Who, but for staying on our controversy,
Had hoifted fail, and put to fea to-day :
This chain you had of me, can you deny it?
S. Ant. I think, I had; I never did deny it.
Mer. Yes, that you did, fir, and forfwore it too.
S. Ant. Who heard me to deny it, or forfwear it?
Mar. Thefe ears of mine, thou know'ft, did
hear thee:
Fye on thee, wretch! 'tis pity, that thou liv'ft
To walk where any honeft men refort.
S. Ant. Thou art a villain to impeach me thus
I'll prove mine honour and my honefty
Against thee presently, if thou dar'ít ítand.
Mer. I dare, and do defy thee for a villain.
[They draw.
Enter Adriana, Luciana, Courtezan, and others.
Adri. Hold, hurt him not, for God's fake; he is
mad ;-
Some get within him, take his fword away:
Bind Dromio too, and bear them to my houfe.
S. Dro. Run, master, run; for God's fake, take
a house.
This is fome priory ;-In, or we are spoil'd.
[Exeunt to the priory.
Enter Lady Abbjs.
Abb. Be quiet, people; Wherefore throng you
hither?
Adr. To fetch my poor diftracted husband hence:
Let us come in, that we may bind him fast,
And bear him home for his recovery.
Ang. I knew, he was not in his perfect wits.
Mer. I am forry now, that I did draw on him.
Abb. How long hath this poffeffion held the
Adr. This week he hath been heavy, four, fad,
And much, much different from the man he was;
But, till this afternoon, his patron
Ne'er brake into extremity of rage.
Abb. Hath he not loit much wealth by wreck at
Bury'd fome dear friend? Hath not elfe his eye
Stray'd his affection in unlawful love?
A fin, prevailing much in youthful men,
Who give their eyes the liberty of gazing.
Which of thefe forrows is he fubject to?
Adr. To none of thefe, except it be the last;
Namely, fome love that drew him oft from home.
Abb. You should for that have reprehended him.
Adr. Why, fo I did.
Abb. But not rough enough.
Poifon more deadly than a mad dog's tooth.
It feems, his fleeps were hinder'd by thy railing:
And therefore comes it, that his head is light.
Thou fay'ft his ment was fauc'd with thy upbraid-
Unquiet meals make ill digeftions,
Therefore the raging fire of fever bred;
And what's a fever but a fit of madnefs?
Thon fay'ft, his fports were hinder'd by thy brawls;
Sweet recreation barr'd, what doth enfue,
But moody and dull melancholy,
Kinsman to grim and comfortless despair ;
And, at her heels, a huge infectious troop
Of pale diftemperatures, and foes to life?
In food, in fport, and life-preferving reft
To be disturb'd, would mad or man or beast :
The confequence is then, thy jealous fits
Have fear'd thy husband from the ufe of wits.
Luc. She never reprehended him but mildly,
When he demean'd himself rough, rude and wildly.
Why bear you thefe rebukes, and answer not?
Adr. She did betray me to my own reproof.→
Good people, enter, and lay hold on him.
Abb. No, not a creature enter in my houfe.
Adr. Then, let your fervants bring my husband
forth.
Alb. Neither; he took this place for fanctuary,
And it thall privilege him from your hands,
'Till I have brought him to his wits again,
Or lofe my labour in affaying it.
dr. I will attend my huband, be his nurse,
Diet his fickness, for it is my office;
And will have no attorney but myself;
And therefore let me have him home with me.
Abb. Be patient; for I will not let him stir,
Till I have us'd the approved means I have,
With wholefome fyrups, drugs, and holy prayers
To make of him a formal 2 man again:
It is a branch and parcel of mine oath,
A charitable duty of my order;
Therefore depart, and leave him here with me.
dr. I will not hence, and leave my husband
And ill it doth befeem your holiness,
To feparate the hufband and the wife.
Abb. Be quiet, and depart, thou shalt not have
Luc. Complain unto the duke of this indignity.
[Exit Abbefi.
