Enter DUKE, EGEON, Gaoler, Officer, and other Attendants.

EGE. Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall, And, by the doom of death, end woes and all.

DUKE. Merchant of Syracusa, plead no more;
I am not partial to infringe our laws.
The enmity and discord which of late
Sprung from the rancorous outrage of your duke,
To merchants, our well-dealing countrymen,-
Who, wanting guilders to redeem their lives,
Have seal'd his rigorous statutes with their
bloods,-

Excludes all pity from our threat'ning looks.
For, since the mortal and intestine jars
"Twixt thy seditious countrymen and us,
It hath in solemn synods been decreed,
Both by the Syracusians and ourselves,
To admit no traffic to our adverse towns.

Nay, more: if any born at Ephesus be seen
At any Syracusian marts and fairs,-
Again, if any Syracusian born
Come to the bay of Ephesus, he dies,
His goods confiscate to the duke's dispose;
Unless a thousand marks be levied

To quit the penalty, and to ransom him.
Thy substance, valued at the highest rate,
Cannot amount unto a hundred marks;
Therefore, by law thou art condemn'd to die.
EGE. Yet this my comfort; when your words
are done,

My woes end likewise with the evening sun.

DUKE. Well, Syracusian, say in brief the cause Why thou departedst from thy native home, And for what cause thou cam'st to Ephesus.

EGE. A heavier task could not have been
impos'd,

Than I to speak my griefs unspeakable.
Yet, that the world may witness that my end

Had made provision for her following me;
And soon and safe arrived where I was.
There had she not been long, but she became
A joyful mother of two goodly sons;

And, which was strange, the one so like the other,
As could not be distinguish'd but by names.
That very hour, and in the self same inn,
A poord mean woman was delivered

Of such a burden-male twins, both alike.
Those, for their parents were exceeding poor,-
I bought, and brought up to attend my sons.
My wife, not meanly proud of two such boys,
Made daily motions for our home return.

a Was wrought by nature,-] Mr. Collier's corrector substitutes fortune for nature, a change which is unnecessary. The sense of the original is clear enough :-"My death was not a punishment for criminality, but brought about by the impulses of nature, which led me to Ephesus in search of my son."

b And by me too,-] The word too was added by the editor of the second folio. It was, no doubt, omitted by error in the first.

And the great care of goods at random left,-] In the original

we have, "And he," &c. The emendation, which is easy and happy, we owe to Malone.

d A poor mean woman-] Poor is an addition from the folio, 1632. It is questionable, however, whether this is the right word; for, as Malone observes, immediately below we have:"-for their parents were exceeding poor." Perhaps, instead of A mean woman, the line should read, "A moaning woman," i. e. a woman in labour.

Unwilling I agreed-alas! too soon we came

aboard :

A league from Epidamnum had we sail'd,
Before the always-wind-obeying deep
Gave any tragic instance of our harm;
But longer did we not retain much hope;
For what obscured light the heavens did grant
Did but convey unto our fearful minds
A doubtful warrant of immediate death;
Which, though myself would gladly have embrac❜d,
Yet the incessant weepings of my wife,
Weeping before for what she saw must come,
And piteous plainings of the pretty babes,
That mourn'd for fashion, ignorant what to fear,
Forc'd me to seek delays for them and me.
And this it was-for other means was none :
The sailors sought for safety by our boat,
And left the ship, then sinking-ripe, to us.
My wife, more careful for the latter-born,
Had fasten'd him unto a small spare mast,
Such as seafaring men provide for storms:
To him one of the other twins. was bound,
Whilst I had been like heedful of the other.
The children thus dispos'd, my wife and I,
Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fix'd,
Fasten'd ourselves at either end the mast;
And, floating straight, obedient to the stream,
Were carried towards Corinth, as we thought.
At length the sun, gazing upon the earth,
Dispers'd those vapours that offended us;
And, by the benefit of his wished light,
The seas wax'd calm, and we discovered
Two ships from far, making amain to us,-
Of Corinth that, of Epidaurus this:
But ere they came- -O, let me say no more!
Gather the sequel by that went before.

DUKE. Nay, forward, old man, do not break off so;

For we may pity, though not pardon thee.

ÆGE. O, had the gods done so, I had not now Worthily term'd them merciless to us! For, ere the ships could meet by twice five leagues, We were encounter'd by a mighty rock; Which, being violently borne upon,* Our helpful ship was splitted in the midst; So that, in this unjust divorce of us, Fortune had left to both of us alike, What to delight in, what to sorrow for. Her part, poor soul! seeming as burdened. With lesser weight, but not with lesser woe, Was carried with more speed before the wind;

(*) First folio, borne up.

So his case was like,-] The second folio substituted for in place of so, and has been followed by most of the subsequent editors. Those who adopt the original reading, "so his case was like," interpret it to mean, his case was so like. But does it not rather mean, "as his case was like,"? This use of so we meet again shortly after,-"Am I so round with you, as you with me?" &c.

b To seek thy hope by beneficial help:] The folio, 1623, has help.

