I

A CT V.

SCENE, A Street, before a Priory.
Enter the Merchant and Angelo.

ANGELO.

Am forry, Sir, that I have hinder'd you ;
But, I proteft, he had the chain of me,

Tho' most dishonestly he doth deny it.

Mer. How is the man efteem'd here in the city?
Ang. Of very reverent reputation, Sir,

Of credit infinite, highly belov'd,

Second to none that lives here in the city;
His word might bear my wealth at any time.
Mer. Speak foftly: yonder, as I think, he walks.
Enter Antipholis and Dromio of Syracuse.

Ang. 'Tis fo; and that self-chain about his neck,
Which he forfwore most monftrously to have.
Good Sir, draw near to me, I'll speak to him.
Signior Antipholis, I wonder much,

That you would put me to this fhame and trouble;
And not without fome scandal to yourself,
With circumstance and oaths so to deny
This chain, which now you wear fo openly;
Befides the charge, the fhame, imprisonment,
You have done wrong to this my honest friend
Who, but for staying on our controverfie,
Had hoifted fail, and put to fea to day :
This chain you had of me, can you deny it?
S. Ant. I think, I had; I never did deny it.
Mer. Yes, that you did, Sir, and forfwore it too.
S. Ant. Who heard me to deny it, or forfwear it?
Mer. These ears of mine, thou know'ft, did hear thee:
Fie on thee, wretch! 'tis pity that thou liv'ft
To walk where any honeft men refort..

K.. 5

St. Anth

S. Ant. Thou art a villain to impeach me thus.
I'll prove mine honour and my honesty
Against thee prefently, if thou dar'st stand.
Mer. I dare, and do defy thee for a villain.

[They draw.

Enter Adriana, Luciana, Coartesan, and others. Adr. Hold, hurt him not, for God's fake; he is mad Some get within him, take his fword away: Bind Dromio too, and bear them to my house.

S. Dro. Run, master, run; for God's fake, take a house ; This is fome priory; in, or we are fpoil'd.

[Exeunt to the Priory.

Enter Lady Abbefs.

Abb. Be quiet, people; wherefore throng you hither? Adr. To fetch my poor diftracted husband hence; Let us come in, that we may bind him faft, And bear him home for his recovery.

Ang. I knew, he was not in his perfect wits. Mer. I'm forry now, that I did draw on him. Abb. How long hath this poffeffion held the man Adr. This week he hath been heavy, fower, fad, And much, much different from the man he was: But, 'till this afternoon, his paffion

Ne'er brake into extremity of rage.

Abb. Hath he not loft much wealth by wreck at fea ? Bury'd fome dear friend? hath not else his eye

Stray'd his affection in unlawful love?

A fin, prevailing much in youthful men,
Who give their eyes the liberty of gazing.
Which of these forrows is he fubject to?

Adr. To none of thefe, except it be the laft;
Namely, fome love, that drew him oft from home.
Abb. You'fhould for that have reprehended him.
Adr. Why, fo I did.

Abb. Ay, but not rough enough,

Adr. As roughly, as my modefty would let me.
Abb. Haply, in private.

Adr. And in affemblies too.

Atb.

Abb. Ay, but not enough.

Adr. It was the copy of our conference. (16)
In bed, he slept not for my urging it;

At board, he fed not for my urging it;
Alone, it was the fubject of

In

my theam ; company, I often glane'd at it;

Still did I tell him, it was vile and bad,

Abb. And therefore came it, that the man was mad. The venom clamours of a jealous woman

Poifon more deadly, than a mad dog's tooth.

It feems, his fleeps were hinder'd by thy railing;
And thereof comes it, that his head is light.

Thou fayt, his meat was fauc'd with thy upbraidings;
Unquiet meals make ill digeftions;

Thereof the raging fire of fever bred;

And what's a fever, but a fit of madness?

Thou fay'ft, his fports were hinder'd by thy brawls.
Sweet recreation barr'd, what doth enfue,
But moodie and dull melancholy,
Kinfman to grim and comfortless despair?
And at her heels a huge infectious troop
Of pale diftemperatures, and foes to life.
In food, in fport, and life preferving reft,
To be difturb'd would mad or man or beast:
The confequence is then, thy jealous fits
Have feared thy husband from the use of wits.
Luc. She never reprehended him but mildly,
When he demeaned himself rough, rude and wildly ;
Why bear you these rebukes, and answer not?

Adr. She did betray me to my own reproof.
Good people, enter, and lay hold on him.

(16) It was the Copy of our Conference.] We are not to underftand this Word here, as it is now ufed, in Oppofition to an Original; any Thing done after a Pattern; but we are to take it in the nearest Senfe to the Latine Word Copia, from which is v is derived. Adriana would say, her Reproofs were the Burden, the Fulness of her Conference, all the Subject of her Talk And in thefe Acceptations the Word Copie was used by Writers before our Author's Time, as well as by his Contemporaries.

Abb.

Abb. Nó, not a creature enter in my house.

Adr. Then, let your fervants bring my husband forth.
Abb. Neither; he took this place for fanctuary,
And it fhall privilege him from your hands;
'Till I have brought him to his wits again,
Or lofe my labour in affaying it."

Adr. I will attend my husband, be his nurfe,
Diet his fickness, for it is my office;
And will have no attorney but myself;
And therefore let me have him home with me.
Abb. Be patient, for I will not let him ftir,
"Till I have us'd th' approved means I have,
With wholfome firups, drugs, and holy prayers
To make of him a formal man again;
It is a branch and parcel of mine oath,
A charitable duty of my order;

Therefore depart, and leave him here with me.
Adr. I will not hence, and leave my husband here;
And ill it doth befeem your holiness

To feparate the husband and the wife.

Abb. Be quiet and depart, thou fhalt not have him. Luc. Complain unto the Duke of this indignity. [Exit Abbefs. Adr. Come, go; I will fall proftrate at his feet, And never rife, until my tears and prayers Have won his Grace to come in person hither; And take perforce my husband from the Abbess. Mer. By this, I think, the dial points at five: Anon, I'm fure, the Duke himself in perfon Comes this way to the melancholy vale; The place of death and forry execution, Behind the ditches of the abbey here. Ang. Upon what caufe?

Mer. To fee a reverend Syracufan merchant,

Who put unluckily into this bay

Against the laws and ftatutes of this town,

Beheaded publickly for his offence.

Ang. See, where they come ; we will behold his death.

Luc. Kneel to the Duke, before he pass the abbey.

Enter

Enter the Duke, and Egeon bare-headed; with the
Headfman, and other Officers.

Duke. Yet once again proclaim it publickly,
If any friend will pay the fum for him,
He fhall not die, fo much we tender him.

Adr. Juftice, moft facred Duke, against the Abbefs.
Duke. She is a virtuous and a reverend Lady;

It cannot be, that the hath done thee wrong.

Adr. May it please your Grace, Autiphalis my huf band,

(Whom I made lord of me and all I had,
At your important letters,) this ill day

A most outrageous fit of madnefs took him;
That defp'rately he hurry'd through the street,
With him his bondman all as mad as he,
Doing difpleasure to the citizens,

By rushing in their houfes; bearing thence.
Rings, jewels, any thing his rage did like.
Once did I get him bound, and fent him home,
Whilst to take order for the wrongs I went,
That here and there his fury had committed:
Anon, I wot not by what ftrong efcape,

He broke from thofe, that had the guard of him:
And, with his mad attendant and himself,
Each one with ireful paffion, with drawn fwords,
Met us again, and, madly bent on us,
Chas'd us away; 'till, raising of more aid,
We came again to bind them; then they fled
Into this abbey, whither we purfu'd them;
And here the Abbefs fhuts the gates on us,
And will not fuffer us to fetch him out,
Nor fend him forth, that we may bear him hence.
Therefore, moft gracious Duke, with thy command,
Let him be brought forth, and borne hence for help.
Duke. Long fince thy husband ferv'd me in my wars,
And I to thee ingag'd a Prince's word,

(When thou didst make him mafter of thy bed,)
To do him all the grace and good I could.
Go, fome of you, knock at the abbey-gate;

And