Ant. E. Five hundred ducats, villain, for a rope? Dro. E. I'll serve you, Sir, five hundred at the rate. Ant. E. To what end did I bid thee bie thee home? Dro. E. To a rope's end, Sir; and to that end am I return'd. Ant. E. And to that end, Sir, I will welcome [Beating him. you. Off. Good Sir, be patient. Dro. E. Nay, 'tis for me to be patient; I am in adversity. Of. Good now, hold thy tongue. Dro. E. Nay, rather persuade him to hold his hands. Ant. E. Thou whoreson, senseless villain! Dro. E. I would I were senseless, Sir, that I might not feel your blows. Ant. E. Thou art sensible in nothing but blows, and so is an ass. Dro. E. I am an ass, indeed; you may prove it by my long ears. I have serv'd him from the hour of nativity to this instant, and have nothing at his hands for my service, but blows: when I am cold, he heats me with beating: when I am warm, he cools me with beating: I am waked with it, when I sleep; raised with it, when I sit; driven out of doors with it, when I go from home; welcomed home with it, when I return: nay, I bear it on my shoulders, as a beggar wont her brat; and, I think, when he hath lamed me, I shall beg with it from door to door. Enter ADRIANA, LUCIANA, and the COURTEZAN, with PINCH, and others. Ant. E. Come, go along; my wife is coming yonder. Dro. E. Mistress, respice finem, respect your end; or rather the prophecy, like the parrot, Beware the rope's end. Ant. E. Wilt thou still talk? [Beats him. Cour. How say you now? is not your hus band mad? Adr. His incivility confirms no less.Good doctor Pinch, you are a conjurer; Establish him in his true sense again, And I will please you what you will demand. Luc. Alas, how fiery and how sharp he looks! *Correct them all. Cour. Mark, how he trembles in his extacy Pinch. Give me your hand, and let me feel your pulse. Ant. E. There is my hand, and let it feel your ear. Pinch. 1 charge thee, Satan, hous'd within this man, To yield possession to my holy prayers, Adr. O, that thou wert not, poor distressed soul! Ant. E. You minion you, are these your customers? Did this companion with a saffron face Whilst upon me the guilty doors were shut, And I denied to enter in my house? Adr. O, husband, God doth know, you din'd at home, Where 'would you had remain'd until this time, Free from these slanders, and this open shame! Ant. E. I din'd at home! Thou villain, what say'st thou? Dro. E. Sir, sooth to say, you did not dine at home. Ant. E. Were not my doors lock'd up, and I shut out? Dro. E. Perdy, your doors were lock'd, and you shut out. Ant. E. And did not she herself revile me there? Dro. E. Sans fable, she herself revil'd you 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. 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 MERCHANT and ANGELO. Ang. I am sorry, Sir, that I have hinder'd But, I protest, he had the chain of me, [you; Though most dishonestly he doth deny it. Mer. How is the man esteem'd here in the city? Of credit infinite, highly belov'd, His word might bear my wealth at any time. walks. 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: Fie on thee, wretch! 'tis pity, that thou liv'st To walk where any honest men resort. Ant. S. Thou art a villain, to impeach me thus: I'll prove mine honour, and mine honesty Against thee presently, if thou dar'st stand. Mer. I dare, and do defy thee for a villain. [They draw. Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Syracuse, with his rapier | Enter ADRIANA, LUCIANA, COURTEZAN, and drawn, and DROMIO of Syracuse. Luc. God, for thy mercy! they are loose again. Foolish. Unhappy for unlucky, i. e. mischievous. others. Adr. Hold, hurt him not, for God's sake; he is mad: * Baggage. Buried some dear friend? Hath not else his Adr. To none of these, except it be the last; Namely, some love, that drew him oft from home. Abb. You should for that have reprebended him. Adr. Why, so I did. Abb. Ay, but not rough enough. Why bear you these rebukes, and answer not? Abb. Neither; he took this place for sanctuary, And it shall privilege him from your hands, Till I have brought him to his wits again, Or lose my labour in assaying it. 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. Abb. Haply, in private. Adr. And in assemblies too. Abb. Ay, but not enough. Adr. It was the copy of our conference: In bed, he slept not for my urging it; At board, he fed not for my urging it; Still did I tell him it was vile and bad. Abb. And thereof came it, that the man was mad: The venom clamours of a jealous woman 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, Sweet recreation barr'd, what doth ensue, (Kinsman to grim and comfortless despair;) 1. e. Close, grapple with him. 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 his death. Luc. Kneel to the duke, before he pass the abbey. Enter DUKE attended; ÆGEON bare-headed; 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. + Part. Sad. Importunate. II. e. To take measures. 1 Know He broke from those that had the guard of him; And, with his mad attendant and himself, Each one with ireful passion, with drawn swords, Met us again, and, madly bent on us, hence. Duke. Long since, thy husband serv'd me in my wars; And I to thee engag'd a prince's word, And ever as it blazed, they threw on him And that is false thou dost report to us. 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. Æge. Unless the fear of death doth make me dote, I see my son Antipholus, and Dromio, Ant. E. Justice, sweet prince, against that woman there. 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. * I. e. Successively, one after another. + I. e. Cuts his hair close. 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. Mer. Besides, I will be sworn, these ears of mine Heard you confess you had the chain of him, walls, Harlot was a term of reproach applied to cheats among men as well as to wantons among women. Nor ever didst thou draw thy sword on me: I think, you all have drank of Circe's cup. Cour. He did; and from my finger snatch'd that ring. 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 ? Aud is not that your bondman Dromio? But he, I thank him, gnaw'd in two my cords; 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. mity! Ege. Not know my voice! O, time's extre[tongue, Hast thou so crack'd and splitted my poor In seven short years, that here my only son Knows not my feeble key of untun'd cares? Though now this grained face of mine be hid In sap-consuming winter's drizzled snow, And all the conduits of my blood froze up; Yet hath my night of life some memory, My wasting lamp some fading glimmer left, My dull deaf ears a little use to hear: All these old witnesses (I cannot err,) Tell me, thou art my son Antipholus. Ant. E. I never saw my father in my life. Ege. But seven years since, in Syracusa, boy, Confounded. 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 bonds, And gain a husband by his liberty:- That bore thee at a burden two fair sons: O, if thou be'st the same Ægeon, speak, 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 Antiphol uses, 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; The morning story is what Egeon tells the Duke In the first scene of this play Rr |