I thought t' have tane you at the Porcupine;
The chain, unfinish'd, made me ftay thus long.

S. Ant. What is your will, that I fhall do with this? Ang. What please yourself, Sir; I have made it for you. S. Ant. Made it for me, Sir! I bespoke it not. Ang. Not once, nor twice, but twenty times, you have. Go home with it and please your wife withal; And foon at fupper-time I'll vifit you,

And then receive my money for the chain.

S. Ant. I pray you, Sir, receive the money now; For fear, you ne'er fee chain, nor money, more. Ang. You are a merry man, Sir; fare you well. [Exit. S. Ant. What I fhould think of this, I cannot tell: But this I think, there's no man is fo vain, That would refuse so fair an offer'd chain. I fee, a man here needs not live by shifts, When in the ftreets he meets fuch golden gifts: 'I'll to the mart, and there for Dromio ftay; If any fhip put out, then ftrait away.

[Exit.

Y

SCENE, the Street.

Enter a Merchant, Angelo, and an Officer.

MERCHANT.

OU know, fince Pentecoft the fum is due;
And fince I have not much importun'd you ;

Nor now I had not, but that I am bound

To Perfia, and want guilders for my voyage:
Therefore make present satisfaction:

Or I'll attach you by this officer.

Ang. Ev'n just the fum, that I do owe to you, (16)

Is growing to me by Antipholis ;

(16) Ev'n just the fum, that I do owe to you,

And

Is owing to me by Antipholis.] Mr. Pope, who pretends that

he

And, in the inftant that I met with you,
He had of me a chain; at five o'clock,
I fhall receive the money for the fame:
Please you but walk with me down to his houfe,
I will discharge my bond, and thank you too.

Enter Antipholis Ephefus, and Dromio Ephefus, as from the Courtezan's.

Off. That labour you may fave: fee, where he comes.
E. Ant. While I go to the goldfmith's houfe, go thou
And buy a rope's end; that will I bestow
Among my wife and her confederates,

For locking me out of my doors by day.
But, foft; I fee the goldfmith: get thee gone,
Buy thou a rope, and bring it home to me.

E. Dro. I buy a thousand pound a year! I buy a rope!
[Exit Dromio.
E. Ant. A man is well holp up, that trufts to you:
I promis'd your prefence, and the chain :
But neither chain nor goldsmith came to me:
Belike, you thought, our love would last too long
If it were chain'd together; therefore came not.

Ang. Saving your merry humour here's the note,
How much your chain weighs to the utmost carat ;
The fineness of the gold, the chargeful fashion;
Which do amount to three odd ducats more,
Than I stand debted to this gentleman;
I pray you, fee him presently difcharg'd;
For he is bound to fea, and ftays but for it.

E. Ant. I am not furnish'd with the prefent money, Befides I have fome business in the town;

he makes no innovations but ex fide codicum, has fophifticated this paffage for no reason in the world as I apprehend. The oldest folio, and all the other copies that I have feen, read in the fecond line; Is growing to me by Antipholis.

So twice, afterwards, in this very play;

Adr. Bear me forthwith unto his creditor,

And, knowing how the debt grows, I will pay it.
Adr. I know the man; what is the fum he owes ?
Offi. Two hundred ducats.

Adr. Say, bow grows it due?

Good

Good Signior, take the ftranger to my houfe,
And with you take the chain, and bid my wife
Disburse the fum on the receipt thereof;
Perchance, I will be there as foon as you.

Ant. Then you will bring the chain to her yourself?
E. Ant.No; bear it with you, left I come not time enough.
Ang. Well, Sir, I will: have you the chain about you
E. Ant. An if I have not, Sir, I hope, you have:
Or else you may return without your money.

Ang. Nay, come, I pray you, Sir, give me the chain; Both wind and tide ftay for this gentleman; And I, to blame, have held him here too long.

E. Ant. Good Lord, you use this dalliance to excuse Your breach of promife to the Porcupine:

I should have chid you for not bringing it;
But, like a fhrew, you first begin to brawl.

Mer. The hour fteals on; I pray you, Sir, dispatch. Ang. You hear, how he importunes me; the chainE. Ant. Why, give it to my wife, and fetch your money. Ang. Come, come, you know, I gave it you ev'n now. Or fend the chain, or fend me by fome token.

E. Ant. Fy, now you run this humour out of breath: Come, where's the chain? I pray you, let me see it. Mer. My business cannot brook this dalliance: Good Sir, fay, whe'r you'll anfwer me, or no; If not, I'll leave him to the officer.

