Who falling there to find his fellow forth,
Unseen inquifitive, confounds himself:
So I, to find a mother and a brother,
In quest of them, unhappy, lose myself.

Enter Dromio of Ephefus.

Here comes the almanack of my true date.
What now? how chance, thou art return'd fo foon?

E. Dro. Return'd so soon! rather approach'd too

late:

The capon burns, the pig falls from the spit,
The clock has ftrucken twelve upon the bell;
My mistress made it one upon my cheek;
She is fo hot, because the meat is cold;
The meat is cold, because you come not home;
You come not home, because you have no stomach;
You have no ftomach, having broke your faft:
But we, that know what 'tis to faft and pray,
Are penitent for your default to day.

Ant. Stop in your wind, Sir; tell me this, I pray,
Where you have left the money that I gave you?
E. Dro. Oh,-fix-pence, that I had a Wednesday last,
To 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 money? We being strangers here, how dar'st thou trust So great a charge from thine own cuftody?

E. Dro. I pray you, jest, Sir, as you fit at dinner: I from my mistress come to you in poft; If I return, I shall be post indeed; For the will fcore your fault upon my pate: Methinks, your maw, like mine, should be your clock; And strike you home without a messenger.

Ant. Come, Dromio, come, these jests are out of

season;

Reserve them 'till a merrier hour than this:
Where is the gold I gave in charge to thee?

B 4

E. Dro.

E. Dro. To me, Sir? why, you gave no gold to me. Ant. Come on, Sir knave, have done your foolishnefs;

And tell me, how thou hast dispos'd thy charge? E. Dro. My charge was but to fetch you from the

mart

Home to your house, the Phanix, Sir, to dinner;
My mistress and her fister stay for you.

Ant. Now, as I am a christian answer me,
In what fafe place you have bestow'd my money;
Or I shall break that merry sconce of yours,
That stands on tricks when I am undispos'd;
Where are the thousand marks thou hadst of me?

E. Dro. I have some marks of yours upon my pate; Some of my mistress' marks upon my shoulders; But not a thousand marks between you both.If I should pay your worship those again, Perchance, you will not bear them patiently. Ant. Thy mistress' marks? what mistress, slave, hast thou? [Phanix;

E. Dro. Your worship's wife, my mistress at the She, that doth fast, '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 money.
They say, this town is full of couzenage;
* As, nimble jugglers, that deceive the eye;

Drug

* As, nimble jugglers, that deceive the eye; Dark-working forcerers, that change the mind; Soul-killing witches, that deform the body; Those who attentively confider these three Lines, muft confess that the Poet intended, the Epithet given to each of these Miscreants, should declare the Power

by

01 Drug-working forcerers, that change the mind;
on Soul-killing witches, that deform the body;
Disguised cheaters, prating mountebanks,

e And many such like libertines of fin:
at If it prove so, I will be gone the fooner.
I'll to the Centaur, to go seek this slave;
; I greatly fear, my money is not fafe.

[Exit.

SCENE I.

?

ate

a

N

The House of Antipholis of Ephefus.

Enter Adriana and Luciana.

ADRIANA.

EITHER my husband nor the slave return'd,
That in fuch hafte I sent to feek his master!

-ix Sure, Luciana, it is two o'clock.

Luc. Perhaps, some merchant hath invited him, And from the mart he's fomewhere gone to dinner: Good fister, let us dine, and never fret.

A man is master of his liberty:

Time is their master; and when they fee time,
They'll go or come; if fo, be patient, fifter.

Adr. Why should their liberty than ours be more?

by which they perform their Feats, and which would therefore be a just Characteristic of each of them. Thus, by nemble Jugglers, we are taught that they performt heir Tricks by Slight of Hand: and by Soulkilling Witches, we are inform'd, the Mischief they do is by the Affiftance of the Devil, to whom they have given their Souls: But then, by dark-working Sorcerers, we are not instructed in the Means by which they perform their Ends. Besides, this Epithet agrees as well to Witches, as to them; and therefore, certainly, our Author could not design this their Chara&eristic. We should read;

Drug-working forcerers, that change the mind;

And we know by the History of ancient and modern Superstition, that these Kind of Jugglers always pretended to work Changes of the Mind by these Applications.

B5

Luc.

Luc. Because their business still lies out a-door.
Adr. Look, when I serve him so, he takes it ill.
Luc. Oh, know, he is the bridle of your will.
Adr. There's none, but asses, will be bridled so.
Luc. Why, head-strong liberty is lasht with woe.

There's nothing situate under heaven's eye,
But hath its bound in earth, in sea, in sky :
The beasts, the fishes, and the winged fowls,
Are their males' subjects, and at their controuls:
Man, more divine, the master of all these,
Lord of the wide world, and wide wat'ry feas,
Indu'd with intellectual sense and foul,
Of more preheminence than fish and fowl,
Are masters to their females, and their lords:
Then let your will attend on their accords.

Adr. This fervitude makes you to keep unwed.
Luc. Not this, but troubles of the marriage-bed.
Adr. But were you wedded, you would bear fome

fway.

Luc. Ere I learn love, I'll practise to obey. Adr. How if your husband start some other where? Luc. 'Till he come home again, I would forbear. Adr. Patience unmov'd, no marvel tho' she pause; They can be meek, that have no other cause : A wretched foul, bruis'd with adversity, We bid be quiet, when we hear it cry; But were we burden'd with like weight of pain, As much, or more, we should ourselves complain. So thou, that hast no unkind mate to grieve thee, With urging helpless patience would'st relieve me: But if thou live to fee like right bereft, This fool-begg'd patience in thee will be left.

Luc. Well, I will marry one day but to try; Here comes your man, now is your husband nigh.

SCENE

SCENE II.

Enter Dromio of Ephefus.
Adr. SAY, is your tardy master now at hand?

E. Dro. Nay, he's at two hands with me, and that my two ears can witness.

Adr. Say, didst thou speak with him? know'st thou his mind?

E. Dro. Ay, ay, he told me his mind upon mine ear. Beshrew his hand, I fcarce could under-stand it. Luc. Spake he so doubtfully, thou could'st not feel his meaning?

E. Dro. Nay, he struck so plainly, I could too well feel his blows; and withal so doubtfully, that I could scarce understand them.

Adr. But fay, I pry'thee, is he coming home? It seems, he hath great care to please his wife. E. Dro. Why, mistress, sure my master is horn-mad. Adr. Horn-mad, thou villain?

E. Dro. I mean not, cuckold-mad; but, sure, he's

stark mad:

When I defir'd him to come home to dinner,
He afk'd me for a thousand marks in gold:
'Tis dinner-time, quoth I; my gold, quoth he.
Your meat doth burn, quoth I; my gold, quoth he:
Will you come home, quoth I? my gold quoth he:
Where is the thousand marks I gave thee, villain?
The pig, quoth I, is burn'd; my gold, quoth he.
My mistress, Sir, quoth I; hang up thy mistress!
I know not thy mistress; out on thy mistress !

Luc. Quoth who?

E Dro. Quoth my master:

I know, quoth he, no house, no wife, no mistress;
So that my errand, due unto my tongue,
I thank him, I bare home upon my shoulders:

For, in conclufion, he did beat me there.

Adr. Go back again, thouslave, and fetch him home. E. Dro.

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