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 merciless to us.

For ere the fhips 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 unjust 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 carried 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 ship had feiz'd on us;
And knowing whom it was their hap to fave,
Gave helpful welcome to their fhipwreck'd guefts;
And would have reft the fifhers of their prey,
Had not their bark been very flow of fail;

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

Duke. And, for the fakes of them thou forrow'st 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:
Hopeless to find, yet loth to leave unfought,

Or

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 Ægeon, whom the fates have mark'd To bear th' extremity of dire mishap;

Now, truft me, were it not against our laws,
(Which princes, would they, may not difannul);
Againft my crown, my oath, my dignity,
My foul fhould fue as advocate for thee.
But, tho' thou art adjudged to the death,
And passed sentence 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 Ephesus,
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 custody.

Jail. I will, my Lord.

[Exeunt Duke, and train,

Egeon. Hopeless and helpless doth Ægeon wend,

But to procraftinate his lifelefs end.

[Exeunt Egeon, and Jailor.

SCENE II. Changes to the fireet.

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 statute 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 stay there, Dromio, 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,

And

And then return, and sleep 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 Dromie. Ant. A truly 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, Pleafe you, I'll meet with you upon the mart, And afterward confort you till bed-time: My prefent business calls me from you now. Ant. Farewel till then; I will go lofe myfelf, And wander up and down to view the city. Mer. Sir, I commend you to your own content. [Exit Merchant.

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, becaufe the meat is cold;

The meat is cold, because you come not home;

You

You come not home, becaufe you have no ftomach:
You have no ftomach, having broke your faft;
But we, that know what 'tis to fait 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 for my miftrefs' crupper?
The faddler had it, Sir; I keep it not.

Ant. I am not in a sportive humour now; Tell me, and dally not, where is the money? We being ftrangers here, how dar'st 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 mistrefs come to you in post;
If I return, I fhall be poft indeed;

For fhe will score your fault upon my pate.
Methinks your maw, like mine, should be your
And ftrike you home without a meffenger.

clock,

Ant. Come, Dromio, come, thefe 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 tell me how thou haft difpos'd thy charge?

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

mart

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

Ant. Now, as I am a Christian, anfwer me,
In what fafe place you have bestow'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 thoufand marks thou hadft of me?
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 fhould pay your Worthip thofe again,
Perchance you will not bear them patiently.

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

E. Dro.

E. Dro. Your Worfhip'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 Dromie. 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.

Adr.

A C T II. SCENE I.

N

The houfe of Antipholis of Ephefus.

Enter Adriana and Luciana.

[Exit.

Either my husband, nor the flave return'd, That in fuch hafte I fent to feek his master! 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 master 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. Becaufe 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.

i

Adr.