And, I think, if my breast had not been made offaith, and my heart of steel,She had transform’d me to acurtaldog, and made me turn i’ the wheel.145Ant. S.Go hie thee presently, post to the road:—Anif the wind blow any way from shore,I will not harbour in this town to-night:—If any bark put forth, come to the mart,Where I will walk till thou return to me.150If every oneknows us, and we know none,’Tis time, I think, to trudge, pack, and be gone.Dro. S.As from a bear a man would run for life,So fly I from her that would be my wife.Exit.Ant. S.There’s none but witches do inhabit here;155And therefore ’tis high time that I were hence.She that doth call me husband, even my soulDoth for a wife abhor. But her fair sister,Possess’d with such a gentle sovereign grace,Of such enchanting presence and discourse,160Hath almost made me traitor to myself:But, lest myself be guiltytoself-wrong,I’ll stop mine ears against the mermaid’s song.EnterAngelowith the chain.Ang.Master Antipholus,—Ant. S.Ay, that’s my name.Ang.I know it well, sir:—lo,here isthe chain.165I thought to have ta’en you at the Porpentine:The chain unfinish’d made me stay thus long.Ant. S.What is your will that I shall do with this?Ang.What please yourself, sir: I have made it for you.Ant. S.Made it for me, sir! I bespoke it not.170Ang.Not once, nor twice, but twenty times you have.Go home with it, and please your wife withal;And soon at supper-time I’ll visit you,And then receive my money for the chain.Ant. S.I pray you, sir, receive the money now,175For fear you ne’er see chain nor money more.Ang.You are a merry man, sir: fare you well.Exit.Ant. S.What I should think of this, I cannot tell:But this I think, there’s no man is so vainThat would refuse so fair an offer’d chain.180I see a man here needs not live by shifts,When in thestreetshe meets such golden gifts.I’ll to the mart, and there for Dromio stay:If any ship put out, then straight away.Exit.ACT IV.IV. 1Scene I.A public place.EnterSecond Merchant,Angelo, and anOfficer.Sec. Mer.You know since Pentecost the sum is due,And since I have not much importuned you;Nor now I had not, but that I am boundTo Persia, and want guilders for my voyage:5Therefore make present satisfaction,Or I’ll attach you by this officer.Ang.Even just the sum that I do owe to youIsgrowingto me by Antipholus;And in the instant that I met with you10He had of me a chain: at five o’clockI shall receive the money for the same.Pleaseth youwalk with me down to his house,I will discharge my bond, and thank you too.EnterAntipholusof EphesusandDromioof Ephesusfrom the courtezan’s.Off.That labourmay yousave: see where he comes.15Ant. E.While I go to the goldsmith’s house, go thouAnd buy a rope’s end: that will I bestowAmong my wife andherconfederates,For locking me out of my doors by day.—But, soft! I see the goldsmith. Get thee gone;20Buy thou a rope, and bring it home to me.Dro. E.I buy a thousand pound a year: I buy a rope.Exit.Ant. E.A man is well holp up that trusts to you:I promised your presence and the chain;But neither chain nor goldsmith came to me.25Belike you thought our love would last too long,If it were chain’d together,andtherefore came not.Ang.Saving your merry humour, here’s the noteHow much your chain weighs to the utmostcarat,The fineness of the gold, andchargefulfashion,30Which doth amount to three odd ducats moreThan I stand debted to this gentleman:I pray you, see him presently discharged,For he is bound to sea, and stays but for it.Ant. E.I am not furnish’d with the present money;35Besides, I have some business in the town.Good signior, take the stranger to my house,And with you take the chain, and bid my wifeDisburse the sum on the receipt thereof:Perchance I will be there as soon as you.40Ang.Then you will bring the chain to her yourself?Ant. E.No; bear it with you, lest I come nottime enough.Ang.Well, sir, I will. Have you the chain about you?Ant. E.An if I have not, sir, I hope you have;Or else you may return without your money.45Ang.Nay, come, I pray you, sir, give me the chain:Both wind and tidestaysforthisgentleman,And I,to blame, have held him here too long.Ant. E.Good Lord! you use this dalliance to excuseYour breach of promise to the Porpentine.50I should have chid you for not bringing it,But, like a shrew, you first begin to brawl.Sec. Mer.The hour steals on; I pray you, sir, dispatch.Ang.You hear how he importunes me;—the chain!Ant. E.Why, give it to my wife, and fetch your money.55Ang.Come, come, you know I gave it you even now.Eithersend the chain, or sendme bysome token.Ant. E.Fie, now you run this humour out of breath.Come, where’s the chain? I pray you, let me see it.Sec. Mer.My business cannot brook this dalliance.60Good sir, saywhetheryou’ll answer me or no:If not, I’ll leave him to the officer.Ant. E.I answer you!whatshould I answer you?Ang.The money that you owe me for the chain.Ant. E.I owe you none till I receive the chain.65Ang.You know I gave it you half an hour since.Ant. E.You gave me none: you wrong me much to say so.Ang.You wrong memore, sir, in denying it:Consider how it stands upon my credit.Sec. Mer.Well, officer, arrest him at my suit.70Off.I do; and charge you in the duke’s name to obey me.Ang.This touches me in reputation.Either consent to pay this sum for me,Or I attach you bythisofficer.Ant. E.Consent to paytheethat I never had!75Arrest me, foolish fellow, if thou darest.Ang.Here is thy fee; arrest him, officer.I would not spare my brother in this case,If he should scorn me so apparently.Off.I do arrest