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: 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. Dro. S. Fly pride, says the peacock: mistress, that you know. [ereunt Ant. S. and Dro. S. Of his own doors being shut against his entrance. 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 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 Did this companion with the saffron face [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? Dro. E. In verity, you did;-my bones bear And, knowing how the debt grows, I will pay it. 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 Off: One Angelo, a goldsmith; do you know him? 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: Therefore away, to get our stuff aboard. [exeunt. ACT V. 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, Had hoisted sail, and put to sea to-day: too. Fie on thee, wretch! 'tis pity, that thou liv'st Ant. S. Thou art a villain, to impeach me thus: Mer. I dare, and do defy thee for a villain. Some get within him, take his sword away: This is some priory ;-in, or we are spoil'd. priory. Enter the Abbess. Thou say'st, his meat was sauc'd with thy up- Unquiet meals make ill digestions, Luc. She never reprehended him but mildly, When he demean'd himself rough, rude, and wildly. Why bear you these rebukes, and answer not? Abb. No, not a creature enters in my house. Abb. Neither; he took this place for sanctuary, And it shall privilege him from your hands, Abb. Be quiet, people: wherefore throng you Till I have brought him to his wits again, Adr. To fetch my poor distracted husband hence: Ang. I knew he was not in his perfect wits. man. Adr. This week he hath been heavy, sour, sad, Abb. Hath he not lost much wealth by wreck Or lose my labour in assaying it. Adr. I will attend my husband, be his nurse, Abb. Be patient; for I will not let him stir, Buried some dear friend? Hath not else his eye And ill it doth beseem your holiness, Adr. To none of these, except it be the last; Abb. Ay, but not rough enough. Adr. As roughly as my modesty would let me. Adr. It was the copy of our conference: Still did I tell him it was vile and bad. Abb. And thereof came it that the man was mad: To separate the husband and the wife. Luc. Complain unto the duke of this indignity. Mer. By this, I think, the dial points at five: Ang. Upon what cause? Mer. To see a reverend Syracusan inerchant, Against the laws and statutes of this town, Ang. See, where they come; we will behold his death [abbey. Luc. Kneel to the duke, before he pass the If any friend will pay the sum for him, He shall not die, so much we tender him. That he is borne about invisible: Adr. Justice, most sacred duke, against the And now he's there, past thought of human reason. abbess! Duke. She is a virtuous and a reverend lady; Whom I made lord of me and all I had, By rushing in their houses, bearing thence Duke. Long since, thy husband serv'd me in my wars; And I to thee engag'd a prince's word, I will determine this before I stir. And ever as it blaz'd, they threw on him And that is false, thou dost report to us. [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. me justice! Even for the service that long since I did thee, 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 she this day hath shameless thrown on 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, sworn. In this the madman justly chargeth them. 31 Ant. E. My liege, I am advised what I say; I did obey; and sent my peasant home My wife, her sister, and a rabble more And with no face, as 'twere, out-facing me, There left me and my man both bound together; For these deep shames and great indignities. That he din'd not at home, but was lock'd out. These people saw the chain about his neck. [mine Duke. What an intricate impeach is this! 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. 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-- [right |