Refuse it not, it hath no tongue to vex you: Vio. I will acquit you. Oli. Well, come again to-morrow: Fare thee well; A fiend, like thee, might bear my foul to hell. Re-enter Sir TOBY BELCH, and FABIAN. Sir To. Gentleman, God fave thee. Vio. And you, fir. [Exit. Sir To. That defence thou haft, betake thee to't: of what nature the wrongs are thou haft done him, I know not; but thy intercepter, full of defpight, bloody as the hunter, attends thee at the orchard end: dismount thy tuck, be yare in thy preparation, for thy affailant is quick, fkilful, and deadly. Vio. You mistake, fir; I am fure, no man hath any quarrel to me; my remembrance is very free and clear from any image of offence done to any man. Sir To. You'll find it otherwife, I affure you: therefore, if you hold your life at any price, betake you to your guard; for your oppofite hath in him what youth, ftrength, fkill, and wrath, can furnish man withal. Vio. I pray you, fir, what is he? Sir To. He is knight, dubb'd with unhatch'd rapier, and on carpet confideration; but he is a devil in private brawl: So, in Markham's Arcadia, 1607: "She gave him a very fine jewel, wherein was fet a moft rich diamond." See alfo Warton's Hift. of English Poetry, Vol. I. p. 121. STEEVENS. He is knight, dubb'd with unbatch'd rapier, and on carpet confideretion;] That is, he is no foldier by profeffion, not a knight banneret, dubbed in the field of battle, but, on carpet confideration, at a feftivity, or fome peaceable occafion, when knights receive their dignity kneeling not on the ground, as in war, but on a carpet. This is, I believe, the original of the contemptuous term a carpet knight, who was naturally held in forn by the men of war. JOHNSON. brawi: fouls and bodies hath he divorced three; and his incenfement at this moment is fo implacable, that fatisfaction can be none but by pangs of death and fepulcher: hob, nob, is his word; give't, or take't. Vio. I will return again into the houfe, and defire fome conduct of the lady. I am no fighter. I have heard of fome kind of men, that put quarrels purposely on others to taste their valour; belike, this is a man of that quirk. In Francis Markham's Booke of Honour, fol. 1625, p. 71. we have the following account of Carpet Knights. "Next unto thefe [i. e. those whom he diftinguishes by the name of Dungbill or Truck Knights] in degree, but not in qualitie, (for these are truly for the most part vertuous and worthie,) is that rank of knights which are called Carpet Knights, being men who are by the prince's grace and favour made knights at home and in the time of peace, by the impofition or laying on of the king's fword, having by some special fervice done to the commonwealth -deserved this great title and dignitie" He then enumerates the feveral orders of men on whom this honour was ufually conferred; and adds"thofe of the vulgar or common fort are called Carpet Knights, because (for the most part) they receive their honour from the king's hand in the court, and upon carpets, which bowfoever a curious envie may wreft to an ill fenfe, yet queftionless there is no fhadow of difgrace belonging to it, for it is an honour as perfect as any honour whatever, and the fervices and merits for which it is received as worthy and well deferving both of the king and country, as that which hath wounds and fcarres for his witnefie." REED. Greene ufes the term-Carpet-knights, in contempt of thofe of whom he is speaking; and in The Downfal of Robert Earl of Huntington, 1601, it is employed for the fame purpofe. In Barrett's Alvearie, 1580: 66 - thofe which do not exercife themselves with fome honeft affaires, but ferve abominable and filthy idleness, are as we ufe to call them, Carpet-Knightes." B. ante O. STEEVENS. ·with unhatch'd rapier,] The modern editors read-unback'd. It appears from Cotgrave's Dictionary in v. bacher, [to hack, hew &c.] that to batch the hilt of a fword, was a technical term.-Perhaps we ought to read with an batch'd rapier, i. e. with a rapier, the hilt of which was richly engraved and ornamented. Our author, however, might have used unbatch'd in the fenfe of unback'd; and therefore I have made no change. MALONE. 9-bob, nob,] This adverb is corrupted from bap ne bap; as would ne would, will ne will; that is, let it happen or not; and fignifies at random, at the mercy of chance. See Johnfon's Dictionary. STEEV. So, in Holinthed's Hift. of Ireland: "The citizens in their ragehot babbe or nabbe, at random." MALONE, G VOL. IV. Sir Sir To. Sir, no; his indignation derives itself out of a very competent injury; therefore, get you on, and give him his defire. Back you fhall not to the house, unless you undertake that with me, which with as much safety you might answer him therefore, on, or ftrip your fword ftark naked; for meddle you must, that's certain, or forfwear to wear iron about you. Vio. This is as uncivil, as ftrange. I beseech you, do me this courteous office, as to know of the knight what my offence to him is; it is fomething of my negligence, nothing of my purpose. Sir To. I will do fo. Signior Fabian, ftay you by this gentleman till my return. [Exit Sir TOBY. Vio. Pray you, fir, do you know of this matter? Fab. I know, the knight is incenfed against you, even to a mortal arbitrement; but nothing of the circumstance more. Vio. I beseech you, what manner of man is he? Fab. Nothing of that wonderful promife, to read him by his form, as you are like to find him in the proof of his valour. He is, indeed, fir, the moft skilful, bloody, and fatal oppofite that you could poffibly have found in any part of Illyria: Will you walk towards him? I will make your peace with him, if I can. Vio. I fhall be much bound to you for't: I am one, that had rather go with fir prieft, than fir knight: I care not who knows fo much of my mettle [Exeunt. Re-enter Sir TOBY, with Sir ANDREW. Sir To. Why, man, he's a very devil; I have not feen fuch a virago. I had a pafs with him, rapier, fcabbard, and meddle you must,] So afterwards, Sir Andrew fays, "Pox on't, I'll not meddle with him." See Vol. 1. p. 8, n. 3. The vulgar yet fay I'll neither meddle nor make with it." MALONE. 