you, sir: you hear the suit.80Ant. E.I do obey thee till I give thee bail.But, sirrah, you shall buy this sport as dearAs all the metal in your shop will answer.Ang.Sir, sir, I shall have law in Ephesus,To your notorious shame; I doubt it not.EnterDromioof Syracuse, from the bay.85Dro. S.Master,there isa bark of EpidamnumThat stays but till her owner comes aboard,And then, sir, shebears away. Our fraughtage, sir,I have convey’d aboard; and I haveboughtThe oil, the balsamum, and aqua-vitæ.90The ship is in her trim; the merry windBlows fair from land: they stay for nought at allBut for their owner, master, and yourself.Ant. E.How now! a madman! Why, thou peevish sheep,What ship of Epidamnum stays for me?95Dro. S.A ship you sent me to, to hire waftage.Ant. E.Thou drunken slave, I sent thee for a rope,And told thee to what purpose and what end.Dro. S.You sent mefor a rope’s end as soon:You sent me to the bay, sir, for a bark.100Ant. E.I will debate this matter at more leisure,And teach your ears to list me with more heed.To Adriana, villain, hie thee straight:Give her this key, and tell her, in the deskThat’s cover’d o’er with Turkish tapestry105There is a purse of ducats; let her send it:Tell her I am arrested in the street,And that shall bail me: hie thee, slave, be gone!On, officer, to prison till it come.Exeunt Sec. Merchant, Angelo, Officer, and Ant. E.Dro. S.To Adriana! that is where we dined,110Where Dowsabel did claim me for her husband:She is too big, I hope, for me to compass.Thither I must, although against my will,For servants must their masters’ minds fulfil.Exit.IV. 2Scene II.The house ofAntipholusof Ephesus.EnterAdrianaandLuciana.Adr.Ah, Luciana, did he tempt thee so?Mightst thou perceiveausterelyin his eyeThat he did plead in earnest? yea or no?Look’d he or red or pale,or sad or merrily?5What observation madest thou, in this case,Ofhis heart’s meteors tilting in his face?Luc.First he deniedyouhad in himnoright.Adr.He meant he did me none; the more my spite.Luc.Then swore he that he was a stranger here.10Adr.And true he swore, though yet forsworn he were.Luc.Then pleaded I for you.Adr.And what said he?Luc.That love I begg’d for you he begg’d of me.Adr.With what persuasion did he tempt thy love?Luc.With words that in an honest suit might move.15First he did praise my beauty, then my speech.Adr.Didst speak him fair?Luc.Have patience, I beseech.Adr.I cannot, nor I will not, hold me still;My tongue, though not my heart, shall havehiswill.He is deformed, crooked, old, and sere,20Ill-faced, worse bodied, shapeless everywhere;Vicious, ungentle, foolish, blunt, unkind;Stigmatical in making, worsein mind.Luc.Who would be jealous, then, of such a one?No evil lost is wail’d when it is gone.25Adr.Ah, but I think him better than I say,And yet wouldhereinothers’ eyes were worse.Far from her nest the lapwing cries away:My heart prays for him, though my tongue do curse.EnterDromioof Syracuse.Dro. S.Here! go; the desk, the purse!sweet, now, make haste.Luc.How hast thou lost thy breath?30Dro. S.By running fast.Adr.Where is thy master, Dromio? is he well?Dro. S.No, he’s in Tartar limbo, worse than hell.A devil in an everlasting garmenthath him;Onewhose hard heart is button’d up with steel;35A fiend, afury, pitiless and rough;A wolf, nay, worse; a fellow all in buff;A back-friend, a shoulder-clapper, one thatcountermandsThe passagesof alleys, creeks, and narrowlands;A hound that runs counter, and yet draws dry-foot well;40One that, before the Judgment, carries poor souls to hell.Adr.Why, man, what is the matter?Dro. S.I do not know the matter: he is’restedon the case.Adr.What, is he arrested?Tellme at whose suit.Dro. S.I know not at whose suit he isarrested well;45But he’sin a suit of buff which’restedhim, thatcan Itell.Will you send him,mistress, redemption, the money in his desk?Adr.Go fetch it, sister. [Exit Luciana.] This I wonder at,Thathe, unknown to me, should be in debt.Tell me, was he arrested on aband?50Dro. S.Not on aband,but ona stronger thing;A chain, a chain! Do you not hear it ring?Adr.What, the chain?Dro. S.No, no, the bell: ’tis time that I were gone:It was twoere I left him, and now the clock strikes one.55Adr.The hours come back! that did I neverhear.Dro. S.O, yes; if any hour meet a sergeant,’a turnsback for very fear.Adr.As if Time were in debt! how fondly dost thou reason!Dro. S.Time is a verybankrupt, and owes more than he’s worthto season.Nay, he’s a thief too: have you not heard men say,60That Time comes stealing on by night and day?IfTimebe in debt and theft, and a sergeant in the way,Hath he not reason to turn backan hourin a day?Re-enterLucianawith a purse.Adr.Go, Dromio; there’s the money, bear it straight;And bring thy master home immediately.65Come, sister: I am press’d down with conceit,—Conceit, my comfort and my injury.Exeunt.IV. 3Scene III.A public place.EnterAntipholusof Syracuse.Ant. S.There’s not a man I meet but doth salute meAs if I were their well-acquainted friend;And every one doth call me by my name.Some tender money to me; some invite me;5Some other give me thanks for kindnesses;Some offer me commodities to buy;—Even now a tailor call’d me in his shop,And show’d me silks that he had bought for me,And therewithal took measure of my body.10Sure, these are but imaginary wiles,And Lapland sorcerers inhabit here.EnterDromioof Syracuse.Dro. S.Master, here’s the gold you sent me for.