Or that, or any place that harbours men.
But here must end the ftory of my life;
And happy were I in my timely death,
Could all my travels warrant me they live..

Duke. Hapleis Egeon, whom the fates have mark'd To bear th' extremity of dire mifhap;

Now, truft me, were it not against our laws,
(Which princes, would they, may not difannul);
Against my crown, my oath, my dignity,
My foul fhould fue as advocate for thee.
But, tho' thou art adjudged to the death,
And paffed fentence may not be recall'd,
But to our honour's great disparagement;
Yet will I favour thee in what I can;
I therefore, merchant, limit thee this day,
To feek thy life by beneficial help:
Try all the friends thou haft in Ephefus,
Beg thou, or borrow, to make up the fum,
And live; if not, then thou art doom'd to die.
Jailor, take him to thy cuftody.

fail. I will, my Lord.

[Exeunt Duke, and train.

Egeon. Hopelefs and helpless doth Egeon wend,

But to procrastinate his lifelefs end.

[Exeunt Egeon, and Jailor.

SCENE II. Changes to the street.

Enter Antipholis of Syracufe, a Merchant, and Dromio.

Mer. Therefore give out, you are of Epidamnum, Left that your goods too foon be confiscate.

This very day, a Syracufan merchant

Is apprehended for arrival here;
And, not being able to buy out his life,
According to the ftatute of the town,
Dies ere the weary fun fet in the weit:
There is your money that I had to keep.

Ant. Go bear it to the Centaur, where we hoft,
And ftay 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,
Perufe the traders, gaze upon the buildings,

And

And then return, and fleep within mine inn;
For with long travel I am stiff and weary.
Get thee away.

Dro. Many a man would take you at your word, And go indeed, having fo good a means.

[Exit Dromie. Ant. A trufty villain, Sir, that very oft, When I am dull with care and melancholy, Lightens my humour with his merry jefts. What, will you walk with me about the town, And then go to the inn, and dine with me? 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 confort you till bed-time: My prefent business calls me from you now. Ant. Farewel till then; I will go lofe myself, And wander up and down to view the city. Mer. Sir, I commend you to your own content. [Exit Merchant.

Ant. He that commends me to my 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,
Unfeen inquifitive, confounds himself:
So I, to find a mother and a brother,
In queft of them, unhappy, lofe myself.
Enter Dromio of Ephefus.

Here comes the almanack of my true date.
What now? how chance thou art return'd fo foon?
E. Dro. Return'd fo foon? rather approach'd too

late:

The capon burns, the pig falls from the fpit,
The clock has ftrucken twelve upon the bell;
My mistress made it one upon my cheek,
She is fo hot, becaufe the meat is cold;
The meat is cold, becaufe you come not home;

You

3

You come not home, becaufe you have no ftomach:
You have no ftomach, having broke your faft;
But we, that know what 'tis to faft and pray,
Are penitent for your default to-day.

Ant. Stop in your wind, Sir; tell me this, I pray, Where you have left the money that I gave you?

E. Dro. Oh,-fixpence that I had a Wednesday laft, To pay the faddler for my mistrefs' crupper? The faddler had it, Sir; I keep it not.

Ant. I am not in a sportive humour now; Tell me, and dally not, where is the money ? We being ftrangers here, how dar't thou truft So great a charge from thine own cuftody?

E. Dro. I pray you jeft, Sir, as you fit at dinner : I from my mistress come to you in post;

If I return, I fhall be poft indeed;

For the will score your fault upon my pate.

Methinks your maw, like mine, fhould be your clock, And strike you home without a meffenger.

Ant. Come, Dromio, come, thefe jests are out of feafon ;

Referve them till a merrier hour than this.
Where is the gold I gave in charge to thee?

E. Dro. To me, Sir? why you gave no gold to me. Ant. Come on, Sir Knave, have done your foolishness; And tell me how thou haft difpos'd thy charge?

E. Dro. My charge was but to fetch you from the

mart

Home to your houfe, the Phoenix, Sir, to dinner;
My mistress and her fifter stay for you.

