And, not being able to buy out his life, Ant. S. Go bear it to the Centaur,* where we host, Dro. S. Many a man would take you at your word, Ant. S. A trusty villain, Sir; that very oft, [Exit DRO. S [Exit MERCHANT. Ant. S. He that commends me to mine own content, Commends me to the thing I cannot get. I to the world am like a drop of water, That in the ocean seeks another drop; Who, falling there to find his fellow forth, Unseen, inquisitive, confounds himself: So I, to find a mother, and a brother, In quest of them, unhappy, lose myself. Enter DROMIO of Ephesus. Here comes the almanack of my true date, What now? How chance, thou art return'd so soon? Dro. E. Return'd so soon! rather approach'd too late : The capon burns, the pig falls from the spit; The clock hath strucken twelve upon the bell, The meat is cold, because you come not home; *The sign of their hotel. Exchange, market-place. † I. e. servant. But we, that know what 'tis to fast and pray, Ant. S. Stop in your wind, Sir; tell me this, I pray; Dro. E. 0,-sixpence, that I had o' Wednesday last, Ant. S. I am not in a sportive humour now: Dro. E. I pray you, jest, Sir, as you sit at dinner: I from my mistress come to you in post; If I return, I shall be post indeed; For she will score your fault upon my pate. Methinks your maw, like mine, should be your clock, And strike you home without a messenger. Ant. S. Come, Dromio, come, these jests are out of season; Reserve them till a merrier hour than this: Where is the gold I gave in charge to thee? Dro. E. To me, Sir, why you gave no gold to me. Ant. S. Come on, sír knave, have done your foolishness, And tell me, how thou hast disposed thy charge. Dro. E. My charge was but to fetch you from the mart Ant. S. Now, as I am a Christian, answer me, Dro. E. I have some marks of yours upon my pate, If I should pay your worship those again, Perchance, you will not bear them patiently. Ant. S. Thy mistress' marks! what mistress, slave, hast thou? Dro. E. Your worship's wife, my mistress at the Phoenix; She that doth fast, till you come home to dinner, And prays, that you will hie you home to dinner. Ant. S. What, wilt thou flout me thus unto my face, Being forbid? There, take you that, sir knave. Dro. E. What mean you, Sir? for God's sake, hold your hands; Nay, an you will not, Sir, I'll take my heels. [Exit DROMIO E. Ant. S. Upon my life, by some device or other, Disguised cheaters, prating mountebanks, ACT II. SCENE I-A public Place. Enter ADRIANA and LUCIANA. Adr. Neither my husband, nor the slave return'd, Luc. Perhaps, some merchant hath invited him, A man is master of his liberty: Time is their master; and, when they see time, Adr. Why should their liberty than ours be more? Adr. This servitude makes you to keep unwed. Adr. How if your husband start some other where? Luc. Till he come home again, I would forbear. Adr. Patience, unmoved, no marvel though she pause; They can be meek, that have no other cause. A wretched soul, bruised with adversity, We bid be quiet, when we hear it cry; But were we burthen'd with like weight of pain, * Licensed offenders. [Exit. But, if thou live to see like right bereft, This fool-begg'd patience in thee will be left. Enter DROMIO of Ephesus. Adr. Say is your tardy master now at hand? Dro. E. Nay, he is at two hands with me, and that my two ears can witness. Adr. Say, didst thou speak with him? know'st thou his mind? Dro. E. Ay, ay, he told his mind upon mine ear: Beshrew his hand, I scarce could understand it. Luc. Spake he so doubtfully, thou couldst not feel his meaning? Dro. E. Nay, he struck so plainly, I could too well feel his blows; and withal so doubtfully, that I could scarce understand* them. Adr. But say, I pr'ythee, is he coming home? It seems, he hath great care to please his wife. Dro. E. Why, mistress, sure my master is horn-mad. Dro. E. I mean not cuckold-mad; but, sure, he's stark mad: When I desired him to come home to dinner, He ask'd me for a thousand marks in gold: 'Tis dinner-time, quoth I; My gold, quoth he: Your meat doth burn, quoth I: My gold, quoth he: Dro. E. Quoth my master: I know, quoth he, no house, no wife, no mistress ;— I thank him, I bear home upon my shoulders; For, in conclusion, he did beat me there. Adr. Go back again, thou slave, and fetch him home. For God's sake, send some other messenger. Adr. Back, slave, or I will break thy pate across. Adr. Hence, prating peasant; fetch thy master home. That like a football do you spurn me thus ? I. e. stand under. [Exit. Hath homely age the alluring beauty took And feeds from home; poor I am but his stale. Adr. Unfeeling fools can with such wrongs dispense. I know his eye doth homage otherwhere; Or else, what lets it but he would be here? So he would keep fair quarter with his bed! Will lose his beauty; and though gold 'bides still, SCENE II-The same. Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Syracuse. Ant. S. The gold I gave to Dromio, is laid up Enter DROMIO of Syracuse. That thus so madly thou didst answer me? [Exeunt. Dro. S. What answer, Sir? when spake I such a word? Ant. S. Even now, even here, not half an hour since. *Alteration of features. + Fairness. + Hinders. |