SCENE I.] THE COMEDY OF ERRORS. 287 My wasting lamps some fading glimmer left, Ant. E. I never saw my father in my life. Thou know'st we parted but perhaps, my son, Ant. E. The duke and all that know me in the city I ne'er saw Syracusa in my life. Duke. I tell thee, Syracusian, twenty years Have I been patron to Antipholus, During which time he ne'er saw Syracusa : I see thy age and dangers make thee dote. 320 Re-enter Abbess, with ANTIPHOLUS of Syracuse and DROMIC of Syracuse. Abb. Most mighty duke, behold a man much wrong'd. [All gather to see them. 330 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. S. O, my old master! who hath bound him here? Abb. Whoever bound him, I will lose his bonds And gain a husband by his liberty. 340 Speak, old Egeon, if thou be'st the man Ege. If I dream not, thou art Emilia : Abb. By men of Epidamnum he and I By force took Dromio and my son from them I to this fortune that you see me in. Duke. Why, here begins his morning story right' 350 And these two Dromios, one in semblance,- Antipholus, thou camest from Corinth first? 360 Duke. Stay, stand apart; I know not 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 by that most famous warrior, Duke Menaphon, your most renowned uncle. Adr. Which of you two did dine with me to-day? Adr. And are not you my husband? Ant. E. No; I say nay to that. Ant. S. And so do I; yet did she call me so: And this fair gentlewoman, her sister here, Did call me brother. [To Luc.] What I told you then, I hope I shall have leisure to make good; If this be not a dream I see and hear. Ang. That is the chain, sir, which you had of me. Ant. E. And you, sir, for this chain arrested me. Dro. E. No, none by me. Ant. S. This purse of ducats I received from you I see we still did meet each other's man, 371 380 390 Ant. E. These ducats pawn I for my father here. Abb. Renowned duke, vouchsafe to take the pains To go with us into the abbey here And hear at large discoursed all our fortunes: And all that are assembled in this place, 400 My heavy burthen ne'er delivered. The duke, my husband and my children both, Duke. With all my heart, I'll gossip at this feast. [Exeunt all but Ant. S., Ant. E., Dro. S., and Dro. E. 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, Dromio: Come, go with us; we'll look to that anon: Embrace thy brother there; rejoice with him. [Exeunt Ant. S. and Ant. E. Dro. S. There is a fat friend at your master's house, That kitchen'd me for you to-day at dinner: She now shall be my sister, not my wife. Dro. E. Methinks you are my glass, and not my brother: I see by you I am a sweet-faced youth. Will you walk in to see their gossiping? Dro. S. Not I, sir; you are my elder. Dro. E. That's a question: how shall we try it? 420 Dro. 8. We'll draw cuts for the senior: till then lead thou first. 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. SHAK. I.-10 [Exeunt. Enter LEONATO, HERO, and BEATRICE, with a Messenger. Leon. I learn in this letter that Don Peter of Arragon comes this night to Messina. Mess. He is very near by this: he was not three leagues off when I left him. Leon. How many gentlemen have you lost in this action? Mess. But few of any sort, and none of name. Leon. A victory is twice itself when the achiever brings home full numbers. I find here that Don Peter hath bestowed much honour on a young Florentine called Claudio. Mess. Much deserved ou his part and equally remembered by Don Pedro: he hath borne himself beyond the promise of his age, doing, in the figure of a lamb, the feats of a lion he hath indeed better bettered expectation than you must expect of me to tell you how. Leon. He hath an uncle here in Messina will be very much glad of it. Mess. I have already delivered him letters, and there ap( 290 ) pears much joy in him; even so much that joy could not show itself modest enough without a badge of bitterness. Leon. Did he break out into tears? Mess. In great measure. Leon. A kind overflow of kindness: there are no faces truer than those that are so washed. How much better is it to weep at joy than to joy at weeping! Beat. I pray you, is Signior Mountanto returned from the wars or no? 31 Mess. I know none of that name, lady: there was none such in the army of any sort. Leon. What is he that you ask for, niece? Hero. My cousin means Signior Benedick of Padua. Mess. O, he's returned; and as pleasant as ever he was. Beat. He set up his bills here in Messina and challenged Cupid at the flight; and my uncle's fool, reading the challenge, subscribed for Cupid, and challenged him at the bird-bolt. I pray you, how many hath he killed and eaten in these wars? But how many hath he killed? for indeed I promised to eat all of his killing. Leon. Faith, niece, you tax Signior Benedick too much; but he'll be meet with you, I doubt it not. Mess. He hath done good service, lady, in these wars. Beat. You had musty victual, and he hath holp to eat it; he is a very valiant trencher-man; he hath an excellent stomach. Mess. And a good soldier too, lady. Beat. And a good soldier to a lady: but what is he to a lord? Mess. A lord to a lord, a man to a man; stuffed with all honourable virtues. Beat. It is so, indeed; he is no less than a stuffed man : but for the stuffing,-well, we are mortal. 60 Leon. You must not, sir, mistake my niece. There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her: they never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them. Beat. Alas! he gets nothing by that. In our last conflict four of his five wits went halting off, and now is the whole man governed with one: so that if he have wit enough to keep himself warm, let him bear it for a difference between himself and his horse; for it is all the wealth that he hath left, to be known a reasonable creature. Who is his companion now? He hath every month a new sworn brother. Mess. Is't possible? Beat. Very easily possible: he wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat; it ever changes with the next block. |