Pinch. More company;-the fiend is strong within him. Luc. Ah me, poor man, how pale and wan he looks! Ant. E. What, will you murder me? Thou jailer, thou, I am thy prisoner; wilt thou suffer them Offi. Masters, let him go; He is my prisoner, and you shall not have him. Pinch. Go, bind this man, for he is frantic too. Adr. What wilt thou do, thou peevish* offiHast thou delight to see a wretched man [cer? Do outrage and displeasure to himself? Offi. He is my prisoner; if I let him go, The debt he owes, will be requir'd of me. Adr. I will discharge thee, ere I go from thee: Bear me forthwith unto his creditor, [it. And, knowing how the debt grows, I will pay Good master doctor, see him safe convey'd Home to my house.-O most unhappy day! Ant. E. O most unhappy+ strumpet! Dro. E. Master, I am here enter'd in bond for you. Ant. E. Out on thee, villain! wherefore dost thou mad me? Dro. E. Will you be bound for nothing? be Good master; cry, the devil.mad, Luc. God help, poor souls, how idly do they talk! Adr. Go bear him hence.-Sister, go you with me. [Exeunt PINCH and assistants with ANT. and DRO. Offi. Two hundred ducats. Offi. Due for a chain, your husband had of him. Adr. He did bespeak a chain for me, but had it not. Cour. When as your husband, all in rage, to-day Came to my house, and took away my ring, Adr. It may be so, but I did never see it: Come, jailer, bring me where the goldsmith is, I long to know the truth hereof at large. Adr. And come with naked swords; let's call more help, To have them bound again. [Exeunt OFFICER, ADR. and Luc. Ant. S. I see these witches are afraid of swords. Dro. S. She, that would be your wife, now ran from you. Ant. S. Come to the Centaur; fetch our stuff* from thence: I long, that we were safe and sound aboard. Dro. S. Faith, stay here this night, they will surely do us no harm; you saw, they speak us fair, give us gold: methinks, they are such a gentle nation, that but for the mountain of mad flesh that claims marriage of me, I could find in my heart to stay here still, and turn witch. Ant. S. I will not stay to-night for all the Enter ANTIPHOLUS and DROMIO of Syracuse. Ang. 'Tis so; and that self chain about his neck, Which he forswore, most monstrously, to have. Ant. S. Who heard me to deny it, or forswear it? Mer. These ears of mine, thou knowest, did hear thee: Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Syracuse, with his rapier Enter ADRIANA, LUCIANA, COURTEZAN, and drawn, and DROMIO of Syracuse. uc. God, for thy mercy! they are loose again. Foolish. Unhappy for unlucky, t. e. mischievous. others. COMEDY OF ERRORS, Some get within him,* take his sword away: This is some priory ;-In, or we are spoil'd. Abb. Be quiet, people; Wherefore throng Adr. To fetch my poor distracted husband hence: Let us come in, that we may bind him fast, Ang. I knew, he was not in his perfect wits. Abb. How long hath this possession held the man? Adr. This week he hath been heavy, sour, And much, much different from the man he [was; [eye Abb. Hath he not lost much wealth by wreck Abb. You should for that have reprehended Adr. Why, so I did. Abb. Ay, but not rough enough. 319 Why bear you these rebukes, and answer not? Abb. Neither; he took this place for sanc- Adr. I will attend my husband, be his nurse, To make of him a formal man again:* nity. Adr. Come, go; I will fall prostrate at his And never rise until my tears and prayers Mer. By this, I think, the dial points at five: Adr. As roughly, as my modesty would let Comes this way to the melancholy vale; me. 4bb. Haply, in private. Adr. And in assemblies too. Abb. Ay, but not enough. Adr. It was the copy of our conference: Still did I tell him it was vile and bad. Abb. And thereof came it, that the man was The venom clamours of a jealous woman ing: And thereof comes it that his head is light. Thou say'st, his meat was sauc'd with thy upbraidings: Unquiet meals make ill digestions, eet recreation barr'd, what doth ensue, t moody and dull melancholy, insman to grim and comfortless despair;) And, at