That never meat fweet-favour'd in thy taste,

Unless I fpake, or look'd, or touch'd, or cary'd.
How comes it now, my husband, oh, how comes it,
That thou art thus eftranged from thyfelf?
Thyfelf I call it, being ftrange to me.
That, undividable, incorporate,

Am better than thy dear felf's better part.
Ah do not tear away thyfelf from me:
For know, my love, as easy may'st thou fall
A drop of water in the breaking gulph,
And take unmingled thence that drop again,
Without addition or diminishing,

As take from me thyfelf, and not me too.
How dearly would it touch thee to the quick,
Should't thou but hear I were licentious?
And that this body, confecrate to thee,
By ruffian luft fhould be contaminate?
Would't thou not spit as me, and spurn at me,
And hurl the name of husband in my face,
And tear the ftain'd fkin of my harlot-brow,
And from my falfe hand cut the wedding-ring,
And break it with a deep-divorcing vow?

I know thou can'ft; and therefore fee thou do it.
I am poffefs'd with an adult'rate blot;

My blood is mingled with the grime of luft:

S. Dro. For two, and found ones too.
Ant. Nay, not found, I pray you.

S. Dro. Sure ones then.

Ant. Nay, not fure in a thing falfing.

S. Dro. Certain ones then,

Ant. Name them.

S. Dro. The one to fave the money that he spends in tyring; the other, that at dinner they should not drop in his porridge.

Art. You would all this time have prov'd, there is no time for all things.

S. Dro. Marry, and did, Sir; namely, no time to recover hair loft by nature.

Ant. But your reafon was not fubftantial, why there is no time to

recover.

S. Dro. Thus I mend it: Time himself is bald, and therefore to the world's end will have bald followers.

Ant. I knew 'twould be a bald conclusion: but, foft! who wafts us yonder?.

SCENE, &c.

For

For if we two be one, and thou play false,
I do digeft the poifon of thy flesh,

Being ftrumpeted by thy contagion.

Keep then fair league, and truce with thy true bed; I live diftain'd, thou undishonoured.

Ant. Plead you to me, fair dame? I know you not: In Ephefus I am but two hours old,

As ftrange unto your town as to your talk *.

Luc. Fie, brother! how the world is change'd with When were you wont to ufe my fifter thus?

She fent for you by Dromio home to dinner.
Ant. By Dromio?

S. Dro. By me?

[you!

Adr. By thee; and thus thou didst return from him, That he did buffet thee; and in his blows

Deny'd my house for his, me for his wife.

Ant. Did you converfe, Sir, with this gentlewoman? What is the course and drift of your compact ? S. Dro. I, Sir, I never faw her till this time. Ant. Villain, thou lyeft; for even her very words Didst thou deliver to me on the mart.

S. Dro. I never spoke with her in all my life. Ant. How can fhe thus then call us by our names, Unless it be by infpiration?

Adr. How ill agrees it with your gravity, To counterfeit thus grofsly with your flave, Abetting him to thwart me in my mood? Be it my wrong, you are from me exempt †, But wrong not that wrong with a more contempt, Come, I will faften on this fleeve of thine; "Thou art an elm, my husband, I a vine: "Whose weaknefs, marry'd to thy stronger state, "Makes me with thy ftrength to communicate; "If aught poffefs thee from me, it is dross, "Ufurping ivy, briar, or idle mofs;

"Who, all for want of pruning, with intrufion "Infect thy fap, and live on thy confufion.

as to vour talk,

Who, every word by all my wit being fcann'd,

Wants wit in all one word to understand.

Luc. Fie, brother, &.

Exempt for eftran ed.

Ant.

Ant. To me the speaks; she moves me for her theme; What, was I marry'd to her in my dream?

Or fleep I now, and think I hear all this?
What error drives our eyes and ears amifs?
Until I know this fure uncertainty,

I'll entertain the favour'd fallacy.

Luc. Dromio, go bid the servants spread for dinner*,
Adr. Come, come, no longer will I be a fool,
To put the finger in the eye, and weep,

Whilft man and master laugh my woes to fcorn.
Come, Sir, to dinner; Dromio, keep the gate;
Hufband, I'll dine above with you to-day,
And fhrive you of a thousand idle pranks;
Sirrah, if any afk you for your master,
Say he dines forth, and let no creature enter:
Come, fifter; Dromio, play the porter well.

Ant. Am I in earth, in heaven, or in hell?
Sleeping or waking, mad or well advis'd?
Known unto these, and to myself disguis'd ?
I'll fay as they fay, and perfever so;
And in this mist at all adventures go.

*

S. Dro. Mafter, fhall I be porter at the gate?
Adr. Ay, let none enter, left I break your pate.
Luc. Come, come, Antipholis, we dine too late.
[Exeunt.

fpread for dinner.

