Ege. O, grief hath changed me since you saw me last, And careful hours with time's deformed hand Have written strange defeatures in my face: But tell me yet, dost thou not know my voice? Ant. E. Neither.

Ege. Dromio, nor thou?
Dro. E.

No, trust me, sir, nor I.

Ege. I am sure thou dost.

300

305

310

Dro. E. Ay, sir, but I am sure I do not; and whatso-
ever a man denies, you are now bound to believe him.
Ege. Not know my voice! O time's extremity,
Hast thou so crack'd and splitted my poor tongue
In seven short years, that here my only son
Knows not my feeble key of untuned cares?
Though now this grained face of mine be hid
In sap-consuming winter's drizzled snow,
And all the conduits of my blood froze up,
Yet hath my night of life some memory,
My wasting lamps some fading glimmer left,
My dull deaf ears a little use to hear:
All these old witnesses-I cannot err-
Tell me thou art my son Antipholus.

Ant. E. I never saw my father in my life.
Ege. But seven years since, in Syracusa, boy,

298 deformed] deforming Capell.

302, 303 No...dost.] One line in Steevens

(1793).

304 Ay, sir,] Capell. I sir, Ff. I, sir,

Rowe. I, sir? Pope. om. Hanmer, reading as verse. Ay, sir? Malone. 304, 305 Printed as verse by Capell: But...whatsoever A...him.

307 crack'd and splitted] crack'd my

voice split Collier MS.

309 of untuned cares] untuned of cares Anon. conj.

315

cares] care S. Walker conj. ears

Anon. conj.

314 lamps] lamp Rowe (ed. 2)

316 All] And all Rowe.

old] hold Warburton. witnesses-I cannot err-] witnesses, I cannot err, Rowe. witnesses, I cannot erre. Ff. witnesses that (or which) cannot err so quoted by Dodd. 319 Syracusa, boy] Capell. Siracusa boy Ff. Syracusa bay Rowe. Syracusa's bay Hanmer.

Thou know'st we parted: but perhaps, my son,
Thou shamest to acknowledge me in misery.

320

Ant. E. The Duke and all that know me in the city Can witness with me that it is not so:

I ne'er saw Syracusa in my life.

Duke. I tell thee, Syracusian, twenty years Have I been patron to Antipholus,

During which time he ne'er saw Syracusa :

I see thy age and dangers make thee dote.

Re-enter Abbess, with ANTIPHOLUS of Syracuse and DROMIO of

Syracuse.

325

330

Abb. Most mighty Duke, behold a man much wrong'd.
[All gather to see them.
Adr. I see two husbands, or mine eyes deceive me.
Duke. One of these men is Genius to the other;
And so of these. Which is the natural man,
And which the spirit? who deciphers them?
Dro. S. I, sir, am Dromio: command him away.
Dro. E. I, sir, am Dromio; pray, let me stay.
Ant. S. Egeon art thou not? or else his ghost?
Dro. S. O, my old master! who hath bound him here?
Abb. Whoever bound him, I will loose his bonds,
And gain a husband by his liberty.

Speak, old Ægeon, if thou beʼst the man
That hadst a wife once call'd Æmilia,

That bore thee at a burthen two fair sons:
O, if thou be'st the same Egeon, speak,
And speak unto the same Emilia !

327 Syracusa] Syracuse Collier MS.
328 Re-enter...] Dyce. Enter the Ab-

besse with Antipholus Siracusa (Siracusan FF. Syracusan F1), and Dromio Sir. (Sirac. F2FF4). Ff. 329 SCENE VII. Pope.

VOL. I.

335

340

[All...them.] All... him. Warbur

ton.

332 these. Which] these, which Ff.
338 loose] lose F1.

342 burthen] burden Warburton.

33

Ege. If I dream not, thou art Æmilia:
If thou art she, tell me, where is that son
That floated with thee on the fatal raft?

Abb. By men of Epidamnum he and I
And the twin Dromio, all were taken up;
But by and by rude fishermen of Corinth
By force took Dromio and my son from them,
And me they left with those of Epidamnum.
What then became of them I cannot tell;
I to this fortune that you see me in.

345

350

Duke. Why, here begins his morning story right: 355 These two Antipholuses, these two so like,

360

And these two Dromios, one in semblance,-
Besides her urging of her wreck at sea,-
These are the parents to these children,
Which accidentally are met together.
Antipholus, thou camest from Corinth first?
Ant. S. No, sir, not I; I came from Syracuse.
Duke. Stay, stand apart; I know not which is which.
Ant. E. I came from Corinth, my most gracious lord,
Dro. E. And I with him.

346, 347 tell me, where...raft?] Capell.
tell me, where...rafte. F1F2F3. tell
me where...raft. F4.
355-360 Why...together] Ff insert this
speech after 344. The alteration
is due to Capell.

