So he would keep fair quarter with his bed. Will lofe his beauty; and the gold bides ftill, Ant. SCENE IV. Changes to the Street. Enter Antipholis of Syracuse. [Exeunt. HE gold I gave to Dromio is laid up THE Safe at the Centaur; and the heedful flave Is wander'd forth in care to seek me out. How now, Sir! is your merry humour alter'd? I fee, the jewel, beft enameled, Will lofe his beauty; yet the gold bides ftill, By falfhood and corruption doth it fhame.] In this miferable Condition is this Paffage given us. It should be read thus, I fee, the jewel, beft enameled, Will lofe his beauty; and the gold bides ftill, That others touch; yet often touching will Wear gold and fo no man, that hath a name, But falfhood, and corruption, doth it fhame. The Senfe is this, Gold, indeed, will long bear the handling; how. ever, often touching, will wear even Gold; juft fo the greateit Character, tho' as pure as Gold itfelf, may, in Time, be injured, by the repeated Attacks of Falfhood and Corruption. My You know no Centaur? you receiv'd no gold? S. Dro. What anfwer, Sir? when spake I such a word? My houfe was at the Phanix? waft thou mad, Ant. Even now, even here, not half an hour fince. S. Dro I'm glad to fee you in this merry vein : What means this jeft, I pray you, master, tell me? Ant. Yea, doft thou jeer and flout me in the teeth? Think'ft thou, I jeft? hold, take thou that, and that. [Beats Dro. S. Dro. Hold, Sir, for God's fake, now your jeft is earneft; Upon what bargain do you give it me? Ant. Because that I familiarly fometimes And make a common of my ferious hours. S. Dro. Sconce, call you it? fo you would leave battering, I had rather have it a head; an you use thefe blows long, I must get a fconce for my head, and infconce it too, or else I fhall feek my wit in fhoulders: but, I pray, Sir, why am I beaten? Ant. Doft thou not know? my S. Dro. Nothing, Sir, but that I am beaten. S. Dro. Ay, Sir, and wherefore; for, they fay, every why hath a wherefore. Ant. Ant. Why, first, for flouting me; and then wher fore, for urging it the fecond time to me. S. Dro. Was there ever any man thus beaten out of season, When, in the why, and wherefore, is neither rhime nor reafon ? Well, Sir, I thank you. Ant. Thank me, Sir, for what? S. Dro. Marry, Sir, for this fomething that you gave me for nothing. Ant. I'll make you amends next, to give you nothing for fomething. But fay, Sir, is it dinner-time? S. Dro. No, Sir, I think, the meat wants that I have. Ant. In good time, Sir, what's that? S. Dro. Bafting. Ant. Well, Sir, then twill be dry. S. Dro. If it be, Sir, I pray you eat none of it. S. Dro. Left it make you choleric, and purchase me another dry-basting. Ant. Well, Sir, learn to jeft in good time; there's a time for all things. S. Dro. I durft have deny'd that, before you were fo choleric. Ant. By what rule, Sir? S. Dro. Marry, Sir, by a rule as plain as the plain pate of father Time himfelf. bald Ant. Let's hear it. S. Dro. There's no time for a man to recover his hair, that grows bald by nature. Ant. May he not do it by fine and recovery? S. Dro. Yes, to pay a fine for a peruke, and recover the loft hair of another man. Ant. Why is Time fuch a niggard of hair, being, as it is, fo plentiful an excrement? S. Dro. Because it is a blessing that he beftows on'' beafts; and what he hath fcanted men in hair, he hath given them in wit. Ant. Ant. Why, but there's many a man hath more hair than wit. S. Dro. Not a man of those, but he hath the wit to lofe his hair. Ant. Why, thou didft conclude hairy men plain. dealers without wit. 1 S. Dro. The plain dealer, the fooner loft; yet he lofeth it in a kind of jollity. Ant. For what reafon? S. Dro. For two, and found ones too. Ant. Nay, not fure in a thing falfing. Ant. Name them. S. Dro. The one to fave the money that he spends in tyring; the other, that at dinner they should not drop in his porridge. Ant. You would all this time have prov'd, there is no time for all things. S. Dro. Marry, and did, Sir; namely, no time to recover hair loft by nature. Ant. But your reason was not substantial, why there is no time to recover. S. Dro. Thus I mend it: Time himfelf is bald, and therefore to the world's end will have bald followers. Ant. I knew, 'twould be a bald conclufion: but, foft! who wafts us yonder? SCENE V. Enter Adriana, and Luciana. Adri. AY, ay, Antipholis, look ftrange and frown, Some other mistress hath thy fwect alpects I am not Adriana, nor thy wife. The time was once, when thou, unurg'd, wouldst vow, That never object pleasing in thine eye, That That never meat fweet-favour'd in thy tafte, Am better than thy dear felf's better part. As take from me thyfelf; and not me too. I know thou canft; and therefore, fee, thou do it. 1 do digeft the poifon of thy fleth, Being frumpeted by thy contagion. Keep then fair league, and truce with thy true bed; I live diftain'd, thou undishonoured. Ant. Plead you to me, fair dame? I know you not: In Ephesus I am but two hours old, As ftrange unto your town as to your talk. Luc. Fie, brother! how the world is chang'd with you When |