My mafter preaches patience to him, and the while
His man with fciffars nicks him like a fool:
And, fure, unless you fend fome prefent help,
Between them they will kill the conjurer.

Adr. Peace, fool, thy mafter and his man are here, And that is false, thou doft report to us.

Meff. Miftrefs, upon my life, I tell you true; I have not breath'd almoft, fince I did fee it. He cries for you, and vows if he can take you, To fcorch your face, and to disfigure you. [Cry within Hark, hark, I hear him, miftrefs; fly, be gone.

Duke. Come, ftand by me, fear nothing: guard with halberds.

Adr. Ay me, it is my husband; witness you,

That he is borne about invifible!

Ev'n now we hous'd him in the abbey here,
And now he's there, paft thought of human reafon.
Enter Antipholis, and Dromio of Ephefus.

E. Ant. Juftice, moft gracious Duke, oh, grant me juftice
Even for the fervice that long fince I did thee,
When I beftrid thee in the wars, and took

Deep fears to fave thy life, even for the blood
That then I loft for thee, now grant me justice.
Egeon. Unless the fear of death doth make me dote,
I fee my fon Antipholis, and Dromio.

E. Ant. Juftice, fweet Prince, against that woman there; She whom thou gav'ft to me to be my wife;

That hath abused and difhonour'd me,

Ev'n in the ftrength and height of injury:
Beyond imagination is the wrong,

That the this day hath fhameless thrown on me.
Duke. Difcover how, and thou fhalt find me juft.
E. Ant. This day, great Duke, fhe fhut the doors upon
Whilft fhe with harlots feafted in my. house. [me;
Duke. A grievous fault; fay, woman, didft thou for
Adr. No, my good Lord: myself, he, and my fister,,
To-day did dine together: fo befal my foul,
As this is falfe, he burdens me withal!

Luck

Luc. Ne'er may I look on day, nor fleep on night, But fhe tells to your Highness fimple truth!

Ang. O perjur'd woman! they are both forfworn. In this the madman juftly chargeth them.

E. Ant. My Liege, I am advised, what I say.
Neither disturb'd with the effect of wine,
Nor, heady rafh, provok'd with raging ire;
Albeit my wrongs might make one wifer mad.
This woman lock'd me out this day from dinner
That goldfmith there, were he not pack'd with her,
Could witnefs it; for he was with me then,
Who parted with me to go fetch a chain,
Promifing to bring it to the Porcupine,
Where Balthazar and I did dine together.
Our dinner done, and he not coming thither,
I went to seek him; in the street I met him,
And in his company that gentleman.

There did this perjur'd goldsmith fwear me down,
That I this day from him receiv'd the chain;
Which, God he knows, I faw not; for the which
He did arreft me with an officer.

I did obey, and fent my peasant home
For certain ducats; he with none return'd.
Then fairly I befpoke the officer,

To go in perfon with me to my houfe.

By

th' way we met my wife, her fifter, and A rabble more of vile confederates;

They brought one Pinch, a hungry lean-fac'd villain
A mere anatomy, a mountebank,

A thread-bare juggler, and a fortune-teller,
A needy, hollow-ey'd, fharp-looking wretch,
A living dead man. This pernicious flave,
Forsooth, took on him as a conjurer;
And, gazing in my eyes, feeling my pulfe,
And with no-face, as 'twere, out-facing me,
Cries out, I was poffeft. Then all together
They fell upon me, bound me, bore me thence;
And in a dark and dankifh vault at home
There left me and my man, both bound together;

"Till

"Till, gnawing with my teeth my bonds afunder,
I gain'd my freedom, and immediately

Ran hither to your Grace; whom I beseech
To give me ample fatisfaction

For thefe deep fhames and great indignities.

Ang. My Lord, in truth, thus far I witnefs with him;
That he din'd not at home, but was lock'd out.
Duke. But had he fuch a chain of thee, or no?
Ang. He had, my Lord; and when he ran in here,
These people faw the chain about his neck.

Mer. Befides, I will be fworn, these ears of mine
Heard you confefs, you had the chain of him,
After you firft forfwore it on the mart;
And thereupon I drew my fword on you;
And then you fled into this abbey here,
From whence, I think, you're come by miracle.
E. Ant. I never came within these abbey-walls,
Nor ever didst thou draw thy fword on me;
I never saw the chain, so help me heav'n!
And this is falfe, you burden me withal.

