Than that which lives to fear: make it your A due sincerity govern'd his deeds,
So happy is your brother. Isab
Sweet Isabel, do yet but kneel by me; Hold up your hands, say nothing: I'll speak all. They say, best men are moulded out of faults; And, for the most, become much more the better For being a little bad: so may my husband. O Isabel, will you not lend a knee? Duke. He dies for Claudio's death. Isab.
Most bounteous sir, [Kneeling. Look, if it please you, on this man condemn'd, As if my brother lived: I partly think
Till he did look on me: since it is so,
Let him not die. My brother had but justice, In that he did the thing for which he died: For Angelo,
His act did not o'ertake his bad intent, And must be buried but as an intent
That perish'd by the way: thoughts are no subjects;
Intents but merely thoughts.
Merely, my lord. Your suit's unprofitable; stand up,
I have bethought me of another fault. Provost, how came it Claudio was beheaded At an unusual hour?
It was commanded so. Duke. Had you a special warrant for the deed?
Prov. No, my good lord; it was by private
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 reserved alive.
Duke. Prov. His name is Barnardine. Duke. I would thou hadst done so by Claudio. Go fetch him hither; let me look upon him. [Exit Provost.
Escal. I am sorry, one so learned and so wise
As you, Lord Angelo, have still appear'd, Should slip so grossly, both in the heat of blood, And lack of temper'd judgement afterward.
Ang. I am sorry that such sorrow I pro
And so deep sticks it in my penitent heart 480 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. Prov. This, my lord. Duke. There was a friar told me of this man. Sirrah, thou art said to have a stubborn soul, That apprehends no further than this world, And squarest thy life according.
Which is that Barnardine?
He is my brother too: but fitter time for that. By this Lord Angelo perceives he's safe; Methinks I see a quickening in his eye. Well, Angelo, your evil quits you well:
Look that you love your wife; her worth worth Remit thy other forfeits. Take him to prison;
One all of luxury, an ass, a madman; Wherein have I so deserved of you, That you extol me thus?
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 whipt.
Duke. Whipt first, sir, and hanged after. Proclaim it, provost, round about the city, Is any woman wrong'd by this lewd fellow, As I have heard him swear himself there's
Whom he begot with child, let her appear, And he shall marry her: the nuptial finish'd, Let him be whipt and hang'd.
Lucio. I beseech your highness, do not marry me to a whore. Your highness said even now,
And see our pleasure herein executed. Lucio. Marrying a punk, my lord, is pressing to death, whipping, and hanging. Duke. Slandering a prince deserves it. [Exeunt Officers with Lucio. She, Claudio, that you wrong'd, look you restore. Joy to you, Mariana! Love her, Angelo: I have confess'd her and I know her virtue. Thanks, good friend Escalus, for thy much good-
There's more behind that is more gratulate. Thanks, provost, for thy care and secrecy: We shall employ thee in a worthier place. Forgive him, Angelo, that brought you home The head of Ragozine for Claudio's: The offence pardons itself. Dear Isabel, I have a motion much imports your good; Whereto if you'll a willing ear incline, What's mine is yours and what is yours is mine. So, bring us to our palace; where we'll show What's yet behind, that's meet you all should know.
SOLINUS, duke of Ephesus. EGEON, a merchant of Syracuse. ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus,, ANTIPHOLOS of Syracuse,
twin brothers, and sons to Egeon and Æmilia.
twin brothers, and attendants on the two Antipholuses.
DROMIO of Ephesus, DROMIO of Syracuse, BALTHAZAR, a merchant. ANGELO, a goldsmith.
First Merchant, friend to Antipholus of Syracuse.
Ege. Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall And by the doom of death end woes and all. Duke. Merchant of Syracusa, plead no more; I am not partial to infringe our laws: The enmity and discord which of late Sprung from the rancorous outrage of your duke 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, 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. Age. 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.
Second Merchant, to whom Angelo is a debtor. PINCH, a schoolmaster.
EMILIA, wife to Ægeon, an abbess at Ephesus. ADRIANA, wife to Antipholus of Ephesus. LUCIANA, her sister.
LUCE, servant to Adriana. A Courtezan.
Gaoler, Officers, and other Attendants. SCENE: Ephesus.
With her I lived in joy; our wealth increased 40 By prosperous voyages I often made To Epidamnum; till my factor's death Drew me from kind embracements of my spouse: And the great care of goods at random left 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. There had she not been long but she becaine 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
Of such a burden, 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: But longer did we not retain much hope; For what obscured light the heavens did 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;
With lesser weight but not with lesser woe,
Enter ANTIPHOLUS of Syracuse, DROMIO of Syracuse, and First Merchant.
