; I am very comptible, even to the least sinister usage. Most certain, if you are she, you do usurp your self: for what is yours to bestow, is, not yours to re serve. But this is from my Commission: I will on with my speech in your praise, and then show you the heart of my message. Excellently done, if God did all. Of your complexion. I think it well my Lord. I but I know. Too well what love women to men may owe: In faith they are as true of heart, as we. My Father had a daughter loved a man As it might be perhaps, were I a woman I should your Lordship. Art not thou the Lady Oliuia's fool? And you sir. My duty Madam, and most humble service Then think you right: I am not what I am. 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. Nothing but this, your true love for my master. He did me kindness sir, drew on my side, But in conclusion put strange speech upon me, I know not what 'twas, but distraction. My Lord would speak, my duty hushes me. And I most jocund, apt, and willingly, To do you rest, a thousand death's would die. Who does beguile you? who does do you wrong? 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. The Captain that did bring me first on shore Hath my Maids garments: he upon some Actium Is now in durance, at Maluolio's suit, A Gentleman, and follower of my Ladies. By my troth I'll tell thee, I am almost sick for one, though I would not have it grow on my chin. Is thy Lady within? I will acquit you.