To have them bound again. Off. Away, they'll kill us. [Exeunt Off. Adr. and Luc. 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, Enter the Abbess. Abb. Be quiet, people; Wherefore throng you Adr. To fetch my poor distracted husband hence; Ang. I knew, he was not in his perfect wits. Adr. This week he hath been heavy, sour, sad, give us gold methinks, they are such a gentle And much, much different from the man he was; nation, that, but for the mountain of mad flesh that But, till this afternoon, his passion claims marriage of me, I could find in my heart to Ne'er brake into extremity of rage. 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. ACT V. SCENE I.-The same. Abb. Hath he not lost much wealth by wreck at [Exe. Bury'd some dear friend? Hath not else his eye Adr. To none of these, except it be the last: Angelo. Ang. I am sorry, sir, that I have hinder'd you; But, I protest, he had the chain of me, Though most dishonestly he doth deny it. Mer. How is the man esteem'd here in the city? Ang. Of very reverend reputation, sir, Of credit infinite, highly belov'd, Second to none that lives here in the city; His word might bear my wealth at any time. Mer. Speak softly: yonder, as I think, he walks. 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; hear thee: 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. mad: Some get within him,2 take his sword away: This is some priory ;-In, or we are spoil'd. Ay, but not rough enough. Adr. As roughly, as my modesty would let me. Abb. Haply, in private. Adr. And in assemblies too. Abb. Ay, but not enough. Still did I tell him it was vile and bad. Abb. And thereof came it, that the man was mad: Unquiet meals make ill digestions, Luc. She never reprehended him but mildly, When he demeaned himself rough, rude, and wildly. Why bear you these 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 enters in my house. Adr. Then, let your servants bring my husband forth. Abb. Neither; he took this place for sanctuary, Adr. I will attend my husband, be his nurse, (4) Theme. COMEDY OF ERRORS. And therefore let me have him home with me. Therefore depart, and leave him here with me. And ill doth it beseem your holiness, Abb. Be quiet and depart, thou shalt not have Mer. To see a reverend Syracusan merchant, Against the laws and statutes of this town, Ang. See, where they come; we will behold his Luc. Kneel to the duke, before he pass the abbey. Enter Duke attended; Egeon bare-headed; with the Headsman and other officers. Duke. Yet once again proclaim it publicly, 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 (1) i. e. To bring him back to his senses. (5, 1. e. To take measures. 315 When thou didst make him master of thy bed, Enter a Servant. Serv. O mistress, mistress, shift and save yourself! Adr. Peace, fool, thy master and his man are And that is false thou dost report to us. I have not breath'd almost, since I did see it. Hark, hark, I hear him, mistress; fly, be gone. Even now we hous'd him in the abbey here; Ant. E. Justice, most gracious duke, oh, grant me justice! Even for the service that long since I did thee, Ege. Unless the fear of death doth make me dote, Ant. E. Justice, sweet prince, against that She whom thou gav'st to me to be my wife; That she this day hath shameless thrown on me. upon me, While she with harlots feasted in my house. thou so? Adr. No, my good lord ;-myself, he, and my sister, To-day did dine together: So befall my soul, Luc. Ne'er may I look on day, nor sleep on night, In this the madman justly chargeth them. Ant. E. My liege, I am advised what I say; (8) i. e. Cuts his hair close. (9) Harlot was a term of reproach applied to cheats among men as well as to wantons among women. Neither disturb'd with the effect of wine, Duke. Why, this is strange :-Go call the abbess hither; I think you are all mated,' or stark mad. [Exit an attendant. Ege. Most mighty duke, vouchsafe me speak a word; Haply I see a friend will save my life, Duke. Speak freely, Syracusan, what thou wilt. That I this day of him receiv'd the chain, I did obey; and sent my peasant home For certain ducats: he with none return'd. To go in person with me to my house. By the way we met My wife, her sister, and a rabble more Of vile confederates; along with them Ege. I am sure, you both of you remember me. Dro. E. Ourselves we do remember, sir, by you; For lately we were bound as you are now. You are not Pinch's patient, are you, sir? Æge. Why look you strange on me? you know me well. Ant. E. I never saw you in my life, till now. Ege. Oh! grief hath chang'd me, since you saw me last; And careful hours, with Time's deformed hand, They brought one Pinch; a hungry lean-fac'd vil- Have written strange defeature's in my face: lain, A mere anatomy, a mountebank, A thread-bare juggler, and a fortune-teller; For these deep shames and great indignities. That he dined not at home, but was lock'd out. Duke. But had he such a chain of thee, or no? Ang. He had, my lord; and when he ran in here, These people saw the chain about his neck. Mer. Besides, I will be sworn, these ears of mine Heard you confess you had the chain of him, Duke. Why, what an intricate impeach is this! Dro. E. Sir, he dined with her there, at the Porcupine. Cour. He did; and from my finger snatch'd that ring. 