Abb. Ay, but not enough.

Adr. It was the copy of our conference. (16)
In bed, he flept not for my urging it;
At board, he fed not for my urging it;
Alone, it was the subject of my theam;
In company, I often glanc'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 seems, his fleeps were hinder'd by thy railing;
And thereof comes it, that his head is light.

Thou fay'ft, 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,
Kinsman 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 rest,
To be difturb'd, would mad or man or beaft:
The confequence is then, thy jealous fits
Have scared 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 understand this Word here, as it is now used, 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 it is derived. Adriana would say, her Reproofs were the Burden, the Fulness of her Conference, all the Subject of her Talk. And in these Acceptations the Word Copie was used by Writers before our Author's Time, as well as by his Contemporaries.

Abb.

Abb. No, not a creature enter in my houfe.

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 nurse,
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 shalt 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 perfon hither And take perforce my husband from the Abbefs. Mer. By this, I think, the dial points at five: Anon, I'm fure, the Duke himself in person Comes this way to the melancholy vale; The place of death and forry execution, Behind the ditches of the abbey here. Ang. Upon what cause ?

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 Ægeon bare-headed; with the Headfman, and other Officers.

Duke. Yet once again proclaim it publickly, friend will pay the fum for him,

If any

He fhall not die, fo much we tender him..

Adr. Juftice, most 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, Antipholis my hufband,

;

(Whom I made lord of me and all I had,
At your important letters,) this ill day
A moft outrageous fit of madness took him
That defp'rately he hurry'd through the street,
With him his bondman all as mad as he,
Doing displeasure to the citizens,

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

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, raifing 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, most 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 didft 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

And bid the lady Abbefs come to me.
I will determine this, before I ftir.

Enter a Meffenger.

Me. O miftrefs, miftrefs, fhift and fave your felf; My mafter and his man are both broke loose Beaten the maids a-row, and bound the doctor, Whose beard they have fing'd off with brands of fire; And ever as it blaz'd, they threw on him Great pails of puddled mire to quench the hair; My mafter preaches patience to him, and the while His man with fciffars nicks him like a fool: And, fure, unless you fend fome present 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.

Me. Miftrefs, upon my life, I tell you true; I have not breath'd almoft, fince I did fee it. He crys 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; Ay, 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 reason.

Enter Antipholis, and Dromio of Ephefus.

E. Ant. Juftice, moft gracious Duke, oh, grant me juftice.

Even for the service that long fince I did thee,

When I beftrid thee in the wars, and took

Deep fcars to fave thy life, even for the blood
That then I loft for thee, now grant me juftice.

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't to me to be my wife; That hath abused and dishonour'd me,

Ey'n

Ev'n in the strength and height of injury.

Beyond imagination is the wrong,

That the this day hath fhameless thrown on me.
Duke. Discover how, and thou shalt find me juft.
E. Ant. This day, great Duke, she shut the doors
upon me;

Whilst she with harlots feasted in my house.

Duke. A grievous fault; fay, woman, didst thou fo Adr. No, my good lord: myfelf, he, and my fifter, To day did dine together: fo befal my foul, As this is falfe, he burthens me withal!

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 mad-man juftly chargeth them.

E. Ant. My Liege, I am advifed, what I fay.
Neither difturb'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 goldsmith 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 feek him; in the street I met him,
And in his company that gentleman.

There did this perjur'd goldsmith swear 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 bespoke the officer,

To go in perfon with me to my house.
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 meer anatomy, a mountebank,

A