Ant. E. Justice, sweet prince, against that woman there. She whom thou gav'st to me to be my wife; That hath abused and dishonored me, Even in the strength and height of injury! Beyond imagination is the wrong, That she this day hath shameless thrown on me. upon me, While she with harlots 1 feasted in my house. Duke. A grievous fault. Say, woman, didst 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, But she tells to your highness simple truth! Ang. O perjured woman! they are both forsworn. In this the madman justly chargeth them. Ant. E. My liege, I am advised what I say; There did this perjured goldsmith swear me down, Which, God he knows, I saw not; for the which, 1 Harlot was a term anciently applied to a rogue or base person among men, as well as to wantons among women. See Todd's Johnson. He did arrest me with an officer. I did obey; and sent my peasant home For certain ducats; he with none returned. 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 They brought one Pinch; a hungry, lean-faced villain, A thread-bare juggler, and a fortune-teller; Ran hither to your grace; whom I beseech For these deep shames and great indignities. Ang. My lord, in truth, thus far I witness with him, That he dined not at home, but was locked 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 Nor ever didst thou draw thy sword on me. Duke. Why, what an intricate impeach is this! If here you housed him, here he would have been, Dro. E. Sir, he dined with her there, at the Por cupine. Cour. He did; and from my finger snatched 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. 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, And pay the sum that may deliver me. Duke. Speak freely, Syracusan, what thou wilt. Ege. Is not your name, sir, called Antipholus? And is not that your bondman Dromio? Dro. E. Within this hour, I was his bondman, sir, But he, I thank him, gnawed in two my cords; Now am I Dromio, and his man, unbound. 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? Ege. 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 changed me, since you saw me last; And careful hours, with Time's deformed 2 hand, 1 Confounded. See note on Macbeth, Act v. Sc. 1. face: Have written strange defeatures in my Æge. Dromio, nor thou? I am sure, thou dost. are now bound to be Dro. E. Ay, sir? but I am sure, I do not; and whatsoever a man denies, you lieve him.1 Ege. Not know my voice! O, time's extremity! Ant. E. I never saw my father in my life. Ant. E. The duke and all that know me in the city, Can witness with me that it is not so; I ne'er saw Syracusa in my life. Duke. I tell thee, Syracusan, twenty years Have I been patron to Antipholus, During which time he ne'er saw Syracusa. Enter the Abbess, with ANTIPHOLUS Syracusan, and Abb. Most mighty duke, behold a man much wronged. [All gather to see him. 1 Dromio delights in a quibble, and the word bound has before been the subject of his mirth. 2 Furrowed, lined. 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 Dro. E. I, sir, am Dromio; pray, let me stay. Ant. S. Egeon, art thou not, or else his ghost? Dro. S. O, my old master! who hath bound him here? away. Abb. Whoever bound him, I will loose his bonds, And gain a husband by his liberty. Speak, old Ægeon, if thou be'st the man Ege. If I dream not, thou art Æmilia; 1 1 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 not which is which. 1 In the old copy, this speech of Ægeon, and the subsequent one of the abbess, follow the speech of the duke. It is evident that they were transposed by mistake." 2 The morning story" is what Ægeon tells the duke in the first scene of this play. |