If we obey them not, this will enfue, [blue. They'll fuck our breath, and pinch us black and Luc. Why prates thou to thyself, and answerest not? (9) Dromio, thou drone, thou fnail, thou flug, thou fot. S. Dro. No; I am an ape. Luc. If thou art changed to ought, 'tis to an afs. S. Dro. 'Tis true; the rides me, and I long for 'Tis fo, I am an afs; elfe it could never be, [grass. But I fhould know her, as well as fhe knows me. Adr. Come, come, no longer will I be a fool, To put the finger in the eye and weep, Whilft man and mafter laugh my woes to fcorn. Come, Sir, to dinner; Dromio, keep the gate; Husband, I'll dine above with you to-day, And fhrive you of a thoufand idle pranks; why with owls, in the name of nonfenfe? or could owls fuck their breath, and pinch them black and blue? I dare fay, my readers will acquiefce in the juftness of my emendation here. The word is common with our Author in other pailages : Merry Wives of Windfor. Strew good luck, ouphs, on every facred room. And, again; Like urchins, ouphs, and fairies, green and white. (9) Why prateft thou to thyself? Dromio, thou Dromio, fnail, thou flug, thou fot,] In the first of thefe lines Mr Rowe and Mr Pope have both, for what reafon I cannot tell, curtailed the measure, and difmounted the doggrel rhyme, which I have replaced from the first folio. The fecond verfe is there likewife read; Dromo, thou Dromio, thou fnail, thou flug, thou fot. The verfe is thus half a foot too long; my correction cures that fault befides, drone corresponds with the other appellations of reproach. Sirrah, if any afk you for your mafter, Ant. Am I in earth, in heaven, or in hell? And in this mist at all adventures go. 299 S. Dro. Mafter, fhall I be porter at the gate? ACT III. SCENE, the Street before Antipholis's House. Enter ANTIPHOLIS of Ephefus, DROMIO of Ephefus, ANGELO, and BALTHAZAR. G E. ANTIPHOL IS. OOD Signior Angelo, you must excuse us; My wife is fhrewith when I keep not hours; Say, that I lingered with you at your shop To fee 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 charged him with a thousand marks in gold; And that I did deny my wife and house: Thou drunkard, thou, what didft thou mean by this? E. Dro, Say what you will, Sir; but I know what I know; [thow; you beat me at the mart, I have your hand to That If the fkin were parchment, and the blows you gave were ink, Your own hand-writing would tell you what I think. E. nt. I think thou art an afs. E. Dro. Marry, fo it don't appear (10) By the wrongs I fuffer, and the blows I bear; welcome dear. ffith, E. Art. Ah, Signior Balthazar, either at flesh or A table-full of welcome makes fcarce 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 good welcome, makes a merry feaft. [gueft: E. Ant. Ay, to a niggardly hoft, and more sparing But tho' my cates be mean, take them in good part: Better cheer may you have, but not with better heart. But foft; my door is lock'd; go bid them let us in. E. Dro. Maud, Bridget, Marian, Cicely, Gillian, Gian. (10) Marry, fo it doth appear By the wrongs Iffer, and the blows I bear ] Thus all the printed copies; but, certainly, this is crofs-purposes in reafoning. It appears, Dromio is an afs by his making no resistance: becaufe an afs, being kicked, kicks again. Our Author never argues at this wild rate, where his text is genuine. S. Dro. within.] Mome, malt-horse, capon, cox. comb, idiot, patch, [hatch: Either get thee from the door, or fit down at the Doft thou conjure for wenches, that thou callest for fuch ftore, [door. When one is one too many? go, get thee from the E. Dro. What patch is made our porter? my master stays in the street. S. Dro. Let him walk from whence he came, lest he catch cold on's feet. E. Ant. Who talks within there? hoa, 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 dined to-day. S: Dro. Nor to-day here you must not: come again when you may. E. Ant. What art thou, that keepest me out from the house I owe? S. Dro. The porter, for this time, Sir, and my name is Dromio. El Dro. O villain, thou haft ftolen both mine office and my name: The one ne'er got me credit, the other mickle blame. If thou hadst been Dromio to-day in my place, Thou wouldeft have changed thy face for a name, or thy name for an afs. Luce. within. What a coil is there, Dromio? who are thofe at the gate? E. Dro. Let.my mafter in, Luce. Luce. Faith, no; he comes too late; And fo tell your mafter. E. Dro. O Lord, I.muft laugh; Have at you with a proverb---Shall I set in my staff? VOL. IV. C c Luce. Have at you with another; that's, when, can you tell? S. Dro. If thy name be called Luce, Luce, thou haft answered him well. E. Ant. Do you hear, you minion, you'll let us in, I trow? Luce. I thought to have afk'd you. S. Dro. And you faid, no. E. Dro. So, come, help, well ftruck; there was blow for blow. E. Ant. Thou baggage, let me in. E. Ant. You'll cry for this, minion, if I beat the door down. Luce. What needs all that, and a pair of stocks in the town? Adr. within.] Who is that at the door, that keeps all this noife? S. Dro. By my troth, your town is troubled with unruly boys. E. Ant. Are you there, wife? you might have come before. Adr. Your wife, Sir knave! go, get you from the door. E. Dro. If we went in pain, master, this knave would go fore. Ang. Here is neither cheer, Sir, nor welcome; we would fain have either. Bal. In debating which is beft, we shall part with neither. E. Dro. They ftand at the door, mafter; bid them welcome hither. E. Ant. There's fomething in the wind, that we cannot get in. |