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Pinch. More company;-the fiend is strong within him.

Luc. Ah me, poor man, how pale and wan he looks!

Ant. E. What, will you murder me? Thou jailer, thou,

I am thy prisoner; wilt thou suffer them
To make a rescue?

Offi. Masters, let him go;

He is my prisoner, and you shall not have him. Pinch. Go, bind this man, for he is frantic too. Adr. What wilt thou do, thou peevish* offiHast thou delight to see a wretched man [cer? Do outrage and displeasure to himself?

Offi. He is my prisoner; if I let him go, The debt he owes, will be requir'd of me. Adr. I will discharge thee, ere I go from thee: Bear me forthwith unto his creditor, [it. And, knowing how the debt grows, I will pay Good master doctor, see him safe convey'd Home to my house.-O most unhappy day!

Ant. E. O most unhappy+ strumpet!

Dro. E. Master, I am here enter'd in bond for you.

Ant. E. Out on thee, villain! wherefore dost thou mad me?

Dro. E. Will you be bound for nothing? be Good master; cry, the devil.— mad, Luc. God help, poor souls, how idly do they

talk!

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Offi. Two hundred ducats.
Adr. Say, how grows it due?

Offi. Due for a chain, your husband had off
him.

Adr. He did bespeak a chain for me, but

had it not.

Cour. When as your husband, all in rage, to-day

Came to my house, and took away my ring, The ring I saw upon his finger now,) Straight after, did I meet him with a chain.

Adr. It may be so, but I did never see it :Come, jailer, bring me where the goldsmith is, I long to know the truth hereof at large.

Adr. And come with naked swords; let's call more help,

To have them bound again.
Offi. Away, they'll kill us.

[Exeunt OFFICER, ADR. and Luc. Ant. S. I see these witches are afraid of swords.

Dro. S. She, that would be your wife, now ran from you.

Ant. S. Come to the Centaur; fetch our stuff* from thence:

I long, that we were safe and sound aboard. Dro. S. Faith, stay here this night, they will surely do us no harm; you saw, they speak us fair, give us gold: methinks, they are such a gentle nation, that but for the mountain of mad flesh that claims marriage of me, I could find in my heart to stay here still, and turn witch. Ant. S. I will not stay to-night for all the

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city?

Of credit infinite, highly befov'd,
Ang. Of very reverend reputation, Sir,

His word might bear my wealth at any time.
Second to none that lives here in the city;
Mer. Speak softly: yonder, as I think, he
walks.

Enter ANTIPHOLUS and DROMIO of Syracuse. Ang. 'Tis so; and that self chain about his neck,

Which he forswore, most monstrously, to have.
Good Sir, draw near to me, I'll speak to him.
Signior Antipholus, I wonder much
[ble;
That you would put me to this shame and trou-
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;
Who, but for staying on our controversy,
Had hoisted sail, and put to sea to-day:
This chain you had of me, can you deny it?
Ant. S. I think, I had; I never did deny it.
Mer. Yes, that you did, Sir; and forswore
it too.

Ant. S. Who heard me to deny it, or for-
swear it?

Mer. These ears of mine, thou knowest, did

hear thee:

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Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Syracuse, with his rapier |_ Enter ADRIANA, LUCIANA, COURTEZAN, and drawn, and DROMIO of Syracuse.

uc. God, for thy mercy! they are loose again.

Foolish. Unhappy for unlucky, . e. mischievous.

others.

Adr. Hold, hurt him not, for God's sake; he is mad:

* Baggage.

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Buried some dear friend? Hath not else bis
Stray'd his affection in unlawful love?
A sin, prevailing much in youthful men,
Who give their eyes the liberty of gazing.
Which of these sorrows is he subject to?

Adr. To none of these, except it be the last; Namely, some love, that drew him oft from home.

Abb. You should for that have reprehended him.

Adr. Why, so I did.

Abb. Ay, but not rough enough.

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 enters in my house.
Adr. Then, let your servants bring my hus-
band forth.

