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;

pray,

51

You have no stomach, having broke your fast; But we, that know what 'tis to fast and 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 humor 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? 61 Dro. E. I pray you, jest, sir, as you sit at dinner: I from my mistress come to you in post;

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,

64. "I shall be post indeed"; a post stood in the middle of the shop, on which the scores of the customers were scored, or marked with chalk or notches.-I. G.

66. "Clock"; Pope's emendation for "cook," the reading of the Folios.-I. G.

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? 70 Dro. E. To me, sir? why, you gave no gold to me. 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 the

mart

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 had'st 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?

Dro. 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. Dro. E. What mean you, sir? for God's sake hold your hands!

Nay, an you will not, sir, I'll take my heels.

[Exit. 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, Dark-working sorcerers that change the mind, Soul-killing witches that deform the body, 100 Disguised cheaters, prating mountebanks, And many such-like liberties of sin: If it prove so, I will be gone the sooner. I'll to the Centaur, to go seek this slave; I greatly fear my money is not safe.

VI-2

[Exit.

ACT SECOND

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 more? Luc. Because their business still lies out o' door. 11 Adr. Look, when I serve him so, he takes it ill. Luc. O, know he is the bridle of your will. Adr. There's none but asses will be bridled so. Luc. Why, headstrong liberty is lash'd with woe. There's nothing situate under heaven's eye But hath his bound, in earth, in sea, in sky: The beasts, the fishes, and the winged fowls, Are their males' subjects and at their controls: Men more divine, the masters of all these,

20

Lords of the wide world and wild watery seas,
Indued with intellectual sense and souls,

Of more pre-eminence than fish and fowls,
Are masters to their females, and their lords:
Then let your will attend on their accords.
Adr. This servitude makes you to keep unwed.
Luc. Not this, but troubles of the marriage-bed.
Adr. But, were you wedded, you would bear some
sway.

Luc. Ere I learn love, I'll practise to obey.

Adr. How if your husband start some other where? Luc. Till he come home again, I would forbear. 31 Adr. Patience unmoved! no marvel though she

pause;

They can be meek that have no other cause.
A wretched soul, bruised with adversity,
We bid be quiet when we hear it cry;

But were we burden'd with like weight of pain,
As much, or more, we should ourselves com-
plain:

So thou, that hast no unkind mate to grieve thee,

With urging helpless patience wouldst relieve

me;

40

But, if thou live to see like right bereft,
This fool-begg'd patience in thee will be left.

41. Probably meaning a patience so foolish as to cause one to be begged for a fool; referring to the old custom of soliciting the guardianship of fools and idiotic persons with a view to come at their revenues. The king, being the legal guardian of such persons, might make over the trust to whom he pleased; and relatives or other interested parties would beg the office, and, no doubt, often made or imagined the folly they wanted to have the care of. See Love's Labour's Lost, Act v. sc. 2, note 31.-H. N. H.