And coasting homeward, came to Ephesus:
Hopeless to find, yet loth to leave unsought,
Or that, or any place that harbours men.
But here must end the story of my life ;
And happy were I in my timely death,
Could all my travels warrant me they live.

Duke. Hapless Ægeon, whom the fates have markt
To bear th' extremity of dire milhap;
Now, trust me, were it not against our laws, (1)
(Which Princes, would they, may not disannul ;)
Against my crown, my oath, my dignity,
My soul should fue as advocate for thee.
But, tho' thou art adjudged to the death,
And passed sentence may not be recallid,
But to our honour's great disparagement;
Yet will I favour thee in what I can ;
I therefore, merchant, limit thee this day,
To seek thy life by beneficial help:
Try all the friends thou hast in Ephesus,
Beg thou, or borrow, to make up the fum,
And live ; if not, then thou art doom'd to die.
Jailor, take him to thy custody.

[Exeunt Duke, and Train. ail. I will, my Lord.

Ægeon. Hopeless and helpless doth Ægeon wend, But to procrastinate his liveless end.

[Exeunt Ægeon, and Jailor. (1) Now trust me, were it not against our Laws,

Against my crown, my Oath, my Dignity,

Which Princes would, they may not disanoul,] Thus are these Lines placed in all the former Editions. But as the lingle Verb does not agree with all the Substantives, which tould be govern'd of it, I have ventur’d to make a Transposition; and, by a Change in the Poinzing, clear'd up the Perplexity of the sepse,

SCENE

T

SCENE changes to the Street. Enter Antipholis of Syracuse, a Merchant, and Dromio. Mer. Herefore give out, you are of Epidamnum,

Left that your goods too soon be confiscate.
This very day, a Syracufan merchant
Is apprehended for arrival here ;
And, not being able to buy out his life,
According to the statute of the town,
Dies ere the weary sun set in the west :
There is your mony, that I had to keep.

Ant. Go bear it to the Centaur, where we hoft,
And stay there, Dromio, 'till I come to thee :
Within this hour it will be dinner-time ;
'Till that I'll view the manners of the town,
Peruse the traders, gaze upon the buildings,
And then return and sleep within mine inn;
For with long travel I am stiff and weary.

Dro. Many a man would take you at your word;
And go indeed, having so good a means.

[Exit Dromio.
Ant. A trusty villain, Sir, that very oft,
When I am dull with care and melancholy,
Lightens my humour with his merry jefts.
What, will you walk with me about the town,
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,
Pleafe

you, I'll meet with you upon the mart,
And afterward confort you 'till bed-time :
My present business calls me from you now.

Ant. Farewel 'till then ; I will go lose myself,
And wander up and down to view the city.
Mer. Sir, I commend you to your own content.

[Exit Merchant

Get thee away

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

Enter Dromio of Ephesus.
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 strucken twelve upon

the bell ;
My mistress made it one upon my cheek ;
She is so hot, because the meat is cold ;
The meat is cold, because you come not home ;
You come not home, because you have no ftomach ;
You have no stomach, having broke your

fast: But

we, that know what 'tis to fast 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 mony that I gave you? E. Dro. Oh,-fix-pence, that I had a Wednesday laft, 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 mony

? We being strangers

. here, how dar's thou truft So great a charge from thine own custody?

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 she will score 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

mart

Reserve 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-

ness ;
And tell me, how thou hast dispos'd thy charge ?

E. Dro. My charge was but to fetch you from the
Home to your house, the Phoenix, Sir, to dinner ;
My mistress and her sister ftay for you.

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

thou?
E. Dro. Your worship's wife, my mistress at the

Phænix ;
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 sake, 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 mony. They say, this town is full of couzenage ; As, nimble jugglers, that deceive the eye ; (2)

Dark(2) As, nimble Jugglers, that deceive the Eye ;

Dark-working Sorcerers, that change the Mind :
Soul-killing Witches, that deform the 'Body ;] Thofe, who

attentively

Dark-working forcerers, that change the mind;
Soul-killing witches, that deform the body;
Disguised cheaters, prating mountebanks,
And many such like liberties of fin:
If it prove so, I will be gone the sooner.
I'll to the Centaur, to go seek this flave ;
I greatly fear, my mony is not safe.

[Exit.

attentively consider these three Lines, must confess, that the Poet intended, the Epithet given to each of these Misereants, fhould declare the Power by which they perform their Feats, and which would therefore be a just Characteristick of each of them. Thus, by nimble Jugglers, we are taught that they perform their Tricks by Slight of Hand : and by Soul-killing Witches, we are inform’d, the Mischief they do is by the Ar liftance of the Devil, to whom they have given their Souls : But then, by dark-working Sorcerers, we are not inftru&ted 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 in their Characteristick. I am confident, we should read;

Drug-working Sorcerers, that change the Mind; And we know by the whole Hiftory of ancient and modern Superftition, that these kind of Jugglers always pretended to work Changes of the Mind by these Applications.

Mi, Warburton,