reft to do more exploits with his mace, than a morrispike.

S. Ant. What! thou mean'ft an officer?

S. Dro. Ay, Sir, the ferjeant of the band; he, that brings any man to answer it, that breaks his bond; one that thinks a man always going to bed, and faith, God give you good reft!

S. Ant. Well, Sir, there reft in your foolery. Is there any fhip puts forth to night, may we be gone? S. Dro. Why, Sir, I brought you word an hour fince, that the bark Expedition puts forth to night, and then were you hindered by the ferjeant, to tarry for the hoy Delay; here are the angels that you fent for, to deliver you.

S. Ant. The fellow is diftract, and fo am I, And here we wander in illufions;

Some bleffed Power deliver us from hence!

Cour. Well met, well met, mafter Antipholis. I fee, Sir, you have found the goldsmith now: Is that the chain, you promis'd me to day?

rice's army. He was the greatest general of that age, and the conductor of the Low-country wars against Spain, under whom all the English Gentry and Nobility were bred to the fervice. Being frequently overborn with numbers, he became famous for his fine Retreats, in which a ftand of Pikes is of great fervice. Hence the Pikes of his army became famous for their military exploits. WARBURTON. This conjecture is very ingenious, yet the commentator talks

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unneceffarily of the reft of a mufket, by which he makes the hero of the fpeech fet up the rest of a musket, to do exploits with a pike. The reft of a pike was a common term, and fignified, I believe, the manner in which it was fixed to receive the rush of the enemy. A morris pike was a pike ufed in a morris or a military dance, and with which great exploits were done, that is, great feats of dexterity were fhewn. There is no need of change.

S. Ant. Satan, avoid! I charge thee, tempt me not. S. Dro. Master, is this mistress Satan?

S. Ant. It is the devil.

S. Dro. Nay, fhe is worse, fhe's the devil's dam; and here she comes in the habit of a light wench, and therefore comes, that the wenches fay, God dam me, that's as much as to say, God make me a light wench. It is written, they appear to men like angels of light; light is an effect of fire, and fire will burn; ergo, light wenches will burn; come not near her.

Cour. Your man and you are marvellous merry, Sir. Will you go with me, we'll mend our dinner here? S. Dro. Mafter, if you do expect spoon-meat, befpeak a long spoon.

S. Ant. Why, Dromio?

S. Dro. Marry, he must have a long spoon, that muft eat with the devil.

S. Ant. Avoid then, fiend! what tell'ft thou me of fupping.

Thou art, as you are all, a forceress :

I conjure thee to leave me, and be gone.

Cour. Give me the ring of mine, you had at dinner, Or for my diamond the chain you promis'd, And I'll be gone, Sir, and not trouble you.

S. Dro. Some devils afk but the parings of one's nail, a rush, a hair, a drop of blood, a pin, a nut, a cherry-ftone: but fhe, more covetous, would have a chain. Mafter, be wife; an' if you give it her, the devil will shake her chain, and fright us with it.

Cour. I pray you, Sir, my ring, or else the chain ; I hope, you do not mean to cheat me fo?

S. Ant. Avaunt, thou witch! come, Dromio, let us go.

S. Dro. Fly pride, fays the peacock; mistress, that

you know.

[Exeunt.

SCENE

SCENE VII.

Manet Courtezan.

Cour. Now, out of doubt, Antipholis is mad;
Elfe would he never fo demean himself.

A ring he hath of mine worth forty ducats,
And for the fame he promis'd me a chain ?
Both one, and other, he denies me now.
The reason, that I gather, he is mad,
Befides this present instance of his rage,
Is a mad tale he told to day at dinner,

Of his own door being fhut against his entrance.
Belike, his wife, acquainted with his fits,
On purpose shut the doors against his way.
My way is now to hie home to his house,
And tell his wife, that, being lunatick,
He rush'd into my house, and took perforce
My ring away. This courfe I fitteft chufe
For forty ducats is too much to lose.

