Ant. S. Avoid then, fiend! what tell'st thou me

of supping?

Thou art, as you are all, a sorceress :

I conjure thee to leave me, and be gone.

Cour. Give me the ring of mine you had at

dinner,

Or, for my diamond, the chain you promis'd:
And I'll be gone, sir, and not trouble you.

Dro. S. Some devils ask but the paring of one's A rush, a hair, a drop of blood, a pin, [nail, A nut, a cherry-stone: but she, more covetous, Would have a chain.

Master, be wise: an' if you give it her, [with it.
The devil will shake her chain, and fright us
Cour. I pray you, sir, my ring, or else the chain:
I hope, you do not mean to cheat me so.
Ant. S. Avaunt, thou witch! come, Dromio,
let us go.

Dro. S. Fly pride, says the peacock: mistress, that you know.

[ereunt Ant. S. and Dro. S.
Cour. Now, out of doubt, Antipholus is mad,
Else would he never so demean himself:
A ring he hath of mine worth forty ducats,
And for the same he promis'd me a chain;
Both one, and other, he denies me now.
The reason that I gather he is mad,
(Besides this present instance of his rage,)
Is a mad tale, he told to-day at dinner,

Of his own doors being shut against his entrance.
Belike, his wife, acquainted with his fits,
On purpose shut the doors against his way.
My way is now, to hie home to his house,
And tell his wife, that, being lunatic,
He rush'd into my house, and took perforce
My ring away this course I fittest choose;
For forty ducats is too much to lose.

SCENE IV. THE SAME.

[exit.

Enter Antipholus of Ephesus, and an Officer. Ant. E. Fear me not, man, I will not break

away;

I'll give thee, ere I leave thee, so much money
To warrant thee, as I am 'rested for.
My wife is in a wayward mood to-day;
And will not lightly trust the messenger,
That I should be attach'd in Ephesus:
.I tell you, 'twill sound harshly in her ears.

Enter Dromio of Ephesus, with a rope's end. Here comes my man; I think, he brings the money. How now, sir? have you that I sent you for?

Dro. E. Here's that, I warrant you, will pay 0. E. Her Ant. E. But where's the money? [them all. Dro. E. Why, sir, I gave the money for the rope.

[rope?

Ant. E. Five hundred ducats, villain, for a Dro. E. I'll serve you, sir, five hundred at the [bome?

rate.

Ant. E. To what end did I bid thee hle thee Dro. E. To a rope's end, sir; and to that end am I return'd.

Ant. E. And to that end, sir, I will welcome you. [beating him.

Off. Good sir, be patient. Dro. E. Nay, 'tis for me to be patient; I am in adversity.

Off. Good now, hold thy tongue.

Dro. E. Nay, rather persuade him to hold his hands.

Ant. E. Thou whoreson, senseless, villain! Dro. E. I would I were senseless, sir, that I might not feel your blows.

Ant. E. Thou art sensible in nothing but blows, and so is an ass.

Dro. E. I am an ass, indeed; you may prove it by my long ears. I have served him from the hour of my nativity to this instant, and have nothing at his hands for my service but blows: when I am cold, he heats me with beating: when I am warm, he cools me with beating. I am waked with it, when I sleep; raised with it, when I sit; driven out of doors with it, when I go from home; welcomed home with it, when I return: nay, I bear it on my shoulders, as a beggar wont her brat; and, I think, when he hath lamed me, I shall beg with it from door to door. Enter Adriana, Luciana, and the Courtezun, with Pinch, and others.

Ant. E. Come, go along; my wife is coming

yond

Dro. E. Mistress, respice finem, respect your end; or rather the prophecy, like the parrot, Beware the rope's end.

[beats him.

Ant. E. Wilt thou still talk? Cour. How say you now? is not your husband Adr. His incivility confirms no less. [nad? Good doctor Pinch, you are a conjurer; Establish him in his true sense again, And I will please you what you will demand. Luc. Alas, how fiery and how sharp he looks! Cour. Mark, how he trembles in his extacy! Pinch. Give me your hand, and let me feel your pulse.

Ant. E. There is my hand, and let it feel your [man,

ear.

Pinch. I charge thee, Satan, hous'd within this
To yield possession to my holy prayers,
And to thy state of darkness hie thee straight;
I conjure thee by all the saints in heaven. [mad.
Ant. E. Peace, doting wizard, peace; I am not
Adr. O, that thou wert not, poor distressed soul!
· Ant. E. You minion, you, are these your
customers?

Did this companion with the saffron face
Revel and feast it at my house to-day,
Whilst upon me the guilty doors were shut,
And I denied to enter in my house?

[home,

Adr. O, husband, God doth know, you din'd at Where 'would you had remain'd until this time, Free from these slanders, and this open shame! Ant. E. I din'd at home! thou villain, what

say'st thou?