Abb. Neither; he took this place for sanc-
tuary,

And it shall privilege him from your hands,
Till I have brought him to his wits again,
Or lose my labour in assaying it.

Adr. I will attend my husband, be his nurse,
Diet his sickness, for it is my office,
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 stir,
Till I have us'd the approved means I have,
With wholesome syrups, drugs, and holy
prayers,

To make of him a formal man again:*
It is a branch and parcelt 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
And ill it doth beseem your holiness,
[here;
To separate the husband and the wife.
Abb. Be quiet, and depart, thou shalt not
have him.
[Exit ABBESS.
Luc. Complain unto the duke of this indig-

nity.

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 Ab-
bess,

Mer. By this, I think, the dial points at five:
Anon, I am sure, the duke himself in person

Adr. As roughly, as my modesty would let Comes this way to the melancholy vale;

me.

4bb. Haply, in private.

Adr. And in assemblies too.

Abb. Ay, but not enough.

Adr. It was the copy of our conference:
In bed, he slept not for my urging it;
At board, he fed not for my urging it;
Alone, it was the subject of my theme;
In company, I often glanced it;
Still did I tell him it was vile and bad.

Abb. And thereof came it, that the man was mad:

The venom clamours of a jealous woman
Poison more deadly than a mad dog's tooth.
It seems his sleeps were hinder'd by thy rail-

ing:

And thereof comes it that his head is light. Thou say'st, his meat was sauc'd with thy upbraidings:

Unquiet meals make ill digestions,
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:

eet recreation barr'd, what doth ensue, t moody and dull melancholy, insman to grim and comfortless despair;) And, at her heels, a huge infectious troop Of pale distemperatures, and foes to life? in food, in sport, and life-preserving rest To be disturb'd, would mad or man, or beast; The consequence is then, thy jealous fits Have scared thy husband from the use of wits. Luc. She never reprehended him but mildly, When he demean'd himself rough, rude, and wildly,

I. e. Close, grapple with him. + I. e. Go into a house.

The theme.

The place of death and sorry; execution,
Behind the ditches of the abbey here.

Ang. Upon what cause?

Mer. To see a reverend Syracusan 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.

Enter DUKE attended; ÆGEON bare-headed;
with the Headsman and other Officers.
Duke. Yet 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
Abbess!

Duke. She is a virtuous and a reverend lady; It cannot be, that she hath done thee wrong. Adr. May it please your grace, Antipholus,

my husband,

Whom I made lord of me and all I had,
At your importants letters,-this ill day
A most outrageous fit of madness took him;
That desperately he hurried through the street
(With him his bondman, all as mad as he,)
Doing displeasure to the citizens

Rings, jewels, any thing his rage did like.
By rushing in their houses, bearing thence
Once did I get him bound, and sent him home,
Whilst to take order for the wrongs I went,
That here and there his fury had committed.
Anon, I wot¶ not by what strong escape,

* I. e. To bring him back to his senses. + Part. ↑ Sad. Importunate, 1. e. To take measures. 9 Know

He broke from those that had the guard of him;

And, with his mad attendant and himself,
Each one with ireful passion, 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 pursued them;
And here the abbess shuts the gates on us,
And will not suffer us to fetch him out,
Nor send him forth, that we may bear him
[mand,
Therefore, most gracious duke, with thy com-
Let him be brought forth, and borne hence for
help.

hence.

Duke. Long since, thy husband serv'd me in my wars;

And I to thee engag'd a prince's word,
When thou didst make him master of thy bed,
To do him all the grace and good I could.-
Go, some of you, knock at the abbey-gate,
And bid the lady abbess come to me;
I will determine this, before I stir.

Enter a SERVANT.

Serv. O mistress, mistress, shift and save yourself!

