And then go to the inn, and dine with me?
Mer. I am invited, Sir, to certain merchants,
Of whom I hope to make much benefit:
I crave your pardon. Soon, at five o'clock,
Please you, I'll meet with you upon the mart,
And afterward confort with you 'till bed-time:
My present bufinefs calls me from you now.
Ant. Farewel 'till then; I will go lofe myself,
And wander up and down to view the city.
Mer. Sir, I commend you to your own content.
[Exit Merchant.

SCENE III.

Ant. He that commends me to my own content, Commends me to the thing I cannot get. I to the world am like a drop of water, That in the ocean feeks another drop, Who falling there to find his fellow forth, Unfeen, inquifitive, confounds himself: So I, to find a mother and a brother, In queft of them, unhappy, lofe myself.

Enter Dromio of Ephefus.

Here comes the almanack of my true date.
What now? how chance, thou art return'd so soon ?
E. Dro. Return'd fo foon! rather approach'd too
late:

The capon burns; the pig falls from the fpit;
The clock has ftrucken twelve upon the bell;
My mistress made it one upon my cheek;
She is fo hot, becaule the neat is cold;
The meat is cold, because you come not home;
You come not home, because you have no ftomach;
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;

4

Ant. Stop in your wind, Sir; tell me this, I pray,
Where you have left the mony that I gave you?
E. Dro. Oh,-fix-pence, that I had a Wednesday last,
To pay the fadler for
miftrefs' crupper
The fadler had it, Sir; I kept it not.

my

?

Ant. I am not in a sportive humour now;
Tell me and dally not, where is the mony?
We being strangers here, how dar'ft thou truft
So great a charge from thine own cuflody?

E. Dro. I pray you, jeft, Sir, as you fit at dinner:
I from my mistrefs come to you in post;
If I return, I shall be poft indeed;

For fhe will score your fault upon my pate:
Methinks, your maw, like mine, fhould be your clock;
And ftrike you home without a meffenger.

Ant. Come, Dromio, come, these jefts are out of
feafon :

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

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

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

mart

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

Ant. Now, as I am a christian, anfwer me,
In what fafe place you have beftow'd my mony;
Or I fhall break that merry fconce of yours,
That ftands on tricks when I am undifpos'd:
Where are the thoufand marks thou hadst of me?

E. Dro. I have fome marks of yours upon my pate;
Some of my miftrefs' marks upon my fhoulders;
But not a thousand marks between you both.
If I fhould pay your worship thofe again,
Perhaps, you will not bear them patiently.

Ant.

Ant. Thy miftrefs' marks? what miftrefs, flave,

haft thou?

E. Dro. Your worship's wife, my mistress at the
Phonix;

She, that doth faft, '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-raught of all my money. They say, this town is full of couzenage2; As nimble jugglers, that deceive the eye 3 ; Dark-working forcerers, that change the mind; Soul-killing witches, that deform the body;

3

Difguifed

Thus, by nimble Jugglers, we are taught that they perform their Tricks by Slight of Hand: and by Soul-killing Witcl es, we are informed, the mifchier 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 inftructed in the means by which they perform their Ends. Befides, this Epithet agrees as well to Witches, as to them; and therefore, certainly, our Author could not defign This in their Characteristick. We fhould read;

Drug working Sorcerers, that change the mind;

And we know by the Hiftory of ancient and modern Superftition, that these kind of Jugglers always pretended to

work

Difguifed cheaters, prating mountebanks,
And many fuch like liberties of fin*:
If it prove fo, I will be gone the fooner.
I'll to the Centaur, to go feek this flave;
I greatly fear, my money is not fafe.

ACT

N

II.

[Exit.

SCENE I.

The Houfe of Antipholis of Ephefus.

Enter Adriana and Luciana.

ADRIAN A.

EITHER my husband, nor the flave return'd, That in fuch hafte I fent to feek his master! Sure, Luciana, it is two o'clock.

Luc. Perhaps, fome merchant hath invited him, And from the mart he's fomewhere gone to dinner: Good fifter, 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,

work Changes of the Mind by
thefe Applications.

WARBURTON. The learned commentator has endeavoured with much earneftness to recommend his alteration; but, if I may judge of other apprehenfions by my own, without great fuccefs. This in terpretation of foul-killing, is forced and harsh. Sir T. Hanmer reads, Soul-felling, agreeably enough to the common opinion, but without fuch improvement as may juftify the change. Perhaps the epithets have been only mifplaced, and the lines

be patient, fifter.

fhould be read thus,
Soul-killing forcerers, that change
the mind;
Dark-working witches, that de-
form the body.
This change feems to remove
all difficulties.

By Soul-killing I understand defroying the rational faculties by fuch means as make men fancy themselves beafts.

4

liberties of fin:] Sir T. Hanmer reads, Libertines, which, as the author has been enumerating not acts but perfons, feems right.

Adr.

Adr. Why fhould their liberty than ours be more? Luc. Because their business still lies out a-door. Adr. Look, when I ferve him fo, he takes it ill. Luc. Oh know, he is the bridle of your will.Adr. There's none but affes, will be bridled fo. Luc. Why, head-ftrong liberty is lafht with woe. There's nothing fituate under heaven's eye, But hath its bound in earth, in fea, in fky: The beafts, 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 fenfe and foul, Of more preheminence than fifh 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 fome other where? Luc. 'Till he come home again, I would forbear. Adr. Patience unmov'd!-no marvel tho' fhe paufe; They can be meek, that have no other caufe: 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 fhould ourselves complain. So thou, that haft no unkind mate to grieve thee, With urging helpless patience wouldft relieve me: But if thou live to fee like right bereft, This fool-begg'd patience in thee will be left.

Luc.