First Mer. Therefore give out you are of Epidamnum,
Lest that your goods too soon be confiscate. This very day a Syracusian merchant Is apprehended for arrival here;
And not being able to buy out his life According to the statute of the town Dies ere the weary sun set in the west.
Was carried with more speed before the wind; 110 There is your money that I had to keep.
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
At eighteen years became inquisitive After his brother: and importuned me That his attendant-so his case was like, Reft of his brother, but retain'd his name- Might bear him company in the quest of him: Whom whilst I labour'd of a love to see, I hazarded the loss of whom I loved. Five summers have I spent in furthest Greece, Roaming clean through the bounds of Asia, And, coasting homeward, came to Ephesus; Hopeless to find, yet loath to leave unsought 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. Hapless Ægeon, whom the fates mark'd
To bear the extremity of dire mishap! Now, trust me, were it not against our laws, Against my crown, my oath, my dignity, Which princes, would they, may not disannul, My soul should sue as advocate for thee. But, though thou art adjudged to the death And passed sentence may not be recall'd But to our honour's great disparagement,
Ant. S. Go bear it to the Centaur, where we host,
And stay there, Dromio, till I come to thee. ΤΟ Within this hour it will be dinner-time: Till that, I'll view the manners of the town, Peruse the traders, gaze upon the buildings, And then return and sleep within mine inn, For with long travel I am stiff and weary. Get thee away.
Dro. S. Many a man would take you at your word,
And go indeed, having so good a mean.
Ant. S. A trusty villain, sir, that very oft, When I am dull with care and melancholy, Lightens my humour with his merry jests. What, will you walk with me about the town, And then go to my inn and dine with me? First Mer. I am invited, sir, to certain mer- chants,
Of whom I hope to make much benefit; I crave your pardon. Soon at five o'clock, Please you, I'll meet with you upon the mart And afterward consort you till bed-time: My present business calls me from you now. Ant. S. Farewell till then: I will go lose my- self
And wander up and down to view the city. First Mer. Sir, I commend you to your own
Ant. S. He that commends me to mine own content
Commends me to the thing I cannot get. I to the world am like a drop of water That in the ocean seeks another drop, Who, falling there to find his fellow forth, Unseen, inquisitive, confounds himself: So I, to find a mother and a brother, In quest of them, unhappy, lose myself. Enter DROMIO of Ephesus.
Here comes the almanac of my true date. What now? how chance thou art return'd so soon? Dro. E. Return'd so soon! rather approach'd too late :
The capon burns, the pig falls from the spit, The clock hath strucken twelve upon the bell; My mistress made it one upon my cheek: She is so hot because the meat is cold; The meat is cold because you come not home; You come not home because you have no stomach; You have no stomach having broke your fast; But we that know what 'tis to fast and pray Are penitent for your default to-day.
Ant. S. Stop in your wind, sir: tell me this, I pray:
Where have you left the money that I gave you? Dro. E. 0,-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 darest thou trust So great a charge from thine own custody? Dre. E. I pray you, jest, sir, as you sit at dinner:
I from my mistress come to you If I return, I shall be post indeed, For she will score your fault upon my pate. Methinks your maw, like mine, should be your 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
Ant. S. Come on, sir knave, have done your foolishness
And tell me how thou hast disposed thy charge. Dro. E. My charge was but to fetch you from
Home to your house, the Phoenix, sir, to dinner: My mistress and her sister stays for you.
Ant. S. Now, as I am a Christian, answer me In what safe place you have bestow'd my money, Or I shall break that merry sconce of yours That stands on tricks when I am undisposed: 80 Where is the thousand marks thou hadst of me? Dro. E. I have some marks of yours upon my pate,
Some of my mistress' marks upon my shoulders, But not a thousand marks between you both. If I should pay your worship those again, Perchance you will not bear them patiently. Ant. S. Thy mistress' marks? what mistress, slave, hast thou?
Dre. E. Your worship's wife, my mistress at the Phoenix:
She that doth fast till you come home to dinner And prays that you will hie you home to dinner. Ant. S. What, wilt thou flout me thus unto my face. 91
Being forbid? There, take you that, sir knave. Dr. E. What mean you, sir? for God's sake, hold your hands!
Nay, an you will not, sir, I'll take my heels.
Ant. S. Upon my life, by some device or other The villain is o'er-raught of all my money. They say this town is full of cozenage, As, nimble jugglers that deceive the eye,
SCENE I. The house of ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus. Enter ADRIANA and LUCIANA.
Adr. Neither my husband nor the slave return'd,
That in such haste I sent to seek his master! Sure, Luciana, it is two o'clock.
Luc. Perhaps some merchant hath invited him And from the mart he's somewhere gone to dinner.
Good sister, let us dine and never fret:
A man is master of his liberty:
Time is their master, and when they see time They'll go or come: if so, be patient, sister. Adr. Why should their liberty than ours be
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