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But ere they came-Oh, let me fay no more!
Gather the fequel by that went before.

Duke. Nay, forward, old man, do not break off so; For we may pity, tho' not pardon thee.

Egeon. Oh, had the gods done fo, I had not now Worthily term'd them mercilefs to us.

For ere the ships could meet by twice five leagues,
We were encountered by a mighty rock;
Which being violently borne upon,

Our helpless fhip was fplitted in the midft:
So that, in this unjuft divorce of us,
Fortune had left to both of us alike
What to delight in, what to forrow for.
Her part, poor foul! feeming as burdened
With leffer weight, but not with leffer woe,
Was carry'd with more speed before the wind,
And in our fight they three were taken up
By fishermen of Corinth, as we thought.
At length, another fhip had feiz'd on us;
And knowing whom it was their hap to save,
Gave helpful welcome to their fhipwreck'd guefts;
And would have reft the fishers of their prey,
Had not their bark been very flow of fail;

And therefore homeward did they bend their course.-
Thus have you heard me fever'd from my blifs;
That by misfortunes was my life prolong'd,
To tell fad ftories of my own mishaps.

Duke. And, for the fakes of them thou forrow'ft for, Do me the favour to dilate at full

What hath befall'n of them, and thee, till now.
Egeon. My youngest boy, and yet my eldest care,
At eighteen years, became inquifitive
After his brother; and importun'd me,
That his attendant (for his cafe was like,
Reft of his brother, but retain'd his name)
Might bear him company in queft of him:
Whom whilft I labour'd of a love to fee,
I hazarded the lofs of whom I lov'd.
Five fummers have I spent in fartheft Greece,
Roaming clean through the bounds of Afia,
And coafting homeward, came to Ephefus :
Hopelefs to find, yet loth to leave unfought,

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. Haplefs 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 cath, 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 difparagement;
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.

Jail. I will, my Lord.

[Exeunt Duke, and train.

Egeon. Hopelefs and helplefs doth Ægeon wend, But to procraftinate 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 confifcate.

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 weft :
There is your money that I had to keep.

Ant. Go bear it to the Centaur, where we hoft,
And ftay there, Dremio, 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,
VOL. III.

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 Dromio. 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 bufinefs 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,

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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 feeks 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, because the meat is cold;
The meat is cold, because you come not home;

You come not home, because you have no ftomach:
You have no ftomach, having broke your fast;
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 för miftrefs' crupper The faddler had it, Sir; I kept it not.

my

?

?

Ant. I am not in a sportive humour now; Tell me and dally not, where is the money We being ftrangers here, how dart 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 miftrefs come to you in post;

If I return, I fhall be poft indeed;

For she will score your fault upon my pate.

Methinks your maw, like mine, fhould be your clock, And ftrike you home without a messenger.

Ant. Come, Dromio, come, these jefts 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 soll --a ha... oh
Ami rea în how thou haft difpos'd thy charge?

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

mart

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

Ant. Now, as I am a Chriftian answer me,
In what fafe place you have beftow'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?

s;

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 should pay your Worship thofe again, Perchance you will not bear them patiently.

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

E. Dro. Your Worship'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 Dromio. 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 feek this flave: I greatly fear my money is not safe.

ACT II.

[Exit.

SCENE I.

The house of Antipholis of Ephefus.

· Adr. N

Enter Adriana and Luciana.

Either my husband, nor the slave return'd,

That in fuch hafte I fent to seek his mafter!

Sure, Luciana, it is two o'clock.

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

A man is mafter 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. Because 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.

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