SALINUS, Duke of Ephefus.
Egeon, a Merchant of Syracufe.
Twin-Brothers, and Sons to
Ægeon and Emilia, but
Antipholis of Syracufe, unknown to each other.
Dromio of Ephefus, Twin-Brothers, and Slaves to the
Dromio of Syracufe, two Antipholis's.
Balthazar, a Merchant.
A Merchant, Friend to Antipholis of Syracufe.
Dr. Pinch, a School-mafter, and a Conjurer,
Æmilia, Wife to Ageon, an Abbess at Ephefus,
Adriana, Wife to Antipholis of Ephesus.
Luciana, Sifter to Adriana,
Luce, Servant to Adriana.
Jailor, Officers, and other Attendants.
Enter the Duke of Ephefus, Egeon, failor, and other Attendants.
ROCEED, Salinus, to procure my fall,
And by the doom of death end woes and all.
Duke. Merchant of Syracufe, plead no
I am not partial to infringe our laws: The enmity, and difcord, which of late Sprung from the ranc'rous outrage of your Duke, To merchants, our well-dealing countrymen, (Who, wanting gilders to redeem their lives, Have feal'd his rigorous ftatutes with their bloods) Excludes all pity from our threatning looks. For, fince the mortal and inteftine jars 'Twixt thy feditious countrymen and us, It hath in folemn fynods been decreed, VOL. III. P
Both by the Syracufans and ourselves,
T'admit no traffick to our adverse towns.
Nay, more; if any born at Ephefus
Be feen at Syracufan marts and fairs,
Again, if any Syracufan born
Come to the bay of Ephefus, he dies:
His goods confifcate to the Duke's dispose,
Unlels a thousand marks be levied
To quit the penalty, and ranfom him.
Thy fubftance, valu'd at the highest rate,
Cannot amount unto a hundred marks;
Therefore, by law thou art condemn'd to die.
Egeon. Yet this my comfort, when your words are
done,
My woes end likewife with the evening fun.
Duke. Well, Syracufan, fay, in brief, the cause,
Why thou departed'ft from thy native home;
And for what cause thou cam'ft to Ephefus.
Egeon. A heavier task could not have been impos'd;
Than I to speak my grief unfpeakable:
Yet that the world may witnefs, that my end
Was wrought by nature, not by vile offence,
I'll utter what my forrow gives me leave.
In Syracufa was Í born, and wed
Unto a woman, happy but for me;
And by me too, had not our hap been bad:
With her I liv'd in joy; our wealth increas'd,
1 Was wrought by nature, not by vile offence,] All his hearers understood that the punishment he was about to undergo was in confequence of no private crime, but of the publick enmity between two ftates, to one of which he belonged: But it was a general fuperftition amongst the ancients, that every great and fudden miffortune was the vengeance of heaven pursuing men for their fecret offences. Hence the fentiment here put into the mouth of the fpeaker was proper. By my paft life, (fays he) which I am going to relate, the world may understand that my prefent death is according to the ordinary courfe of providence, [wrought by nature] and not the effects of divine vengeance overtaking me for my crimes, [not by vile offence.]
By profperous voyages I often made
To Epidamnum; 'till my factor's death,
And the great care of goods at random left,
Drew me from kind embracements of my spouse;
From whom my abfence was not fix months old,
Before herself (almoft at fainting under
The pleafing punishment that women bear)
Had made provifion for her following me,
And foon, and fafe, arrived where I was.
There fhe had not been long, but she became
A joyful mother of two goodly fons;
And, which was ftrange, the one fo like the other,
As could not be diftinguifh'd but by names.
That very hour, and in the felf-fame inn,
A poor mean woman was delivered
Of fuch a burthen, male-twins both alike:
Thofe (for their parents were exceeding poor)
I bought, and brought up to attend my fons.
My wife, not meanly proud of two fuch boys,
Made daily motions for our home-return ;
Unwilling, I agreed; alas, too foon!
We came aboard.
A league from Epidamnum had we fail'd,
Before the always-wind-obeying deep
Gave any tragick inftance of our harm;
But longer did we not retain much hope:
For what obfcured light the heav'ns did grant,
Did but convey unto our fearful minds
A doubtful warrant of immediate death;
Which, tho' myself would gladly have embrac'd,
Yet the inceffant weeping of my wife,
(Weeping before, for what fhe faw muft come ;)
And piteous plainings of the pretty babes,
That mourn'd for fashion, ignorant what to fear,
Forc'd me to feek delays for them and me:
And this it was; (for other means were none.)
The failors fought for fafety by our boat,
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