S. Dro. On, for my beads! I crofs me for a finner.

This is the fairy land: oh, fpight of spights!
We talk with goblins, owls, and elvish fprights;
If we obey them not, this will enfue.

They'll fuck our breath, and pinch us black and blue.
Luc. Why prat'ft thou to thyfelf, and anfwer'ft not?
Dromio, theu drone, thou foail, thou flug, thou fot!
S. Dro. I am transformed, Master, am not I?
Ant. I think thou art in mind, and fo am I.

S. Dio. Nay, master, both in mind and in my shape.
Ant. Thou haft thine own form,

S. Dro. No; I am an ape.

Luc. If thou art change'd to aught, 'tis to an afs.

S. Dro. 'Tis true; the rides me, and I long for grafs,

'Tis fo, I am an afs; elf: it could never be,

But I fhould know her, as well as he knows me.

Adr. Come, come, &c.

ACT

The Street before Antipholis's house.

Enter Antipholis of Ephefus, Dromio of Ephefus, Angelo, and Balthazar.

E. Ant. My wife is fhrewith when I keep not G

Ood Signior Angelo, you must excufe us;

Say, that I linger'd with you at your shop
To see the making of her carkanet;

[hours;

And that to-morrow you will bring it home.
But here's a villain, that would face me down
He met me on the mart, and that I beat him;
And charge'd him with a thousand marks in gold;
And that I did deny my wife and house:

Thou drunkard, thou, what didft thou mean by this* ?
I think thou art an afs.

E. Dro. Marry, fo it doth appear

By the wrongs I fuffer, and the blows I bear;

I fhould kick, being kick'd; and, being at that pafs, You would keep from my heels, and beware of an afs. E. Ant. Y'are fad, Signior Balthazar. Pray God,

our cheer

May answer my good-will, and your good welcome

here t

mean by this?

E. Dro. Say what you will, Sir; but I know what I know
That you beat me at the mart, I have your hand to fhow;
If the skin were parchment, and the blows you gave were ink,
Your own hand writing would tell you what I think.
E. Ant. I think, &c.

Bal. I hold your dainties cheap, Sir, and your welcome dear.
E. Ant. Ah, Signior Balthazar, either at flesh or fim,

A table-full of welcome makes fcarce one dainty dish.

Bal. Good meat, Sir, is common; that every churl affords.

E. Ant. And welcome more common; for that's nothing but words. Bal. Small cheer, and great welcome, makes a merry feast.

E. Ant. Ay, to a niggardly hoft, and more fparing guest:

But though my cates be mean, take them in good part;
Better cheer may you have, but not with better heart.
But, foft, &c.

VOL. III.

Y

But,

But, foft; my door is lock'd; go bid them let us in, E.Dro. Maud, Bridget, Marian, Cicely, Gillian, Ginn! S. Dro. [Within.] Mome, malt-horse, capon, coxcomb, idiot, patch!

Either get thee from the door, or fit down at the hatch: Doft thou conjure for wenches, that thou call'ft for fuch ftore,

When one is one too many? go, get thee from the door *.

get thee from the door.

E. Dro. What patch is made our porter? my mafter stays in the ftreet.

S. Dro. Let him walk from whence he came, left he catch cold

on's feet.

E. Ant. Who talks within there? hoa, open the door.

S. Dro. Right, Sir; I'll tell you when, an you'll tell me where

fore.

E. Ant. Wherefore? for my dinner: I have not din'd to-day.

S. Dro. Nor to day here you must not: come again when you may. E. Ant. What art thou that keep'ft me out from the houfe I owe? S. Dro. The porter for this time, Sir, and my name is Dromio. E. Dro. O villain, thou hast stol'n both mine office and my name : The one ne'er got me credit, the other mickle blame.

If thou had't been Dromio to-day in my place,

Thou would'st have change'd thy face for a name, or thy name for an afs.

Luce. [Within.] What a coile is there, Dromio? who are those at

the gate?

E. Dro. Let my mafter in, Luce.

Luce. 'Faith, no; he comes too late;

And fo tell your master.

E. Dro. O Lord, I must laugh;

Have at you with a proverb.-Shall I set in my staff?

Luce. Have at you with another; that's when can you tell?

S. Dro. If thy name be call'a Luce, Luce, thou haft answer'd him well.

E. Ant. Do you hear, you minion; you'll let us in, I trow?

Luce. I thought to have afk'd you.

S. Dro. And you faid, No.

E. Dro. So, come, help, well fruck; there was blow for blow, E. Ant. Thou baggage, let me in.

Luce. Can you tell for whofe fake?

E. Dro. Mafter, knock the door hard.

Luce. Let him knock till it ake.

E. Ant. You'll cry for this, minion, if I beat the door down.
Luce. What needs all that, and a pair of ftocks in the town?
Adr. [Within.] Who is that, &c.

Adr.