ny interesting allusions. _Inter alia_; Sir Toby
gives Feste sixpence to sing a song; Sir Andrew follows it up with a
'testril.' The Clown then sings them 'O mistress mine.' [For the
original music see Prof. Bridge's 'Shakespeare Songs,' Novello, a
collection which every reader of Shakespeare ought to have. Price 2s.
6d.] Then, at Sir Toby's suggestion, they all three sing a catch, or,
in his own words, 'draw _three_ souls out of _one_ weaver,' an
allusion to the _three_ vocal parts which are evolved from the _one_
melody of the catch, as well as a sly reference to 'weavers' singing
catches. (See Introduction.) They sing 'Thou knave,' for which see the
Appendix. It is not a good catch, but sounds humorous if done smartly,
and perhaps its very roughness suits the circumstances. Next, after
Maria's entrance, Toby either quotes the titles, or sings odd lines of
four old songs [Appendix]; and when Malvolio comes in, furious with
the noise they are making in the middle of the night, he applies
precisely those epithets to their proceedings that our histories lead
us to expect--_e.g._, 'gabbling like _tinkers_,' '_alehouse_,'
squeaking out your '_cozier's_ catches' ['cozier' is 'cobbler']. Sir
Toby's puns on 'keep time' in ll. 94 and 115 ought not to be missed.
To 'keep time' is almost the only virtue a catch singer _must_ have.

_Tw._ II, iii, 18.

_Sir To._ Welcome, ass. Now _let's have a catch_.

_Sir And._ By my troth, the fool has an _excellent breast_.
I had rather than forty shillings I had such a leg, and so
_sweet a breath to sing_, as the fool has.

L. 30.

_Sir And._ Now, _a song_.

_Sir To._ Come on; there is _sixpence_ for you; let's have
_a song_.

_Sir And._ There's a _testril_ of me too; if one knight give
a----

_Clown._ Would you have a _love-song_, or a _song of good
life_?

_Sir To._ A love-song, a love-song.

_Sir And._ Ay, ay; I care not for good life.

[_Clown_ sings 'O mistress mine.']

_Sir And._ A mellifluous voice, as I am true knight.

_Sir To._ A contagious breath.

_Sir And._ Very sweet and contagious, i'faith.

_Sir To._ To _hear by the nose_, it is _dulcet in
contagion_. But shall we make the welkin dance indeed? Shall
we rouse the night-owl in a _catch_, that will _draw three
souls out of one weaver_? Shall we do that?

_Sir And._ An you love me, let's do't: I