But ere they came-oh, let me say no more!
Gather the fequel by that went before,

Duke. Nay, forward, old man, do not break off fo; For we may pity, tho' not pardon thee.

Egeon. Oh, had the Gods done fo, I had not now Worthily term'd them merciless to us;

For ere the fhips could meet by twice five leagues,
We were encountred by a mighty rock;
Which being violently borne upon,

Our helpless ship was fplitted in the midft:
So that, in this unjust divorce of us,
Fortune had left to both of us alike
What to delight in, what to forrow for.
Her part, poor foul! feeming as burdened
With leffer weight, but not with leffer woe,
Was carry'd with more speed before the wind,
And in our fight they three were taken up
By fishermen of Corinth, as we thought.
At length, another fhip had feiz'd on us ;
And knowing whom it was their hap to fave,
Gave helpful welcome to their fhipwreckt guests;
And would have reft the fishers of their prey,

Had not their bark been very flow of fail;

And therefore homeward did they bend their course.-
Thus have you heard me sever'd from my bliss;
That by misfortunes was my life prolong'd,

To tell fad ftories of my own mishaps.

Duke. And, for the fakes of them thou forrow'ft for, Do me the favour to dilate at full

What hath befall'n of them, and thee, 'till now.
Egeon, My youngest boy, and yet my eldest care,
At eighteen years became inquifitive

After his brother ; and importun'd me,
That his attendant, (for his case was like,
Reft of his brother, but retain'd his name,)
Might bear him company in queft of him :
Whom whilft I labour'd of a love to fee,
I hazarded the loss of whom I lov'd.
Five fummers have I spent in fartheft Greece,
Roaming clean through the bounds of Aßa,

And

And coafting homeward, came to Ephefus:
Hopeless to find, yet loth to leave unfought,
Or that, or any place that harbours men.
But here must end the ftory of my life;
And happy were I in my timely death,
Could all my travels warrant me they live.

Duke. Haplefs Egeon, whom the fates have markt
To bear th' extremity of dire mifhap;

Now, truft me, were it not against our laws, (1)
(Which Princes, would they, may not difannul ;)
Against my crown, my oath, my dignity,
My foul fhould fue as advocate for thee.
But, tho' thou art adjudged to the death,
And paffed fentence may not be recall'd,
But to our honour's great difparagement;
Yet will I favour thee in what I can ;
I therefore, merchant, limit thee this day,
To feek thy life by beneficial help:
Try all the friends thou haft in Ephefus,
Beg thou, or borrow, to make up the fum,

And live; if not, then thou art doom'd to die.

Jailor, take him to thy cuftody. [Exeunt Duke, and Train.

fail. I will, my Lord.

Egeon. Hopeless and helpless doth Ægeon wend,

But to procraftinate his livelefs end.

[Exeunt Egeon, and Jailor.

(1) Now trust me, were it not against our Laws, Against my Crown, my Oath, my Dignity,"

Which Princes would, they may not difannul,] Thus are

thefe Lines placed in all the former Editions.

But as the

fingle Verb does not agree with all the Subftantives, which should be govern'd of it, I have ventur'd to make a Tranfpofition; and, by a Change in the Pointing, clear'd up the Perplexity of the Senfe.

SCENE

SCENE changes to the Street.

Enter Antipholis of Syracufe, a Merchant, and Dromio.

Mer. Herefore give out, you are of Epidamnum,

T

Left that your goods too foon be confiscate.

This very day, a Syracufan merchant

Is apprehended for arrival here;
And, not being able to buy out his life,
According to the ftatute of the town,
Dies ere the weary fun fet in the weft:
There is your mony, that I had to keep.

Ant. Go bear it to the Centaur, where we host,
And stay there, Dromio, 'till I come to thee:
Within this hour it will be dinner-time ;
'Till that I'll view the manners of the town,
Peruse the traders, gaze upon the buildings,
And then return and fleep within mine inn;
For with long travel I am stiff and weary.
Get thee away.