—What, haveyougotthe picture of old Adam new-apparelled?Ant. S.What gold is this? what Adam dost thou mean?15Dro. S.Not that Adam that kept the Paradise, but that Adam that keeps the prison: he that goes in thecalf’s skinthat was killed for the Prodigal; he that came behind you, sir, like an evil angel, and bid you forsake your liberty.Ant. S.I understand thee not.20Dro. S.No? why, ’tis a plain case: he that went, like a base-viol, in a case of leather; the man, sir, that, when gentlemen are tired, gives them asob, and’reststhem; he, sir, that takes pity on decayed men, and gives them suits of durance; he that sets up his rest to do more exploits with25his mace than amorris-pike.Ant. S.What, thou meanest an officer?Dro. S.Ay, sir, the sergeant of the band; he that brings any man to answer it that breaks hisband; one that thinks a man always going to bed, andsays, ’God give you30good rest!’Ant. S.Well, sir, there rest in your foolery. Is there anyshipputs forth to-night? may we be gone?Dro. S.Why, sir, I brought you word an hour since, that the bark Expeditionputforth to-night; and then were35you hindered by the sergeant, to tarry for the hoy Delay. Here are the angels that you sent for to deliver you.Ant. S.The fellow is distract, and so am I;And here we wander in illusions:Some blessed power deliver us from hence!EnteraCourtezan.40Cour.Well met, well met, Master Antipholus.I see, sir, you have found the goldsmith now:Is that the chain you promised me to-day?Ant. S.Satan, avoid! I charge thee, tempt me not.Dro. S.Master, is this Mistress Satan?45Ant. S.It is the devil.Dro. S.Nay, she is worse, she is the devil’s dam; and here she comes in the habit of a light wench:and thereof comesthat the wenches say, ‘God damn me;’ that’sas muchto say,‘God make me a light wench.’It is written,50they appear to men like angels of light: light is an effect of fire, and fire will burn; ergo, light wenches will burn. Come not near her.Cour.Your man and you are marvellous merry, sir.Will you go withme?We’ll mend our dinnerhere?55Dro. S.Master,if you do, expectspoon-meat;orbespeak a long spoon.Ant. S.Why, Dromio?Dro. S.Marry, he must have a long spoon that must eat with the devil.60Ant. S.Avoidthen, fiend! what tell’st thou me of supping?Thou art, as youare all, a sorceress:I conjure thee to leave me and be gone.Cour.Give me the ring of mine you had at dinner,Or, for my diamond, the chain you promised,65And I’ll be gone, sir, and not trouble you.Dro. S.Some devils ask but the parings of one’s nail,A rush, a hair, a drop of blood, a pin,A nut, a cherry-stone;But she, more covetous, would have a chain.70Master, be wise: an if you give it her,The devil will shake her chain, and fright us with it.Cour.I pray you, sir, my ring, or else the chain:I hope you do not mean to cheat me so.Ant. S.Avaunt, thou witch! —Come, Dromio, let us go.75Dro. S.‘Fly pride,’ says the peacock: mistress, that you know.ExeuntAnt. S. and Dro. S.Cour.Now, out of doubt Antipholus is mad,Else would he never so demean himself.A ring he hath of mine worth forty ducats,And for the same he promised me a chain:80Both one and other he denies me now.The reason that I gather he is mad,—Besides this present instance of his rage,—Is a mad tale he told to-day at dinner,Of his owndoorsbeing shut against his entrance.85Belike his wife, acquainted with his fits,On purpose shut the doors against his way.My way is now to his home to his house,And tell his wife that, being lunatic,He rush’d into my house, and took perforce90My ring away. This course I fittest choose;For forty ducats is too much to lose.Exit.IV. 4Scene IV.A street.EnterAntipholusof Ephesusand theOfficer.Ant. E.Fear me not, man; I will not break away:I’ll give thee, ere I leave thee, so much money,To warrant thee, as I am ’rested for.My wife is in a wayward mood to-day,5And will not lightly trust themessenger.That I should be attach’d in Ephesus,I tell you, ’twill sound harshly in her ears.EnterDromioof Ephesuswith a ropes-end.Here comes my man; I think he brings the money.How now, sir! have you that I sent you for?10Dro. E.Here’s that, I warrant you, will pay them all.Ant. E.But where’s the money?Dro. E.Why, sir, I gave the money for the rope.Ant. E.Five hundred ducats, villain, for a rope?Dro. E.I’ll serve you, sir, five hundred at the rate.15Ant. E.To what end did I bid theehiethee home?Dro. E.To a rope’s-end, sir; and to that end am Ireturned.Ant. E.And to that end, sir, I will welcome you.Beating him.Off.Good sir, be patient.20Dro. E.Nay, ’tis for me to be patient; I am in adversity.Off.Good, now, hold thy tongue.Dro. E.Nay, rather persuade him to hold his hands.Ant. E.Thou whoreson, senseless villain!Dro. E.I would I were senseless, sir, that I might not25feel your blows.Ant. E.Thou art sensible in nothing but blows, and so is an ass.Dro. E.I am an ass, indeed; you may prove it by my longears. I have served him from the hour of my nativity30to this instant, and have nothing at his hands for my service but blows. When I am cold, he heats me with beating; when I am warm, he cools me with beating: I am waked with it when I sleep; raised with it when I sit; driven out of doors with it when I go from home; welcomed home35with it when I return: nay, I bear it on my shoulders, as a beggar wont her brat; and, I think, when he hath lamed me, I shall beg with it from door to door.Ant. E.Come, go along; my wife is coming yonder.EnterAdriana, Luciana,theCourtezan, andPinch.Dro. E.Mistress, ‘respice finem,’ respect your end;or40rather,the prophecylike the parrot, ‘beware the rope’s-end.’Ant. E.Wilt thou still talk?Beating him.Cour.How say you now? is not your husband mad?