And, in our sight, they three were taken up
By fishermen of Corinth, as we thought.
At length another ship had seiz'd on us;
And, knowing whom it was their hap to save,
Gave healthful welcome to their shipwreck'd guests;
And would have reft the fishers of their prey,
Had not their bark been very slow of sail;
And therefore homeward did they bend their course.
Thus have you heard me sever'd from my bliss;
That by misfortunes was my life prolong'd,
To tell sad stories of my own mishaps.

DUKE. And, for the sake of them thou sor-
rowest for,

Do me the favour to dilate at full,
What hath befall'n of them and thee* till now.
ÆGE. My youngest boy, and yet my eldest care,
At eighteen years became inquisitive
After his brother; and importun'd me
That his attendant (so his case was like,
Reft of his brother, but retain❜d his name)
Might bear him company in the quest of him;
Whom, whilst I labour'd of a love to see,

I hazarded the loss of whom I lov'd.
Five summers have I spent in farthest Greece,
Roaming clean through the bounds of Asia,
And, coasting homeward, came to Ephesus;
Hopeless to find, yet loath to leave unsought
Or that or any place that harbours men.
But here must end the story of my life;
And happy were I in my timely death,
Could all my travels warrant me they live.
DUKE. Hapless Egeon, whom the fates have
mark'd

To bear the extremity of dire mishap!
Now, trust me, were it not against our laws,
Against my crown, my oath, my dignity,
Which princes, would they, may not disannul,
My soul should sue as advocate for thee.
'But, though thou art adjudged to the death,
And passed sentence may not be recall'd
But to our honour's great disparagement;
Yet will I favour thee in what I can:
Therefore, merchant, I'll limit thee this day,
To seek thy hope by beneficial help:
Try all the friends thou hast in Ephesus;
Beg thou, or borrow, to make up the sum,
And live; if no, then thou art doom'd to die :-
Gaoler, take him to thy custody.

b

GAOL. I will, my lord. ÆGE. Hopeless and helpless doth Ægeon wend, But to procrastinate his liveless end. [Exeunt.

*First folio, they.

Pope, and many of the modern editors, read, "To seek thy life," &c. Steevens proposed reading :

"To seek thy help by beneficial means." "To seek thy fine" has also been suggested; and is a plausible conjecture: but as Egeon is made to repeat the Duke's words in hope-less, help-less, and live-less, I have no doubt hope, or holp, was what the poet wrote.

a

Enter ANTIPHOLUS and DROMIO of Syracuse, and a Merchant.

MER. Therefore, give out you are of Epidamnum, Lest that your goods too soon be confiscate. This very day a Syracusian merchant Is apprehended for arrival here; And, not being able to buy out his life, According to the statute of the town, Dies ere the weary sun set in the west. There is your money that I had to keep.

ANT. S. Go bear it to the Centaur, where we host, And stay there, Dromio, till I come to thee. Within this hour it will be dinner-time; Till that, I'll view the manners of the town, Peruse the traders, gaze upon the buildings, And then return, and sleep within mine inn; For with long travel I am stiff and weary. Get thee away.

DRO. S. Many a man would take you at your word,

And go indeed, having so good a mean.

[Exit DRO. S.

2 ANTIPHOLUs-] The folio, 1623, has, "Enter Antipholis Erotes, a Marchant, and Dromio."

b A trusty villain,-] A faithful bondman, or slave. By these appellations each Antipholus, throughout this Comedy, denominates the Dromio attached to him. So in our author's "Rape of Lucrece," where a Roman slave is mentioned :

"The homely villain curt'sies to her low."-MALONE.

b

ANT. S. A trusty villain, eir; that very oft, When I am dull with care and melancholy, Lightens my humour with his merry jests. What, will you walk with me about the town, And then go to my inn, and dine with me?

d

MER. I am invited, sir, to certain merchants, Of whom I hope to make much benefit; I crave your pardon. Soon, at five o'clock, Please you, I'll meet with you upon the mart, And afterward consort you till bed-time: My present business calls me from you now. ANT. S. Farewell till then; I will go lose myself, And wander up and down to view the city. MER. Sir, I commend you to your own content. [Exit Merchant. ANT. S. He that commends me to mine own

content,

Commends me to the thing I cannot get.
I to the world am like a drop of water,
That in the ocean seeks another drop;
Who, falling there to find his fellow forth,
Unseen inquisitive! confounds himself:
So I, to find a mother and a brother,
In quest of them, unhappy, lose myself.

Soon, at five o'clock,-] That is, about five o'clock.

d And afterward consort you-] Malone proposed to read, "consort with you;" but the original is probably right-consort you meaning companion you, accompany you.

e Unseen inquisitive!] This is invariably printed, "Unseen, inquisitive," &c.; but inquisitive, I believe, is used here for inquisitor.