Chapter: SCENE III.


                  _The Street before_ OLIVIA'S _House_.

                     _Enter_ SEBASTIAN _and_ CLOWN.

    _Clo._ Will you make me believe, that I am not sent for you?

    _Seb._ Go to, go to, thou art a foolish fellow; Let me be clear of
thee.

    _Clo._ 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 Cesario; nor this is not my nose neither:--Nothing, that is so, is
so.

    _Seb._ I pr'ythee, vent thy folly somewhere else;--Thou know'st not
me.

    _Clo._ Vent my folly! He has heard that word of some great man, and
now applies it to a fool.--I pr'ythee, tell me what I shall vent to my
lady; Shall I vent to her, that thou art coming?

    _Seb._ I pr'ythee, foolish Greek, depart from me; There's money for
thee; if you tarry longer, I shall give worse payment.

    _Clo._ 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 And._ Now, sir, have I met you again? There's for you.
                                                  [_Striking_ SEBASTIAN.

    _Seb._ [_Draws his sword._] Why, there's for thee, and there, and
there:--Are all the people mad?

                                                  [_Beating_ SIR ANDREW.

                  _Enter_ SIR TOBY _and_ FABIAN.

    _Sir To._ Hold, sir, or I'll throw your dagger o'er the house.

    _Clo._ This will I tell my lady straight--I would not be in some of
your coats for two-pence.

                                                          [_Exit_ CLOWN.

    _Sir To._ Come on, sir; hold.                  [_Holding_ SEBASTIAN.

    _Sir And._ 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.

    _Seb._ Let go thy hand.

    _Sir To._ Come, sir, I will not let you go. Come, my young soldier,
put up your iron: you are well flesh'd; come on.

    _Seb._ [_Disengages himself._] I will be free from thee.
        --What would'st thou now?
  If thou darest tempt me further, draw thy sword.

    _Sir To._ What, what?--[_Draws._]--Nay, then I must have an ounce or
two of this malapert blood from you.                      [_They fight._

                   _Enter_ OLIVIA, _and two Servants_.

    _Fab._ Hold, good Sir Toby, hold:--my lady here!

                                                         [_Exit_ FABIAN.

    _Oli._ Hold, Toby; on thy life, I charge thee, hold.

    _Sir To._ Madam?

    _Oli._ 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!--

    _Sir To._ Come along, knight.                      [_Exit_ SIR TOBY.

    _Oli._ And you, sir, follow him.

    _Sir And._ Oh, oh!--Sir Toby,--

                                                     [_Exit_ SIR ANDREW.

    _Oli._ I pr'ythee, gentle friend,
  Let thy fair wisdom, not thy passion, sway
  In this uncivil and 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
  May'st smile at this: thou shalt not choose but go;
  Do not deny.

    _Seb._ 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!

    _Oli._ Nay, come, I pr'ythee: 'Would thou'dst be ruled by me!

    _Seb._ Madam, I will.

    _Oli._ O, say so, and so be!                              [_Exeunt._

 Sitting in Olivia's garden, Sebastian is enjoying the bliss of being loved by a beautiful and rich countess, although he is still thoroughly confused about why all this has happened to him. As he sits alone, he admires the lovely pearl which Olivia has given to him, and he wonders why Antonio did not meet him at The Elephant Inn, where they had agreed to meet. All of this seems truly like a dream; yet, looking at the pearl, he holds tangible proof that this is not a dream at all. He wishes that Antonio were with him to advise him; he heard that the sea captain did stay at the inn. Yet where is he now? And he wonders if the beautiful Olivia is mad -- and, of course, there is another possibility: perhaps he himself is mad. Olivia enters with a priest and tells Sebastian that she wants him to accompany her and the priest "into the chantry" . There, "before him / And underneath that consecrated roof," Sebastian will "plight the fullest assurance of faith." Sebastian agrees to marry Olivia; the marriage will be kept secret until later, when they will have a splendid, public ceremony, befitting Olivia's rank. They exit, arm in arm, for the private ceremony, as the fourth act comes to a close.

