Duke. Long since thy husband served me in my wars ; And I to thee engaged a prince's word, When thou didst make him master of thy bed, To do him all the grace and good I could. Go, some of you, knock at the abbey-gate, And bid the lady abbess come to me. I will determine this before I stir.

165

Enter a Servant.

170

175

Serv. O mistress, mistress, shift and save yourself!

. My master and his man are both broke loose, Beaten the maids a-row, and bound the doctor, Whose beard they have singed off with brands of fire; And ever, as it blazed, they threw on him Great pails of puddled mire to quench the hair : My master preaches patience to him, and the while His man with scissors nicks him like a fool; And sure, unless you send some present help, Between them they will kill the conjurer.

Adr. Peace, fool! thy master and his man are here ; And that is false thou dost report to us.

Serv. Mistress, upon my life, I tell you true; I have not breathed almost since I did see it. He cries for you, and vows, if he can take you, To scorch your face and to disfigure you. [Cry within. Hark, hark! I hear him, mistress : fly, be gone ! Duke. Come, stand by me; fear nothing. Guard with

halberds!

180

185

and the] the Hanmer.

om. Stee

a

vens.

168 SCENE IV. Pope.

Enter a Servant.] Capell. Enter
a Messenger. Ff.
Serv.] Capell. Mess. F,F3F4. om.

1

175 scissors] Cizers Fl.
176 some] Fı. some other F,F2F4
179 to] F F F of F.
183 scorch] scotch Warburton.

Adr. Ay me, it is my husband! Witness you,
That he is borne about invisible :
Even now we housed him in the abbey here;
And now he's there, past thought of human reason.

190

Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus and DROMIO of Ephesus.
Ant. E. Justice, most gracious Duke, O, grant me

justice!
Even for the service that long since I did thee,
When I bestrid thee in the wars, and took
Deep scars to save thy life; even for the blood
That then I lost for thee, now grant me justice.

Æge. Unless the fear of death doth make me dote, 195
I see my son Antipholus, and Dromio.
Ant. E. Justice, sweet prince, against that woman

there!
She whom thou gavest to me to be my wife,
That hath abused and dishonour'd me
Even in the strength and height of injury:
Beyond imagination is the wrong
That she this day hath shameless thrown on me.

Duke. Discover how, and thou shalt find me just.
Ant. E. This day, great Duke, she shut the doors upon

me,
While she with harlots feasted in my house.

Duke. A grievous fault! Say, woman, didst thou so?

Adr. No, my good lord: myself, he and my sister To-day did dine together. So befal my soul

200

205

186 Ay] Ah Capell.
189 Enter...) Enter Antipholus, and E.

Dromio of Ephesus. Fx Enter
Antipholis, and E. Dromio of
Ephesus. F . Enter E. Antipholis,

and E. Dromio of Ephesus. F2F4. 195, 196 Unless...Dromio.) As in Rowe

(ed. 2). Prose in Ff.
199 dishonourd] Rowe. dishonored F.

dishonoured F,FF
205 While] F. Whilst F,F3F4
208 To-day] om. Hanmer.

So befal] So fall Capell.

215

220

As this is false he burthens me withal !
Luc. Ne'er
.

may

I look on day, nor sleep on night, 210 But she tells to your Highness simple truth !

Ang. O perjured woman! They are both forsworn : In this the madman justly chargeth them.

Ant. E. My liege, I am advised what I say ;
Neither disturbed with the effect of wine,
Nor heady-rash, provoked with raging ire,
Albeit my wrongs might make one wiser mad.
This woman lock'd me out this day from dinner :
That goldsmith there, were he not pack'd with her,
Could witness it, for he was with me then;
Who parted with me to go fetch a chain,
Promising to bring it to the Porpentine,
Where Balthazar and I did dine together.
Our dinner done, and he not coming thither,
I went to seek him : in the street I met him,
And in his company that gentleman.
There did this perjured goldsmith swear me down
That I this day of him received the chain,
Which, God he knows, I saw not: for the which
He did arrest me with an officer.
I did obey; and sent my peasant home
For certain ducats: he with none return'd.
Then fairly I bespoke the officer
To
go

in person with me to my house. By the way we met my wife, her sister, and a rabble more Of vile confederates. Along with them

225

230

236 240

245

250

They brought one Pinch, a hungry lean-faced villain,
A mere anatomy, a mountebank,
A threadbare juggler, and a fortune-teller,
A needy, hollow-eyed, sharp-looking wretch,
A living dead man: this pernicious slave,
Forsooth, took on him as a conjurer ;
And, gazing in mine eyes, feeling my pulse,
And with no face, as 'twere, outfacing me,
Cries out, I was possess'd. Then all together
They fell upon me, bound me, bore me thence,
And in a dark and dankish vault at home
There left me and my man, both bound together;
Till, gnawing with my teeth my bonds in sunder,

,
I gain'd my freedom, and immediately
Ran hither to your Grace; whom I beseech
To give me ample satisfaction
For these deep shames and great indignities.

Ang. My lord, in truth, thus far I witness with him, That he dined not at home, but was lock'd out.

Duke. But had he such a chain of thee or no?

Ang. He had, my lord : and when he ran in here, These people saw the chain about his neck.

Sec. Mer. Besides, I will be sworn these ears of mine Heard

you
confess

you

had the chain of him,
After you first forswore it on the mart:
And thereupon I drew my sword on you;
And then you fled into this abbey here,
From whence, I think, you are come by miracle.

Ant. E. I never came within these abbey-walls;
Nor ever didst thou draw thy sword on me :

255

260

265 270

281

I never saw the chain, so help me Heaven!
And this is false you burthen me withal.

Duke. Why, what an intricate impeach is this !
I think you all have drunk of Circe's cup.
If here you housed him, here he would have been ;
If he were mad, he would not plead so coldly :
You say he dined at home; the goldsmith here
Denies that saying. Sirrah, what say you ?

Dro. E. Sir, he dined with her there, at the Porpentine.
Cour. He did; and from my finger snatch'd that ring.
Ant. E. 'Tis true, my liege; this ring I had of her.
Duke. Saw'st thou him enter at the abbey here? 278
Cour. As sure, my liege, as I do see your Grace.

Duke. Why, this is strange. Go call the abbess hither. I think you are all mated, or stark mad.

[Exit one to the Abbess. Æge. Most mighty Duke, vouchsafe me speak a word: Haply I see a friend will save my life, And pay the sum that may deliver me.

Duke. Speak freely, Syracusian, what thou wilt.

Æge. Is not your name, sir, callid Antipholus ? And is not that your bondman, Dromio?

Dro. E. Within this hour I was his bondman, sir, But he, I thank him, gnaw'd in two my cords : Now am I Dromio, and his man unbound.

Æge. I am sure you both of you remember me.

Dro. E. Ourselves we do remember, sir, by you;
For lately we were bound, as you are now.
You are not Pinch's patient, are you, sir ?

Æge. Why look you strange on me? you know me well.

Ant. E. I never saw you in my life till now. 267, 268 chain,80... Heaven! And] chain. [Exit...] F,F2. Enter...F3F4. So... heaven As Dyce.

285

290

296