And, I think, if my breast had not been made offaith, and my heart of steel,She had transform’d me to acurtaldog, and made me turn i’ the wheel.
And, I think, if my breast had not been made offaith, and my heart of steel,
She had transform’d me to acurtaldog, and made me turn i’ the wheel.
145Ant. S.Go hie thee presently, post to the road:—Anif the wind blow any way from shore,I will not harbour in this town to-night:—If any bark put forth, come to the mart,Where I will walk till thou return to me.150If every oneknows us, and we know none,’Tis time, I think, to trudge, pack, and be gone.
145Ant. S.Go hie thee presently, post to the road:—
Anif the wind blow any way from shore,
I will not harbour in this town to-night:—
If any bark put forth, come to the mart,
Where I will walk till thou return to me.
150If every oneknows us, and we know none,
’Tis time, I think, to trudge, pack, and be gone.
Dro. S.As from a bear a man would run for life,So fly I from her that would be my wife.Exit.
Dro. S.As from a bear a man would run for life,
So fly I from her that would be my wife.Exit.
Ant. S.There’s none but witches do inhabit here;155And therefore ’tis high time that I were hence.She that doth call me husband, even my soulDoth for a wife abhor. But her fair sister,Possess’d with such a gentle sovereign grace,Of such enchanting presence and discourse,160Hath almost made me traitor to myself:But, lest myself be guiltytoself-wrong,I’ll stop mine ears against the mermaid’s song.
Ant. S.There’s none but witches do inhabit here;
155And therefore ’tis high time that I were hence.
She that doth call me husband, even my soul
Doth for a wife abhor. But her fair sister,
Possess’d with such a gentle sovereign grace,
Of such enchanting presence and discourse,
160Hath almost made me traitor to myself:
But, lest myself be guiltytoself-wrong,
I’ll stop mine ears against the mermaid’s song.
Ang.Master Antipholus,—
Ant. S.
Ay, that’s my name.
Ang.I know it well, sir:—lo,here isthe chain.165I thought to have ta’en you at the Porpentine:The chain unfinish’d made me stay thus long.
Ang.I know it well, sir:—lo,here isthe chain.
165I thought to have ta’en you at the Porpentine:
The chain unfinish’d made me stay thus long.
Ant. S.What is your will that I shall do with this?
Ang.What please yourself, sir: I have made it for you.
Ant. S.Made it for me, sir! I bespoke it not.
170Ang.Not once, nor twice, but twenty times you have.Go home with it, and please your wife withal;And soon at supper-time I’ll visit you,And then receive my money for the chain.
170Ang.Not once, nor twice, but twenty times you have.
Go home with it, and please your wife withal;
And soon at supper-time I’ll visit you,
And then receive my money for the chain.
Ant. S.I pray you, sir, receive the money now,175For fear you ne’er see chain nor money more.
Ant. S.I pray you, sir, receive the money now,
175For fear you ne’er see chain nor money more.
Ang.You are a merry man, sir: fare you well.Exit.
Ant. S.What I should think of this, I cannot tell:But this I think, there’s no man is so vainThat would refuse so fair an offer’d chain.180I see a man here needs not live by shifts,When in thestreetshe meets such golden gifts.I’ll to the mart, and there for Dromio stay:If any ship put out, then straight away.Exit.
Ant. S.What I should think of this, I cannot tell:
But this I think, there’s no man is so vain
That would refuse so fair an offer’d chain.
180I see a man here needs not live by shifts,
When in thestreetshe meets such golden gifts.
I’ll to the mart, and there for Dromio stay:
If any ship put out, then straight away.Exit.
Sec. Mer.You know since Pentecost the sum is due,And since I have not much importuned you;Nor now I had not, but that I am boundTo Persia, and want guilders for my voyage:5Therefore make present satisfaction,Or I’ll attach you by this officer.
Sec. Mer.You know since Pentecost the sum is due,
And since I have not much importuned you;
Nor now I had not, but that I am bound
To Persia, and want guilders for my voyage:
5Therefore make present satisfaction,
Or I’ll attach you by this officer.
Ang.Even just the sum that I do owe to youIsgrowingto me by Antipholus;And in the instant that I met with you10He had of me a chain: at five o’clockI shall receive the money for the same.Pleaseth youwalk with me down to his house,I will discharge my bond, and thank you too.
Ang.Even just the sum that I do owe to you
Isgrowingto me by Antipholus;
And in the instant that I met with you
10He had of me a chain: at five o’clock
I shall receive the money for the same.
Pleaseth youwalk with me down to his house,
I will discharge my bond, and thank you too.
Off.That labourmay yousave: see where he comes.
15Ant. E.While I go to the goldsmith’s house, go thouAnd buy a rope’s end: that will I bestowAmong my wife andherconfederates,For locking me out of my doors by day.—But, soft! I see the goldsmith. Get thee gone;20Buy thou a rope, and bring it home to me.
15Ant. E.While I go to the goldsmith’s house, go thou
And buy a rope’s end: that will I bestow
Among my wife andherconfederates,
For locking me out of my doors by day.—
But, soft! I see the goldsmith. Get thee gone;
20Buy thou a rope, and bring it home to me.
Dro. E.I buy a thousand pound a year: I buy a rope.Exit.
