I am not Adriana, nor thy wife.
The time was once, when thou unurg'd, wouldst
VOW,

230
That never words were musick to thine ear,
That never object pleasing in thine eye,
That never touch well-welcome to thy hand,
That never meat sweet-savour'd in thy taste,
Unless I spake, or look'd, or touch'd, or cary'd to

thee.
How comes it now, my husband, oh, how comes it,
That thou art then estranged from thyself?
Thyself I call it, being strange to me,
That, undividable, incorporate,
Am better than thy dear self's better part. 24
Ah, do not tear away thyself from me;
For know, my love, as easy may'st thou fall
A drop of water in the breaking gulph,
And take unmingled thence that drop again,
Without addition, or diminishing,
As take from me thyself, and not me too.
How dearly would it touch thee to the quick,
Shouldst thou but hear, I were licentious ?
And that this body, consecrate to thee,
By ruffian lust should be contaminate ?
Wouldst thou not spit at me, and spurn at me,
And hurl the name of husband in my face,
And tear the stain'd skin off my harlot-brow,
And from my false hand cut the wedding-ring,
And break it with a deep-divorcing vow
Į know thou can'st; and therefore, see, thou do it.

I am possess'd with an adulterate blot;
My blood is mingled with the crime of lust :
For, if we two be one, and thou play false,
I do digest the poison of thy flesh

260
Being strumpeted by thy contagion.
Keep then fair league and truce with thy true bed ;
I live dis-stain'd, thou undishonoured.

Ant. Plead you to me, fair dame? I know you

not :

rest

talk;

In Ephesus I am but two hours old,
As strange unto your town, as to your
Who, every word by all my wit being scann'd,
Want wit in all one word to understand.
Luc. Fye, brother! how the world is chang'd with

you;
When were you wont to use my sister thus ? 270
She sent for you by Dromio home to dinner.

Ant. By Dromio?
S. Dro. By me?
Adr. By thee; and thus thou didst return from

him,
That he did buffet thee, and, in his blows,
Deny'd my house for his, me for his wife.

Ant. Did you converse, sir, with this gentlewoman?
What is the course and drift of your compact ?

S. Dro. I, sir? I never saw her 'till this time.

Ant. Villain, thou liest; for even her very words Didst thou deliver to me on the mart.

281 S. Dro. I never spake with her in all my life.

Ant. How can she thus then call us by our names, Unless it be by inspiration ?

Adri

Adr. How ill agrees it with your gravity, To counterfeit thus grosly with your slave, Abetting him to thwart me in my mood? Be it my wrong, you are from me exempt, But wrong not that wrong with a more contempt. Come, I will fasten on this sleeve of thine: 290 Thou art an elm, my husband, I a vine ; Whose weakness, marry'd to thy stronger state, Makes me with thy strength to communicate : If ought possess thee from me, it is dross, Usurping ivy, briar, or idle moss; Who, all for want of pruning, with intrusion Infect thy sap, and live on thy confusion. Ant. To me she speaks ; she moves ine for her

theme : What, was I marry'd to her in my dream? Or sleep I now, and think I hear all this? 300 What error drives our eyes and ears amiss ? Until I know this sure uncertainty, I'll entertain the favour'a fallacy.

Luc. Dromio, go bid the servants spread for dinner.

S. Dro. Dh, for my beads! I cross me for a sinner. This is the fairy land ;-oli, spight of spights !We talk with goblins, owls, and elvish sprights; If we obey them not, this will ensue, They'll suck our breath, and pinch us black and blue.

Luc. Why prat'st thou to thyself, and answer’st

not?

Dromio, thou drone, thou snail, thou slug, thou sot! S. Dro. I am transformed, master, am I not?

Ant,

and weep,

1

Ant. I think, thou art, in mind, and so am I.
S. Dro. Nay, master, both in mind, and in my

shape.
Ant. Thou hast thine own form.
S. Dro. No, I am an ape.
Luc. If thou art chang'd to ought, 'tis to an ass.
S. Dro. 'Tis true; she rides me, and I long for

grass.
'Tis so, I am an ass ; else it could never be,
But I should know her as well as she knows me. 320

Adr. Come, come, no longer will I be a fool,
To put the finger in the eye
Whilst man, and master, laugh my woes to scorn.-
Come, sir, to dinner; Dromio, keep the gate :-
Husband, l'l} dine above with you to-day,
And shrive of a thousand idle pranks :
Sirrah, if

any
ask you

for

your master,
Say, he dines forth, and let no creature enter.-
Come, sister: Dromio, play the porter well.

Ant. Am I in earth, in heaven, or in hell? 330
Sleeping or waking? mad, or well-advis’d?
Known unto these, and to myself disguis’d !
I'll say as they say, and persever so,
And in this mist at all adventures go.

S. Dro. Master, shall I be porter at the gate ?
Adr. Ay, let none enter, lest I break your pate.
Luc. Come, come, Antipholis, we dine too late.

[Exeunt.

you

13;

ACT

ACT III. SCENE I.

The Street before ANTIPHOLIS's House.

Enter Anti. PHOLiS of Ephesus, DROMIO of Ephesus, Angelo, and BALTHAZAR.

E. Ant. Good signior Angelo, you must excuse us

all ;

My wife is shrewish when I keep not hours :
Say, that I linger'd with you at your shop,
To see the making of her carkanet,
And that to-morrow you will bring it home.
But here's a villain, that would face me down
He met me on the mart; and that I beat him,
And charg'd him with a thousand marks in gold;
And that I did deny my wife and house :-

9 Thou drunkard, thou, what didst thou mean by this? E. Dro. Say what you will, sir, but I know what I

know : That you beat me at the mart, I have your hand to

show :

If the skin were parchment, and the blows you gave

were ink, Your own hand-writing would tell you what I think.

E. Ant. I think, thou art an ass.

E. Dro. Marry, so it doth appear By the wrongs I suffer, and the blows I bear. I should kick, being kick’d; and, being at that pass, You would keep from my heels, and beware of an

ass.

E. Ant.