THE

COMEDY of ERRORS.

ACT I. SCENE I.

The Duke's Palace.

Enter the Duke of Ephefus, Egeon, Jailor, and other Attendants.

PR

GEON.

Duke,

ROCEED, Salinus, to procure my fall, And by the doom of death end woes and all. Duke. Merchant of Syracufa, plead no more; I am not partial to infringe our laws: The enmity, and difcord, which of late Sprung from the ranc'rous outrage of your To merchants, our well-dealing countrymen, (Who, wanting gilders to redeem their lives, Have feal'd his rigorous ftatutes with their bloods) Excludes all pity from our threatning looks. For, fince the mortal and inteftine jars "Twixt thy feditious contrymen and us, It hath in folemn fynods been decreed, Both by the Syracufans and ourselves. H 4

T'admit

T'admit no traffick to our adverse towns.
Nay, more; if any born at Ephefus
Be feen at Syracujan marts and fairs,
Again, if any Syracufan born

Come to the bay of Ephefus, he dies:
His goods confifcate to the Duke's difpofe,
Unless a thousand marks be levied
To quit the penalty, and ranfom him.
Thy fubftance, valu'd at the highest rate,
Cannot amount unto a hundred marks;
Therefore, by law thou art condemn'd to die.
Ageon. Yet this my comfort, when your words are
done,

My woes end likewife with the evening fun.

Duke. Well, Syracufan, fay, in brief, the cause, Why thou departedft from thy native home; And for what caufe thou cam'ft to Ephefus.

Egeon. A heavier task could not have been impos'd, Than I to fpeak my grief unfpeakable:

Yet that the world may witnefs, that my end
Was wrought by nature, not by vile offence,
I'll utter what my forrow gives me leave.
In Syracufa was I born, and wed

Unto a woman, happy, but for me;

And by me too, had not our hap been bad:
With her I liv'd in joy; our wealth increas'd,
By profperous voyages I often made

Was wrought by nature, not by vile offence, All his hearers underflood that the punishment he was about to undergo was in confequence of no private crime, but of the public enmity between two ftates, to one of which he belonged: But it was a general fuperftition amongst the ancients, that every great and fudden misfortune was the vengeance of heaven purfuing men for their fecret of

fences. Hence the fentiment here put into the mouth of the fpeaker was proper. By my past life (fays he) which I am going to relate, the world may understand that my prefent death is according to the ordinary courfe of providence, [wrought by nature] and not the effects of divine vengeance overtaking me for my crimes [not by vile of fence.]

WARBURTON.

To

To Epidamnum, 'till my factor's death,
And the great care of goods at random left,
Drew me from kind embracements of my fpoufe;
From whom my abfence was not fix months old,
Before herself, almoft at fainting under
The pleafing punishment that women bear,
Had made provifion for her following me,
And foon, and fafe, arrived where I was.
There fhe had not been long, but she became

A joyful mother of two goodly fons ;

And, which was ftrange, the one fo like the other,
As could not be diftinguifh'd but by names.
1 hat very hour, and in the felf-fame inn,
A poor mean woman was delivered

Of fuch a burden, male-twins both alike:
Thofe, for their parents were exceeding poor,
I bought, and brought up to attend my fons.
My wife, not meanly proud of two fuch boys,
Made daily motions for our home-return:
Unwilling, I agreed; alas, too foon,
We came aboard.

A league from Epidamnum had we fail'd,
Before the always-wind-obeying deep
Gave any tragic inftance of our harm;
But longer did we not retain much hope:
For what obfcured light the heav'ns did grant,
Did but convey unto our fearful minds

A doubtful warrant of immediate death;
Which, tho' myself would gladly have embrac❜'d,
Yet the inceffant weeping of my wife,

Weeping before, for what fhe faw muft come;
And piteous plainings of the pretty babes,
That mourn'd for fashion, ign'rant what to fear,
Forc'd me to feek delays for them and me:
And this it was; for other means were none.
The failors fought for fafety by our boat,
And left the fhip, then finking-ripe, to us;
My wife, more careful for the elder-born,

4

Had

Had faften'd him unto a small spare maft,
Such as fea-faring men provide for ftorms;
To him one of the other twins was bound,
Whilst I had been like heedful of the other.
The children thus difpos'd, my wife and I,
Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fixt,
Faften'd ourselves at either end the maft;
And floating ftraight, obedient to the stream,
Were carry'd towards Corinth, as we thought.
At length the fun, gazing upon the earth,
Difpers'd thofe vapours that offended us
And, by the benefit of his wifh'd light,
The feas waxt calm; and we discovered
Two fhips from far making amain to us,
Of Corinth that, of Epidaurus this;

But ere they came-oh, let me fay no more!
Gather the fequel by that went before.

Duke. Nay, forward, old man, do not break off so j For we may pity, tho' not pardon thee.

Ægeon. Oh, had the Gods done fo, I had not now Worthily term'd them mercilefs to us;

For ere the ships could meet by twice five leagues,
We were encountred by a mighty rock;
Which being violently borne upon,

Our helpless ship was fplitted in the midft:
So that, in this unjust divorce of us,
Fortune had left to both of us alike
What to delight in, what to forrow for.
Her part, poor foul! feeming as burdened
With leffer weight, but not with leffer woe,
Was carry'd with more speed before the wind,
And in our fight they three were taken up
By fishermen of Corinth, as we thought.
At length, another fhip had feiz'd on us;
And knowing whom it was their hap to fave,
Gave helpful welcome to their fhipwreckt guests;
And would have reft the fishers of their prey,
Had not their bark been very flow of fail;

And

And therefore homeward did they bend their course.--
Thus have you heard me fever'd from my blifs;
That by misfortunes was my life prolong'd,
To tell fad ftories of my own mishaps.

Duke. And, for the fakes of them thou forrow'ft for, Do me the favour to dilate at full

What hath befall'n of them, and thee, 'till now. Ægeon. My youngest boy, and yet my eldest care, At eighteen years became inquifitive

After his brother; and importun'd me,

That his attendant, (for his cafe was like,
Reft of his brother, but retain'd his name,)
Might bear him company in quest of him:
Whom whilft I labour'd of a love to fee,
I hazarded the lofs of whom I lov'd.
Five fummers have I spent in farthest Greece,
Roaming clean through the bounds of Afia,
And coafting homeward, came to Ephesus.
Hopeless to find, yet loth to leave unfought,
Or that, or any place that harbours men.
But here must end the story of my life;
And happy were I in my timely death,
Could all my travels warrant me they live."

Duke. Haplefs Ægeon, whom the fates have markt To bear th' extremity of dire mishap;

Now, trust me, were it not against our laws,
(Which Princes, would they, may not difannul;)
Against my crown, my oath, my dignity,
My foul should fue as advocate for thee.
But, tho' thou art adjudged to the death,
And paffed fentence may not be recall'd,
But to our honour's great difparagement;
Yet will I favour thee in what I can;
I therefore, merchant, limit thee this day,
To feek thy life by beneficial help:
Try all the friends thou haft in Ephefus,
Beg thou, or borrow, to make up the fum,

And