Duke. Why, what an intricate impeach is this?
I think, you
all have drunk of Circe's cup:
If here you hous'd him, here he would have been;
If he were mad, he would not plead fo coldly:
You fay, he din'd at home; the goldsmith here
Denies that faying. Sirrah, what say you?

E. Dro. Sir, he din'd with her there, at the Porcupine.
Cour. He did, and from my finger fnatch'd that ring.
E. Ant. 'Tis true, my Liege, this ring I had of her.
Duke. Saw'st thou him enter at the abbey here?
Cour. As fure, my Liege, as I do fee
your Grace.
Duke. Why, this is ftrange; go call the Abbefs hither;
I think, you are all mated, or stark mad.

[Exit one to the Abbess. Egeon Moft mighty Duke, vouchfafe me speak a word: Haply I fee a friend will fave my life;

And pay the fum that may deliver me.

Duke. Speak freely, Syracufan, what thou wilt.

Egeon. Is not your name, Sir, call'd Antipholis ? And is not that your bond-man Dromio?

E. Dro. Within this hour I was his bond-man, Sir, But he, I thank him, gnaw'd in two my cords; Now am I Dromio, and his man unbound.

Egeon. I am fure, you both of you remember me. E. Dro. Ourfelves 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. E. Ant. I never faw you in my life, 'till now. Eg.Oh! grief hath chang'd me, fince you faw me laft; And careful hours with time's deformed hand Have written strange defeatures in my face; But tell me yet, dost thou not know my voice.? E. Ant. Neither.

Egeon. Dromio, nor thou?

E. Dro. No, truft me, Sir, nor I.
Ægeon. I am fure, thou doft.

E. Dro. I, Sir? but I am fure, I do not; and whatfo-
ever a man denies, you are now bound to believe him.
Egeon. Not know my voice! oh, time's extremity!
Haft thou fo crack'd and splitted my poor tongue
In seven short years, that here my only fon
Knows not my feeble key of untun'd cares?
Tho' now this grained face of mine be hid
In fap-confuming winter's drizled fnow,
And all the conduits of my blood froze up;
Yet hath my night of life fome memory;
My wafting lamp fome fading glimmer left,
My dull deaf ears a little ufe to hear:
All these old witneffes, I cannot err,
Tell me thou art my fon Antipholis.

E. Ant. I never faw my father in my life.
Egeon. But feven years fince, in Syracufa-bay,
Thou know'ft, we parted; but, perhaps, my fon,
Thou fham'ft t'acknowledge me in mifery.

E. Ant. The Duke, and all that know me in the city, Can witness with me that it is not fo:

I ne'er faw Syracufa in my life.

Duke. I tell thee, Syracufan, twenty years
Have I been patron to Antipholis,

During which time he ne'er faw Syracufa:
I fee, thy age and dangers make thee dote.

Enter the Abbess, with Antipholis Syracufan, and Dromio
Syracufan.

Abb. Moft mighty Duke, behold a man much wrong'd. [All gather to fee him. Adr. I fee two hufbands, or mine eyes deceive me. Duke. One of these men is Genius to the other; And fo of these which is the natural man, And which the spirit? who deciphers them?

S. Dro. I, Sir, am Dromio; command him away.
E. Dro. I, Sir, am Dremio; pray, let me ftay.
S. Ant. Egeon, art thou not? or else his ghoft?
S. Dro. O, my old mafter! who hath bound him here?
Abb. Whoever bound him, I will loofe his bonds;
And gain a husband by his liberty.

Speak, old Egeon, if thou be'ft the man,
That hadft a wife once call'd Æmilia,

That bore thee at a burden two fair fons ?

Oh, if thou be'ft the fame Ægeon, speak;

And speak unto the fame Emilia.

Duke. Why, here begins his morning story right:

These two Antipholis's, these two fo like,

And thofe two Dromio's, one in semblance;

Befides her urging of her wreck at sea,

These plainly are the parents to these children,
Which accidently are met together.

Ageon. If I dream not, thou art Æmilia ;
If thou art fhe, tell me where is that fon
That floated with thee on the fatal raft.
Abb. By men of Epidamnum, he and I,
And the twin Dromio, all were taken up;
But, by and by, rude fishermen of Corinth
By force took Dromio and my fon from them,
And me they left with thofe of Epidamnum.

What