The Bodleian First Folio

No faith, Ile not stay a iot longer:

Thy reason deere venom, giue thy reason.

You must needes yeelde your reason, Sir An­ drew ?

Marry I saw your Neece do more fauours to the

Counts Seruing‐man, then euer she bestow'd vpon mee:

I saw't i'th Orchard.

Did she see the while, old boy, tell me that.

As plaine as I see you now.

This was a great argument of loue in her toward

you.

S'light; will you make an Asse o'me.

I will proue it legitimate sir, vpon the Oathes of

iudgement, and reason.

And they haue beene grand Iurie men, since before

Noah was a Saylor.

Shee did shew fauour to the youth in your sight,

onely to exasperate you, to awake your dormouse valour,

to put fire in your Heart, and brimstone in your Liuer:

you should then haue accosted her, and with some excel­

lent iests, fire‑new from the mint, you should haue bangd

the youth into dumbenesse: this was look'd for at your

hand, and this was baulkt: the double gilt of this oppor­

tunitie you let time wash off, and you are now sayld into

the North of my Ladies opinion, where you will hang

like an ysickle on a Dutchmans beard, vnlesse you do re­

deeme it, by some laudable attempt, either of valour or

policie.

And't be any way, it must be with Valour, for

policie I hate: I had as liefe be a Brownist, as a Politi­

cian.

Why then build me thy fortunes vpon the basis of

valour. Challenge me the Counts youth to fight with him

hurt him in eleuen places, my Neece shall take note of it,

and assure thy selfe, there is no loue‑Broker in the world,

can more preuaile in mans commendation with woman,

then report of valour.

There is no way but this sir Andrew.

Will either of you beare me a challenge to him?

Go, write it in a martial hand, be curst and briefe:

it is no matter how wittie, so it bee eloquent, and full of

inuention: taunt him with the license of Inke: if thou

thou'st him some thrice, it shall not be amisse, and as ma­

ny Lyes, as will lye in thy sheete of paper, although the

sheete were bigge enough for the bedde of Ware in Eng­

land, set 'em downe, go about it. Let there bee gaulle e­

nough in thy inke, though thou write with a Goose‑pen,

no matter: about it.

Where shall I finde you?

Wee'l call thee at the Cubiculo: Go.

This is a deere Manakin to you Sir Toby.

I haue beene deere to him lad, some two thousand

strong, or so.

We shall haue a rare Letter from him; but you'le

not deliuer't.

Neuer trust me then: and by all meanes stirre on

the youth to an answer. I thinke Oxen and waine‑ropes

cannot hale them together. For Andrew, if he were open'd

and you finde so much blood in his Liuer, as will clog the

foote of a flea, Ile eate the rest of th' anatomy.

And his opposit the youth beares in his visage no

great presage of cruelty.

Looke where the youngest Wren of mine comes.

If you desire the spleene, and will laughe your

selues into stitches, follow me; yond gull Maluolio is tur­

ned Heathen, a verie Renegatho; for there is no christian

that meanes to be saued by beleeuing rightly, can euer

beleeue such imposssible passages of grossenesse. Hee's in

yellow stockings.

And crosse garter'd?

Most villanously: like a Pedant that keepes a

Schoole i'th Church: I haue dogg'd him like his murthe­

rer. He does obey euery point of the Letter that I dropt,

to betray him: He does smile his face into more lynes,

then is in the new Mappe, with the augmentation of the

Indies: you haue not seene such a thing as tis: I can hard­

ly forbeare hurling things at him, I know my Ladie will

strike him: if shee doe, hee'l smile, and take't for a great

fauour.

Come bring vs, bring vs where he is.