By profperous voyages I often made
To Epidamnum, till my factor's death;
And he, great care of goods at random left,
Drew me from kind embracements of my spouse:
From whom my absence was not fix months old,
Before herself (almost at fainting, under
The pleafing punishment that women bear,)
Had made provifion for her following me,
And foon, and safe, arrived where I was.
There she 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 felfsame inn,
A poor mean woman was delivered
Of fuch a burden, 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 tragic inftance of our harm:
But longer did we not retain much hope;
For what obfcured light the heavens did grant

And he, great care of goods at random left,] Surely we should read:

And the great care of goods at random left

Drew me, &c.

The text, as exhibited in the old copy, can scarcely be reconciled to grammar. MALONE.

It was

5 A poor mean woman - ] Poor is not in the old copy. inferted for the fake of the metre by the editor of the fecond folio,

MALONE.

Did but convey unto our fearful minds
A doubtful warrant of immediate death;
Which, though myfelf would gladly have embrac'd,
Yet the inceffant weepings of my wife,
Weeping before for what fhe faw muft come,
And piteous plainings of the pretty babes,
That mourn'd for fafhion, ignorant what to fear,
Forc'd me to feek delays for them and me.
And this it was,-for other means was none.-
The failors fought for fafety by our boat,
And left the fhip, then finking-ripe, to us:
My wife, more careful for the latter- born.
Had faften'd him unto a small spare maft,
Such as fea-faring men provide for storms;
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 fix'd,
Faften'd ourselves at either end the maft;
And floating straight, obedient to the ftream,
Were carried towards Corinth, as we thought,
At length the fun, gazing upon the earth,
Difpers'd thofe vapours that offended us;
And, by the benefit of his wifh'd light,
The feas wax'd calm, and we discovered
Two fhips from far making amain to us,
Of Corinth that, of Epidaurus this:
But ere they came,- O, let me fay no more!
Gather the fequel by that went before.

DUKE Nay, forward, old man, do not break off fo; For we may pity, though not pardon thee.

EGE. O, had the gods done fo, I had not now Worthily term'd them mercilefs to us!

For, ere the fhips could meet by twice five leagues,

6

We were encounter'd by a mighty rock;
Which being violently borne upon,
Our helpful fhip was splitted in the midst,
So that, in this unjuft 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 carried with more speed 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,
Gave helpful welcome to their fhipwreck'd 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

course.

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 fake of them thou forrowest for,
Do me the favour to dilate at full
What hath befall'n of them, and thee, till now.
ÆGE. My youngest boy, and yet my eldest care,

8

9

6 borne upon,] The original copy reads-borne up. The additional fyllable was fupplied by the editor of the fecond folio.

MALONE.

7 Gave helpful welcome. -] Old copy-healthful welcome. Corrected by the editor of the fecond folio. So, in K. Henry IV. P. I:

8

"And gave the tongue a helpful welcome." MALONE. - and thee, till now. ] The firft copy erroneously readsand they. The correction was made in the fecond folio.

MALONE.

My youngest boy, and yet my eldeft care,] Shakspeare has here

2

At eighteen years became inquifitive
After his brother: and impórtun'd me,
That his attendant, (for his cafe was like, '
Reft of his brother, but retain'd his name,)
Might bear him company in the 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 spent in furtheft Greece,
Roaming clean through the bounds of Afia,3
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 I in my timely death,
Could all my travels warrant me they live.
DUKE. Hapless Egeon, whom the fates have
mark'd

To bear the extremity of dire mishap!
Now, truft me, were it not againft our laws,
Against my crown, my oath, my dignity,

page

been guilty of a little forgetfulness. Egeon had said, 214, that the youngest fon was that which his wife had taken care of:

My wife, more careful for the latter-born, "Had faften'd him unto a fmall fpare maft.'

He himself did the fame by. the other; and then each, fixing their eyes on whom their care was fixed, faftened themselves at either end of the maft. M. MASON.

2

for his cafe was like,] The original copy has-fo his. The emendation was made by the editor of the fecond folio. MALONE.

3 Roaming clean through the bounds of Afia,] In the northern parts of England this word is ftill ufed inftead of quite, fully, perfectly, completely. So, in Coriolanus:

This is clean kam."

Again, in Julius Cæfar:

"Clean from the purpofe of the things themselves."

The reader will likewife find it in the 77th Pfalm. STEEVEns.

Which princes, would they, may not difannul,
My foul fhould fue as advocate for thee.
But, though thou art adjudged to the death,
And paffed fentence may not be recall'd,
But to our honour's great disparagement,
Yet will I favour thee in what I can:
Therefore, merchant, I'll limit thee this day,
To feek thy help by beneficial help :'
Try all the friends thou haft in Ephefus;
Beg thou, or borrow, to make up the fum,
And live; if not, 5 then thou art doom'd to die :-
Gaoler, take him to thy cuftody.

AGE. Hopelefs, and helplefs, dothÆgeon wend, But to procraftinate his lifeless end.

help.

[Exeunt.

Mr. Pope and fome other modern editors read-To feek thy life, &c. But the jingle has much of Shakfpeare's manner. MALONE.

To feek thy life, can hardly be the true reading, for, in ancient language, it fignifies a bafe endeavour to take life away. Thus, Antonio fays of Shylock,

He feeks my life.

I believe, therefore, the word help, was accidentally repeated by the compofitor, and that our author wrote,

5

6

To feek thy help by beneficial means.

STEEVENS.

if not, ] Old copy-no. Corre&ded in the fecond folio.

MALONE.

·wend,] i. e. go. An obfolete word. So, in A MidJummer-Night's Dream:,

"And back to Athens fhall the lovers wend." STEEVENS.