Adr. Come, go; I will fall proftrate at his feet
And never rife until my tears and prayers
Have won his grace to come in person hither,
dr. As roughly, as my modefty would let me. And take perforce my husband from the abbefs.
Aub. Haply, in private.
Adr. And in affemblies too.
Abb. Ay, but not enough.
Adr. It was the copy of our conference:
In bed, he flept not for my urging it;
At board, he fed not for my urging it;
Alone, it was the subject of my theme;
In company, I often glanc'd at it;
Still did I tell him it was vile and bad.
Mer. By this, I think, the dial points at five
Anon, I am fure, the duke himself in perfon
Comes this way to the melancholy vale;
The place of death and forry 3 execution,
Behind the ditches of the abbey here.
Ang. Upon what cause ?
Mer. To fee a reverend Syracufan merchant, Who put unluckily into this bay
Against the laws and ftatutes of this town,
Abb. And therefore came it that the man was mad. Beheaded publickly for his offence.
The venom clamours of a jealous woman
Aug. See, where they come; we will behold his
1 That is, the theme, or fubje&t. 2 i. e, a regular, fober man. 3 Sorry here means vile, worthless, vexatious.
Luc. Kneel to the duke, before he país the To fcorch your face, and to disfigure you :
abbey. Enter the Duke, and Egeon bare-headed; with the Hark, hark, I hear him, mistress; fly, be gone.
beadman and other officers.
Duke. Yet once again proclaim it publicly,
If any friend will pay the fum for him,
He fhall not die, fo much we tender him.
[Cry within Duke. Come, ftand by me, fear nothing: Guard
Adr. Ay me, it is my husband! Witness you,
That he is borne about invisible :
Adr. Juftice, most facred duke, against the Even now we hous'd him in the abbey here ;
Duke. She is a virtuous and a reverend lady; It cannot be, that fhe hath done thee wrong.
Adr. May it please your grace, Antipholis, 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 defperately he hurry'd through the street,
(With him his bondman, all as mad as he)
Doing displeasure to the citizens,
By rufhing in their houses, bearing thence
Rings, jewels, any thing his rage did like.
Once did I get him bound, and fent him home,
Whilft to take order 2 for the wrongs I went,
That here and there his fury had committed.
Anon, I wot not by what ftrong escape,
'He broke from thofe that had the guard of him:
And, with his mad attendant and himself,
Each one with ireful paffion, with drawn fwords,
Met us again, and, madly bent on us,
Chas'd us away; till, raifing of more aid,
We came again to bind them: then they fled
Into this abbey, whither we pursu'd them;
And here the abbefs fhuts the gates on us,
And will not fuffer us to fetch him out,
Nor fend him forth, that we may bear him hence.
Therefore, moft gracious duke, with thy command,
Let him be brought forth, and borne hence for
help.
[wars;
Duke. Long fince thy husband ferv'd me in my
And I to thee engag'd a prince's word,
When thou didst make him mafter of thy bed,
To do him all the grace and good I could.-
Go, fome of you, knock at the abbey-gate,
And bid the lady abbefs come to me;
I will determine this, before I ftir.
Enter a Meffenger.
And now he's there, past thought of human reafon.
Enter Antipholis, and Dromio of Ephesus.
E. Ant. Juftice, most gracious duke, oh, grant
me justice!
Even for the fervice that long fince I did thee,
When I beftrid thee in the wars, and took
Deep scars to fave thy life; even for the blood
That then I loft for thee, now grant me juftice.
Egeon. Unless the fear of death doth make me
I fee my fon Antipholis, and Dromio. [dote,
E. Ant. Juftice, fweet prince, against that wo-
man there.
She whom thou gav 'ft to me to be my wife;
That hath abufed and dishonour'd me,
Even in the ftrength and height of injury!
Beyond imagination is the wrong,
That the this day hath fhameless thrown on me.
Duke. Difcover how, and thou shalt find me juft.
E. Ant. This day, great duke, the shut the doors
Whilft the with harlots feafted in my house.
Duke. A grievous fault: Say, woman, didft
thou fo?
[fifter,
Adr. No, my good lord ;-myself, he, and my
To-day did dine together: So befal my foul,
As this is falfe, he burdens me withal!