355 his] FF2 this F3F4. the Rowe
(ed. 2).

story right] story's light Capell. 356 Antipholuses, these] Antipholus, these F. Antipholis, these F2F3F4Antipholis's, these Rowe (ed. 2). Antipholus', these S. Walker conj. See note (1).

357 these] FF. those FF3.

semblance] semblance prove Capell.

365

358 Besides her urging of her] Both

sides emerging from their Hanmer. Besides his urging of her Mason conj. Besides his urging of his Collier MS. Besides his urging of their Cartwright conj. Besides her urging of the Hudson (S. Walker conj.). Malone supposes a line, beginning with These, lost after

358.

wreck at sea,-] wreck,-all say, Jackson conj.

359 These are] These plainly are Pope. 361 Ff prefix 'Duke.'

first?] Capell. first. Ff.

Ant. E. Brought to this town by that most famous

warrior,

Duke Menaphon, your most renowned uncle.

Adr. Which of you two did dine with me to-day? Ant. S. I, gentle mistress.

Adr.

Ant. E.

And are not you my husband?

No; I say nay to that.

370

Ant. S. And so do I; yet did she call me so:

And this fair gentlewoman, her sister here,

Did call me brother. [To Luciana] What I told you then,
I hope I shall have leisure to make good;
If this be not a dream I see and hear.

Ang. That is the chain, sir, which you had of me.
Ant. S. I think it be, sir; I deny it not.

Ant. E. And you, sir, for this chain arrested me.
Ang. I think I did, sir; I deny it not.
Adr. I sent you money, sir, to be your bail,
By Dromio; but I think he brought it not.

Dro. E. No, none by me.

Ant. S. This purse of ducats I received from you,
And Dromio my man did bring them me.
I see we still did meet each other's man;
And I was ta'en for him, and he for me;
And thereupon these ERRORS are arose.

375

380

385

Ant. E. These ducats pawn I for my father here.
Duke. It shall not need; thy father hath his life.
Cour. Sir, I must have that diamond from you.
Ant. E. There, take it; and much thanks for my good.

Abb.

cheer.

Renowned Duke, vouchsafe to take the pains

366 by] with Singer (ed. 1).

372 her sister] F1. om. FF3F4

373 [To Luciana] Clark and Glover.

[Aside to Luciana Staunton conj.

383 from] for Capell conj.

390

387 are arose] Ff. all arose Rowe. rare arose Staunton. here arose Anon. conj.

To go with us into the abbey here,

And hear at large discoursed all our fortunes:
And all that are assembled in this place,
That by this sympathized one day's error
Have suffer'd wrong, go keep us company,
And we shall make full satisfaction.
Thirty-three years have I but gone in travail
Of you, my sons; and till this present hour
My heavy burthen ne'er delivered.

The Duke, my husband, and my children both,
And you the calendars of their nativity,

Go to a gossips' feast, and go with me ;
After so long grief, such nativity!

Duke.

395

400

405

With all my heart, I'll gossip at this feast. [Exeunt all but Ant. S., Ant. E., Dro. S., and Dro. E. Dro. S. Master, shall I fetch your stuff from ship

board?

Ant. E. Dromio, what stuff of mine hast thou embark'd?

397 wrong, go] Rowe. wrong. Goe,

FF. wrong. Go, F. wrong. Go
F1

398 we shall make] ye shall have Pope.
399 Thirty-three] Ff. Twenty-five Theo-
bald. Twenty-three Capell.
note (XI).

1.

See

but] F been FF3F4. om. Hanmer. 400 and till nor till Theobald. until

Malone (Boaden conj.). and at Collier, ed. 2 (Collier MS.). 401 burthen ne'er] Dyce. burthen are

F1. burthens are F2F3F4- burdens are Warburton. burden not Capell. burden here Singer (ed. 1). burden has Anon. conj. (ap. Halliwell). ne'er delivered] undelivered Collier (ed. 1).

404 Go...and go] Hence...along Lettsom conj. So...all go Clark and Glover conj. Come...and go Keight

ley conj.

gossips'] Dyce. gossips Ff. gossip's Rowe.

and go] FFF

gaude Warburton.

and goe F. and

and joy Dyce,

ed. 2 (Heath conj.). and gout Jackson conj. and see Anon conj. and come Keightley.

405 such nativity!] suits festivity. Anon. conj.

nativity] Ff. felicity Hanmer. festivity Staunton and Dyce, ed. 1 (Johnson conj.), withdrawn. 406 [Exeunt...] Exeunt omnes. Manet the two Dromio's and two Brothers. Ff.

407 SCENE VIII. Pope.

fetch] go fetch Dyce, ed. 2 (S. Walker conj.).

ship-board] shipboard for you Capell conj. ship-board now Keightley.