And coafting homeward, came to Ephesus: 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) Jail. I will, my Lord. [Exeunt Duke, and Train Egeon. Hopeless and helplefs doth Egeon 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 Transposition; and, by a Change in the Pointing, clear'd up the Perplexity of the Sense, 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 confifcate. Ant. Go bear it to the Centaur, where we hoft, Dro. Many a man would take you at your word, [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, Pleafe you, I'll meet with you upon the mart, And afterward confort you 'till bed-time: My prefent 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, Here comes the almanack of my true date. late: The capon burns, the pig falls from the fpit, The meat is cold, because you come not home; Ant. Stop in your wind, Sir; tell me this, I pray, E. Dro. Oh,-fix-pence, that I had a Wednesday laft, Το pay the fadler for my mistress' 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 ftrangers here, how dar'ft thou truft So great a charge from thine own cuftody? E. Dro. I pray you, jeft, Sir, as you fit at dinner: For she will score your fault upon my pate: clock; Ant. Come, Dromio, come, these jefts are out of feafon ; 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 foolish nefs; 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 house, the Phoenix, Sir, to dinner; Ant. Now, as I am a chriftian, answer me, Ant. Thy miftrefs' marks? what mistress, flave, haft thou? E. Dro. Your worship's wife, my miftrefs at the Phanix; She, that doth faft, '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 Dark-working forcerers, that change the mind; [Exit. attentively consider these three Lines, must confess, that the Poet intended, the Epithet given to each of these Misereants, fhould declare the Power by which they perform their Feats, and which would therefore be a juft Characteristick of each of them. Thus, by nimble Jugglers, we are taught that they perform their Tricks by Slight of Hand: and by Soul-killing Witches, we are inform'd, the Mischief they do is by the Af fiftance of the Devil, to whom they have given their Souls: But then, by dark-working Sorcerers, we are not inftructed in the Means by which they perform their Ends. Befides, this Epithet agrees as well to Witches, as to them; and therefore, certainly, our Author could not design This in their Characte riftick. I am confident, we should read; Drug-working Sorcerers, that change the Mind; And we know by the whole Hiftory of ancient and modern Superftition, that thefe kind of Jugglers always pretended to work Changes of the Mind by these Applications. Mr. Warburton, ACT |