10

OL

Mer. How is the man esteem'd here in the city?
Ang. Of very reverent reputation, Sir,

Of credit infinite, highly belov'd,
Second to none that lives here in the city;
His word might bear my wealth at any time.

Mer. Speak softly: yonder, as I think, he walks.

Enter Antipholis and Dromio of Syracufe.

Ang. 'Tis fo; and that self-chain about his neck,

Which he forfwore most monstrously to have.
Good Sir, draw near to me, I'll speak to him.
Signior Antipholis, I wonder much

That you would put me to this shame and trouble;
And not without some scandal to yourself,
With circumstance and oaths so to deny

- This chain, which now you wear so openly;
Besides the charge, the shame, imprisonment,
You have done wrong to this my honest friend;
e Who, but for staying on our controverfy,
-ar Had hoifted fail, and put to sea to day:
on This chain you had of me, can you deny it?
S, Ant. I think, I had; I never did deny it.
Mer. Yes, that you did, Sir; and forswore it too.
S. Ant. Who heard me to deny it, or forswear it?
Mer. These ears of mine, thou knowest, did hear

im

thee:

Fie on thee, wretch! 'tis pity, that thou liv'st
To walk where any honest men refort.

S. Ant. Thou art a villain, to impeach me thus.
I'll prove mine honour and my honefty
Against thee presently, if thou dar'st stand.

Mer. I dare, and do defy thee for a villain.

Adr.

[They draw.

Enter Adriana, Luciana Courtezan, and others.

HOLD, hurt him not, for God's fake; he

is mad;

Some

Some get within him, take his sword away:
Bind Dromio too, and bear them to my house.

S. Dro. Run, master, run; for God's fake, take a

house;

This is fome Priory; in, or we are spoil'd.

[Exeunt to the Priory.

Enter Lady Abbess.

Abb. Be quiet, people; wherefore throng you hi

ther?

Adr. To fetch my poor distracted husband hence; Let us come in, that we may bind him faft, And bear him home for his recovery.

Ang. I knew, he was not in his perfect wits. Mer. I'm forry now, that I did draw on him. Abb. How long hath this poffeffion held the man? Adr. This week he hath been heavy, fower, sad, And much, much different from the man he was: But, 'till this afternoon, his paffion Ne'er brake into extremity of rage.

Abb. Hath he not loft much wealth by wreck at sea? Bury'd fome dear friend? hath not else his eye Stray'd his affection in unlawful love? A fin, prevailing much in youthful men, Who give their eyes the liberty of gazing. Which of these forrows is he subject to ?

Adr. To none of these, except it be the last; Namely, fome love, that drew him oft from home. Abb. You should for that have reprehended him. Adr. Why, fo I did.

Abb. Ay, but not rough enough.

Adr. As roughly, as my modesty would let me.

Abb. Haply, in private.

Adr. And in affemblies too.

Abb. Ay, but not enough.

Adr. It was the copy of our conference.

In bed, he flept not for my urging it;

At

At board, he fed not for my urging it;
Alone, it was the subject of my theme;
In company, I often glanc'd at it;
Still did I tell him, it was vile and bad.

Abb. And therefore came it, that the man was mad

The venom clamours of a jealous woman
Poifon more deadly, than a mad dog's tooth.
It seems, his fleeps were hinder'd by thy railing;
And thereof comes it, that his head is light.
Thou say'st, his meat was sauc'd with thy upbraidings;
Unquiet meals make ill digeftions;
Thereof the raging fire of fever bred;
And what's a fever, but a fit of madness ?

Thou say'st, his sports were hinder'd by thy brawls.
Sweet recreation barr'd, what doth ensue,

But moody and dull melancholy,

[Kinsman to grim and comfortless despair?]
And at her heels a huge infectious troop
Of pale distemperaturés, and foes to life.
In food, in sport, and life-preserving rest,
To be disturb'd, would mad or man or beaft:
The confequence is then, thy jealous fits
Have scared thy husband from the use of wits.

Luc. She never reprehended him but mildly,
When he demeaned himself rough, rude and wildly;
Why bear you these rebukes, and answer not?
Adr. She did betray me to my own reproof.
Good people, enter, and lay hold on him.
Abb. No, not a creature enter in my house.
Adr. Then, let your servants bring my husband

forth.

A

Abb. Neither; he took this place for fanctuary,

And it shall privilege him from your hands;

'Till I have brought him to his wits again,

Or lofe my labour in afsfaying it.

Adr. I will attend my husband, be his nurse,

Diet his fickness, for it is my office;

A

VOL. IV.

D

And

And will have no attorney but myself;
And therefore let me have him home with me.

Abb. Be patient, for I will not let him ftir,
'Till I have us'd th' approved means I have,
With wholfome firups, drugs, and holy prayers
To make of him a formal man again;
It is a branch and parcel of mine oath,
A charitable duty of my order;

Therefore depart, and leave him here with me.

Adr. I will not hence, and leave my husband here; And ill it doth beseem your holiness To feparate the husband and the wife.

Abb. Be quiet and depart, thou shalt not have him.
Luc. Complain unto the Duke of this indignity.
[Exit Abbefs.

Adr. Come, go; I will fall prostrate at his feet,
And never rise, until my tears and prayers
Have won his Grace to come in person hither;
And take perforce my husband from the Abbess.

Mer. By this, I think, the dial points at five:
Anon, I'm fure, the Duke himself in perfon
Comes this way to the melancholy vale;
The place of death and forry execution,
Behind the ditches of the abbey here.
Ang. Upon what cause?

Mer. To fee a reverend Syracufan merchant,

Who put unluckily into this bay
Against the laws and statutes of this town,
Beheaded publicly for his offence.

Ang. See, where they come; we will behold his

death.

Luc. Kneel to the Duke, before he pass the abbey.

SCENE

SCENE III.

Enter the Duke, and Ægeon bare-headed; with the Headf

Duke.

Y

man, and other Officers.

ET once again proclaim it publicly,
If any friend will pay the sum for him,

He shall not die, so much we tender him.
Adr. Justice, most sacred Duke, against the Abbefs.
Duke. She is a virtuous and a reverend Lady;

het It cannot be, that she hath done thee wrong.

Adr. May it please your Grace, Antipholis my huf-
band,

hi (Whom I made lord of me and all I had,
At your important letters,) this ill day
A most outrageous fit of madness took him;
That desp'rately he hurry'd through the street,
With him his bondman all as mad as he,
Doing displeasure to the citizens,

5. By rushing in their houses: bearing thence
Rings, jewels, any thing his rage did like.
Once did I get him bound, and sent him home,
Whilft to take order for the wrongs I went,
That here and there his fury had committed:
Anon, I wot not by what ftrong escape,
He broke from those, that had the guard of him:
And, with his mad attendant mad himself,
Each one with ireful paffion, with drawn swords,
Met us again, and, madly bent on us,
Chas'd us away: 'till, raising of more aid,
We came again to bind them; then they fled
Into this abbey, whither we pursu'd them;
be And here the Abbess shuts the gates on us,
And will not fuffer us to fetch him out,
Nor fend him forth, that we may bear him hence.
Therefore, most gracious Duke, with thy command,
Let him be brought forth, and borne hence for help.
Duke. Long fince thy husband ferv'd me in my wars,

N And I to thee engag'd a Prince's word,

D 2

(When