A

And left the fhip, then finking-ripe, to us; My wife, more careful for the elder born, Had faften'd him unto a small spare-maft, Such as fea-faring men provide for ftorms; To him one of the other twins was bound, Whilft I had been like heedful of the other. The children thus difpos'd, my wife and I, Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fixt, Faften'd ourselves at either end the maft; sdi o And floating straight, obedient to the fream Were carry'd towards Corinth, as we thought At length the fun, gazing upon the earth,pie 1A Difpers'd those vapours that offended us; And, by the benefit of his wifh'd light, The feas waxt calm; and we discovered

V

16.17

ES

Two ships from far making amain to us,and dail
Of Corinth that, of Epidaurus this;
But ere they came-oh, let me fay no more!, and i
Gather the fequel by that went before.

3717

Duke. Nay, forward, old man, do not break off so; For we may pity, tho' not pardon thee.

A

Egeon. Oh, had the Gods done fo, I had not now Worthily term'd them merciless to us

For ere the ships could meet by twice five leagues We were encountered by a mighty rock; Which being violently borne upon, Our helpless fhip was fplitted in the midft: So that, in this unjust divorce of us, Fortune had left to both of us alike What to delight in, what to forrow for. Her part, poor foul! feeming as burdened With leffer weight, but not with leffer woe, Was carry'd with more fpeed before the wind, And in our fight they three were taken up By fishermen of Corinth, as we thought. At length, another fhip had feiz'd on us; And knowing whom it was their hap to fave, I Gave

Gave helpful welcome to their fhipwreckt guests;
And would have reft the fishers of their prey,
Had not their bark been very flow of fail;

And therefore homeward did they bend their courfe.-
Thus have you heard me fever'd from my blifs;
That by misfortunes was my life prolong'd,
To tell fad ftories of my own mishaps.

Duke. And, for the fakes of them thou forrow'st for, Do me the favour to dilate at full

What hath befall'n of them, and thee, 'till now.
Egeon My youngest boy, and yet my eldeft care,
At eighteen years became inquifitive

After his brother; and importun'd me,
That his attendant, (for his cafe was like,
Reft of his brother, but retain'd his name,)
Might bear him company in queft of him:
Whom whilft I labour'd of a love to fee,
I hazarded the lofs of whom I lov'd.
Five fummers have I fpent in fartheft Greece,
Roaming clean through the bounds of Afia,
And coafting homeward, came to Ephefus:
Hopeless to find, yet loth to leave unfought,
Or that, or any place that harbours men.
But here muft end the ftory of my life;
And happy were in my timely death,
Could all my travels warrant me they live.

Duke. Haplefs Egeon, whom the fates have markt To bear th' extremity of dire mifhap;

Now, truft me, were it not against our laws,
(Which Princes, would they, may not difannul ;)
Againft my crown, my bath, my dignity,
My fout homo fue as advocate for thee.
But, tho thou art adjudged to the death,
And paffed fentence may not be recall'd,
But to our honour's great difparagement;
Yet will I favour thee in what I can;
I therefore, merchant, limit thee this day,
P 3

Το

To feek thy life by beneficial help:

Try all the friends thou haft in Ephefus,
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 cuftody.

Jail. I will, my Lord.

[Exeunt Duke, and Train.

Egeon. Hopelefs and helplefs doth Ægeon wend, But to procraftinate his lifeless end.

[Exeunt Egeon, and Jailor.

SCENE

II.

Changes to the Street.

Enter Antipholis of Syracufe, a Merchant, and

Mer

Dromio,

Herefore give out, you are of Epidamnum,
Left that your goods too foon 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 ftatute of the town,
Dies ere the weary fun fet in the weft:
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,
Perufe the traders, gaze upon the buildings,
And then return and fleep within mine inn;
For with long travel I am stiff and weary.
Get thee away.

Dro. Many a man would take you at your word, And go indeed, having fo good a means. [Exit Dromio.

Ant.

Ant. A trufty 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, Please 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 lofe myself, And wander up and down to view the city. Mer. Sir, I commend you to your own content. [Exit Merchant.

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 fo foon?
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, because the meat is cold;
The meat is cold, because you come not home;

P 4

You

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. 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 fportive humour now; Tell me and dally not, where is the mony? We being strangers here, how dar'ft thou trust So great a charge from thine own custody?

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

For fhe will fcore 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 ne. Ant. Come on, Sir knave, have done your foolishness; And tell me, how thou haft difpos'd thy charge? web E. Dro. My charge was but to fetch you from the

mart

Home to your houfe, the Phenix, Sir, to dinner; My mistress and her fifter ftay for you.

Ant. Now, as I am a chriftian answer me,
In what fafe place you have beftow'd my mony;
Or I fhall break that merry fconce of yours,
That stands 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