ACT II.

SCENE, The Houfe of Antipholis of Ephefus.

N

Enter Adriana and Luciana.

ADRIAN A.

[EITHER my husband, nor the flave return'd, That in fuch hafte Ifent to feek his master! Sure, Luciana, it is two o'clock.

Luc. Perhaps, fome merchant hath invited him,. And from the mart he's fomewhere gone to dinner :: Good fifter, let us dine, and never fret.

A man is master of his liberty :

Time is their mafter; and when they fee time,
They'll go or come; if fo, be patient, fister.
Adr. Why fhould their liberty than ours be more ?
Luc. Because their business ftill lyes out a-door.
Adr. Look, when I ferve him fo, he takes it ill.
Luc. Oh, know, he is the bridle of your will.
Adr. There's none, but affes, will be bridled fo.
Luc. Why, head-ftrong liberty is lafht with wo.
There's nothing fituate under heaven's eye,
But hath its bound in earth, in fea, in sky:
The beafts, the fishes, and the winged fowls,
Are their males fubjects, and at their controuls:
Man, more divine, the master of all these,
Lord of the wide world, and wide wat'ry feas,
Indu'd with intellectual fenfe and foul,
Of more preheminence than fifh and fowl,
Are mafters to their females, and their lords ::
Then let your will attend on their accords.

Adr. This fervitude makes you to keep unwed.
Luc. Not this, but troubles of the marriage-bed.

Adr.

Adr. But were you wedded, you would bear fome fway.

Luc. Ere I learn love, I'll practise to obey.

Adr. How if your husband start some other where?
Luc. 'Till he come home again, I would forbear.
Adr. Patience unmov'd, no marvel tho' fhe pause ;
They can be meek, that have no other caufe:
A wretched foul, bruis'd with adverfity,
We bid be quiet, when we hear it cry;

But were we burden'd with like weight of pain,
As much, or more, we fhould our felves complain.
So thou, that haft no unkind mate to grieve thee,
With urging helpless patience would'st relieve me :
But if thou live to fee like right bereft,

This fool-begg'd patience in thee will be left.

Luc. Well, I will marry one day but to try; Here comes your man, now is your husband nigh. Enter Dromio of Ephefus.

Adr. Say, is your tardy mafter now at hand? E. Dro. Nay, he's at two hands with me, and that my two ears can witness.

Adr. Say, did't thou speak with him? know'ft thou his mind?

E. Dro. Ay, ay, he told his mind upon mine ear, Befhrew his hand, I fcarce could under-stand it.

Luc. Spake he fo doubtfully, thou could'st not feel his meaning?

E. Dro. Nay, he ftruck fo plainly, I could too well feel his blows; and withal fo doubtfully, that I could fcarce understand them.

Adr. But fay, I pr'ythee, is he coming home?

It feems, he hath great care to please his wife.

E. Dro. Why, mistress, fure, my mafter is horn-mad.
Adr. Horn-mad, thou villain?

E. Dro. I mean not, cuckold-mad; but, fure, he's

ftark mad:

When I defir'd 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

Your meat doth burn, quoth I; my gold, quoth he:
Will you come home, quoth I? my gold, quoth he:
Where is the thousand marks I gave thee, villain ?
The pig, quoth I, is burn'd; my gold quoth he.
My miftrefs, Sir, quoth I; hang up thy miftrefs;
I know not thy miftrefs; out on thy mistress!
Luc. Quoth who?

E. Dro. Quoth my mafter:

I know, quoth he, no houfe, no wife, no mistress
So that my errand, due unto my tongue,

I thank him, I bare home upon my shoulders:
For, in conclufion, he did beat me there.
Adr. Go back again, thou flave,

and fetch him

home. E. Dro. Go back again, and be new beaten home? For God's fake, fend fome other meffenger.

Adr. Back, flave, or I will break thy pate across.

E. Dro. And he will blefs that crofs with other beating:

Between you I fhall have a holy head.

Adr. Hence, prating peafant, fetch thy mafter home. E. Dro. Am I fo round with you as you with me, That like a foot-ball you do fpurn me thus? You fpurn me hence, and he will spurn me hither: If I laft in this fervice, you must cafe me in leather.