SCENE

VIII.

Changes to the Street.

Enter Antipholis of Ephefus, with a failor.

FE

[Exit.

E. Ant. DEAR me not, man; I will not break away; I'll give thee, ere I leave thee, fo much mony,

To warrant thee, as I am 'refted for.
My wife is in a wayward mood to day,
And will not lightly truft the meffenger.
That I fhould be attach'd in Ephesus,
I tell you, 'twill found harfhly in her ears.

Enter Dromio of Ephefus, with a Rope's end. Here comes my man; I think, he brings the mony. How now, Sir, have you that I sent you for?

E. Dro. Here's that, I warrant you, will pay them all, E. Ant. But where's the mony ?

E. Dro. Why, Sir, I gave the mony for the rope. E. Ant. Five hundred ducats, villain, for a rope? E. Dro. I'll ferve you, Sir, five hundred at the rate. E. Ant. To what end did I bid thee hie thee home? E Dro. To a rope's-end, Sir; and to that end am I return'd.

E. Ant. And to that end, Sir, I will welcome you. [Beats Dromio.

Offi. Good Sir, be patient.

E. Dro. Nay, 'tis for me to be patient; I am in adverfity.

Offi. Good now, hold thy tongue.

E. Dro. Nay, rather perfuade him to hold his hands. E. Ant. Thou whorfon, fenfeless villain!

E. Dro. I would, I were fenfelefs, Sir, that I might not feel your blows.

E. Ant. Thou art fenfible in nothing but blows, and fo is an ass.

E. Dro. I am an afs, indeed; you may prove it by my long ears. I have ferv'd him from the hour of my nativity to this inftant, and have nothing at his hands for my fervice but blows. When I am cold, he heats me with beating; when I am warm, he cools me with beating; I am wak'd with it, when I fleep; rais'd with it, when I fit; driven out of doors with it, when I go from home; welcom'd home with it, when I return; nay, I bear it on my fhoulders, as a beggar wont her brat; and, I think, when he hath lam'd me, I fhall beg with it from door to door.

SCENE

SCENE IX.

Enter Adriana, Luciana, Courtezan, and Pinch.

E. Ant. Come, go along; my wife is coming yonder.

E. Dro. Miftrefs, refpice finem, refpect your end; or rather the prophecy, like the parrot, beware the rope's-end.

E. Ant. Wilt thou ftill talk?

[Beats Dromio. Cour. How fay you now? is not your husband mad? Adr. His incivility confirms no less.

Good Doctor Pinch, you are a Conjurer,
Eftablish him in his true fenfe again,

And I will pleafe you what you will demand.
Luc. Alas, how fiery and how fharp he looks!
Cour. Mark, how he trembles in his ecftacy!
Pinch. Give me your hand, and let me feel your
pulfe.

E. Ant. There is my hand, and let it feel your ear.
Pinch. I charge thee, Satan, hous'd within this man,
To yield poffeffion to my holy prayers;
And to thy flate of darknefs hie thee ftrait,

Mistress, refpice finem, reSpect your end; or rather the prophecie, like the parrot, beware the rope's-end.] Thefe words feem to allude to a famous pamphlet of that time, wrote by Buchanan against the Lord of Liddington; which ends with thefe words, Refpice finem, refpice funem. But to what purpose, unless our Author would fhew that he could quibble as well in English, as the other in Latin, I confess I know not. As for prophefying like the parrot, this alludes to people's teaching that bird unlucky words;

with which, when any paffenger was offended, it was the ftanding joke of the wife owner to fay, Take heed, Sir, my parrot prophefies. To this, Butler hints, where, fpeaking of Rapho's skill in augury, he fays,

Could tell what fubteft parrots

mean,

That freak and think contrary clean;

What member 'tis of whom they talk,

When they cry ROPE, and walk, knave, walk.

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WARBURTON.

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