Ant. Now, as I am a Chriftian, anfwer me,
In what fafe place you have bestow'd my money;
Or I fhall break that merry fconce of your's,
That ftands on tricks when I am undifpos'd:
Where are the thousand marks thou hadst of me?
E. Dro. I have fome marks of your's upon my pate;
Some of my mistress' marks upon my fhoulders;
But not a thousand marks between you both.
If I fhould pay your Worship those again,
Perchance you will not bear them patiently.

Ant. Thy miftrefs' marks; what mistress, flave, hast thou?

E. Dre.

E. Dro. Your Worfhip's wife, my miftrefs at the
Phoenix;

She that doth faft till you come home to dinner;
And prays that you will hie you home to dinner.
Ant. What, wilt thou flout me thus unto my face,
Being forbid there, take you that, Sir Knave.
E. Dro. What mean you, Sir? for God's fake hold
your hands;

Nay, an you will not, Sir, I'll take my heels.

[Exit Dromie. Ant. Upon my life, by fome device or other, The villain is o'er-wrought of all my money. They fay, this town is full of cozenage; As nimble jugglers that deceive the eye; Drug-working forcerers that change the mind; Soul-killing witches that deform the body; Difguifed cheaters, prating mountebanks, And many fuch like libertines of fin: If it prove fo, I will be gone the fooner. I'll to the Centaur, to go seek this flave: I greatly fear my money is not fafe.

ACT II.

[Exit,

SCENE I.

The houfe of Antipholis of Ephefus.

Enter Adriana and Luciana.

Adr. That in fuch hafte I fent to feek his master!

Either my husband, nor the flave return'd,

Sure, Luciana, it is two o'clock.

Luc. Perhaps fome merchant hath invited him, And from the mart he's somewhere gone to dinner : Good sister, let us dine, and never fret.

A man is master of his liberty:

Time is their mafter; and when they fee time,
They'll go or come; if fo, be patient, fifter.

Adr. Why fhould their liberty than ours be more?
Luc. Becaufe their bufinefs ftill lies out a-door.
Adr. Look, when I ferve him fo, he takes it ill.
Luc. Oh, know, he is the bridle of your will.

Adr. There's none but affes will be bridled fo.

Luc. Why, head-ftrong liberty is lafh'd with woe. There's nothing fituate under heav'n's eye, But hath is bound in earth, in fea, in sky: The beasts, the fishes, and the winged fowls, Are their males' fubjects, and at their controuls. Men more divine, the masters of all these, Lords of the wide world, and wide wat'ry feas, Endu'd with intellectual fenfe and foul, Of more preheminence than fifh and fowl, Are masters to their females, and their lords : Then let your will attend on their accords.

Adr. This fervitude makes you to keep unwed.
Luc. Not this, but troubles of the marriage-bed.
Adr. But were you wedded, you would bear fome
Luc. Ere I learn love, I'll practise to obey. [fway.
Adr. How if your husband start fome other where?
Luc. Till he come home again, I would forbear.
Adr. Patience unmov'd, no marvel tho' fhe paufe?
They can be meek that have no other caufe:
A wretched foul, bruis'd with adverfity,
We bid be quiet, when we hear it cry;

But were we burden'd with like weight of pain,
As much, or more, we fhould ourselves complain.
So thou, that hast no unkind mate to grieve thee,
With urging helpless patience would'ft relieve me :
But if thou live to fee like right bereft,
This fool-begg'd patience in thee will be left.

Luc. Well, I will marry one day but to try;
Here comes your man, now is your husband nigh.

SCENE II. Enter Dromio of Ephefus. Adr. Say, is your tardy master now at hand? E. Dro. Nay, he's at two hands with me, and that my two ears can witnefs.

Adr. Say, did't thou speak with him? know't thou his mind?

E. Dro. Ay, ay, he told me his mind upon mine ear. Befhrew his hand, I fcarce could understand it.

Luc. Spake he fo doubtfully, thou could'st not feel his meaning?

E. Dro. Nay, he ftruck fo plainly, I could too well VOL. III.

X

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