My master and his man are both broke loose, Beaten the maids a-row,* and bound the doctor,

Whose beard they have singed off with brands of fire;

And ever as it blazed, they threw on him
Great pails of puddled mire to quench the hair:
My master preaches patience to him, while
His man with scissars nicks himt like a fool:
And, sure, unless you send some present help,
Between them they will kill the conjurer.
Adr. Peace, fool, thy master and his man
are here;

And that is false thou dost report to us.
Serv. Mistress, upon my life, I tell you true;
I have not breath'd almost, since I did see it.
He cries for you, and vows, if he can take you,
To scorch your face, and to disfigure you:

Hark, hark, I hear him, mistress; fly, be gone.
[Cry within.
Duke. Come, stand by me, fear nothing:
Guard with halberts.

Adr. Ah me, it is my husband! Witness you, That he is borne about invisible:

Even now we hous'd him in the abbey here; And now he's there, past thought of human

reason.

Enter ANTIPHOLUS and DROMIO of Ephesus. Ant. E. Justice, most gracious duke, oh, grant me justice!

Even for the service that long since I did thee, When I bestrid thee in the wars, and took Deep scars to save thy life; even for the blood That then I lost for thee, now grant me justice. Æge. Unless the fear of death doth make me dote,

I see my son Antipholus, and Dromio,

Ant. E. Justice, sweet prince, against that woman there.

She whom thou gav'st to me to be my wife;
That bath abused and dishonour'd nie,
Even in the strength and height of injury!
Beyond imagination is the wrong,

That she this day hath shameless thrown on me. Duke. Discover how, and thou shalt find me just.

J. e. Successively, one after another.
Je uts his bait close.

Ant. E. This day, great duxe, she shut the doors upon me,

While she with harlots* feasted in my house. Duke. A grievous fault: Say, woman, didst thou so?

Adr. No, my good lord;-myself, hc, and my sister,

To-day did dine together: So befall my soul, As this is false, he burdens me withal!

Luc. Ne'er may I look on day, nor sleep o night,

But she tells to your highness simple truth! Ang. O perjur'd woman! They are both for In this the madman justly chargeth them.

sworn.

Ant. E. My liege, I am advised what I say:
Neither disturb'd with the effect of wine,
Nor heady-rash, provok'd with raging ire,
This woman lock'd me out this day from dinner:
Albeit, my wrongs might make one wiser mad.
That goldsmith there, were he not pack'd with
her,

Could witness it, for he was with me then;
Who parted with me to go fetch a chain,
Promising to bring it to the Porcupine,
Where Balthazar and I did dine together.
Our dinner done, and he not coming thither,
I went to seek hira: in the street I met him;
There did this perjur'd goldsmith swear me
And in his company, that gentleman, [down,
Wnich, God he knows, I saw not: for the
That I this day of him receiv'd the chain,
rie did arrest me with an officer. [which,
For certain ducats: he with none return'd.
I did obey; and sent my peasant home
To go in person with me to my house.
Then fairly I bespoke the officer,
By the way we met

My wife, her sister, and a rabble more
Of vile confederates; along with them
They brought one Pinch; a hungry lean-fac'd
A thread-bare juggler, and a fortune-teller;
A mere anatomy, a mountebank, [villain,
A living dead man: this pernicious šlave,
A needy, hollow-ey'd, sharp-looking wretch,
Forsooth, took on him as a conjurer;
And with no face, as 'twere, outfacing me,
And, gazing in mine eyes, feeling my pulse,
Cries out, I was possess'd: then altogether
And in a dark and dankish vault at home
They fell upon me, bound me, bore me thence;
There left me and my man, both bound to-
gether;

Till gnawing with my teeth my bonds in sunder,
I gain'd my freedom, and immediately
Ran hither to your grace; whom I beseech
For these deep shames and great indignities.
To give me ample satisfaction
Ang. My lord, in truth, thus far I witness

with him;

That he dined not at home but was lock'd out. Duke. But had he such a chain of thee, or no? Ang. He had, my lord: and when he ran in

here,

These people saw the chain about his neck. Mer. Besides, I will be sworn, these ears of

mine

Heard you confess you had the chain of him,
After you first foreswore it on the mart,
And, thereupon, I drew my sword on you;
And then you fled into this abbey here,
From whence, I think you are come by miracle.
Ant. E. I never came within these abbey

walls,

Harlot was a term of reproach applied to cheats among men as well as to wantons among women.