Dro. Many a man would take you at your word,
And go indeed, having so good a means.

[Exit Dromio. Ant. A trufty villain, Sir, that very oft, When I am dull with care and melancholy, Lightens my humour with his merry jefts. What, will you walk with me about the town, And then go to the inn and dine with me?

Mer. I am invited, Sir, to certain merchants, Of whom I hope to make much benefit: I crave your pardon. Soon at five o'clock, Please you, I'll meet with you upon the mart, And afterward confort you 'till bed time: My present bufinefs calls me from you now. Ant. Farewel 'till then; I will go lofe myself, And wander up and down to view the city. Mer. Sir, I commend you to your own content. [Exit Merchant.

Ant.

Ant. He that commends me to my own content,
Commends me to the thing I cannot get.
I to the world am like a drop of water,
That in the ocean feeks another drop,
Who falling there to find his fellow forth,
Unfeen, inquifitive, confounds himself:
So I, to find a mother and a brother,
In queft of them, unhappy, lofe myself.

Enter Dromio of Ephefus.

Here comes the almanack of my true date.
What now? how chance, thou art return'd fo foon?
E. Dro. Return'd fo foon! rather approach'd too

late:

The capon burns, the pig falls from the fpit,
The clock has ftrucken twelve upon the bell;
My mistress made it one upon my
cheek;
She is fo hot, because the meat is cold;

The meat is cold, because you come not home;
You come not home, because you have no ftomach;
You have no ftomach, having broke your fast:
But we, that know what 'tis to fast and pray,
Are penitent for your default to day.

Ant. Stop in your wind, Sir; tell me this, I pray,
Where have you left the mony that I gave you?
E. Dro. Oh,-fix-pence, that I had a Wednesday last,
To pay the fadler for my miftrefs' crupper ?
The fadler had it, Sir; I kept it not.

Ant. I am not in a sportive humour now;
Tell me and dally not, where is the mony?
We being strangers here, how dar'st thou trust
So great a charge from thine own custody?

E. Dro. I pray you, jeft, Sir, as you fit at dinner :
I from my mistress come to you in post;
If I return, I fhall be poft indeed;

For fhe will score your fault upon my pate:
Methinks, your maw, like mine, fhould be your clock;
And strike you home without a meffenger.

Ant. Come, Dromio, come, thefe jests are out of season ;

Referve

Referve them 'till a merrier hour than this:
Where is the gold I gave in charge to thee?

E. Dro. To me, Sir? why, you gave no gold to me. Ant. Come on, Sir knave, have done your foolishnefs ;

And tell me how thou haft difpos'd thy charge?

E. Dro. My charge was but to fetch you from the

mart

Home to your houfe, the Phanix, Sir, to dinner ;
My mistress and her fifter stay for you.

Ant. Now, as I am a christian, answer me,
In what fafe place you have beftow'd my mony;
Or I fhall break that merry fconce of yours,
That ftands on tricks when I am undifpos'd:
Where are the thousand marks thou hadst of me?
E. Dro. I have fome marks of yours upon my pate;
Some of my mistress' marks upon my shoulders:
But not a thousand marks between you both.
If I should pay your worship thofe again,
Perchance you will not bear them patiently.

Ant. Thy miftrefs' marks? what mittress, flave, haft thou?

E. Dro. Your worship's wife, my mistress at the Phoenix;

She, that doth fast, 'till you come home to dinner;

And prays, that you will hie you home to dinner. Ant. What, wilt thou flout me thus unto my face, Being forbid there take you that, Sir knave.

E. Dro. What mean you, Sir? for God's fake, hold your hands;

Nay, an you will not, Sir, I'll take my heels.

[Exit Dromio, Ant. Upon my life, by fome device or other, The villain is o'er wrought of all my mony. They fay, this town is full of couzenage; As, nimble jugglers, that deceive the eye; (2)

Dark

(2) As, nimble Jugglers, that deceive the Eye: Dark-working Sorcerers, that change the Mind: Soul-killing Witches, that deform the Body] Thofe, who

attentively