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. But tell me yet, dost thou not know my voice? Ant. E. Neither. Ege. Dromio, nor thou? Dro. E. No, trust me, sir, nor I. JEge. I am sure, thou dost. Dro. E. Ay, sir? but I am sure, I do not; and whatsoever a man denics, 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 lamp 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 the city, Can witness with me that it is not so ; Duke. I tell thee, Syracusan, twenty years Abb. Most mighty duke, behold a man much wrong'd. [All gather to see him. Adr. I see two husbands, or mine eyes deceive 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. 1, sir, am Dromio; pray, let me stay. Ant. S. Ægeon, 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, (3) Furrowed, lined. And gain a husband by his liberty :- Age. If I dream not, thou art Æmili; Abb. By men of Epidamnum, he, and I, Duke. Why, here begins his morning story right;' Ant. S. No, sir, not I; I came from Syracuse. Duke. Stay, stand apart! I know rot which is which. Ant. E. I came from Corinth, my most gracious lord. Dro. E. And I with him. Ant. E. Brought to this town with that most Duke Menaphon, your most renowned uncle. And are not you my husband? Ang. That is the chain, sir, which you had of me. Ant. S. I think it be, sir; I deny it not. Ant. E. And you, sir, for this chain arrested me. Ang. I think I did, sir; I deny it not. Adr. I sent you money, sir, to be your bail, By Dromio; but I think he brought it not. Dro. E. No, none by me. And all that are assembled in this place, Duke. With all my heart, I'll gossip at this feast. [Exeunt Duke, Abbess, Egeon, Courtezan, Merchant, Angelo, and attendants. Dro. S. Master, shall I fetch your stuff from shipboard? Ant. E. Dromio, what stuff of mine hast thou embark'd? Dro. S. Your goods, that lay at host, sir, in the Centaur. Ant. S. He speaks to me; I am your master, Come, go with us: we'll look to that anon: [Exeunt Antipholus S. and E. Adr. and Luc. Dro. S. There is a fat friend at your master's house, That kitchen'd me for you to-day at dinner; Dro. E. Methinks, you are my glass, and not my brother: I see by you, I am a sweet-faced youth. Dro. S. Not I, sir; you are my elder. Dro. E. Nay, then thus: We came into the world, like brother and brother; And now let's go hand in hand, not one before another. [Exeunt. On a careful revision of the foregoing scenes, I do not hesitate to pronounce them the composition of two very unequal writers. Shakspeare had undoubtedly a share in them; but that the entire play Ant. S. This purse of ducats I receiv'd from you, was no work of his, is an opinion which (as Bene And Dromio my man did bring them me: I see, we still did meet each other's man, And I was ta'en for him, and he for me, And thereupon these Errors are arose. dict says) 'fire cannot melt out of me; I will die in it at the stake.' Thus, as we are informed by Aulus Gellius, Lib. III. Cap. 3. some plays were absolutely ascribed to Plautus, which in truth had only been (retractatæ et expolita) retouched and polish Ant. E. These ducats pawn I for my father here. Abb. Renowned duke, vouchsafe to take the pains And hear at large discoursed all our fortunes: (1) The morning story is what duke in the first scene of this olav. geon te!!: In this comedy we find more intricacy of plot than distinction of character; and our attention is less forcibly engaged, because we can guess in great measure how the denouement will be brought about. Yet the subject appears to have been reluctantly dismissed, even in this last and unnecessary scene; where the same mistakes are conetinued, till the power of affording entertainment lis entirely lost. STEEVENS. An English Doctor. A Scotch Doctor. A Soldier. A Porter. An old Man. Lady Macbeth. Lady Macduff. Gentlewoman attending on lady Macbeth. Hecate, and three Witches. Lords, Gentlemen, Officers, Soldiers, Murderers, Attendants, and Messengers. The Ghost of Banquo, and several other Appari tions. Scene, in the end of the fourth act, lies in Eng land; through the rest of the play, in Scotland, and, chiefly, at Macbeth's castle. Do swarm upon him,) from the western isles Light-And fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling, Of Kernes and Gallowglasses is supplied;2 Upon the heath. 3 Witch. There to meet with Macbeth. 1 Witch. I come, Graymalkin! [Witches vanish. SCENE II-A Camp near Fores. Alarum within. Enter King Duncan, Malcolm, Donalbain, Lenox, with attendants, meeting a bleeding Soldier. Dun. What bloody man is that? He can report, Mal. Sold. Show'd like a rebel's whore: But all's too weak: Carv'd out his passage, till he fac'd the slave; Dun. O, valiant cousin! worthy gentleman! Sold. As whence the sun 'gins his reflexion Shipwrecking storms and direful thunders break; So from that spring, whence comfort seem'd to come, Discomfort swells. Mark, king of Scotland, mark: No sooner justice had, with valour arm'd, Compell'd these skipping Kernes to trust their heels: With furbish'd arms, and new supplies of men, But the Norweyan lord, surveying vantage, Began a fresh assault. Dun. Dismay'd not this Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo? Sold. Yes; As sparrows, eagles; or the hare, the lion. Doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe: I cannot tell: But I am faint, my gashes cry for help. Dun. So well thy words become thee, as thy wounds; They smack of honour both:-Go, get him sur [Exit Soldier, attended. geons. (2) Supplied with light and heavy-armed (5) Truth. troops. (S) Cause, (4) The opposite to comfort, (6) Make another Golgotha as memorable as the !first. |