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Nor ever didst thou draw thy sword on me:
I never saw the chain, so help me heaven!
And this is false, you burden me withal.

Duke. Why, what an intricate impeach is
this!

I think, you all have drank of Circe's cup.
If here you hous'd him, here he would have
been;

lly:-
If he were mad, he would not plead so cold-
You say, he dined at home; the goldsmith here
Denies that saying:-Sirrah, what say you?
Dro. E. Sir, he dined with her there, at the
Porcupine.

Cour. He did; and from my finger snatch'd that ring.

Ant. E. 'Tis true, my leige, this ring I had

of her.

Duke. Saw'st thou him enter at the abbey here?

Cour. As sure, my liege, as I do see your

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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
Have written strange defeaturest in my face:
But tell me yet, dost thou not know my voice?
Ant. E. Neither.

Ege. Dromio, nor thou?

Dro. E. No, trust me, Sir, nor I.
Ege. 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 extre-
mity!
[tongue,
Hast thou so crack'd and splitted my poor
In seven short years, that here my only son
Knows not my feeble key of untun'd cares?
Though now this grained 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 (I cannot err,)
Tell me, thou art my son Antipholus.

Ant. E. I never saw my father in my life.
Ege. But seven years since, in Syracusa,
boy,

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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;
I ne'er saw Syracusa in my life.

Duke. I tell thee, Syracusan, twenty years
Have I been patron to Antipholus,
During which time he ne'er saw Syracusa :
I see, thy age and dangers make thee dote.

Enter the ABBESS, with ANTIPHOLUS Syracusan,
and DROMIO Syracusan.

Abb. Most mighty duke, behold a man much
wrong'd.
[All gather to see him.
Adr. I see two husbands, or mine eyes de-
ceive me.

Duke. One of these men is Genius to the

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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 Egeon, if thou be'st the man
That bore thee at a burden two fair sons:
That had'st a wife once call'd Æmilia,
O, if thou be'st the same Ægeon, speak,
And speak unto the same Emilia!

Ege. If I dream not, thou art Æmilia;
If thou art she, tell me, where is that son
That floated with thee on the fatal raft?

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,
And me they left with those of Epidamnum:
What then became of them, I cannot tell;
I, to this fortune that you see me in.

Duke. Why, here begins his morning story

right;*

These two Antipholuses, these two so like,
And these two Dromios, one in semblance,-1
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 gra
cious lord.

Dro. E. And I with him.

Ant. E. Brought to this town with that mos

famous warrior

Duke Menaphen, your most renowned uncle.
Adr. Which of you two did dine with me

to-day?

Ant. S. I, gentle mistress.

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;
And this fair gentlewoman, her sister here,
Did call me brother:-What I told you then,
I hope, I shall have leisure to make good;
If this be not a dreani, 1 see, and hear.

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Ang. That is the chain, Sir, which you had | Go to a gossip's feast, and go

of me.

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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 To go with us into the abbey here, [pains And hear at large discoursed all our for

tunes:

And all that are assembled in this place, That by this sympathized one day's error Have suffer'd wrong, go, keep us company, And we shall make full satisfaction.Twenty-five years have I but gone in travail Of you, my sons; nor, till this present hour, My heavy burdens are delivered :—

The duke, my husband, and my children both, And you the calendars of their nativity,

with me;

After so long grief, such nativity!
Duke. With all my heart, I'll gossip at this

feast.

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Dro. S. Master, shall I fetch your stuff from shipboard?

Ant. E. Dromio, what stuff of mine hast thou embark'd?

Dro. S. Your goods, that lay at host, Sir, in the Centaur.

Ant. 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; She now shall be my sister, not my wife.

Dro. E. Methinks, you are my glass, and not my brother:

I see by you, I am a sweet-faced youth.
Will you walk in to see their gossipping?
Dro. S. Not I, Sir; you are my elder.
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.

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