her heels, a huge infectious troop Of pale distemperatures, and foes to life? in food, in sport, and life-preserving rest To be disturb'd, would mad or man, or beast; The consequence is then, thy jealous fits Have scared thy husband from the use of wits. Luc. She never reprehended him but mildly, When he demean'd himself rough, rude, and wildly, I. e. Close, grapple with him. + I. c. Go into a house. The theme. The place of death and sorry‡ execution, Ang. Upon what cause? Mer. To see a reverend Syracusan merchant, Who put unluckily into this bay Against the laws and statutes of this town, Ang. See, where they come; we will behold Luc. Kneel to the duke, before he pass the Enter DUKE attended; ÆGEON bare-headed; Adr. Justice, most sacred duke, against the Duke. She is a virtuous and a reverend lady; It cannot be, that she hath done thee wrong. Adr. May it please your grace, Antipholus, my husband, Whom I made lord of me and all I had, Rings, jewels, any thing his rage did like. I. e. To bring him back to his senses. He broke from those that had the guard of him; And, with his mail attendant and himself, Met us again, and, madly bent on us, Duke. Long since, thy husband serv'd me in my wars; And I to thee engag'd a prince's word, Enter a SERVANT. Serv. O mistress, mistress, shift and save yourself! My master and his man are both broke loose, Beaten the maids a-row,* and bound the doctor, Whose beard they have singed off with brands of fire; And ever as it blazed, they threw on him And that is false thou dost report to us. Hark, hark, I hear him, mistress; fly, be gone. Adr. Ah me, it is my husband! Witness you, That he is borne about invisible: Even now we hous'd him in the abbey here; And now he's there, past thought of human reason. Enter ANTIPHOLUS and DROMIO of Ephesus. Ant. E. Justice, most gracious duke, oh, grant me justice! Even for the service that long since I did thee, When I bestrid thee in the wars, and took Deep scars to save thy life; even for the blood That then I lost for thee, now grant me justice. Ege. Unless the fear of death doth make me dote, I see my son Antipholus, and Dromio, Ant. E. Justice, sweet prince, against that She whom thou gav'st to me to be my wife; That she this day hath shameless thrown on me. Duke. Discover how, and thou shalt find me just. J. e. Successively, one after another. Ant. E. This day, great duke, she shut the doors upon me, While she with harlots* feasted in my house. Duke. A grievous fault: Say, woman, dids! thou so? Adr. No, my good lord;-myself, hc, and my sister, To-day did dine together: So befall my soul, As this is false, he burdens me withal! Luc. Ne'er may I look on day, nor sleep of But she tells to your highness simple truth! night, Ang. O perjur'd woman! They are both for sworn. In this the madman justly chargeth them. Neither disturb'd with the effect of wine, Could witness it, for he was with me then; My wife, her sister, and a rabble more Till gnawing with my teeth my bonds in sunder, with him; That he dined not at home but was lock'd out. Duke. But had he such a chain of thee, or no? Ang. He had, my lord: and when he ran in here, These people saw the chain about his neck. mine Heard you confess you had the chain of him, walls, Harlot was a term of reproach applied to chests among men as well as to wantons among women. Nor ever didst thou draw thy sword on me: I never saw the chain, so help me heaven! And this is false, you burden me withal. Duke. Why, what an intricate impeach is I think, you all have drank of Circe's cup. Cour. He did; and from my finger snatch'd Ant. E. "Tis true, my leige, this ring I had of her. Duke. Saw'st thou him enter at the abbey here? Cour. As sure, my liege, as I do see your grace. Duke. Why, this is strange :-Go call the Abbess hither; I think you are all mated, or stark mad. [Exit an Attendant. Ege. Most mighty duke, vouchsafe me speak a word: Haply I see a friend will save my life, Duke. Speak freely, Syracusan, what thou wilt. Ege. Is not your name, Sir, call'd Antipholus ? And is not that your bondman Dromio? But he, I thank him, gnaw'd in two my cords; know me well. Ant. E. I never saw you in my life, till now. Ege. Oh! grief hath chang'd me, since you saw me last; And careful hours, with Time's deformed hand Have written strange defeaturest in my face: But tell me yet, dost thou not know my voice? Ant. E. Neither. Ege. Dromio, nor thou? Dro. E. No, trust me, Sir, nor I. Dro. E. Ay, Sir; but I am sure, I do not; and whatsoever a man denies, you are now bound to believe him. Ege. Not know my voice! O, time's extre- Hast thou so crack'd and splitted my poor Ant. E. I never saw my father in my life. Ege. But seven years since, in Syracusa, boy, 321 Thou know'st, we parted: but perhaps, my son, Thou sham'st to acknowledge me in misery. Ant. E. The duke, and all that know me in the city, Can witness with me that it is not so; Duke. I tell thee, Syracusan, twenty years Abb. Most mighty duke, behold a man much wrong'd. [All gather to see him. Adr. I see two husbands, or mine eyes deceive me. Duke. One of these men is Genius to the other; And so of these: Which is the natural man, And which the spirit? Who deciphers them? Dro. S. I, Sir, am Dromio; command him away. Dro. E. I, Sir, am Dromio; pray let me stay. Ant. S. Ægeon, art thou not? or else his ghost? Dro. S. O, my old master! who hath bound him here? Abb. Whoever bound him, I will loose his And gain a husband by his liberty:- Ege. If I dream not, thou art Æmilia; Abb. By men of Epidamnum, he, and I, And the twin Dromio, all were taken up; But, by and by, rude fishermen of Corinth By force took Dromio and my son from them, And me they left with those of Epidamnum: What then became of them, I cannot tell; I, to this fortune that you see me in. Duke. Why, here begins his morning story right;* These two Antipholuses, these two so like, Ant. E. I came from Corinth, my most gra cious lord. Dro. E. And I with him. Ant. E. Brought to this town with that mos famous warrior Duke Menaphon, your most renowned uncle. Adr. Which of you two did dine with me. to-day? Ant. S. I, gentle mistress. Ant. S. And so do I, yet did she call me so; Ang. That is the chain, Sir, which you had | Go to a gossip's feast, and go with me; Ant. S. I think it be, Sir; 1 deny it not. ed me. Ang. I think I did, Sir; I deny it not. Adr. I sent you money, Sir, to be your bail, By Dromio; but I think he brought it not. Dro. E. No, none by me. Ant. S. This purse of ducats I receiv'd from you, And Dromio my man did bring them me: Ant. E. These ducats pawn I for my father here. Duke. It shall not need, thy father hath his life. Cour. Sir, I must have that diamond from you. Ant. E. There, take it; and much thanks for my good cheer. Abb. Renowned duke, vouchsafe to take the To go with us into the abbey here, [pains And hear at large discoursed all our for tunes: And all that are assembled in this place, That by this sympathized one day's error Have suffer'd wrong, go, keep us company, And we shall make full satisfaction.Twenty-five years have I but gone in travail Of you, my sons; nor, till this present hour, My heavy burdens are delivered : The duke, my husband, and my children both, And you the calendars of their nativity, Duke. With all my heart, I'll gossip at this feast. [Exeunt DUKE, ABBBSS, GEON, COURTEZAN, MERCHANT, ANGELO, and Attendants. Dro. S. Master, shall I fetch your stuff from shipboard? Ant. E. Dromio, what stuff of mine hast thou embark'd? Dro. S. Your goods, that lay at host, Sir, in the Centaur. Ant. S. He speaks to me; I am your master, Dromio: Come, go with us: we'll look to that anon: Embrace thy brother there, rejoice with him. [Exeunt ANTIPHOLUS S. and E. ADR. and Luc. Dro. S. There is a fat friend at your master's house, That kitchen'd me for you to-day at dinner; I see by you, I am a sweet-faced youth. Dro. S. We will draw cuts for the senior: till then, lead thou first. `[ther: Dro. E. Nay, then thus: We came into the world, like brother and broAnd now let's go hand in hand, not one before another. [Exeunt. |