Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ1.

SOLINUS, duke of Ephesus.

ÆGEON, a merchant of Syracuse.

ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus,) twin brothers, and sons to

[blocks in formation]

First Merchant, friend to Antipholus of Syracuse.
Second Merchant, to whom Angelo is a debtor1.
PINCH, a schoolmaster.

EMILIA, wife to Egeon, an abbess at Ephesus.

ADRIANA, wife to Antipholus of Ephesus.
LUCIANA, her sister.

LUCE, servant to Adriana.

[blocks in formation]

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS.

ACT I.

SCENE I. A hall in the DUKE'S palace.

Enter DUKE, ÆGEON, Gaoler, Officers, and other Attendants.

Ege. Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall,
And by the doom of death end woes and all.
Duke. Merchant of Syracusa, plead no more;

I am not partial to infringe our laws:
The enmity and discord which of late

Sprung from the rancorous outrage of your duke
To merchants, our well-dealing countrymen,
Who, wanting guilders to redeem their lives,
Have seal'd his rigorous statutes with their bloods,
Excludes all pity from our threatening looks.
For, since the mortal and intestine jars
"Twixt thy seditious countrymen and us,
It hath in solemn synods been decreed,

A hall...palace.] Malone. The Duke's
palace. Theobald. A publick Place.
Capell.

Duke] the Duke of Ephesus. Ff.

[blocks in formation]

5

10

Officers,] Capell. Officer, Staunton. om. Ff.

1 Solinus] F Salinus FF3F4. 8 guilders] Singer (ed. 2). gilders Ff. 10 looks] books Anon. conj.

Both by the Syracusians and ourselves,

To admit no traffic to our adverse towns:

Nay, more,

If any born at Ephesus be seen

At any Syracusian marts and fairs;

Again: if any Syracusian born

Come to the bay of Ephesus, he dies,

His goods confiscate to the duke's dispose;
Unless a thousand marks be levied,

To quit the penalty and to ransom him.
Thy substance, valued at the highest rate,
Cannot amount unto a hundred marks;

15

20

25

Therefore by law thou art condemn'd to die.
Ege. Yet this
Yet this my comfort: when your words are done,
My woes end likewise with the evening sun.

Duke. Well, Syracusian, say, in brief, the cause
Why thou departed'st from thy native home,
And for what cause thou camest to Ephesus.
Ege. A heavier task could not have been imposed
Than I to speak my griefs unspeakable:
Yet, that the world may witness that my
Was wrought by nature, not by vile offence,
I'll utter what my sorrow gives me leave.
In Syracusa was I born; and wed
Unto a woman, happy but for me,

end

And by me, had not our hap been bad.
With her I lived in joy; our wealth increased

14 Syracusians] F4. Siracusians F1F2F3.
Syracusans Pope. See note (1).

16, 17, 18 Nay, more, If...seen At any] Malone. Nay, more, if...Ephesus Ff.

Be seene at any

18 any] om. Pope.

23 and to] F1. and F2F3F4.

27 this]'tis Hanmer. this S. Walker conj.

home? Ff. grief F3F4.

30

3355

40

30 home,] Home; Rowe.
33 griefs] F griefe F2.
35 nature] fortune Collier MS.
39 And by me] F1. And by me too
FFF And by me happy Shilleto
conj. (N. & Q. 1873). And but (or
yet) by me Nicholson conj. Happy
by me Seager conj.

[ocr errors]

By prosperous 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 absence was not six months old,
Before herself, almost at fainting under
The pleasing punishment that women bear,
Had made provision for her following me,
And soon and safe arrived where I was.

45

There had she not been long but she became
A joyful mother of two goodly sons;

50

And, which was strange, the one so like the other
As could not be distinguish'd but by names.
That very hour, and in the self-same inn,

A meaner woman was delivered

Of such a burthen, male twins, both alike :
Those, for their parents were exceeding poor,
I bought, and brought up to attend my sons.
My wife, not meanly proud of two such boys,
Made daily motions for our home return:
Unwilling I agreed; alas! too soon

We came aboard.

A league from Epidamnum had we sail'd,
Before the always-wind-obeying deep
Gave any tragic instance of our harm:

42 Epidamnum] Pope. Epidamium

Ff. Epidamnium Rowe. See note (1).
Epidamnum;... death,] Theobald.
Epidamium,...death, F1. Epidam-
ium,...death; F2F3F4-

43 the] then Clark and Glover conj.
the...care...left] Theobald. he...care
...left F. he...store...leaving FF3F4-
he, great care...left Steevens (1778,
1793). heed...caves... left Jackson
conj.

random] F3F4. randone FF2.

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

50 had she] Ff. she had Rowe.
55 meaner] Delius (S. Walker conj.).
meane F1. poor meane F. poor
mean F3F4. moaning Staunton conj.
delivered] deliver'd Boswell.
56 burthen, male twins] burthen Male,
twins F1.

burthen] burden Johnson.

61, 62 As in Pope. One line in Ff.
61 soon] soon! Pope. soon. Capell.
62 aboard.] aboard our ship. Some-
what more than Keightley conj.

But longer did we not retain much hope;

For what obscured light the heavens did grant
Did but convey unto our fearful minds

A doubtful warrant of immediate death;

Which though myself would gladly have embraced,
Yet the incessant weepings of my wife,
Weeping before for what she saw must come,
And piteous plainings of the pretty babes,
That mourn'd for fashion, ignorant what to fear,
Forced me to seek delays for them and me.
And this it was, for other means was none:
The sailors sought for safety by our boat,
And left the ship, then sinking-ripe, to us:
My wife, more careful for the latter-born,
Had fasten'd him unto a small spare mast,
Such as seafaring men provide for storms;
To him one of the other twins was bound,
Whilst I had been like heedful of the other:
The children thus disposed, my wife and I,
Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fix'd,
Fasten'd ourselves at either end the mast;
And floating straight, obedient to the stream,
Was carried towards Corinth, as we thought.
At length the sun, gazing upon the earth,
Dispersed those vapours that offended us;
And, by the benefit of his wished light,
The seas wax'd calm, and we discovered

69 doubtful dreadful Theobald conj.
70 gladly] gently Collier MS.
71 weepings] F. weeping FF3F4.
76 this] thus Hudson (Collier MS.).
79 latter-] elder- Rowe.

83 other] others Capell conj.

86 either end the mast] th' end of either mast Hanmer.

mast] masts Furnivall conj.

[blocks in formation]

87, 88 And... Was] Ff. And... Were Rowe. Which... Was Capell.

89 sun] sonne F1.

91 wished] F1. wish'd FF3F4.

92 seas wax'd] seas waxt F1. seas waxe F2. seas wax F3. seas was F4. sea was Rowe.

discovered] discover'd Boswell.

« ZurückWeiter »