[home. Dro. E. Sir, sooth to say, you did not dine at Ant. E. Were not my doors lock'd up, and I shut out? [sbut out. Dro. E Perdy, your doors were lock'd, and you Ant. E. And did not she herself revile me there? Dro. E. Sans fable, she herself revil'd you there. Ant. E. Did not her kitchen-maid rail, taunt, and scorn me? Jade Escorn'd you. Dro. E. Certes, she did; the kitchen-vestal Ant. E. And did not. I in rage depart from thence?

witness,

That since have felt the vigour of his rage.

Adr. Is't good to soothe him in these contraries? Pinch. It is no shame; the fellow finds his vein, And, yielding to him, humours well his frenzy. Ant. E. Thou hast suborn'd the goldsmith to

arrest me.

Adr. Alas, I sent you money to redeem you, By Dromio here, who came in haste for it.

Dro. E. Money by me? heart and good-will

you might,

But, surely, master, not a rag of money. [ducats? Ant. E. Went'st not thou to her for a purse of Adr. He came to me, and I deliver'd it.

Luc. And I am witness with her, that she did. Dro. E. God and the rope-maker, bear me witThat I was sent for nothing but a rope! [ness,

Pinch. Mistress, both man and master is posI know it by their pale and deadly looks. [sess'd: They must be bound, and laid in some dark room. Ant. E. Say, wherefore didst thou lock me forth to-day,

And why dost thou deny the bag of gold?

Adr. I did not, gentle husband, lock thee forth. Dro. E. And, gentle master, I receiv'd no gold; But I confess, sir, that we were lock'd out. [both. Adr. Dissembling villain, thou speak'st false in Ant. E. Dissembling harlot, thou art false in all; And art confederate with a damned pack, To make a loathsome abject scorn of me: But with these nails I'll pluck out these false eyes, That would behold me in this shameful sport. [Pinch and his Assistants bind Ant. E. and Dro.E. Adr. O, bind him, bind him, let him not come [within him. Pinch. More company;-the fiend is strong Luc. Ah me, poor man, how pale and wan he looks! [gaoler, thou,

near me.

Ant. E. What, wilt thou murder me? Thou I am thy prisoner; will you suffer them To make a rescue?

Off. Masters, let him go; He is my prisoner, and you shall not have him. Pinch. Go, bind this man, for he is frantic too. Adr. What wilt thou do, thou peevish officer? Hast thou delight to see a wretched man Do outrage and displeasure to himself?

Off. He is my prisoner; if I let him go, That debt he owes will be requir'd of me. Adr. I will discharge thee, ere I go from thee; Bear me forthwith unto his creditor,

SCENE 1. THE SAME.

Good master doctor, see him safe convey'd
Home to my house.-O, most unhappy day!
Ant. E. O, most unhappy strumpet!
Dro. E. Master, I am here enter'd in bond for

Off: One Angelo, a goldsmith; do you know him?
Adr. I know the man: what is the sum he
Off. Two hundred ducats.
[owes?
Adr. Say, how grows it due?
Off. Due for a chain, your husband had of him.
Adr. He did bespeak a chain for me, but had
it not.

Cour. When as your husband, all in a rage, to-day

Came to my house, and took away my ring, (The ring I saw upon his finger now,) Straight after, did I meet him with a chain.

Adr. It may be so, but I did never see it :Come, gaoler, bring me where the goldsmith is, I long to know the truth hereof at large. Enter Antipholus of Syracuse, with his rapier drawn; and Dromio of Syracuse.

Luc. God, for thy mercy! they are loose again. Adr. And come with naked swords; let's call To have them bound again. [more help, Off Away, they'll kill us.

[exeunt Officer, Adriana, and Luciana. Ant. S. I see, these witches are afraid of swords. Dro. S. She, that would be your wife, now

ran from you.

Ant. S. Come to the Centaur; fetch our stuff from thence:

I long, that we were safe and sound aboard.

Dro. S. Faith, stay here this night, they will surely do us no harm; you saw, they speak us fair, gave us gold: methinks, they are such a gentle nation, that, but for the mountain of mad flesh that claims marriage of me, I could find in my heart to stay here still, and turn witch.

Ant. S. I will not stay to-night for all the

town:

Enter Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse.

Ang. 'Tis so; and that self chain about his neck Which he forswore, most monstrously, to have. Good sir, draw near to me, I'll speak to him.Signior Antipholus, I wonder much, That you would put me to this shame and trouble. And not without some scandal to yourself, With circumstance, and oaths, so to deny This chain, which now you wear so openly; Besides the charge, the shame, imprisonment, You have done wrong to this my honest friend; Wao but for staying on our controversy,

If any friend will pay the sum for him, He shall not die, so much we tender him.

That he is borne about invisible:
Even now we hous'd him in the abbey here;

abbess!