2- I bave not feen fuch a virago.] Virago cannot be properly used here, unless we fuppofe fir Toby to mean, I never faw one that had fo much the look of woman with the prowefs of man. JOHNSON. Why may not the meaning be more fimple, "I have never feen the most furious woman fo obftreperous and violent as he is ?" MALONE. The old copy reads-firago. A virago always means a female war and all, and he gives me the ftuck-in3, with fuch a mortal motion, that it is inevitable; and on the answer, he pays you as furely as your feet hit the ground they flep on: They say, he has been fencer to the Sophy. Sir And. Pox on't, I'll not meddle with him. Sir To. Ay, but he will not now be pacified: Fabian can scarce hold him yonder. Sir And. Plague on't; an I thought he had been valiant, and fo cunning in fence, I'd have feen him damn'd ere I'd have challeng'd him. Let him let the matter flip, and I'll give him my horfe, grey Capilet. Sir To. I'll make the motion: Stand here, make a good fhew on't; this fhall end without the perdition of fouls : Marry, I'll ride your horse as well as I ride you. [Afide. Re-enter FABIAN and VIOLA. I have his horse [to Fab.] to take up the quarrel; I have perfuaded him, the youth's a devil. Fab. He is as horribly conceited of him; and pants, and looks pale, as if a bear were at his heels. Sir To. There's no remedy, fir; he will fight with you for his oath fake: marry, he hath better bethought him of his quarrel, and he finds that now scarce to be worth talking of: therefore draw for the fupportance of his vow; he protefts, he will not hurt you. Vio. Pray God defend me! A little thing would make me tell them how much I lack of a man. Fab. Give ground, if you fee him furious. [afide. rior, or, in low language, a scold, or turbulent woman. If Shakspeare (who knew Viola to be a woman, though fir Toby did not) has made no blunder, Dr. Johnfon has supplied the only obvious meaning of the word. Firago may however be a ludicrous term of Shakspeare's coinage. STEEVENS. 3- the ftuck-] The fuck is a corrupted abbreviation of the ftoccata, an Italian term in fencing. STEEVENS. So, in the Merry Wives of Windsor : “ montánt." MALONE. 3 - thy flock, thy reverse, thy be pays you-] i. e. he bits you. See Vol. I. p. 281, n. 6; and Vol. V. p. 174, n. 4. MALONE. 5 He is as horribly conceited of bim;] That is, he has as horrid an idea or conception of him. MALONE. Sir To. Come, fir Andrew, there's no remedy; the gentleman will for his honour's fake, have one bout with you he cannot by the duello avoid it: but he has promifed me, as he is a gentleman and a foldier, he will not hurt you. Come on; to't. Sir And. Pray God, he keep his oath! Enter ANTONIO. [draws. Vio. I do affure you, 'tis against my will. [draws. Ant. Put up your fword;-If this young gentleman Have done offence, I take the fault on me; If you offend him, I for him defy you. [drawing, Sir To. You, fir? why, what are you? Ant. One, fir, that for his love dares yet do more Than you have heard him brag to you he will. Sir To. Nay, if you be an undertaker', I am for you. Enter two Officers. [draws, Fab. O good fir Toby, hold; here come the officers. Sir. To. I'll be with you anon. [to Antonio, Vio. Pray, fir, put your fword up, if you pleafe. Sir And. Marry, will I, fir;-and, for that I promised you, I'll be as good as my word: He will bear you easily, and reins well. 1. Off. This is the man; do thy office. 6 by the duello-] i. e. by the laws of the duello, which, in Shakfpeare's time, were fettled with the utmost nicety. STEEVENS. 7 Nay, if you be an undertaker,] But why was an undertaker fo offenfive a character? I believe this is a touch upon the times, which may help to determine the date of this play. At the meeting of the parliament in 1614, there appears to have been a very general perfuafion, or jealoufy at least, that the king had been induced to call a parliament at that time, by certain perfons, who had undertaken, through their influence in the houfe of commons, to carry things according to his majefty's withes. These perfons were immediately ftigmatized with the invidious name of undertakers; and the idea was fo unpopular, that the king thought it neceffary, in two fet fpeeches, to deny pofitively (how truly, is another question,) that there had been any fuch undertaking. Parl. Hift. Vol. V. p. 277, and 286. Sir Francis Bacon alfo (then attorney-general) made an artful, apologetical fpeech in the house of commons upon the fame fubject; when the house (according to the title of the fpeech) was in great beat, and much troubled about the undertakers. Bacon's Works, Vol. II. p. 236, quarto edit. TYRWHITT. |