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Horst Breuer, ‘They have been Grand-Jurymen Since Before Noah was a Sailor’: A note on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, III.ii.12–13, Notes and Queries, Volume 56, Issue 4, December 2009, Pages 584–585, https://doi.org/10.1093/notesj/gjp157
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IN an exchange between Sir Toby Belch, Master Fabian, and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Fabian tries to convince Andrew of his amorous success with the Countess Olivia. The foolish knight is incredulous:
Toby’s utterance has conventionally been understood figuratively, personifying ‘judgement and reason’ as members of the Grand Jury of a county. Such an allegorical usage appears to me odd and rather improbable in the given conversational context. Elsewhere, I have pleaded for a literal reading, on the grounds that there are indications of Fabian’s characterization as a landed gentleman, presumably a Justice of the Peace and of mature years.2 ‘They have been grand-jurymen’ would then refer to Master Fabian’s impressive family tradition. Grand-jurors were chosen among the ‘good and lawful men’ of a county, that is substantial yeomen, farmers, artisans, and landed gentlemen, including Justices of the Peace.3 Fabian’s form of address is ‘signior’ or ‘master’, and his dialogue has more than a sprinkling of legal terminology. His rank is below the knights Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, but he is obviously at his ease conversing with them, and in Act V his explanatory speech to the aristocrats is sensible and to the point.4Sir Andrew. ’Slight! will you make an ass o’ me?
Fabian. I will prove it legitimate, sir, upon the oaths of judgement and reason.
Sir Toby. And they have been grand-jurymen since before Noah was a sailor.1
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