Ant. E.A man is well holp up that trusts to you:I promised your presence and the chain;But neither chain nor goldsmith came to me.25Belike you thought our love would last too long,If it were chain’d together,andtherefore came not.
Ant. E.A man is well holp up that trusts to you:
I promised your presence and the chain;
But neither chain nor goldsmith came to me.
25Belike you thought our love would last too long,
If it were chain’d together,andtherefore came not.
Ang.Saving your merry humour, here’s the noteHow much your chain weighs to the utmostcarat,The fineness of the gold, andchargefulfashion,30Which doth amount to three odd ducats moreThan I stand debted to this gentleman:I pray you, see him presently discharged,For he is bound to sea, and stays but for it.
Ang.Saving your merry humour, here’s the note
How much your chain weighs to the utmostcarat,
The fineness of the gold, andchargefulfashion,
30Which doth amount to three odd ducats more
Than I stand debted to this gentleman:
I pray you, see him presently discharged,
For he is bound to sea, and stays but for it.
Ant. E.I am not furnish’d with the present money;35Besides, I have some business in the town.Good signior, take the stranger to my house,And with you take the chain, and bid my wifeDisburse the sum on the receipt thereof:Perchance I will be there as soon as you.
Ant. E.I am not furnish’d with the present money;
35Besides, I have some business in the town.
Good signior, take the stranger to my house,
And with you take the chain, and bid my wife
Disburse the sum on the receipt thereof:
Perchance I will be there as soon as you.
40Ang.Then you will bring the chain to her yourself?
Ant. E.No; bear it with you, lest I come nottime enough.
Ang.Well, sir, I will. Have you the chain about you?
Ant. E.An if I have not, sir, I hope you have;Or else you may return without your money.
Ant. E.An if I have not, sir, I hope you have;
Or else you may return without your money.
45Ang.Nay, come, I pray you, sir, give me the chain:Both wind and tidestaysforthisgentleman,And I,to blame, have held him here too long.
45Ang.Nay, come, I pray you, sir, give me the chain:
Both wind and tidestaysforthisgentleman,
And I,to blame, have held him here too long.
Ant. E.Good Lord! you use this dalliance to excuseYour breach of promise to the Porpentine.50I should have chid you for not bringing it,But, like a shrew, you first begin to brawl.
Ant. E.Good Lord! you use this dalliance to excuse
Your breach of promise to the Porpentine.
50I should have chid you for not bringing it,
But, like a shrew, you first begin to brawl.
Sec. Mer.The hour steals on; I pray you, sir, dispatch.
Ang.You hear how he importunes me;—the chain!
Ant. E.Why, give it to my wife, and fetch your money.
55Ang.Come, come, you know I gave it you even now.Eithersend the chain, or sendme bysome token.
55Ang.Come, come, you know I gave it you even now.
Eithersend the chain, or sendme bysome token.
Ant. E.Fie, now you run this humour out of breath.Come, where’s the chain? I pray you, let me see it.
Ant. E.Fie, now you run this humour out of breath.
Come, where’s the chain? I pray you, let me see it.
Sec. Mer.My business cannot brook this dalliance.60Good sir, saywhetheryou’ll answer me or no:If not, I’ll leave him to the officer.
Sec. Mer.My business cannot brook this dalliance.
60Good sir, saywhetheryou’ll answer me or no:
If not, I’ll leave him to the officer.
Ant. E.I answer you!whatshould I answer you?
Ang.The money that you owe me for the chain.
Ant. E.I owe you none till I receive the chain.
65Ang.You know I gave it you half an hour since.
Ant. E.You gave me none: you wrong me much to say so.
Ang.You wrong memore, sir, in denying it:Consider how it stands upon my credit.
Ang.You wrong memore, sir, in denying it:
Consider how it stands upon my credit.
Sec. Mer.Well, officer, arrest him at my suit.
70Off.I do; and charge you in the duke’s name to obey me.
Ang.This touches me in reputation.Either consent to pay this sum for me,Or I attach you bythisofficer.
Ang.This touches me in reputation.
Either consent to pay this sum for me,
Or I attach you bythisofficer.
Ant. E.Consent to paytheethat I never had!75Arrest me, foolish fellow, if thou darest.
Ant. E.Consent to paytheethat I never had!
75Arrest me, foolish fellow, if thou darest.
Ang.Here is thy fee; arrest him, officer.I would not spare my brother in this case,If he should scorn me so apparently.
Ang.Here is thy fee; arrest him, officer.
I would not spare my brother in this case,
If he should scorn me so apparently.
Off.I do arrest you, sir: you hear the suit.
80Ant. E.I do obey thee till I give thee bail.But, sirrah, you shall buy this sport as dearAs all the metal in your shop will answer.
80Ant. E.I do obey thee till I give thee bail.
But, sirrah, you shall buy this sport as dear
As all the metal in your shop will answer.
Ang.Sir, sir, I shall have law in Ephesus,To your notorious shame; I doubt it not.
Ang.Sir, sir, I shall have law in Ephesus,
To your notorious shame; I doubt it not.
85Dro. S.Master,there isa bark of EpidamnumThat stays but till her owner comes aboard,And then, sir, shebears away. Our fraughtage, sir,I have convey’d aboard; and I haveboughtThe oil, the balsamum, and aqua-vitæ.90The ship is in her trim; the merry windBlows fair from land: they stay for nought at allBut for their owner, master, and yourself.
85Dro. S.Master,there isa bark of Epidamnum
That stays but till her owner comes aboard,
And then, sir, shebears away. Our fraughtage, sir,
I have convey’d aboard; and I havebought
The oil, the balsamum, and aqua-vitæ.
