A Merchant, Friend to Antipholis of Syracufe. Emilia, Wife to Egeon, an Abbefs at Ephefus. Luciana, Sifter to Adriana. Luce, Servant to Adriana. Jailor, Officers, and other Attendants. SCENE, Ephefus. THE THE (1) COMEDY of ERRORS. ACT I. SCENE, the Duke's PALACE. Enter the Duke of Ephefus, Egeon, Jailor, and P other Attendants. EGEON. Roceed, Salinus, to procure my fall, And by the doom of death end woes and all. I am not partial to infringe our laws : The enmity, and difcord, which of late Sprung (1) Comedy of ERRORS.] The controverfy of our Author's acquaintance with the Latin tongue has been partly canvafs'd upon his having writ this Play. "It is in great measure taken (fays "Mr. Rowe) from the Menæchmi of Plautus. How that happen'd, "I cannot eafily divine; fince I do not take him to have been maf "ter of Latin enough to read it in the original: and I know of no "translation of Plautus fo old as his time."-Thus far, hi acquaintance Sprung from the ranc'rous outrage of your Duke, To quit the penalty, and ranfom him. Ageon. Yet this my comfort, when your words are done, My woes end likewife with the evening fun. Duke. Well, Syracufan, fay, in brief, the cause, acquaintance with the Roman language is rather difputed, than afcertain'd. Let us fee, what Mr. Gildon has obferv'd upon this, "I confess with fubmiffion to the writer of his life, that I can find "no fuch need of divination on this head. For as it is beyond "contradiction plain, that this comedy is taken from that of "Plautus; so I think it as obvious to conclude from that, that "Shakespeare did understand Latin enough to read him, and knew ❝s so much of him as to be able to form a defign out of that of the "Roman Poer." -We now find his title to learning a little better grounded. After these Gentlemen comes Mr. Pope, and diffidently corroborates Mr. Gildon's opinion. "He appears (fays be) alfo to have been converfant in Plautus, from whom he has ❝ taken the Plot of One of his Plays." The Comedy of Errors is the Play meant here. But tho', perhaps, I may believe our Auther better acquainted with the ancient languages, than these three learned men profefs to do; yet, with deference to them, his literature will not come into difpute on this account. For the Menæckmi of Plautus was tranflated into English, (which our criticks might have known from Langbaine) and printed in quarto in the year 1515, half a cenry before out Author was born. Why Why thou departed'ft from thy native home; geon. A heavier tafk could not have been impos'd (2) Than I to fpeak my grief unspeakable: Unto a woman, happy but for me; And, which was ftrange, the one fo like the other Of such a burden, male-twins both alike: A league from Epidamnum had we fail'd, (2) A beavier talk could not have been impos'd, Than I to speak my Grief unspeakable.] The Poet feems to me here to have had in his eye the exordium of Æneas's fpeech to Dido, in the fecond book of Virgil's Æneis. Infandum, Regina, jubes renovare dolorem, &c. Gave any tragick inftance of our harm; (Weeping before, for what fhe faw must come ;) But ere they came- oh! let me fay no more! 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, Our |