SCENE I. Before OLIVIA's house. Twelfth Night  Shakespeare homepage  |  Twelfth Night  | Act 4, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE I. Before OLIVIA's house. 

 Enter SEBASTIAN and Clown  Clown  Will you make me believe that I am not sent for you? 

 SEBASTIAN  Go to, go to, thou art a foolish fellow: 

 Let me be clear of thee. 

 Clown  Well held out, i' faith! No, I do not know you; nor 

 I am not sent to you by my lady, to bid you come 

 speak with her; nor your name is not Master Cesario; 

 nor this is not my nose neither. Nothing that is so is so. 

 SEBASTIAN  I prithee, vent thy folly somewhere else: Thou 

 know'st not me. 

 Clown  Vent my folly! he has heard that word of some 

 great man and now applies it to a fool. Vent my 

 folly! I am afraid this great lubber, the world, 

 will prove a cockney. I prithee now, ungird thy 

 strangeness and tell me what I shall vent to my 

 lady: shall I vent to her that thou art coming? 

 SEBASTIAN  I prithee, foolish Greek, depart from me: There's 

 money for thee: if you tarry longer, I shall give 

 worse payment. 

 Clown  By my troth, thou hast an open hand. These wise men 

 that give fools money get themselves a good 

 report--after fourteen years' purchase. 



 Enter SIR ANDREW, SIR TOBY BELCH, and FABIAN  SIR ANDREW  Now, sir, have I met you again? there's for you. 

 SEBASTIAN  Why, there's for thee, and there, and there. Are all 

 the people mad? 

 SIR TOBY BELCH  Hold, sir, or I'll throw your dagger o'er the house. 

 Clown  This will I tell my lady straight: I would not be 

 in some of your coats for two pence. 



 Exit  SIR TOBY BELCH  Come on, sir; hold. 

 SIR ANDREW  Nay, let him alone: I'll go another way to work 

 with him; I'll have an action of battery against 

 him, if there be any law in Illyria: though I 

 struck him first, yet it's no matter for that. 

 SEBASTIAN  Let go thy hand. 

 SIR TOBY BELCH  Come, sir, I will not let you go. Come, my young 

 soldier, put up your iron: you are well fleshed; come on. 

 SEBASTIAN  I will be free from thee. What wouldst thou now? If 

 thou darest tempt me further, draw thy sword. 

 SIR TOBY BELCH  What, what? Nay, then I must have an ounce or two 

 of this malapert blood from you. 



 Enter OLIVIA  OLIVIA  Hold, Toby; on thy life I charge thee, hold! 

 SIR TOBY BELCH  Madam! 

 OLIVIA  Will it be ever thus? Ungracious wretch, 

 Fit for the mountains and the barbarous caves, 

 Where manners ne'er were preach'd! out of my sight! 

 Be not offended, dear Cesario. 

 Rudesby, be gone! 



 Exeunt SIR TOBY BELCH, SIR ANDREW, and FABIAN  I prithee, gentle friend, 

 Let thy fair wisdom, not thy passion, sway 

 In this uncivil and thou unjust extent 

 Against thy peace. Go with me to my house, 

 And hear thou there how many fruitless pranks 

 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  Shakespeare homepage  |  Twelfth Night  | Act 4, Scene 1 

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