90The ship is in her trim; the merry wind
Blows fair from land: they stay for nought at all
But for their owner, master, and yourself.
Ant. E.How now! a madman! Why, thou peevish sheep,What ship of Epidamnum stays for me?
Ant. E.How now! a madman! Why, thou peevish sheep,
What ship of Epidamnum stays for me?
95Dro. S.A ship you sent me to, to hire waftage.
Ant. E.Thou drunken slave, I sent thee for a rope,And told thee to what purpose and what end.
Ant. E.Thou drunken slave, I sent thee for a rope,
And told thee to what purpose and what end.
Dro. S.You sent mefor a rope’s end as soon:You sent me to the bay, sir, for a bark.
Dro. S.You sent mefor a rope’s end as soon:
You sent me to the bay, sir, for a bark.
100Ant. E.I will debate this matter at more leisure,And teach your ears to list me with more heed.To Adriana, villain, hie thee straight:Give her this key, and tell her, in the deskThat’s cover’d o’er with Turkish tapestry105There is a purse of ducats; let her send it:Tell her I am arrested in the street,And that shall bail me: hie thee, slave, be gone!On, officer, to prison till it come.
100Ant. E.I will debate this matter at more leisure,
And teach your ears to list me with more heed.
To Adriana, villain, hie thee straight:
Give her this key, and tell her, in the desk
That’s cover’d o’er with Turkish tapestry
105There is a purse of ducats; let her send it:
Tell her I am arrested in the street,
And that shall bail me: hie thee, slave, be gone!
On, officer, to prison till it come.
Exeunt Sec. Merchant, Angelo, Officer, and Ant. E.
Dro. S.To Adriana! that is where we dined,110Where Dowsabel did claim me for her husband:She is too big, I hope, for me to compass.Thither I must, although against my will,For servants must their masters’ minds fulfil.Exit.
Dro. S.To Adriana! that is where we dined,
110Where Dowsabel did claim me for her husband:
She is too big, I hope, for me to compass.
Thither I must, although against my will,
For servants must their masters’ minds fulfil.Exit.
Adr.Ah, Luciana, did he tempt thee so?Mightst thou perceiveausterelyin his eyeThat he did plead in earnest? yea or no?Look’d he or red or pale,or sad or merrily?5What observation madest thou, in this case,Ofhis heart’s meteors tilting in his face?
Adr.Ah, Luciana, did he tempt thee so?
Mightst thou perceiveausterelyin his eye
That he did plead in earnest? yea or no?
Look’d he or red or pale,or sad or merrily?
5What observation madest thou, in this case,
Ofhis heart’s meteors tilting in his face?
Luc.First he deniedyouhad in himnoright.
Adr.He meant he did me none; the more my spite.
Luc.Then swore he that he was a stranger here.
10Adr.And true he swore, though yet forsworn he were.
Luc.Then pleaded I for you.
Adr.
And what said he?
Luc.That love I begg’d for you he begg’d of me.
Adr.With what persuasion did he tempt thy love?
Luc.With words that in an honest suit might move.15First he did praise my beauty, then my speech.
Luc.With words that in an honest suit might move.
15First he did praise my beauty, then my speech.
Adr.Didst speak him fair?
Luc.
Have patience, I beseech.
Adr.I cannot, nor I will not, hold me still;My tongue, though not my heart, shall havehiswill.He is deformed, crooked, old, and sere,20Ill-faced, worse bodied, shapeless everywhere;Vicious, ungentle, foolish, blunt, unkind;Stigmatical in making, worsein mind.
Adr.I cannot, nor I will not, hold me still;
My tongue, though not my heart, shall havehiswill.
He is deformed, crooked, old, and sere,
20Ill-faced, worse bodied, shapeless everywhere;
Vicious, ungentle, foolish, blunt, unkind;
Stigmatical in making, worsein mind.
Luc.Who would be jealous, then, of such a one?No evil lost is wail’d when it is gone.
Luc.Who would be jealous, then, of such a one?
No evil lost is wail’d when it is gone.
25Adr.Ah, but I think him better than I say,And yet wouldhereinothers’ eyes were worse.Far from her nest the lapwing cries away:My heart prays for him, though my tongue do curse.
25Adr.Ah, but I think him better than I say,
And yet wouldhereinothers’ eyes were worse.
Far from her nest the lapwing cries away:
My heart prays for him, though my tongue do curse.
Dro. S.Here! go; the desk, the purse!sweet, now, make haste.
Luc.How hast thou lost thy breath?
30Dro. S.
By running fast.
Adr.Where is thy master, Dromio? is he well?
Dro. S.No, he’s in Tartar limbo, worse than hell.A devil in an everlasting garmenthath him;Onewhose hard heart is button’d up with steel;35A fiend, afury, pitiless and rough;A wolf, nay, worse; a fellow all in buff;A back-friend, a shoulder-clapper, one thatcountermandsThe passagesof alleys, creeks, and narrowlands;A hound that runs counter, and yet draws dry-foot well;40One that, before the Judgment, carries poor souls to hell.
Dro. S.No, he’s in Tartar limbo, worse than hell.
A devil in an everlasting garmenthath him;
Onewhose hard heart is button’d up with steel;
35A fiend, afury, pitiless and rough;
A wolf, nay, worse; a fellow all in buff;
A back-friend, a shoulder-clapper, one thatcountermands
The passagesof alleys, creeks, and narrowlands;
A hound that runs counter, and yet draws dry-foot well;
40One that, before the Judgment, carries poor souls to hell.
Adr.Why, man, what is the matter?