Luc. Ne'er may I look on day, nor fleep on
But she tells to your highnefs fimple truth!
Ang. O perjur'd woman! They are both for.
In this the madman juftly chargeth them. [fworn.
E. Ant. My liege, I am advifed what I fay;
Neither difturb'd with the effect of wine,
Nor heady-rath, provok'd with raging ire,
Albeit, my wrongs might make one wifer mad.
This woman lock'd me out this day from dinner:
That gold/mith 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,
Promifing to bring it to the Porcupine,
Where Balthazar and I did dine together.
Our dinner done, and he not coming thither,
I went to feek him: in the ftrest I met him;
And in his company, that gentleman.
There did this perjur'd goldfmith fwear me down,
That I this day of him receiv'd the chain,
Which, God he knows, I faw not: for the which,
He did arreft me with an officer.
Meff. O miftrefs, miftrefs, fhift and fave yourself!
My mafter and his man are both broke loose!
Beaten the maids a-row 3, and bound the doctor,
Whofe beard they have fing'd off with brands of
And ever as it blaz'd, they threw on him [fire;
Great pails of puddled mire to quench the hair :
My mafter preaches patience to him, and the while
His man with fciffars nicks him like a fool.
And, fure, unless you fend fome present help,
Between them they will kill the conjurer. [here;|I did obey; and sent my peasant home
Adr. Peace, fool, thy mafter and his man are For certain ducats: he with none return'd.
And that is falfe, thou doft report to us.
Meff. Miftrefs, upon my life, I tell you true;
I have not breath'd almost, fince I did fee it.
He cries for you, and vows, if he can take you,
Then fairly I bespoke the officer,
To go in perfon with me to my houfe.
By the way we met my wife, her fifter, and
A rabble more of vile confederates;
1 Perhaps we should read importunate. 2 i. c. to take measures. 3 i. e. one after another. 4 Hare lets here means cheats.
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They brought one Pinch; a hungry lean-fac'd vil-
A meer anatomy, a mountebank,
A thread-bare juggler, and a fortune-teller;
A needy, hollow-ey'd, fharp-looking wretch,
A living dead-man: this pernicious slave,
Forfooth, took on him as a conjurer;
And, gazing in my eyes, feeling my pulfe,
And with no-face, as it were, out-facing me,
Cries out, I was poffefs'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 funder,
I gain'd my freedom, and immediately
Ran hither to your grace; whom I befeech
To give me ample fatisfaction
For thefe deep thames 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 fuch a chain of thee, or no?
Ang. He had, my lord: and when he ran in
here,
Thefe people faw the chain about his neck.
Mer. Befides, I will be fworn, thefe ears of mine
Heard you confefs, you had the chain of him,
After you first 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 are come by miracle.
E. Ant. I never came within thefe abbey-walls,
Nor ever didit thou draw thy fword on me;
I never faw the chain, fo help me heaven!
And this is faife, you burden me withal.
Duke. Why, 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 fo coldly
You fay, he din'd at home; the goldfmith here
Denies that faying :-Sirrah, what fay you?
E. Dro. Sir, he din'd with her there, at the
Porcupine.
[ring.
Cour. He did; and from my finger fuatch'd that
E. Ant. 'Tis true, my liege, this ring I had of
Duke. Saw'st thou him enter at the abbey here? Cour. As fure, my liege, as I do fee your grace. Duke. Why, this is ftrange :-Go call the abbefs hither;
I think you are all mated', or stark mad.
[Exit one to the Abbefs. Ægran. Moft mighty duke, vouchsafe me speak Haply, I fee a friend, will fave my life, [a word; And pay the fum that may deliver me.
Duke. Speak freely, Syracufan, what thou wilt. Ageon. Is not your name, fir, call'd Antipholis And is not that your bondman Dromio ?
E. Dro. Ourfelves we do remember, fir, by For lately we were bound, as you are now. [you; You are not Pinch's patient, are you, fir?
Egon. Why look you ftrange on me? you know me well.
