Whilft fhe with harlots feafted in my house. Duke. A grievous fault; fay, woman, didst thou fo? Adr. No, my good Lord-myself, he, and my fifter, To-day did dine together: fo befal my foul, As this is falfe, he burdens me withal! Luc. Ne'er may I look on day, nor fleep on night, But fhe tells to your highness fimple truth! Ang. O perjur'd woman! they are both forfworn. In this the mad-man juftly chargeth them. E. Ant. My Liege, I am advised, what I say. There did this perjur'd goldfmith fwear me down, I did obey, and fent my peafant home For certain ducats; he with none return'd. To go in perfon with me to my house. By th' way we met my wife, her fifter, and A rabble more of vile confederates; They brought one Pinch, a hungry lean-fac'd villain, A thread-bare juggler, and a fortune-teller, And, And, gazing in my eyes, feeling my pulse, Ran hither to your Grace; whom I beseech For these deep thames and great indignities. Ang. My Lord, in truth, thus far I witnefs with him; That he din'd not at home, but was lock'd out. Duke. But he had fuch a chain of thee, or no? Ang. He had, my Lord; and when he ran in here, These people faw the chain about his neck. Mer. Befides, I will be fworn, these ears of mine Heard you confefs, you had the chain of him After you firft forfwore it on the mart; And thereupon I drew my fword on you; And then you fled into this abbey here, From whence, I think, you're come by miracle. E. Ant. I never came within these abbey-wali Nor ever didst thou draw thy fword on me; I never faw the chain, fo help me heav'n! And this is falfe, you burden me withal. Duke. Why, what an intricate impeach is this? If here you hous'd him, here he would have been ; E. Dro. Sir, he din'd with her there, at the Porcu- I Duke. Duke. Why, this is ftrange; go call the Abbefs hither; I think, you are all mated, or ftark mad. [Exit one to the Abbefs. SCENE VI. Egeon. Moft mighty Duke, vouchfafe me speak a Haply, I fee a friend, will fave my life; Duke. Speak freely, Syracufan, what thou wilt. Ægeon. Is not your name, Sir, call'd Antipholis? And is not that your bond-man Dromio? E. Dro. Within this hour I was his bond-man, Sir, But he, I thank him, gnaw'd in two my cords; Now am I Dromio, and his man unbound. Egeon. I am fure, you both of you remember me. E. Dro. Ourfelves we do remember, Sir, by you; For lately we were bound, as you are now. You are not Pinch's patient; are you, Sir? Ægeon. Why look you strange on me? you know me well. E. Ant. I never faw you in my life, 'till now. Egeon. Oh! grief hath chang'd me, fince you faw me laft; And careful hours with time's deformed hand Egeon. Dromio, nor thou? E. Dro. No, truft me, Sir, nor I. E. Dro. I, Sir? but I am fure, I do not: and whatfoever a man denies, you are now bound to believe him. Strange defeatures. Defeature is the privative of feature. The meaning is, time hath cancelled my features. M 3 Egeon. Egeon. Not know my voice! oh, time's extremity! Haft thou fo crack'd and splitted my poor tongue In feven fhort years, that here my only fon Knows not my feeble key untun'd care? Tho' now this grained face of mine be hid In fap-confuming winter's drizled fnow, And all the conduits of my blood froze up; Yet hath my night of life fome memory; My wafting lamp fome fading glimmer left, My dull deaf ears a little ufe to hear: 3 All these old witneffes, I cannot err, Tell me thou art my lon Antipholis. E. Ant. I never faw my father in my life. Egeon. But feven years fince, in Syracufa bay, Thou know'ft, we parted; but, perhaps, my fon, Thou fham'ft t'acknowledge me in milery. E. Ant. The Duke, and all that know me in the city, Can witnefs with me that it is not fo: ne'er faw Syracufa in my life. Duke. I tell thee, Syracufan, twenty years During which time he ne'er faw Syracufa : SCENE VII. Enter the Abbefs, with Antipholis Syracufan, and Dromio Syracufan. Abb. Moft mighty Duke, wrong'd. Adr. I fee two hufbands, or behold a man much [All gather to fee him. mine eyes deceive me. Duke. One of these men is Genius to the other ; err, 3 All these OLD witnesses, 1 cannot err,] I believe we should. e. All these continue to testify read, that I cannot err, and tell me, WARBURTON. And All these HOLD witnesses I cannot And fo of thefe which is the natural man, Abb. Whoever bound him, I will loose his bonds; And gain a husband by his liberty. Speak, old Egeon, if thou be'ft the man, Duke. Why, here begins his morning story right: Egeon. If I dream not, thou art Æmilia; Abb. By men of Epidamnum, he and I, Duke. Antipbolis, thou cam'ft from Corinth first. Lord, E. Dro. And I with him. E. Ant. Brought to this town by that most famous warrior, |