Dro. S.I do not know the matter: he is’restedon the case.
Adr.What, is he arrested?Tellme at whose suit.
Dro. S.I know not at whose suit he isarrested well;45But he’sin a suit of buff which’restedhim, thatcan Itell.Will you send him,mistress, redemption, the money in his desk?
Dro. S.I know not at whose suit he isarrested well;
45But he’sin a suit of buff which’restedhim, thatcan Itell.
Will you send him,mistress, redemption, the money in his desk?
Adr.Go fetch it, sister. [Exit Luciana.] This I wonder at,Thathe, unknown to me, should be in debt.Tell me, was he arrested on aband?
Adr.Go fetch it, sister. [Exit Luciana.] This I wonder at,
Thathe, unknown to me, should be in debt.
Tell me, was he arrested on aband?
50Dro. S.Not on aband,but ona stronger thing;A chain, a chain! Do you not hear it ring?
50Dro. S.Not on aband,but ona stronger thing;
A chain, a chain! Do you not hear it ring?
Adr.What, the chain?
Dro. S.No, no, the bell: ’tis time that I were gone:It was twoere I left him, and now the clock strikes one.
Dro. S.No, no, the bell: ’tis time that I were gone:
It was twoere I left him, and now the clock strikes one.
55Adr.The hours come back! that did I neverhear.
Dro. S.O, yes; if any hour meet a sergeant,’a turnsback for very fear.
Adr.As if Time were in debt! how fondly dost thou reason!
Dro. S.Time is a verybankrupt, and owes more than he’s worthto season.Nay, he’s a thief too: have you not heard men say,60That Time comes stealing on by night and day?IfTimebe in debt and theft, and a sergeant in the way,Hath he not reason to turn backan hourin a day?
Dro. S.Time is a verybankrupt, and owes more than he’s worthto season.
Nay, he’s a thief too: have you not heard men say,
60That Time comes stealing on by night and day?
IfTimebe in debt and theft, and a sergeant in the way,
Hath he not reason to turn backan hourin a day?
Adr.Go, Dromio; there’s the money, bear it straight;And bring thy master home immediately.65Come, sister: I am press’d down with conceit,—Conceit, my comfort and my injury.
Adr.Go, Dromio; there’s the money, bear it straight;
And bring thy master home immediately.
65Come, sister: I am press’d down with conceit,—
Conceit, my comfort and my injury.
Exeunt.
Ant. S.There’s not a man I meet but doth salute meAs if I were their well-acquainted friend;And every one doth call me by my name.Some tender money to me; some invite me;5Some other give me thanks for kindnesses;Some offer me commodities to buy;—Even now a tailor call’d me in his shop,And show’d me silks that he had bought for me,And therewithal took measure of my body.10Sure, these are but imaginary wiles,And Lapland sorcerers inhabit here.
Ant. S.There’s not a man I meet but doth salute me
As if I were their well-acquainted friend;
And every one doth call me by my name.
Some tender money to me; some invite me;
5Some other give me thanks for kindnesses;
Some offer me commodities to buy;—
Even now a tailor call’d me in his shop,
And show’d me silks that he had bought for me,
And therewithal took measure of my body.
10Sure, these are but imaginary wiles,
And Lapland sorcerers inhabit here.
Dro. S.Master, here’s the gold you sent me for.—What, haveyougotthe picture of old Adam new-apparelled?
Dro. S.Master, here’s the gold you sent me for.—
What, haveyougotthe picture of old Adam new-apparelled?
Ant. S.What gold is this? what Adam dost thou mean?
15Dro. S.Not that Adam that kept the Paradise, but that Adam that keeps the prison: he that goes in thecalf’s skinthat was killed for the Prodigal; he that came behind you, sir, like an evil angel, and bid you forsake your liberty.
Ant. S.I understand thee not.
20Dro. S.No? why, ’tis a plain case: he that went, like a base-viol, in a case of leather; the man, sir, that, when gentlemen are tired, gives them asob, and’reststhem; he, sir, that takes pity on decayed men, and gives them suits of durance; he that sets up his rest to do more exploits with25his mace than amorris-pike.
Ant. S.What, thou meanest an officer?
Dro. S.Ay, sir, the sergeant of the band; he that brings any man to answer it that breaks hisband; one that thinks a man always going to bed, andsays, ’God give you30good rest!’
Ant. S.Well, sir, there rest in your foolery. Is there anyshipputs forth to-night? may we be gone?
Dro. S.Why, sir, I brought you word an hour since, that the bark Expeditionputforth to-night; and then were35you hindered by the sergeant, to tarry for the hoy Delay. Here are the angels that you sent for to deliver you.
Ant. S.The fellow is distract, and so am I;And here we wander in illusions:Some blessed power deliver us from hence!
Ant. S.The fellow is distract, and so am I;
And here we wander in illusions:
Some blessed power deliver us from hence!
40Cour.Well met, well met, Master Antipholus.I see, sir, you have found the goldsmith now:Is that the chain you promised me to-day?
40Cour.Well met, well met, Master Antipholus.
I see, sir, you have found the goldsmith now:
Is that the chain you promised me to-day?
Ant. S.Satan, avoid! I charge thee, tempt me not.
Dro. S.Master, is this Mistress Satan?
45Ant. S.It is the devil.
Dro. S.Nay, she is worse, she is the devil’s dam; and here she comes in the habit of a light wench:and thereof comesthat the wenches say, ‘God damn me;’ that’sas muchto say,‘God make me a light wench.’It is written,50they appear to men like angels of light: light is an effect of fire, and fire will burn; ergo, light wenches will burn. Come not near her.
