Ege. Is not your name, sir, call'd Antipholus ? And is not that your bondman Dromio ? Dro. E. Within this hour I was his bondman, sir, But he, I thank him, gnaw'd in two my cords Now am I Dromio, and his man, unbound. Ege. I am sure, you both of you remember me. Dro. E. Ourselves we do remember, sir, by you; For lately we were bound, as you are now. You are not Pinch's patient, are you, sir? Æge. Why look you strange on me? you know me well. Ant. E. I never saw you in my life, till now. Ege. Oh! grief hath chang'd me, since you saw me last; And careful hours, with Time's deformed hand Æge. Dromio, nor thou? Dro. E. No, trust me, sir, nor I. I am sure thou dost. Dro. E. Ay, sir? but I am sure I do not; and whatsoever a man denies, you are now bound to believe him. Ege. Not know my voice! O, Time's extremity! Hast thou so crack'd and splitted my poor tongue, In seven short years, that here my only son Knows not my feeble key of untun'd cares? Though now this grained2 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 (1 cannot err) Tell me, thou art my son Antipholus. Ant. E. I never saw my father in my life. Alteration of features. * Furrowed, lined. Ege. But seven years since, in Syracusa, boy, 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 During which time he ne'er saw Syracusa : Enter the Abbess, with ANTIPHOLUS Syracusan, and DROMIO Syracusan. wrong'd. Abb. Most mighty duke, behold a man much [All gather to see him. Adr. I see two husbands, or mine eyes deceive me. Duke. One of these men is Genius to the other; And so of these: Which is the natural man, And which the spirit? Who deciphers them? Dro. S. I, sir, am Dromio; command him away. Dro. E. I, sir, am Dromio; pray, let me stay. Ant. S. Ægeon, art thou not? or else his ghost? Dro. S. O, my old master! who hath bound him here? Abb. Whoever bound him, I will loose his bonds, And gain a husband by his liberty: Speak, old Ægeon, if thou be'st the man Ege. If I dream not, thou art Æmelia; 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, Duke. Why, here begins his morning story right;" These two Antipholus's, these two so like, And these two Dromio's, one in semblance, Besides her urging of her wreck at sea, These are the parents to these children, Which accidentally are met together. Antipholus, thou cam'st from Corinth first. Ant. S. No, sir, not I; I came from Syracuse. Duke. Stay, stand apart; I know not which is which. Ant. E. I came from Corinth, my most gracious lord. Dro. E. And I with him. Ant. E. Brought to this town with that most famous warrior Duke Menaphon, your most renowned uncle. Adr. And are you not my husband? Ant. E. No, I say nay to that. Ant. S. And so do I, yet did she call me so; Ang. That is the chain, sir, which you had of me. Ant. E. And you, sir, for this chain arrested me. Ang. I think I did, sir; I deny it not. Adr. I sent you money, sir, to be your bail, By Dromio; but I think he brought it not. The morning story is what Egeon tells the Duke in the first scene of this play. Dro. E. No, none by me. Ant. S. This purse of ducats I receiv'd from you, And Dromio my man did bring them me: I see, we still did meet each other's man, And I was ta'en for him, and he for me, And thereupon these Errors are arose. Ant. E. These ducats pawn I for my father here. Duke. It shall not need, thy father hath his life. Cour. Sir, I must have that diamond from you. Ant. E. There, take it; and much thanks for my good cheer. Abb. Renowned duke, vouchsafe to take the pains To go with us into the abbey here, And hear at large discoursed all our fortunes: The duke, my husband, and my children both, Duke. With all my heart, I'll gossip at this feast. [Exeunt Duke, Abbess, ÆGEON, Courtezan, Merchant, ANGELO, and Attendants. Dro. S. Master, shall I fetch your stuff from ship-board? Ant. E. Dromio, what stuff of mine hast thou Dro. S. Your goods, that lay at host, sir, in the And. S. He speaks to me; I am your master, Dromio: Come, go with us: we'll look to that anon: Embrace thy brother there, rejoice with him. [Exeunt ANTIPHOLUS S. and E., ADR. and Luc. Dro. S. There is a fat friend at your master's house, That kitchen'd me for you to-day at dinner; Dro. E. Methinks, you are my glass, and not my brother: I see by you I am a sweet-faced youth. Dro. E. That's a question: how shall we try it? Dro. S. We will draw cuts for the senior: till then, lead thou first. Dro. E. Nay, then thus: We came into the world, like brother and brother: And now let's go hand and hand, not one before another. [Exeunt. Q 2 |