Page:Shakespeare and Music.djvu/103

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SONGS AND SINGING
89
Sir And. 'Tis not the first time I have constrained one
to call me knave. Begin, fool: it begins, "Hold thy peace."
Clo. I shall never begin, if I hold my peace.
Sir And. Good, i'faith. Come, begin.

[They sing a catch.]

Enter Maria.

Mar. What a caterwauling do you keep here!

Sir To. My lady's a Catalan; we are politicians;
Malvolio's a Peg-a-Ramsey, and "Three merry men be
we
." … Tilly-valley, lady! [Sings.] "There dwelt a
man in Babylon, lady, lady!"

Sir To. [Sings.] "O! the twelfth day of December."——
Mar. For the love o'God, peace!

Enter Malvolio.

Mal. My masters, are you mad? or what are you?
Have you no wit, manners, nor honesty, but to gabble
like tinkers
at this time of night? Do ye make an ale-
house
of my lady's house, that ye squeak out your cozier's
catches
without any mitigation or remorse of voice? Is
there no respect of place, persons, or time in you?
Sir To. We did keep time, sir, in our catches. Sneck up!

L. 103–114, another song, "Farewell, dear heart" [ Appendix ].

It is perhaps necessary to explain the nature of a