Cour.Your man and you are marvellous merry, sir.Will you go withme?We’ll mend our dinnerhere?
Cour.Your man and you are marvellous merry, sir.
Will you go withme?We’ll mend our dinnerhere?
55Dro. S.Master,if you do, expectspoon-meat;orbespeak a long spoon.
Ant. S.Why, Dromio?
Dro. S.Marry, he must have a long spoon that must eat with the devil.
60Ant. S.Avoidthen, fiend! what tell’st thou me of supping?Thou art, as youare all, a sorceress:I conjure thee to leave me and be gone.
60Ant. S.Avoidthen, fiend! what tell’st thou me of supping?
Thou art, as youare all, a sorceress:
I conjure thee to leave me and be gone.
Cour.Give me the ring of mine you had at dinner,Or, for my diamond, the chain you promised,65And I’ll be gone, sir, and not trouble you.
Cour.Give me the ring of mine you had at dinner,
Or, for my diamond, the chain you promised,
65And I’ll be gone, sir, and not trouble you.
Dro. S.Some devils ask but the parings of one’s nail,A rush, a hair, a drop of blood, a pin,A nut, a cherry-stone;But she, more covetous, would have a chain.70Master, be wise: an if you give it her,The devil will shake her chain, and fright us with it.
Dro. S.Some devils ask but the parings of one’s nail,
A rush, a hair, a drop of blood, a pin,
A nut, a cherry-stone;
But she, more covetous, would have a chain.
70Master, be wise: an if you give it her,
The devil will shake her chain, and fright us with it.
Cour.I pray you, sir, my ring, or else the chain:I hope you do not mean to cheat me so.
Cour.I pray you, sir, my ring, or else the chain:
I hope you do not mean to cheat me so.
Ant. S.Avaunt, thou witch! —Come, Dromio, let us go.
75Dro. S.‘Fly pride,’ says the peacock: mistress, that you know.
ExeuntAnt. S. and Dro. S.
Cour.Now, out of doubt Antipholus is mad,Else would he never so demean himself.A ring he hath of mine worth forty ducats,And for the same he promised me a chain:80Both one and other he denies me now.The reason that I gather he is mad,—Besides this present instance of his rage,—Is a mad tale he told to-day at dinner,Of his owndoorsbeing shut against his entrance.85Belike his wife, acquainted with his fits,On purpose shut the doors against his way.My way is now to his home to his house,And tell his wife that, being lunatic,He rush’d into my house, and took perforce90My ring away. This course I fittest choose;For forty ducats is too much to lose.Exit.
Cour.Now, out of doubt Antipholus is mad,
Else would he never so demean himself.
A ring he hath of mine worth forty ducats,
And for the same he promised me a chain:
80Both one and other he denies me now.
The reason that I gather he is mad,—
Besides this present instance of his rage,—
Is a mad tale he told to-day at dinner,
Of his owndoorsbeing shut against his entrance.
85Belike his wife, acquainted with his fits,
On purpose shut the doors against his way.
My way is now to his home to his house,
And tell his wife that, being lunatic,
He rush’d into my house, and took perforce
90My ring away. This course I fittest choose;
For forty ducats is too much to lose.Exit.
Ant. E.Fear me not, man; I will not break away:I’ll give thee, ere I leave thee, so much money,To warrant thee, as I am ’rested for.My wife is in a wayward mood to-day,5And will not lightly trust themessenger.That I should be attach’d in Ephesus,I tell you, ’twill sound harshly in her ears.
Ant. E.Fear me not, man; I will not break away:
I’ll give thee, ere I leave thee, so much money,
To warrant thee, as I am ’rested for.
My wife is in a wayward mood to-day,
5And will not lightly trust themessenger.
That I should be attach’d in Ephesus,
I tell you, ’twill sound harshly in her ears.
Here comes my man; I think he brings the money.How now, sir! have you that I sent you for?
Here comes my man; I think he brings the money.
How now, sir! have you that I sent you for?
10Dro. E.Here’s that, I warrant you, will pay them all.
Ant. E.But where’s the money?
Dro. E.Why, sir, I gave the money for the rope.
Ant. E.Five hundred ducats, villain, for a rope?
Dro. E.I’ll serve you, sir, five hundred at the rate.
15Ant. E.To what end did I bid theehiethee home?
Dro. E.To a rope’s-end, sir; and to that end am Ireturned.
Ant. E.And to that end, sir, I will welcome you.Beating him.
Off.Good sir, be patient.
20Dro. E.Nay, ’tis for me to be patient; I am in adversity.
Off.Good, now, hold thy tongue.
Dro. E.Nay, rather persuade him to hold his hands.
Ant. E.Thou whoreson, senseless villain!
Dro. E.I would I were senseless, sir, that I might not25feel your blows.
Ant. E.Thou art sensible in nothing but blows, and so is an ass.
Dro. E.I am an ass, indeed; you may prove it by my longears. I have served him from the hour of my nativity30to this instant, and have nothing at his hands for my service but blows. When I am cold, he heats me with beating; when I am warm, he cools me with beating: I am waked with it when I sleep; raised with it when I sit; driven out of doors with it when I go from home; welcomed home35with it when I return: nay, I bear it on my shoulders, as a beggar wont her brat; and, I think, when he hath lamed me, I shall beg with it from door to door.
Ant. E.Come, go along; my wife is coming yonder.
Dro. E.Mistress, ‘respice finem,’ respect your end;or40rather,the prophecylike the parrot, ‘beware the rope’s-end.’
Ant. E.Wilt thou still talk?Beating him.
Cour.How say you now? is not your husband mad?