SCENE I.
The Street.
Enter Antonio and Sebastian.
Ant.
Will you stay no longer? nor will you not,
that I go with you?
Seb.
By your patience, no: my stars shine darkly
over me; the malignancy of my fate might, perhaps,
distemper yours; therefore I shall crave of you your
leave, that I may bear my evils alone: It were a bad
recompence for your love, to lay any of them on you.
Ant.
Let me yet know of you, whither you are
bound.
Seb.
No, in sooth, sir; my determinate voyage is
meer extravagancy. But I perceive in you so excellent
a touch of modesty, that you will not extort from
me what I am willing to keep in; therefore it charges
me in manners the rather 8 noteto express myself: You
must know of me then, Antonio, my name is Sebastian,
which I call'd Rodorigo; my father was that
Sebastian of Messaline9 note
, whom I know, you have
-- 184 --
heard of: he left behind him, myself, and a sister,
both born in an hour; If the heavens had been pleas'd,
would we had so ended! but you, sir, alter'd that;
for, some hour before you took me from the breach
of the sea, was my sister drown'd.
Ant.
Alas, the day!
Seb.
A lady, sir, though it was said she much resembled
me, was yet of many accounted beautiful:
but, though I could not, 1 note
note, in his hymn
on the Nativity.
Malone.
with such estimable wonder,
over-far believe that, yet thus far I will boldly publish
her, she bore a mind that envy could not but call
fair: she is drown'd already, sir, with salt water,
though I seem to drown her remembrance again with
more.
Ant.
Pardon me, sir, your bad entertainment.
Seb.
O good Antonio, forgive me your trouble.
Ant.
If you will not murther me for my love, let
me be your servant.
Seb.
If you will not undo what you have done,
that is, kill him whom you have recover'd, desire it
not. Fare ye well at once: my bosom is full of kindness;
and I am yet so near the manners of my mother,
that upon the least occasion more, mine eyes will tell
tales of me. I am bound to the count Orsino's court:
farewel.
[Exit.
-- 185 --
Ant.
The gentleness of all the gods go with thee!
I have many enemies in Orsino's court,
Else would I very shortly see thee there:
But, come what may, I do adore thee so,
That danger shall seem sport, and I will go.
[Exit.
Samuel Johnson [1778], The plays of William Shakspeare. In ten volumes. With the corrections and illustrations of various commentators; to which are added notes by Samuel Johnson and George Steevens. The second edition, Revised and Augmented (Printed for C. Bathurst [and] W. Strahan [etc.], London) [word count] [S10901].