Duke. She is a virtuous and a reverend lady;
It cannot be, that she hath done thee wrong.
Adr. May it please your grace, Antipholus,
my husband,-

Whom I made lord of me and all I had,
At your important letters,-this ill day
A most outrageous fit of madness took him;
That desperately he hurried through the street,
(With him his bondman, all as mad as he,)
Doing displeasure to the citizens

By rushing in their houses, bearing thence
Rings, jewels, any thing his rage did like.
Once did I get him bound, and sent him home,
Whilst to take order for the wrongs, I went,
That here and there his fury had committed.
Anon, I wot not by what strong escape,
He broke from those that had the guard of him;
And, with his mad attendant and himself,
Each one with ireful passion, with drawn swords,
Met us again, and, madly bent on us,
Chas'd us away; till, raising of more aid,
We came again to bind them: then they fled
Into this abbey, whither we pursued them;
And here the abbess shuts the gates on us,
And will not suffer us to fetch him out,
Nor send him forth, that we may bear him hence.
Therefore, most gracious dube, with thy command,
Let him be brought forth, and borne hence for
help.

Duke. Long since, thy husband serv'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 stir.

And ever as it blaz'd, they threw on him
Great pails of puddled mire to quench the hair:
My master preaches patience to him, while
His man with scissars 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 breath'd 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.

Adr. Ah, it is my husband! Witness you,

Enter Antipholus and Dromio of Ephesus.
Ant E. Justice, most gracious duke, oh, 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.
Ege. Unless the fear of death doth make me
dote,

I see my son Antipholus, and Dromio.

Ant. . Justice, sweet prince, against that

woman there.

She, whom thou gav'st 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? い [sister,

Adr. No, my good lord;-myself, he, and my

To-day did dine together: so befal my soul,
As this is false, he burdens me withal! [night,
Luc. Ne'er may I look on day, nor sleep on
But she tells to your highness simple truth!
Ang. O perjur'd woman! They are both for

sworn.

In this the madman justly chargeth them.

31

Ant. E. My liege, I am advised what I say;
Neither disturb'd with the effect of wine, A
Nor heady-rash, provok'd with raging ire,
Albeit, my wrongs might make some 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 Porcupine,
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 perjur'd goldsmith swear me down,
That I this day of him receiv'd 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
They brought one Pinch, a hungry lean-fac'd
A mere anatomy, a mountebank, [villain,
A thread-bare juggler, and a fortune-teller;
A needy, hollow-ey'd, 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, out-facing 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 din'd 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. [mine
Mer. Besides, I will be, sworn, these ears of
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:
I never saw the chain, so help me heaven!
And this is false, you burden me withal.

Duke. What an intricate impeach is this!
I think, you all have drank of Circe's cup.
If here you hous'd him, here he would have been;
If he were mad, he would not plead so coldly:
You say, he din'd at home; the goldsmith here
Denies that saying :-sirrah, what say you?

Dro. E. Sir, he dined with her there at the Porcupine. [that ring.

Cour. He did, and from my finger snatch'd Ant. E. 'Tis true, my liege, this ring I had of her.

Duke. Saw'st thou him enter at the abbey here? Cour. As sure, my liege, as I do see your grace. Duke. Why, this is strange: go call the abbess hither;

I think, you all are mated, or stark-mad.

[exit an Attendant.

Ege. Most mighty duke, vouchsafe me speak Haply, I see a friend will save my life, [a word; And pay the sum that may deliver me.

Duke. Speak freely, Syracusan, what thou wilt. Ege. Is not your name, sir, called Antipholus; And is not that your bondman, Dromio? [sir,

Dro. E. Within this hour I was his bondman, But he, I thank him, gnaw'd in two my cords; Now am I Dromio, and his man unbound. [me. Ege. I am sure, you both of you remember Dro. E. Ourselves we do remember, sir, by

Ant. E. Neither.

Ege. Dromio, nor thou?
Dro. E. No, trust me, sir, nor I.
Ege. I am sure, thou dost.

Dro. E. Ay, sir?-But I am sure, I do not; and whatsoever 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 untun'd 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, Thou know'st, we parted: but, perhaps, my son, Thou sham'st to acknowledge me in misery.

Ant. E. The duke, and all that know me in Can witness with me that it is not so; [the city. I ne'er saw Syracusa in my life.

Duke. I tell thee, Syracusan, twenty years Have I been patron to Antipholus During which time he ne'er saw Syracusa : I see, thy age and danger make thee dote. Re-enter the Abbess, with Antipholus, Syracu

san; and Dromio, Syracusan. Abb. Most mighty duke, behold a man much wrong'd. [all gather to see him. Adr. I see two husbands, or mine eyes deceivė

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 be'st the man, That hadst a wife once call'd Æmilia, That bore thee at a burden two fair sons: O, if thou be'st the same geon, speak, And speak unto the same Æmilia!

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; 1, to this fortune that you see me in. Duke. Why, here begins this morning story These two Antipholus's, these two so like, And these two Dromio's, one in semblance,Besides her urging of her wreck at 688--

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