E. Ant. I never faw you in my life, 'till now. Egon. Oh! grief hath chang'd me, fince you faw me laft;
And careful hours, with time's deformed hand Have written ftrange defeatures 3 in my face: But tell me yet, doft thou not know my voice? Ant. Neither.
Egeon. Dromio, nor thou?
E. Dro. No, trust me, fir, nor I.
Agron. I am fure, thou doft.
E. Dro. Ay, fir?
But I am fure, do not; and whatsoever
A man denies, you are now bound to believe him.
Egeon. Not know my voice! Oh, time's ex-
tremity!
Haft thou fo crack'd and splitted my poor tongue
In feven fhort years, that here my only fon
Knows not my feeble key of untun'd cares?
Though now this grained 4 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 lamps fome fading glimmer left,
My dull deaf ears a little ufe to hear:
All these old witneffes (I cannot err)
Tell me thou art my fon Antipholis.
E. Ant. I never faw my father in my life. Ageon. But feven years fince, in Syracufa, boy, Thou knoweft, we parted: but, perhaps, my fon, Thou fham'ft to acknowledge me in mifery.
E. Ant. The duke, and all that know me in Can witnefs with me that it is not fo; [the city, I ne'er saw Syracufa in my life.
Duk. I tell thee, Syracufan, twenty years Have I been patron to Antipholis, During which time he ne'er faw Syracufa : I fee, thy age and dangers make thee dote. Enter the Abbefs, with Antipholis Syracufan, and Dremio Syracufan.
Abb. Moft mighty duke, behold a man much
All gather to fee him.
Adr. I fee two hufbands, or mine eyes deceive me.
Duke. One of thefe men is Genius to the other;
And fo of thefe; Which is the natural man,
And which the fpirit? who deciphers them?
S. Dro. I, fir, am Dromio; command him away.
E. Dro. I fir, am Dromio; pray, let me stay.
S. Ant. Ægeon, art thou not? or else his ghost?
S. Dra. O, my old master! who hath bound
him here?
Abb. Whoever bound him, I will loofe his bonds,
And gain a husband by his liberty :-
Speak, old Ægeon, if thou be 'st the man
That hadit a wife once call'd Æmilia,
That bore thee at a burden two fair fons ?
E. Dro. Within this hour I was his bond-man,
But he, I thank him, gnaw'd in two my cords;
Now am I Dromio, and his man, unbound. [me. Oh, if thou be 'ft the fame Ægeon, speak,
Ageon. I am fure, you both of you remember And fpeak unto the fame Emilia!
i. e. wild, foolish, For deforming, 3 i. e. ftrange alteration of features. 4 i. e, furrow'd.
Duke. Why, here begins his morning story right:]
Thefe two Antipholis's, thefe two fo like,
And thofe two Dromio's, one in femblance,-
Befides her urging of her wreck at fea,-
Thefe are the parents to these children,
Which accidentally are met together.
Ageon. If I dream not, thou art Æmilia;
If thou art the, tell me, where is that fon
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 fon from them,
And me they left with thofe of Epidamnum :
What then became of them, I cannot tell;
I, to this fortune that you fee me in.
Duke. Antipholis, thou cam'it from Corinth first?
S. Ant. No, fir, not I; I came from Syracufe.
Duke. Stay, ftand apart; I know not which is
which.
[lord.
E. Ant. I came from Corinth, my moft gracious
E. Dro. And I with him. [mous warrior
E. Ant. Brought to this town by that most fa-
Duke Menaphon, your most renowned uncle.
Adr. Which of you two did dine with me to-day?
S. Ant. I, gentle mistress.
Adr. And are you not my husband ?
E. Ant. No, I fay nay to that.
S. Ant. And fo do I, yet fhe did call me fo;
And this fair gentlewoman, her fifter here,
Did call me brother: What I told you then,
I hope, I fhall have leifure to make good;
If this be not a dream, I fee, and hear.
Ang. That is the chain, fir, which you had of me.
S. Ant. I think it be, fir; I deny it not.
E Ant. And you, fir, for this chain arrested me.
