Note to Twelfth Night, 1.3.50, "Yes, being kept together and put to use"

Viola is matching the Clown's wit. Holding the coin she gave him, he wittily begs another by saying that two coins would breed and make more coins. Viola's reply picks up on the Clown's metaphor; she agrees that coins, like farm animals "kept together," will breed more of their own kind. At the same time, she's telling the Clown to make do with what he already has; the coins will produce more coins only if they are "kept," rather than spent, and put in a place where they will earn interest ("use").

Queen Elizabeth I coin