Sweet Isabel, do yet but kneel by me : [all. For being a little bad: so may my husband, Let him not die. My brother had but justice, His act did not o'ertake his bad intent; Duke. Your suit's unprofitable; stand up, I say. I have bethought me of another fault.-Provost, how came it Claudio was beheaded At an unusual hour? Proo. It was commanded so. Duke. Had you a special warrant for the deed? [message. Prov. No, my good lord; it was by private Duke. For which I do discharge you of your Give up your keys. [office; Prov. Pardon me, noble lord : I thought it was a fault, but knew it not; Yet did repent me, after more advice: For testimony whereof, one in the prison, That should by private order else have died, I have reserv'd alive. What's he? Duke. Go, fetch him hither; let me look upon him. Ang. I am sorry that such sorrow I procure: And so deep sticks it in my penitent heart, That I crave death more willingly than mercy; 'Tis my deserving, and I do entreat it. Re-enter Provost, with Barnardine, Claudio, muffled, and Juliet. Duke. Which is that Barnardine? man, Sirrah, thou art said to have a stubborn soul, That apprehends no further than this world, And squar'st thy life according. Thou'rt condemned: But, for those earthly faults, I quit them all; Prov. This is another prisoner that I sav'd, That should have died when Claudio lost his As like almost to Claudio as himself. (head; [Unmuffles Claudio. Duke. [To Isabella.] If he be like your brother, for his sake Is he pardon'd; and, for your lovely sake, I find an apt remission in myself; [don :And yet here's one in place I cannot par[To Lucio.] You, sirrah, that knew me for a fool, a coward, One all of luxury, an ass, a madman; Lucio. 'Faith, my lord, I spoke it but according to the trick. If you will hang me for it, you may; but I had rather it would please you I might be whipped. Duke. Whipp'd first, sir, and hang'd after. Proclaim it, provost, round about the city, If any woman's wrong'd by this lewd fellow, (As I have heard him swear, himself, there's one Whom he begot with child,) let her And he shall marry her: the nuptial finish'd, Let him be whipp'd and hang'd. appear. 98 THE COMEDY OF ERRORS. So, bring us to our palace; where we'll show Whereto if you'll a willing ear incline, [Exeunt. What's mine is yours, and what is yours is What's yet behind, that's meet you all should know. mine. THE COMEDY OF ERRORS. Solinus, Duke of Ephesus. Egeon, a Merchant of Syracuse. Antipholus of Ephesus, Antipholus of Syracuse, Balthazar, a Merchant. DRAMATIS PERSONE. Angelo, a Goldsmith. Merchant, friend to Antipholus of Syracuse. Twin Brothers, sons Pinch, a Schoolmaster and a Conjurer. to Ægeon and Emilia, wife to Egeon, an Abbess at Ephesus. Emilia. Adriana, Wife to Antipholus of Ephesus. Twin Brothers, attend- Luciana, her Sister. ants on the two Anti- Luce, servant to Adriana. A Courtezan. pholuses. ACT I. Gaoler, Officers, and other Attendants. SCENE,-Ephesus. SCENE I-A Hall in the Duke's Palace. Ege. Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall, Excludes all pity from our threat'ning looks. My woes end likewise with the evening sun. cause Why thou departedst from thy native home, Than I to speak my griefs unspeakable : Yet, that the world may witness that my end spouse: Of such a burden, male twins, both alike. poor, I bought, and brought up to attend my sons. A league from Epidamnum had we sail'd, Yet the incessant weepings of my wife, Weeping before for what she saw must come, Duke. Nay, forward, old man; do not break off so; For we may pity, though not pardon thee. We were encounter'd by a mighty rock; Our helpful ship was splitted in the midst ; And would have reft the fishers of their prey, course. Thus have you heard me sever'd from my bliss; That by misfortunes was my life prolong'd, To tell sad stories of my own mishaps. Duke. And, for the sake of them thou sorrowest for, Do me the favour to dilate at full Whom whilst I labour'd of a love to see, To bear the extremity of dire mishap! Gaol. I will, my lord. [wend, Age. Hopeless, and helpless, doth Ægeon But to procrastinate his lifeless end. [Exeunt. SCENE II.-A public Place. Enter Antipholus of Syracuse, Dromio of Syracuse, and a Merchant. Mer. Therefore, give out you are of Epidamnum, Lest that your goods too soon be confiscate. Ant. S. Go bear it to the Centaur, where : Here comes the almanack of my true date.