[Exit.

Luc. Fie, how impatience lowreth in
your face!
Adr. His company must do his minions grace,
Whilft L at home ftarve for a merry look:
Hath homely age th' alluring beauty took
From my poor cheek? then, he hath wasted it.
Are my difcourfes dull? barren my wit?
If voluble and fharp difcourfe be marr'd,
Unkindness blunts it, more than marble hard.
Do their gay vestments his affections bait?
That's not my fault: he's mafter of my state.
What ruins are in me, that can be found
By him not ruin'd? then, is he the ground
Of my defeatures. My decayed fair
A funny look of his would foon repair.

But,

But, too unruly deer, he breaks the pale,
And feed's from home; poor I am but his ftale.
Luc. Self-harming jealousie!—fie, beat it hence.
Adr. Unfeeling fools can with fuch wrongs dispense:
I know, his eye doth homage other-where;
Or elfe what lets it, but he would be here?
Sifter, you know he promis'd me a chain;
Would that alone, alone, he would detain,
So he would keep fair quarter with his bed.
I fee, the jewel, beft enameled, (3)
Will lose his beauty; and the gold bides ftill,
That others touch; yet often touching will
Wear gold and fo no man, that hath a name,
But falihood, and corruption, doth it fhame.
Since that my beauty cannot please his eye,
I'll weep what's left away, and weeping die.
Luc. "How many fond fools ferve mad jealoufie!

(3) I see the Jewel best enameled

Will lose his Beauty; yet the gold bides ftill
That others touch, and often touching will:
Where gold and no Man that hath a Name,

[Exeunt.

By Falfbood and Corruption doth it Shame.] In this miferable mangled Condition is this Passage exhibited in the firft Folio. All the Editions fince have left out the laft Couplet of it; I prefume, as too hard for them. Mr. Pope, who pretends to have collated the firft Folio, fhould have fpar'd us the Lines, at leaft, in their Corruption.— -I communicated

my Doubts upon this Paffage to my Friend Mr. Warburton; and to his Sagacity I owe, in good part, the Correction of it. The Senfe of the whole is now very pertinent; which, without the two Lines from the first Folio, was very imperfe&t; not to fay, ridiculous. The Comparison is fully closed. "Gold, indeed, bides handling well; but, for all that, often "Touching will wear even Gold: So, no Man of a great "Character, even as pure as Gold, but may in Time lose it by Falhood and Corruption.

SCENE

Ant.

SCENE changes to the Street.

TH

Enter Antipholis of Syracufe.

HE gold I gave to Dromio is laid up
Safe at the Centaur; and the heedful slave
Is wander'd forth in care to feek me out. -
By computation, and mine hoft's report,
I could not speak with Dromio, fince at first
I fent him from the mart. See, here he comes.
Enter Dromio of Syracufe.

How now, Sir? is your merry humour alter'd ?
As you love ftroaks, fo jeft with me again.
You know no Centaur ? you receiv'd no gold?
Your mistress sent to have me home to dinner?
My houfe was at the Phenix? waft thou mad,
That thus fo madly thou didst answer me?

S. Dro. What anfwer, Sir? when fpake I fuch a word?

3

Ant. Even now, even here, not half an hour fince. S. Dro. I did not fee you fince you fent me hence Home to the Centaur, with the gold you gave me. Ant. Villain, thou didst deny the gold's receipt; And told'st me of a mistress, and a dinner; For which, I hope, thou felt'ft I was difpleas'd.

S. Dro. I'm glad to fee you in this merry vein: What means this jeft, I pray you, mafter, tell me? Ant. Yea, doft thou jeer and flout me in the teeth? Think'st thou, I jeft? hold, take thou that, and that. [Beats Dro.

S. Dro. Hold, Sir, for God's fake, now your jeft is

earneft;

Upon what bargain do you give it me?

Ant. Becaufe that I familiarly fometimes
Do ufe you for my fool, and chat with you,
Your fawcinefs will jeft upon my love,
And make a common of my ferious hours.
When the fun fhines, let foolifn gnats make fport;
But creep in crannies, when he hides his beams: