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THE COMEDY OF ERRORS.

ACT I.

SCENE I. A hall in the DUKE's palace.

Enter DUKE, ÆGEON, Gaoler, Officers, and other Attendants.

Ege. Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall, And by the doom of death end woes and all. Duke. Merchant of Syracusa, plead no more;

duke

I am not partial to infringe our laws:
The enmity and discord which of late
Sprung from the rancorous outrage of your
To merchants, our well-dealing countrymen,
Who, wanting guilders to redeem their lives,
Have seal'd his rigorous statutes with their bloods,
Excludes all pity from our threatening looks.
For, since the mortal and intestine jars
"Twixt thy seditious countrymen and us,
It hath in solemn synods been decreed,

A hall...palace.] Malone. The Duke's
palace. Theobald. A publick Place.
Capell.

Duke] the Duke of Ephesus. Ff.

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5

10

Officers,] Capell. Officer, Staunton. om. Ff.

1 Solinus] F. Salinus FF3F4. 8 guilders] Singer (ed. 2). gilders Ff. 10 looks] books Anon. conj.

Both by the Syracusians and ourselves,

To admit no traffic to our adverse towns:

Nay, more,

If any

born at Ephesus be seen

At any Syracusian marts and fairs;

Again: if any Syracusian born

Come to the bay of Ephesus, he dies,
His goods confiscate to the duke's dispose;
Unless a thousand marks be levied,

To quit the penalty and to ransom him.
Thy substance, valued at the highest rate,
Cannot amount unto a hundred marks;

Therefore by law thou art condemn'd to die.

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Ege. Yet this my comfort: when your words are done, My woes end likewise with the evening sun.

Duke. Well, Syracusian, say, in brief, the cause
Why thou departed'st from thy native home,
And for what cause thou camest to Ephesus.

Ege. A heavier task could not have been imposed Than I to speak my griefs unspeakable:

Yet, that the world may witness that my end
Was wrought by nature, not by vile offence,
I'll utter what my sorrow gives me leave.
In Syracusa was I born; and wed
Unto a woman, happy but for me,

And by me, had not our hap been bad.

With her I lived in joy; our wealth increased

14 Syracusians] F4. Siracusians F1F2F3. Syracusans Pope. See note (1).

16, 17, 18 Nay, more, If...seen At any] Malone. Nay, more, if...Ephesus Be seene at any Ff.

18 any] om. Pope.

23 and to] F. and F2F3F4.

27 this]'tis Hanmer. this' S. Walker conj.

home? Ff. grief F3F4

30

35

40

30 home,] Home; Rowe.
33 griefs] F. griefe F2.
35 nature] fortune Collier MS.
39 And by me] F1. And by me too
F2F3F4. And by me happy Shilleto
conj. (N. & Q. 1873). And but (or
yet) by me Nicholson conj. Happy
by me Seager conj.

By prosperous voyages I often made

To Epidamnum; till my factor's death,

And the great care of goods at random left,
Drew me from kind embracements of my spouse:
From whom my absence was not six months old,
Before herself, almost at fainting under
The pleasing punishment that women bear,
Had made provision for her following me,
And soon and safe arrived where I was.

45

There had she not been long but she became

A joyful mother of two goodly sons;

And, which was strange, the one so like the other

As could not be distinguish'd but by names.

That very hour, and in the self-same inn,

A meaner woman was delivered

50

55

Of such a burthen, male twins, both alike :
Those, for their parents were exceeding poor,
I bought, and brought up to attend my sons.
My wife, not meanly proud of two such boys,
Made daily motions for our home return:
Unwilling I agreed; alas! too soon

We came aboard.

A league from Epidamnum had we sail'd,
Before the always-wind-obeying deep
Gave any tragic instance of our harm:

42 Epidamnum] Pope. Epidamium

Ff. Epidamnium Rowe. See note (1).
Epidamnum;...death,] Theobald.
Epidamium,...death, F. Epidam-
ium,...death; F2F3F4

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50 had she] Ff. she had Rowe.
55 meaner] Delius (S. Walker conj.).
meane F1. poor meane F2. poor
mean F3F. moaning Staunton conj.
delivered] deliver'd Boswell.

56 burthen, male twins] burthen Male,
twins F1.

burthen] burden Johnson.

61, 62 As in Pope. One line in Ff.
61 soon] soon! Pope. soon. Capell.
62 aboard.] aboard our ship. Some-
what more than Keightley conj.

But longer did we not retain much hope;
For what obscured light the heavens did grant
Did but convey unto our fearful minds

A doubtful warrant of immediate death;

Which though myself would gladly have embraced,
Yet the incessant weepings of my wife,
Weeping before for what she saw must come,
And piteous plainings of the pretty babes,

That mourn'd for fashion, ignorant what to fear,
Forced me to seek delays for them and me.
And this it was, for other means was none :
The sailors sought for safety by our boat,
And left the ship, then sinking-ripe, to us:
My wife, more careful for the latter-born,
Had fasten'd him unto a small spare mast,
Such as seafaring men provide for storms;
To him one of the other twins was bound,
Whilst I had been like heedful of the other:
The children thus disposed, my wife and I,
Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fix'd,
Fasten'd ourselves at either end the mast;
And floating straight, obedient to the stream,
Was carried towards Corinth, as we thought.
At length the sun, gazing upon the earth,
Dispersed those vapours that offended us;
And, by the benefit of his wished light,
The seas wax'd calm, and we discovered

69 doubtful] dreadful Theobald conj.
70 gladly] gently Collier MS.
71 weepings] F1 weeping F2F3F4.

76 this] thus Hudson (Collier MS.).
79 latter-] elder- Rowe.

83 other] others Capell conj.

86 either end the mast] th' end of either mast Hanmer.

mast] masts Furnivall conj.

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87, 88 And... Was] Ff. And... Were Rowe. Which... Was Capell.

89 sun] sonne F1.

91 wished] F. wish'd FF,F4.

92 seas wax'd] seas waxt F1. seas waxe
F2. seas wax F3. seas was F4.
was Rowe.

discovered] discover'd Boswell.

sea

Two ships from far making amain to us,
Of Corinth that, of Epidaurus this:

But ere they came,-O, let me say no more!
Gather the sequel by that went before.

Duke. Nay, forward, old man; do not break off so; For we may pity, though not pardon thee.

Ege. O, had the gods done so, I had not now
Worthily term'd them merciless to us!

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

Our helpful ship was splitted in the midst;
So that, in this unjust divorce of us,
Fortune had left to both of us alike
What to delight in, what to sorrow for.
Her part, poor soul! seeming as burdened
With lesser weight, but not with lesser woe,
Was carried with more speed before the wind;

And in our sight they three were taken up
By fishermen of Corinth, as we thought.
At length, another ship had seized on us;
And, knowing whom it was their hap to save,
Gave healthful welcome to their shipwreck'd guests
And would have reft the fishers of their prey,
Had not their bark been very slow of sail;
And therefore homeward did they bend their course,
Thus have you heard me sever'd from my bliss;
That by misfortunes was my life prolong'd,

94 Epidaurus] Epidarus F1. Epidam

nus Theobald conj.

103 upon] Pope. vp F1. up upon F2F3F4

104 helpful helpless Rowe. hopeful Hudson (Jervis conj.).

113 another] the other Hanmer.

115 healthful] F1 helpful F2F3F4117 bark] backe F1.

120 That] Thus Hanmer.

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100

105

110

115

120

Yet Anon.

conj. And Collier MS.
misfortunes] misfortune Dyce, ed. 2
(Collier MS.).

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