E. Ant. I answer you? why fhould I anfwer you?
Ang. The money, that you owe me for the chain.
E. Ant. I owe you none, 'till I receive the chain.
Ang. You know, I gave it you half an hour fince.
E.An. You gave me none; you wrong me much to fay fo.
Ang. You wrong me more, Sir, in denying it;
Confider, how it ftands upon my credit.

Mer. Well, officer, arreft him at my fuit.
Offi. I do, and charge you in the Duke's name to obey me.
Ang. This touches me in reputation.

Either confent to pay the fum for me,

Or I attach you by this officer.

E. Ant. Confent to pay for that I never had! Arreft me, foolish fellow, if thou dar'ft.

VOL. III.

K

Ang

Ang. Here is thy fee; arreft him, officer;
I would not fpare my brother in this cafe,
If he fhould fcorn me fo apparently.

Offi. I do arreft you, Sir; you hear the fuit.
E. Ant. I do obey thee, 'till I give thee bail,
But, firrah, you fhall buy this fport as dear
As all the metal in your fhop will answer.

Ang. Sir, Sir, I fhall have law in Ephefus,
To your notorious fhame, I doubt it not.

Enter Dromio of Syracufe from the Bay.
S. Dro. Mafter, there is a bark of Epidamnum,
That flays but till her owner come aboard;
Then, Sir, fhe bears away. Our fraughtage, Sir,
I have convey'd aboard; and I have bought
The cyl, the balfamum, and aqua-vita.
The hip is in her trim; the merry wind
Blows fair from land; they stay for nought at all,
But for their owner, mafter, and yourself.

E. Ant. How now! a mad man! why, thou peevish fheep. What fhip of Epidamnum stays for me?

S. Dro. A fhip you fent me to, to hire waftage.. E. Ant. Thou drunken flave, I fent thee for a rope; And told thee to what purpose, and what end.

S. Dro. You fent me for a rope's-end as foon:
You fent me to the bay, Sir, for a bark.

E. Ant. I will debate this matter at more leisure,
And teach your ears to lift me with more heed.
To Adriana, villain, hie thee strait,
Give her this key, and tell her, in the desk
That's cover'd o'er with Turkish tapestry,
There is a purfe of ducats, let her fend it:
Tell her, I aın arrested in the street,

And that fhall bail me; hie thee, flave; be gone :
On, officer, to prifon 'till it come.

[Exeunt.

S. Dro. To Adriana! that is where we din'd,
Where Dowfabel did claim me for her husband;
She is too big, I hope, for me to compass.
Thither I must, altho' against my will,
For fervants must their mafters minds fulfil.

[Exit. SCENE

SCENE changes to E. Antipholis's Houfe.

Enter Adriana and Luciana.

Adr. A Migheit thou perceive aufterely in his eye

H, Luciana, did he tempt thee fo?

That he did plead in earnest, yea or no?
Look'd he or red or pale, or fad or merrily?
What observation mad'st thou in this case,
Of his heart's meteors tilting in his face?

Luc. First he deny'd, you had in him no right.
Adr. He meant, he did me none; the more my fpight.
Luc. Then fwore he, that he was a ftranger here.
Adr. And true he swore, though yet forfworn he were.
Luc. Then pleaded I for you.

Adr. And what faid he?

Luc. That love 1 begg'd for you, he begg'd of me? Adr. With what perfuafion did he tempt thy love? Luc. With words, that in an honeft fuit might move, First, he did praife my beauty, then my speech. Adr. Did'ft fpeak him fair?

Luc. Have patience, I befeech.

Adr. I cannot, nor I will not, hold me still; My tongue, though not my heart, fhall have its will: He is deformed, crooked, old and fere, Ill-fac'd, worfe-body'd, fhapeless every where; Vicious, ungentle, foolish, blunt, unkind, Stigmatical in making, worse in mind.

Luc. Who would be jealous then of such a one t
No evil loft is wail'd, when it is gone.

Adr. Ah! but I think him better than I fay,
And yet, would herein others eyes were worfe

Far from her neft the lapwing cries

away;

My heart prays for him, tho' my tongue do curfe,
Enter Dromio of Syracufe.

S. Dro. Here, go; the desk, the purfe; fweet now
make hafte.

Luc. How haft thou loft thy breath ?

S. Dro. By running fast.