Ang. think I did, fir; I deny it not.
Ad. I fent you money, fir, to be your bail,
By Dromio; but I think he brought it not.
S. Dro. No, none by me.
Cour. Sir, I must have that diamond from you.
E. Ant. There, take it; and much thanks for
my good cheer.
[pains
Abb. Renowned duke, vouchfafe to take the
To go with us into the abbey here,
And hear at large difcourfed all our fortunes :-
And all that are affembled in this place,
That by this fympathized one day's Error
Have fuffer'd wrong, go, keep us company,
And ye shall have full fatisfaction.-
Twenty-five years have I but gone in travail
Of you, my fons; and, till this prefent hour,
My heavy burden not delivered :—
The duke, my husband, and my children both,
And you the calendars of their nativity,
Go to a goflip's feaft, and go with me;
After fo long grief fuch nativity!
Duke. With all my heart, I'll goffip at this feaft.
[Exeunt.
Manent the two Antipholis's, and two Dromio's.
S. Dro. Mafter, fhall I fetch your stuff from
fhip-board?
[imbark'd?
E. Ant. Dromio, what ftuff of mine haft thou
S. Dro. Your goods that lay at hoft, fir, in the
Centaur.
S. Ant. He fpeaks to me; I am your master,
Dromio:
Come, go with us; we'll look to that anon:
Embrace thy brother there, rejoice with him.
[Exeunt Antipholis S. and E.
S. Dro. There is a fat friend at your master's
houfe,
That kitchen'd me for you to-day at dinner;
She now fhall be my fifter, not my wife.
E. Dro. Methinks, you are my glafs, and not
my brother:
I fee by you, I am a fweet-fac'd youth.
Will you walk in to fee their goffiping?
S. Dro. Not I, fir; you are my elder.
E. Dro. That's a question:
S. Ant. This purfe of ducats I receiv'd from you, How shall we try it?
And Dromio my man did bring them me :
I fee, we ftill did meet each other's man,
And I was ta'en for him, and he for me,
And thereupon thefe Errors are arose.
E. Ant. These ducats pawn I for my father here.
Duke. It shall not need, thy father hath his life.
S. Dro. We will draw
Cuts for the fenior; till then lead thou first.
E. Dro. Nay, then thus:
We came into the world, like brother and brother; And now let's go hand in hand, not one before another.
1 Dr. Warburton thinks we should read, and gaude; that is, rejoice with me.
Leon. How many gentlemen have you loft in this no faces truer than thofe that are fo wafh'd. How action?
Meff. But few of any fort 2, and none of name. Leon. A victory is twice itself, when the atchiever brings home full numbers. I find here, that Don Pedro hath bestowed much honour on a young Florentine, call'd Claudio.
Me. Much deferv'd on his part, and equally remember'd by Don Pedro: He hath borne himfelf beyond the promise of his age; doing, in the figure of a lamb, the feats of a lion: he hath, indeed, better better'd expectation, than you must expect of me to tell how. you
much better is it to weep at joy, than to joy at weeping?
Beat. I pray you, is fignior Montanto 3 return'd from the wars, or no?
Meff. I know none of that name, lady; there was none fuch in the army of any fort.
Leon. What is he that you ask for, niece?
Hero. My coufin means fignior Benedick of Padua.
Meff. O, he's return'd; and as pleasant as ever
he was.
Beat. He fet up his bills here in Messina 4, and challenged Cupid at the flight 5: and my uncle's fool
1 Mr. Pope was of opinion, that the ftory of this play is taken from Ariofto's Orlando Furiofo, b. v. Mr. Steevens, however, fuppofes, that a novel of Belleforeft, copied from another of Bandello, furnished Shakspeare with his fable. 2 That is, of any rank. 3 Montante, in Spanish, is a huge twohanded fword, given, with much humour, to one, the fpeaker would reprefent as a boafter or bravado. 4 This alludes to the custom of fencers, or prize-fighters, fetting up bills, containing a general challenge. To challenge at the flight, was a challenge to shoot with an arrow of a particular kind, with narrow feathers.
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