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A fin, prevailing much in youthful men,
Who give their eyes the liberty of gazing.
Which of these forrows is he subject to?

Adr. To none of thefe, except it be the last; Namely, fome love, that drew him oft from home. Abb. You should for that have réprehended him. Adr. Why, fo I did.

Abb. Ay, but not rough enough.

Adr. As roughly, as my modesty would let me.
Abb. Haply, in private.

Adr. And in affemblies too.
Abb. Ay, but not enough.

Adr. It was the copy of our conference.
In bed, he slept not for my urging it;
At board, he fed not for my urging it;
Alone, it was the fubject of my theam;
In company, I often glanc'd at it;
Still did I tell him, it was vile and bad.

Abb. And therefore came it, that the man was mad.
The venom clamours of a jealous woman
Poifon more deadly, than a mad dog's tooth.
It feems, his fleeps were hinder'd by thy railing;
And therefore comes it, that his head is light.
Thou fay'ft, his meat was fauc'd with thy upbraidings;
Unquiet meals make ill digeftions;

Therefore the raging fire of fever bred;
And what's a fever, but a fit of madnefs?
Thou fay'ft, his fports were hinder'd by thy brawls.
Sweet recreation barr'd, what doth enfue,
But moody and dull melancholy,

Kinfman to grim and comfortless despair?
And at her heels a huge infectious troop
Of pale diftemperatures, and foes to life.
In food, in fport, and life-preferving reft,

8 Kinfman to grim and comfortlefs defpair?] Shakespeare could never make melancholy a male in this line, and a female in

the next. This was the foolish infertion of the firft Editors. I have therefore put it into hooks, as fpurious. WARBURTON.

То

J

To be disturb'd, would mad or man or beaft:
The confequence is then, thy jealous fits
Have scared thy husband from the ule of wits.
Luc. She never reprehended him but mildly,
When he demean'd himself rough, rude and wildly.
-Why bear you these rebukes, and anfwer not?
Adr. She did betray me to my own reproof.
-Good people, enter, and lay hold on him.
Abb. No, not a creature enter in my house.
Adr. Then, let your fervants bring my husband forth.
Abb. Neither; he took this place for fanctuary,
And it fhall privilege him from your hands,
'Till I have brought him to his wits again,
Or lose my labour in affaying it.

Adr. I will attend my husband, be his nurse,
Diet his fickness, for it is my office;
And will have no attorney but myself;
And therefore let me have him home with me.
Abb. Be patient, for I will not let him stir,
'Till I have us'd th' approved means I have,
With wholfome firups, drugs, and holy prayers,
To make of him a formal man again;

It is a branch and parcel of mine oath,

A charitable duty of my order;

Therefore depart, and leave him here with me.
Adr. I will not hence, and leave my husband here;
And ill it doth befeem your holiness

To separate the hufband and the wife.

Abb. Be quiet and depart, thou shalt not have him.
Luc. Complain unto the Duke of this indignity.
[Exit Abbefs.

Adr. Come, go; I will fall proftrate at his feet,
And never rife, until my tears and and prayers
Have won his Grace to come in perfon hither;
And take perforce my husband from the Abbefs.
Mer. By this, I think, the dial points at five:
Anon, I'm fure, the Duke himself in person
Comes this way to the melancholy vale;

The

The place of death and forry execution,
Behind the ditches of the abbey here.
Ang. Upon what cause ?

Mer. To fee a reverend Syracufan merchant,
Who put unluckily into this bay

Against the laws and ftatutes of this town,
Beheaded publickly for his offence.

Ang. See, where they come; we will behold his death.

Luc. Kneel to the Duke, before he pafs the abbey.

SCENE III.

Enter the Duke, and Ægeon bare-headed; with the
Headfman, and other Officers.

Duke. Yet once again proclaim it publickly,
If any friend will pay the fum for him,
He shall not die, fo much we tender him.

Adr. Juftice, moft facred Duke, against the Abbefs.
Duke. She is a virtuous and a reverend Lady;
It cannot be, that fhe hath done thee wrong.
Adr. May it please your Grace, Antipholis my
husband,

(Whom I made lord of me and all I had,
At your important letters) this ill day

A moft outrageous fit of madnefs took him;
That defp'rately he hurry'd through the ftreet,
With him his bondman all as mad as he,
Doing difpleasure to the citizens,

By rufhing in their houses, bearing thence
Rings, jewels, any thing his rage did like.
Once did I get him bound, and fent him home,
Whilft to take order for the wrongs I went,
That here and there his fury had committed:
Anon, I wot not by what ftrong escape,

He broke from thofe that had the guard of him :

And,

And, with his mad attendant mad himself,

Each one with ireful paffion, with drawn fwords,
Met us again, and, madly bent on us,
Chas'd us away; 'till, railing of more aid,
We came again to bind them; then they fled
Into this abbey, whither we purfu'd them;
And here the Abbefs fhuts the gates on us,
And will not fuffer us to fetch him out,

Nor fend him forth, that we may bear him hence.
Therefore, moft gracious Duke, with thy command,
Let him be brought forth, and borne hence for help.
Duke. Long fince thy hufband ferv'd me in my wars.
And I to thee engag'd 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 ftir.

SCENE IV.

Enter a Meffenger.

Mell. O mistress, miftrefs, fhift and fave yourself;
My mafter and his man are both broke loose,
Beaten the maids a-row, and bound the doctor,
Whole beard they have fing'd off with brands of fire;
And ever as it blaz'd, they threw on him

Great pails of puddled mire to quench the hair;
My mafter preaches patience to him, and the while
His man with fciffars nicks him like a fool:
And, fure, unless you fend fome prefent help,
Between them they will kill the conjurer.

Adr. Peace, fool, thy mafter and his man are here, And that is false, thou doft report to us.

[blocks in formation]

Meff. Miftrefs, upon my life, I tell you true; I have not breath'd almoft, fince I did fee 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, ftand by me, fear nothing: guard with halberds

Adr. Ay me, it is my husband; witness you,

That he is borne about invisible!

Ev'n now we hous'd him in the abbey here,
And now he's there, past thought of human reafon.

SCENE V.

Enter Antipholis, and Dromio of Ephefus.

E. Ant. Juftice, moft gracious Duke, oh, grant me justice.

Even for the service that long fince I did thee,
When I beftrid thee in the wars, and took

Deep scars to fave thy life; even for the blood
That then I loft for thee, now grant me juftice.
Egeon. Unless the fear of death doth make me dote,
I fee my fon Antipholis, and Dromio.

E. Ant. Juftice, fweet Prince, against that woman
there :

She whom thou gav'ft to me to be my wife;

That hath abufed and difhonour'd me,

Ev'n in the ftrength and height of injury.
Beyond imagination is the wrong,

That the this day hath fhamele's thrown on me.
Duke. Discover how, and thou shalt find me juft.
E. Ant. This day, great Duke, fhe fhut the doors
upon me;

1 To SCORCH jour face,-] We fhould read sCOTCH, i. t. hack, cut.

WARBURTON.

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