20

E. Ant. You are sad, signior Balthazar: Pray god,

our cheer
May answer my good-will, and

your good welcome
here.
Bal. I hold your danties cheap, sir, and your wel-
come dear.

E. Ant. Ah, signior Balthazar, either at flesh or fish, A table-full of welcome makes scarce one dainty dish. Bal. Good meat, sir, is common, that every churl

affords, E. Ant. And welcome more common ; for that's

nothing but words. Bal. Small cheer, and great welcome, makes a

merry feast.

E. Ant. Ay, to a niggardly host, and more sparing

guest : But though my cates be mean, take them in good part;

30
Better cheer may you have, but not with better heart,
But, soft; my door is lock'd; Go bid them let us in.
E. Dro. Maud, Bridget, Marian, Cicely, Gillian,

Ginn!
S. Dro. [within] Mome, malt-horse, capon, cox.

comb, idiot, patch!
Either get thee from the door, or sit down at the

hatch: Dost thou conjure for wenches, that thou call'dst for

such store, When one is one too many? go get thee from the door, D

E. Dro.

E. Dro. What patch is made our porter? my mas

ter stays in the street. S. Dro. Let him walk from whence he camé, lest he catch cold on's feet.

39 E. Ant. Who talks within there? ho, open the door. S. Dro. Right, sir, I'll tell you when, an you'll tell

me wherefore. E. Ant. Wherefore ? for my dinner; I have not

din'd to-day. S. Dro. Nor to-day here you must not; come

again, when you may. E. Ant. What art thou, tliat keep'st me out from

the house I owe? S. Dro. The porter for this time, sir, and my

name is Dromio. E. Dro. O villain, thou hast stolen both mine office

and my name; The one ne’er got me credit, the other mickle blame. If thou had'st been Dromio to-day in my place, Thou would'st have chang'd thy face for a name, or

thy name for an ass. Luce. [within] What a coil is there! Dromio, who are those at the gate?

50 E. Dro. Let my master in, Luce.

Luce, Faith no; he comes too late ;
And so tell your master.

E, Dro. O Lord, I inust laugh :-
Have at you with a proverb.---Shall I set in

my Luce. Have at you with another : that's, --When? can you tell?

S. Dro.

staff ?

S. Dro. If thy name be called Luce, L

hast answer'd him well.
E. Ant. Do you hear, you minion? you'l

I trow ?
Luce. I thought to have ask'd you.
S. Dro. And you said, no.
E. Dro. So, come, help; well struck;

blow for blow.
E. Ant. Thou baggage let me in.
Luce. Can you tell for whose sake ?
E, Dro. Master knock the door hard.
Luce, Let him knock 'till it ake.
E. Ant. You'll cry for this, minion, if

door down.
Luce. What needs all that, and a pair of

the town? Adr. [within] Who is that at the door,

all this noise ? S. Dro. By my troth, your town is trou

unruly boys, E. Ant. Are you there, wife ? you m

come before. Adr. Your wife, sir knave I go, get you

door. E. Dro. If you went in pain, master, t

would go sore. Ang. Here is neither cheer, sir, nor welc

would fain have either. Bal. In debating which was best, we shal neither.

E. Dro. They stand at the door, master; bid them

welcome hither. E. Ant. There is something in the wind, that we

cannot get in. E. Dro. You would say so, master, if your gar

ments were thin. Your cake here is warm within ; you stand here in

the cold : It would make a man mad as a buck, to be so bought

and sold. E. Ant. Go, fetch me something, I'll break ope

80 S. Dro. Break any thing here, and I'll break your

the gate.

knave's pate.

E. Dro. A man may break a word with you, sir;

and words are but wind ; Ay, and break it in your face, so he break it not

behind. S. Dro. It seems, thou wantest breaking; Out

upon thee, hind! E. Dro. Here's too much, out upon thee! I pray

thee, let me in. S. Dro. Ay, when fowls have no feathers, and fish

have no fin. E. Ant. Well, I'll break in; Go borrow me a

crow.

E. Dro. A crow without feather ; master, mean

you so?

For a fish without a fin, there's a fowl without a

feather :

If

If a crow help us in, sirrah, we'll pluck a crow together.

90 E. Ant. Go, get thee gone, fetch me an iron crow.

Bal. Have patience, sir; oh, let it not be so;
Herein you war against your reputation,
And draw within the compass

of suspect
The unviolated honour of your wife.
Once this,-Your long experience of her wisdom,
Her sober virtue, years, and modesty,
Plead on her part some cause to you unknown;
And doubt not, sir, but she will well excuse,
Why at this time the doors are made against you. 100
Be rul'd by me ; depart in patience,
And let us to the Tyger all to dinner :
And, about evening, come yourself alone,
To know the reason of this strange restraint.
If by strong hand you offer to break in,
Now in the stirring passage of the day,
A vulgar coinment will be made of it;
And that supposed by the common rout
Against your yet ungalled estination,
That
may

with foul intrusion enter in,
And dwell upon your grave when you are dead :
For slander lives upon succession;
For ever hous'd, where't gets possession.

E. Ant. You have prevail'd; I will depart in quiet,
And, in despight of mirth, mean to be merry.
I know a wench of excellent discourse,-
Pretty and witty ; wild, and, yet too, gentle,–
There will we dine: this woman that I mean,
Diij

My

110