- You have no stomach, having broke your fast; Ant. S. Stop in your wind, sir: tell me this, I pray, [you? Where have you left the money that I gave Dro. E. O,- -sixpence, that I had o' Wednesday last To pay the saddler for my mistress' crupper :The saddler had it, sir; I kept it not. Ant, S. I am not in a sportive humour now: Tell me, and dally not, where is the money? We being strangers here, how dar'st thou trust So great a charge from thine own custody? Dro. E. I pray you, jest, sir, as you sit at dinner : I from my mistress come to you in post; clock, And strike you home without a messenger. Ant. S. Come, Dromio, come, these jests are out of season; Reserve them till a merrier hour than this. Where is the gold I gave in charge to thee? Dro. E. To me, sir? why, you gave no gold [foolishness, to me. Ant. S. Come on, sir knave; have done your And tell me how thou hast dispos'd thy charge. Dro. E. My charge was but to fetch you from the mart Home to your house, the Phoenix, sir, to dinner: My mistress and her sister stay for you. Ant. S. Now, as I am a Christian, answer me, Being forbid? There, take you that, sir knave. Dro. E. What mean you, sir? for God's sake, hold your hands! Nay, an you will not, sir, I'll take my heels. The villain is o'er-raught of all my money. ACT II. SCENE I.-Antipholus's House. Enter Adriana and Luciana. [Exit. : But hath his bound, in earth, in sea, in sky: Luc. Ere I learn love, I'll practise to obey. Luc. Till he come home again, I would forAdr. Patience unmov'd, no marvel though she pause: They can be meek, that have no other cause. Enter Dromio of Ephesus. Adr. Say, didst thou speak with him? Know'st thou his mind? Dro. E. Ay, ay, he told his mind upon mine ear: beshrew his hand, I scarce could understand it. Luc. Spake he so doubtfully, thou couldst not feel his meaning? Dro. E. Nay, he struck so plainly, I could too well feel his blows; and withal so doubtfully, that I could scarce understand them. Adr. But say, I pr'ythee, is he coming home? It seems, he hath great care to please his wife. Dro. E. Why, mistress, sure my master is Adr. Horn-mad, thou villain! [horn-mad. Dre. E. I mean not cuckold-mad; But, sure, he is stark mad. When I desir'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: [quoth he: Your meat doth burn," quoth I; "My gold," "Will you come home?" quoth I: "My gold," quoth he: [villain?" Where is the thousand marks I gave thee, I know not thy mistress; out on thy mistress!' Luc. Quoth who? Dro. E. Quoth my master: "I know," quoth he, [mistress." no house, no wife, no So that my errand, due unto my tongue, I thank him, I bear home upon my shoulders; For, in conclusion, he did beat me there. Adr. Go back again, thou slave, and fetch him home. [home? Dro. E. Go back again, and be new beaten For God's sake, send some other messenger! Adr. Back, slave, or I will break thy pate [other beating: Dro. E. And he will bless that cross with Between you, I shall have a holy head. Adr. Hence, prating peasant! fetch thy master home. [with me, across. Dro. E. Am I so round with you, as you That like a football you do spurn me thus? You spurn me hence, and he will spurn me hither: If I last in this service, you must case me in leather. [Exit. Luc. Fie, how impatience loureth in your face! [grace, Adr. His company must do his minions Whilst I at home starve for a merry look. Hath homely age th' alluring beauty took From my poor cheek? then, he hath wasted it : Are my discourses dull? barren my wit? If voluble and sharp discourse be marr'd, Unkindness blunts it more than marble hard : Do their gay vestments his affections bait? That's not my fault,-he's master of my state: What ruins are in me that can be found By him rot ruin'd? then is he the ground Of my defeatures. My decayed fair A sunny look of his would soon repair; But, too unruly deer, he breaks the pale, And feeds from home: poor I am but his stale. Luc. Self-harming jealousy !-fie, beat it [dispense. hence. Adr. Unfeeling fools can with such wrongs I know his eye doth homage other where, Or else, what lets it but he would be here? Sister, 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 see, the jewel best enamelled [still, Will lose his beauty; and though gold bides That others touch, yet often touching will Wear gold: and no man that hath a name, By falsehood and corruption doth it shame. Since that my beauty cannot please his eye, I'll weep what's left away, and weeping die. Luc. How many fond fools serve mad jealousy! [Exeunt. SCENE II.-A public Place. Enter Antipholus of Syracuse. Ant. S. The gold I gave to Dromio is laid The pig," quoth I, "is burn'd;' "My Safe at the Centaur : and the heedful slave [up gold," quoth he: [mistress! Is wander'd forth, in care to seek me out. "My mistress, sir," quoth I: "Hang up thy By computation and mine host's report, |